Our princess today is about a woman who shows great courage and unquestionable faith in God. In Judges chapter 4 we see the pattern of Israel repeating itself. In verse 1 they were again rebelling against God after their king had died. Therefore, God allowed them to be under the rule of Jabin king of Canaan and the captain of his army was Sisera. Israel was oppressed and frightened because of the power that Sisera’s army had. They were well fortified with chariots and men and had oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. God’s people cry out to Him for relief and God provides a leader. This would be an unusual leader in biblical times because it was a woman. Judges 4:4 tells us she was the prophetess, Deborah. She would now judge Israel and give direction from the Lord to His people.
Judges 4:1-5 “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.”
Our princess today was truly the daughter of the King. She never questions God’s instruction to her. She doesn’t worry about what others will say about a woman taking on what was commonly a man’s role. She had a single focus in mind, obeying God.
She must have been wise in her dealings with the people because Judges 4:5 tells us the children of Israel came to her for judgment. They trusted her wisdom and by following her instruction. In Judges chapter 4 she calls for Barak the leader of the Israelite army, he comes, and she gives him instructions to go to battle against Sisera. Sisera was the captain under Jabin the king of Canaan. In man’s eyes, the army led by Sisera was far superior to others around them, but when God directs an army, the odds change greatly.
The evidence of the trust God’s people put in Deborah’s wisdom is evident in Judges 4:8. Here we see Barak agreeing to take his army and fight Sisera, but only if she will go with them. She was not going to fight but to represent the presence of the Lord with them. He trusted as a messenger from God to give direction if needed during the battle. Barak would not go unless she went with him. Deborah agrees to go with him but lets him know that he would not kill Sisera, but the battle would lead Sisera to be killed by another woman.
Judges 4:8-9 “And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.”
Everything happened just as Deborah had said. Sisera’s army was nearing destruction and he left his chariot and fled. Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite went out to meet him and told him to come into her tent to rest, and hide from Barak. He ask her to lie if ask where he was. She gave him milk to drink, and he went to sleep. She quietly finds a nail and a hammer and drives it into his temples. His death brought victory to Israel’s army.
Judges 4:17-22 “Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again, he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.”
This princess of God should be an inspiration to all who are seeking to make wise decisions. Most of us will never make decisions that affect an entire nation. We will never lead an army to victory over the enemy, but we will need God’s wisdom to teach our children, to help others follow God, and to honor and obey Him. In Deuteronomy 4:-6, we are reminded that God has given us rules to live by and those who do are wise. If you’re not sure how to implement some of the bible James 1:5 tells us if we lack wisdom, ask God and He will give it. If you read Judges chapters 4 and 5, you will find an incredibly wise woman because she followed God without wavering.
Deuteronomy 4:5-6 “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraided not; and it shall be given him.”
