Jael - she slew a "Goliath"

Have you wondered during this story why this is in our Scriptures? Have you considered why Jael did what she did?

Perhaps Jael believed in the Israelites' God. Or perhaps she wanted to be favored by the nation who had won the battle that day.  In any case, Deborah and Barak sang of her being "blessed of women."

Perhaps the most important point to note in this chapter is that this was a decisive and courageous woman, who helped God's people at a crucial time in their history. This was a woman that God used to accomplish His purposes.

Remember the "back story" that we studied when we looked at Deborah? God had promised never to forget His people. Now, that doesn't mean that the people of Israel were always faithful . . . in fact, they wiggled and wavered and whined an awful lot. In the good times, it was easy to be happy and grateful to God. But then the hard times would come. And they would stray from their God to false gods, and complain, and complain. Then when the really hard times would come, and they'd be under the thumb of another ruler or strongman -- why, then they would remember the Lord and come running and ask Him to help them out.

What the two stories tell us, the stories of Deborah and of Jael, is that God is always faithful, and He is always working to bring about His plans.

Do we act like the Israelites sometimes? Are we eager to go it on our own, and think we can handle everything? And then when we hit an obstacle too big for us, we come running back to Him?

This is the amazing part: He is always there.

He will always forgive us.
If we'll ask.

He will always help us.
If we ask.

We have this hope. that He will rescue us as He did Paul:

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (II Corinthians 1:8-11)