characteristics of jael

Here Artemisia shows Jael wearing a 17th-century version of the simple sort of dress that might be worn by a respectable tradesman's wife. This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. Running to a womans tent and laying under a rug suggests he felt the need to hide either from Jabin because he lost the battle or from the Israelites, his enemy. Remember that as a woman, you too have the ability and the right to discern Gods Truth and will, regardless of the war and chaos surrounding you. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under . This ordinary woman does something extra-ordinary, and shows herself to be a willing, and committed, chosen instrument for God. Judges 4:21-22 tells us this: But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Jael specifically pitched their tents under a sacred oak tree in Zaananim, paying homage to her priestly Israeli ancestors, and thus consecrated it as holy ground. Yet, God used this to accomplish the purpose of delivering Israel from the evil grip of the Canaanites. And understandably, her virtue is at risk of being violated. The irony of this battle was Baal, the main god of the Canaanites was considered god of storms and weather. They lived in tents and moved about in order to find work. She took a leave of absence, and stayed with her parents for awhile, leaving the husband to travel hundreds of miles to fetch her back. (Mark 3:1-6). . Faith, not fear, wins. Josephus, Flavius. Otherwise, it will continue to harass us until it destroys us. Her decision was an easy one. His family was at peace with King Jabin of Hazor. She was judge of Israel at that time. They therefore cried out to the Lord who sent His answer via Deborah, a judge and prophetess. And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking. So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.. 5. What can we learn from Jael? That is why Sisera ran to Jaels tent, Jael saw him coming, so she went out to meet him and said, Sir, come into my tent. And Jael took the stake and put it on his temple and struck it with a hammer. Jael was a woman in the Bible who helped the Israelites subdue Jabin the Canaanite king by single-handedly killing the commander of his army, Sisera. Esther's narrative depicts a young girl maturing into her God-given duty and setting an example for all time. So here Jael sits, with the commander of the Canaanite army in her tent, and she has a decision to make. Exactly who was Jael? She is the only female judge, the only one to be called a prophet, and the only one described as performing a judicial function. Then, however, another XYZ Burgers franchise opened just down the street from Jael's restaurant. When Sisera got to her tent she invited him in and he entered without fear because " there was peace between Jabinand the house of Heber ". She loves to hang around men with money, power, influence and positions. Dont be afraid. So Sisera went into Jaels tent, and she covered him with a blanket, Sisera said to Jael, Go stand at the entrance to the tent. Terms of Use: The contents of this blog post are restricted to your personal use only. She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head. This event in Jaels life reveals a series of lessons, the first of which is that God will always fulfil His word. It went against everything she knew about hospitality, something hugely important to her culture at the time. Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite who is celebrated in the Song of Deborah in the Book of Judges in chapter five. Esther was kidnapped from her home and forced to live at the palace with the other harem girls. To take a refugee into her tent, show him hospitality and make him feel safe, and then kill him was an act of gruesome treachery. There Barak found Sisera lying dead on the ground, with the tent peg through the side of his head, God defeated King Jabin of Canaan for the Israelites. Jael's story lets us know sometimes a girl has to slay the giants in her life, using whatever crude tools are available. When Sisera showed up, this should have been the case. Camels are used as draft and saddle animals in desert regions of Africa, Arabia, and Asia. He is the one who gives life; he is the one who cancels our debts; he is the one who nails our sins to the cross once and for all. The Lord will allow a woman to defeat Sisera, Barak and his men attacked Sisera. Barak demurred, saying he would go, provided she would also. She will be blessed above all women (Judges 5:24) because of her heroic act. Once separated from its original theological context, the Jael and Sisera tradition transforms into a story about gender identity and conflict between the sexes. And Sisera had no reason to be. Jael would also be familiar with the legendary Ehud, a Benjamite who recently drove a knife into the heart of King Eglon of the Moabites during Israels last cycle of oppression. The Israelites were clearly able to see their God, Yahweh, was superior to the Canaanite god, Baal. She also knew that Sisera would be killed if captured; therefore, she would kill him and thus cement a friendship with the victor. Behold I will throw him down on the ground from the bed on which he sleeps; and if he does not feel it, I know that he has been handed over." If Jael did not act, she would be considered an extension of her husband a traitorous mercenary. While we are not sure about her faith, we are sure about her courage. You could even say the fight wasnt fair. Massachussets, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987. She set them back up at the end of the days journey. Place in Biblical Texts 1 March 2009. Then she used a tent peg and hammer. Jael saw her opportunity to act and seized it. Rather, it makes you a perfect candidate for Him to show His glory through. Eve - First Woman. I could not believe that such violence was in the Bible. The tent peg went through the side of his head and into the ground. Heber made weapons. Upset, Jael called XYZ Burgers to complain. Jael is one of those women of the Bible who we dont get a lot of details or background on. Jael was married to a Kenanite named Heber, a man descended from Jethro (Moses' father-in-law of the Midianites). The tent peg went through the side of his head and into the ground. On the day of battle, God caused it to start raining. The Kenites, being Nomadic, lived near Jericho but moved south to the region of Negev. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the "Song of Deborah" (Judg. But if you will not go withme, I will not go. I will go with you,she said, but you will receive nohonor on the road you are aboutto take, because the Lord willsell Sisera into a womans hand.Judges 4:8, 9. The Bible records a number of cases of intermarriage; the father-in-law of Moses was apparently a Kenite, but it is not clear whether this was Jethro. Sisera appears to have gone into Jaels tent, at her beckoning, instead of her husband Hebers tent. He asserted that we should not be content to see our sins simply fleeing from us; we should be ready to pursue them and then to drive them into the grounddeadwith a nail, the way Jael did. Come in. Still, for a meaning of the name Jael, both BDB Theological Dictionary and NOBSE Study Bible Name List read Mountain Goat. She understood that God alone is able to do what he says he will do. The Hebrew ya'el means ibex, a nimble, sure-footed mountain goat native to that region. I also want you to recognise that you are capable of bringing the word that God has given you to pass. The story of Jael is quite an usual one. Jael was the typical woman taking care of the daily affairs of her home. She stretched her hand to the tent peg; Deborah agrees to go, but tells Barak that because of the way he responded to Gods call there would be no glory for him in Siseras defeat. "[14][15] According to Herbert Lockyer she may have acted out of practical necessity. She was judge of Israel at that time. Esther rectified this when she called for a three-day fast. would be Jael. She crashed through and transfixed his temples. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Her name is Jael. But a few things happened that are important to understand the story. They were well-educated, wealthy, wives, mothers, and judging from the number of solo female portraits single women or widows. She is very ambitious. Mountain Goat. Evil could challenge but never conquer God. The railways and other public transportation systems, such as their trains and buses, for instance, are orderly and also extremely efficient and punctual. Barak and his men defeated Siseras army, but Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot (Judges 4:15) but Sisera got away ran away to the tent where a woman named Jael lived. Israel was at war with the Canaanites. A folktale is a fictional story that has been orally passed down over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. She was a tent-making woman. Before we talk anymore about Jael, we have to talk about what was going on in Israel at the time. Copyright 2022 Nina Dafe. The other primary female character, Jael, has not been viewed so positively. Jael appears bound to the Israelites because of her husbands kinship through the Midianites. Together, Heber and Jael live under the rich umbrella of safety and wealth afforded under a ratified peace treaty between themselves and General Sisera. Yael plays an important role in the story of Israel's wars with the Canaanites, described in the Book of Judges. He sees our potential in Him, which is why it is important that we dont disqualify ourselves from going towards the things that we know that He has called us be, do or have. Jael was the wife of Heber - "Now, Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law, Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh." (4:11) "Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber's family was on friendly terms . The Jezebel Bible story comes to a close with the queen's gory death. At the time a prophetess named Deborah was judge over Israel, and people went to her in matters of justice. She was accustomed to setting up and tearing down camp. But Jael also knows that her faithful God will break the bonds of slavery as long as the Israelites humble themselves, and turn back to the One True God of their nation. Jael was a Nomadic, tent dweller. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In order to be considered LIVING an organism must meet all 8 of the following criteria: 1. Step 3 define values of x & y. The fact is, if God could use Jael to free the children of Israel and bring peace to their land, He can use you for whatever He has called you to do too. Technically speaking, Yal is a female name, borne from the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old . Susan runs on Jesus, coffee, and not enough sleep. She split and struck through his temple. Jezebel Who was Jezebel? In Hebrew, Jael means "mountain goat" so it certainly doesn't sound like a. God is the the most powerful force in the universe, more powerful than Evil. In that age women were the responsible party for making and setting up the tents in which they would live, wherever they settled. You can also download it and share it with anyone else you feel would benefit from it: In the beginning of Judges 4 we are told that the children of Israel had been harshly oppressed by Jabin, the King of Canaan, for twenty years as a result of their sin (Judges 4:1-3). Works by Gregorio Lazzarini and Artemisia Gentileschi are two examples of an attractive Jael, shown in the act of killing her foe. Therefore, Jael had some family ties to Israel. God used the evil in the hearts of Josephs brothers to make his dream come to pass. (Notice the similarity to Lot offering up his daughter in the annals of Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:4-8). Their funerary iconography indicates that (at the least) they. God Redeems the Lost. Jael lived in the days of the Judges. As he drew near, Jael invited him to enter her tent. The Canaanite men kidnap the Bethlehem wife, brutally beat, torture, gang-rape her, and leave her for dead. She was married to Heber, the Kenite. http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jael-bible, Jael: Blessed Among Women Or Bible Bad Girl?, Heid, Bill, http://www.offthegridnews.com/2012/05/06/jael-blessed-among-women-or-bible-bad-girl/, Jael, C.E. Sisera was the epitomy of the moral flaws of Canaanite men, and had a cruel streak that was not to be ignored. Come in. The word folk comes from the German word volk, which means people. When Sisera got to her tent she invited him in and he entered without fear because there was peace between Jabinand the house of Heber. During the time of the Judges There was a woman prophet named Deborah. After all, a sleeping man cannot defend himself. Step 6 print z. Where he sank, there he fell dead. Heber (whose name means ally,) contracts himself out to the Canaanite army led by General Sisera for weapon-making. Martin Luther was particularly fond of Judith and held her up as an example of virtue and godly living. Jael (whose tent would have been separate from Heber's) [8] welcomed Sisera into her tent and covered him with a blanket. Characteristics Of Esther In The Bible . And she smote Sisera; she crushed his head, Grow, develop and die 5. For with God all things are possible. Jael had a front row seat to the vicious cycle of idolatry and judgment upon the nation of Israel namely the destruction of the lands and the assimilation of pagan practices. Barak said to her, If you will go withme, I will go. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Jael would have been remarkably adept with a tent pin and hammer, knowing how to grind a stake into the desert ground. A woman who proved to be an early proponent of womens rights, eliminating the threat of sanctioned rape under the guise of hospitality. Forty stations within a 20 km2 Maltese maerl bed were sampled by grab to gather data on sediment granulometry and the percentage mass, sphericity, and morphotype of rhodoliths. A Character Study. Women of the Bible, Jean E. Syswerda, Zondervan Publishers, 1999. Obedient: one of the main characteristics of Esther in the Bible is her biddability. Jabin's army was led by Sisera (Judg. Lead them to Mount Tabor. A godly woman, she understood the will of God and submitted to it. Yes, trouble might come from these people but if that is the case, they are only instruments in the hands of the enemy. These things were made from metal. All rights reserved. In the Hebrew Bible, Judges 4-5 tells the lurid story of the heroic figure of Jael, the formidable woman who saves Israel from the Canaanite army by seducing their general, Sisera, and then nailing his head to the ground with a tent-peg. No one would expect it, and no one would find him there. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite forces and so Barak and his men attacked Sisera. There is no way that she could win a physical fight with him. [6], Deborah, a prophetess and judge, advised Barak to mobilize the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulon on Mount Tabor to do battle against King Jabin of Canaan. Chercher les emplois correspondant Characteristics of jael ou embaucher sur le plus grand march de freelance au monde avec plus de 21 millions d'emplois. Women, especially Jael, then had every reason to be terrified for fear of being raped at the hand of her guest. And Jael was living amongst the Canaanites, harboring a Canaanite general, knowing full well the evil he was capable of. Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs? The old man, as was customary, offered up his own daughter instead so that he would not be guilty of offending his temporary guests. Midian has been referred to as a geographical area, a tribe or a confederation of tribes brought together for worship purposes. Means ibex, a nimble, sure-footed Mountain Goat early proponent of rights... Taking care of the main God of the Canaanite army led by General Sisera for weapon-making it on temple. Showed up, this should have been remarkably adept with a tent peg, and shows herself be! Background on proponent of womens rights, eliminating the threat of sanctioned rape under guise. Story comes to a close with the queen & # x27 ; s gory death this battle was Baal the! The only woman who Judges, Deborah & quot ; used to sit under in. 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