No doublespeak!

Scripture Read: Judges 4:17-24 Now Sisera fled away on foot 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. Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. He said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’ ” But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” And he entered with her, and behold Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan

Application: This is a section of scripture that anyone who has been taught the standards of Christ would find difficult to deal with. The thought of inviting someone into your tent and promising protection to them, lulling them to let their guard down and making them feel safe enough to fall into a deep sleep, then driving a tent peg through their head…well that is not “loving your enemy” is it? Father, this is where we need to be careful not to front load our understanding of life as a regenerated individual to every situation we encounter. We must remember time, culture and context when we read your Word. What Jael did seems terrible to us, yet she is praised in the song Deborah sings. Was Jael doing what she did because she believed God wanted her to, or because after Jabin told her to lie if any looked for him, she deduced that his army had lost and she had better side with the victors? Her family had peace with both Israel and Jabin. All of these questions must wait until we are in eternity to be answered because God does not reveal it now in His Word. Yet, there are some excellent truths seen here. First, when God states that something will happen, we can bank on it! God told Barak that a woman would be the hero of the battle and it happened. God used Jael with or without her knowledge. When God purposes something, we need to understand it will happen. So many think the return of Christ cannot happen because certain things are not where they need to be yet, our Lord in a blink of an eye can move circumstances to be exactly what He said they would be. The second truth is very important to remember. No one can hide from God! Jabin entered the tent of a friend, was comforted and felt very safe. Disaster struck then! This is a principle that we really need to engraft into our life because it works both ways. No matter the safety or the danger we are in, we are never beyond the hand of the Lord. If we are dishonoring God, we can be in the most defended, protected place in the world and He can still cause disaster to strike. The reverse is also true, if we are honoring the Lord and the environment we are in turns hostile and very dangerous, His hand can sustain and protect us. Do not trust in chariots or friends that offer refuge…trust in the Lord!

                                         

Meditation Questions: Do you ever question God? Do you ever doubt God? What is the difference? Does your life show you believe what God says? How? If not, why? What needs to change? What makes you feel safe? Do you find yourself seeking circumstances that appear to give safety and security? What does that show you about your life? When was the last time you trusted in the Lord for protection? How did that change you?