The Israelites have been sinning and sold into the hand of Jahin, king of Canaan. They have been oppressed for twenty years. Finally they call out to God.<\/p>\n
He rouses his woman, Deborah, the current judge, who stirs in response to the cries and listens to God’s will. She calls for Barak and tells him to raise an army. “But you must come with us…” he pleads. He is frightened of Jahin’s commander Sisera, who has nine hundred iron chariots at his command.<\/p>\n
Deborah, what a woman, is up for war, and heads off with them. The Israelite army, God on their side, destroy Sisera’s army and dislodge him from his chariot. He runs away on foot and pleads for refuge with the wife of one of Jahin’s allies.<\/p>\n
Jael, the woman to whom he has run, has worked out the way the tide is running, and she lulls him to sleep, and then drives a tent peg through his head. The Israelites are freed from their oppression and Deborah proceeds to sing a great big whooping song:<\/p>\n
“Lord when you went out froom Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens poured…. the mountains gushed before the Lord….<\/p>\n
“Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.”<\/p>\n
She chastises those who forgot the Lord and praises the bloodythirsty Jael, and it is all very grand and poetic. Yay. A fabulous female hero.<\/p>\n
Dear God, Thank you for your role models like Deborah. Thank you that you have brave and beautiful and obedient women in your stories. Please help me to do your will and be what you want me to be. Please reveal to me what that is! Please forgive me my sins, and help me to raise my children well. In Jesus’ name, Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Israelites have been sinning and sold into the hand of Jahin, king of Canaan. They have been oppressed for twenty years. Finally they call out to God. He rouses his woman, Deborah, the current judge, who stirs in response to the cries and listens to God’s will. She calls for Barak and tells him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-around-the-bible-in-365-days"],"yoast_head":"\n