HELP CAN COME FROM STRANGE PLACES

Proclamation

“Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber … And she … gave him drink, and covered him … Then Jael … took a nail … and took an hammer … and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary.  So he died.”  Judges 4:16-22 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the death of Joshua and his generation of elders the next generation did evil in the sight of The Lord. (Judges 2:10-13)  God let them lose in battle and be plundered by their enemies.  After the Israelites were subjected to the king of Mesopotamia for eight years, The Lord raised up Othniel to be their judge and deliverer. (Judges 3:7-10)  Othniel judged Israel for forty years.  When he died the Israelites again did evil in the sight of The Lord and He let Eglon king of Moab overpower them.  They were subjected to Eglon for eighteen years before God sent Ehud to judge and deliver them. (Judges 3:11-15)  After Ehud died the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of The Lord.  Then The Lord let them be subdued by Jabin king of Canaan for twenty years before He sent Deborah, a prophetess to judge and deliver them. (Judges 4:1-5)  She called Barak to command the army, told him what The Lord had commanded, but he would not go into battle unless she went with him, and so she did. (Judges 4:6-9)  Together Deborah and Barak and the Israelite army won many battles (Judges 4:10-16) but they had help killing Sisera the commander of Canaanite army from Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. (Judges 4:17-24)

 

Application

All too often we think that we can handle things by ourselves only to later learn that we need help.  Our help comes from The Lord, (Psalm 121:2) and He can use whomever He wants to be the vehicle of our aid, friend or foe.  Here God uses Deborah the prophetess to help Barak defeat the Canaanites and deliver the children of Israel.  She was the messenger from The Lord and he would not go into battle without her. (Judges 4:8)  They defeated the Canaanite army but Sisera their commander fled on foot to a place he thought was a safe haven only to be killed there by a woman. (Judges 4:21)  The Bible is filled with examples of the people of God needing help.  Usually the help is needed to get them out of a situation that they got themselves into by being disobedient.  The same is true for us today.  We need to pray for God’s help.