So one night, when I was about 4 years old, I was at my cousins’ house. They lived in Florence so we didn’t get to go there often. Anyway I was taking a bath there, I really don’t know why. So I was getting up because my mom said it was time to get out. When I was getting out I slipped and my chin hit the side of the bath tub, and cut my chin wide open. My aunt, who was in there at the time came rushing to me. We went to the Emergency Room and I got stitches. In that bathroom though there was blood absolutely everywhere. But even all that blood doesnt even come close to the blood that we are about to see in Judges 4.
What is going on here is the Isrealites have fallen into sin again after Ehud died. So He sent them into slavery under Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s army. Sisera had 900 chariots of iron wich was a serious war tool. Because of this the Isrealites were oppressed very cruelly. They cried to the Lord for help. So God raised up Deborah to judge Isreal. At this time the men were not stepping up and doing what they had been called to do. So Isreal came to Deborah for judgement. She summoned a guy name Barak to go to Mount Tabor and the Lord will give Sisera and his army into his hands. Barak said ” Iwill go if you go with me.” Deborah said “I will go with you but because of this the glory will go to a women.” So Barak gathered men and went to battle Sisera’s army at Mount Tabor. This battle was a complete massacre and only one man got away. Sisera saw that he was going to be defeated so he fled on foot to a tent that belonged to a women named Jael. He got there and she hid him there. Sisera grew weary and fell asleep. Jael then took a big tent spike and hammered it through his temple, all the way into the ground.When Barak arrived at the tent, Jael showed him where Sisera lay.
Jael recieved glory, but in the end it was God who recieved the glory. In the end God’s glory is revealed when he destroys sin. In John 12:27-28 Jesus basically says glorify your name through me.
That is the same attitude we should have as we enter our mission field. We should glorify God in how we battle sin. We also need to challenge ourselves to be open for God to use us.
