Women of the Bible - Deborah and Jael
Women Who Fought for God
by Kathryn Capoccia
Young Adults Sunday School Class
All Scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New York Bible Society, used by
permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
© Copyright Kathy Capoccia 2000. This file may be freely copied, printed out,
and distributed as long as copyright and source statements remain intact,
and that it is not sold.
I. Introduction
A. Prayer Requests
B. Review of Last Week's Lesson/Verse
II. Character Profile: Deborah and Jael, Women who Fought for God
A. WHO WERE THEY? (read JDG chps. 4 and 5).
1. Deborah
a) When did she live? During the period of the Judges @1050-1000
B.C..
b) Where did she live? (JDG 4:5) In the hill country of Ephraim,
between Ramah and Bethel.
c) What was her name? (JDG 4:4) Deborah, "a bee".
d) What was her occupation? (JDG 4:4; 5:7)
1) prophetess (JDG 4:4) WHAT WAS A PROPHETESS? "nebiah", a
spokesman or transmitter of God's word to others.
a] a prophetess could have the office herself or
b] a prophetess could only be married to a prophet (ISA
8:3).
c] other prophetesses were:
i] Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron (EXO 15:20).
ii] Huldah (2KI 22:14).
iii] Noadiah (NEH 6:14).
iv] Anna, the daughter of Phannuel (LUK 2:36).
2) wife of Lappidoth, "lightning flashes" or "torches" (JDG
4:4)
3) judge (JDG 4:4); she was the fifth "Judge" of the period:
"shaphat", to judge or govern.
4) mother (JDG 5:7). There is no account of her children in
the Bible which may mean:
a] that she did have children but who they were had no
bearing on the story in Judges chapter four so their
names were omitted.
b] that she was actually childless but that she was a
spiritual mother to the nation.
e) How old was she? Her age is not mentioned, but because she
was a leader of her people, and apparently free to govern, it
seems that she was not a young woman obligated to care for
young children.
f) Who were her people? (JDG 4:4) The Ephraimites: the
Israelites.
2. Jael
a) When did she live? @1050-1000 B.C.
b) Where did she live? (JDG 4:11) By the great tree in
Zaanannim, near Kedesh.
*This site has been proposed in four areas: a place on the
southern border of Naphthali (JOS 19:33); Khirbet Bessum,
three mi. NE of Mt. Tabor; Lejjun, between Megiddo and Tell
Abu Qedeis; and Khan et-Tujjar on the road between Beth-shean
and Damascus (about four mi. SE of Adami). This information
came from "The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the
Bible", vol. 5, pg. 1025.
*A clue to it's location may be JDG 4:6:
JDG 4:6 "She [Deborah] sent for Barak son of Abinoam from
Kedesh in Naphtali..."
c) What was her name? (JDG 4:17,18,21) Jael, "wild or mountain
goat" or "gazelle".
d) What was her occupation? (JDG 4:17,21) She was a housewife.
e) Who were her people? We do not know her ancestral background,
but her loyalties were with the Israelites.
1) her husband was Heber the Kenite (JDG 4:11, 21).
a] his name means "ally".
b] the Kenites were a loosely knit clan of metalworkers
(kenite means "metalworkers" or "smiths") living in
Canaan.
c] Kenites were descendants of Hobab, the brother-in-law
of Moses (*an alternate rendering would be the
father-in-law of Moses), so they had close ties with
Israel (JDG 4:11).
2) her husband had separated from the rest of the Kenites
(JDG 4:11) and allied himself with Jabin king of Hazor
(JDG 4:17).
a] he may have done this because he was a metal worker and
Jabin had 900 iron chariots.
b] he may have done this because Jabin seemed to be the
undisputed ruler of the area and Heber wanted to be on
a winner's side.
B. WHAT DID THEY DO?
1. Deborah Judged The People
a) What Did Judges Do?
1) They tried difficult cases from the people.
a] under Moses a judicial system was established upon the
advise of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, to assist Moses
in settling disputes on behalf of God:
EXO 18:21,22 "... select capable men from all the
people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate
dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over
thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve
as judges for the people at all times, but have them
bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases
they can decide themselves."
EXO 18:25,26 "He chose capable men from all Israel and
made them leaders of the people, officials over
thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as
judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases
they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided
themselves."
i] "judges and officers" were appointed for every town
(DEU 16:18).
ii] a judge with priests as assessors tried more
important cases (DEU 17:8-13).
b] a Judge had jurisdiction over the entire nation of
Israel, some judging from a fixed location and some
from a circuit (JDG 4:; 1SA 7:16,17).
c] a Judge was "raised up" by God to that office (JDG
2:16).
2) They attempted to keep the nation from idolatry (EXO
18:20; JDG 2:17).
JDG 2:17 "Yet they would not listen to their judges but
prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them.
Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in
which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to
the LORD'S commands."
a] they taught the people God's word (EXO 18:20; JDG 2:17;
1SA 12:23).
b] they prayed for the people (DEU 9:18-20,25-29; DEU
10:10; 1SA 12:23).
3) They led their people in war against their enemies:
a] Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, fought
Aram Naharaim, or Northwest Mesopotamia, to free Israel
(JDG 3:7-11).
JDG 3:10,11 "The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so
that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD
gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of
Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for
forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died."
b] Ehud, the son of Gera the Benjamite, slew Eglon king of
Moab and mustered an army of Ephraimites to kill 10,000
Moabites and deliver Israel from their oppression (JDG
3:12-30).
JDG 3:30 "That day Moab was made subject to Israel,
and the land had peace for eighty years."
c] Shamgar, son of Anath, slew 600 Philistines and
delivered Israel (JDG 3:31).
JDG 3:31 "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who
struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He
too saved Israel."
d] Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, led Israel against Jabin
king of Hazor and delivered them from the hands of the
Canaanite king (JDG 4:1-24).
JDG 4:23,24 "On that day God subdued Jabin, the
Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of
the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against
Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him."
JDG 5:31 "Then the land had peace forty years."
e] Gideon, son of Joash the Abiezrite, led an army of 300
Abiezrites (from the tribe of Manasseh), and later
Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh and
Ephraim, to drive out a combined army of Midianites,
Amalekites, and other eastern peoples (JDG 6:33) from
Israel (JDG 6,7 and 8:1-28).
JDG 8:28 "Thus Midian was subdued before the
Israelites and did not raise its head again. During
Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years."
f] Tola, son of Puah, the son of Dodo "rose to save
Israel" (JDG 10:1,2).
JDG 10:2 "He led Israel twenty-three years; then he
died, and was buried in Shamir."
g] Jephthah the Gileadite led Israel against the
Ammonites, devastating twenty towns and freeing Israel
from subjugation to Ammon (JDG 11).
JDG 11:33 "He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to
the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus
Israel subdued Ammon."
h] Samson, son of Manoah, from the clan of Dan, fought the
Philistines (JDG 15:4-19; 16:29,30).
JDG 15:20 "Samson led Israel for twenty years in the
days of the Philistines."
b) What Were Other Titles For Judges?
1) "Savior" or "deliverer" (JDG 3:9,15).
JDG 3:9 "But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised
up for them a deliverer..."
JDG 3:15 "Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and
he gave them a deliverer..."
2) "gods" (PSA 82:1,6), because of their divinely appointed
office.
JOH 10:35 "If he called them 'gods' to whom the word of
God came..."
c) Who Were Judges?
1) God Himself (GEN 18:25), the Righteous Judge of both
individuals and nations.
2) Patriarchal heads of households (GEN 21:22,27).
3) Moses (EXO 18:13-27).
4) "Judges and officers in every town" (EXO 16:18), i.e.
those appointed to administrate local justice by dint of
their character and wisdom.
5) Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jepthah, Samson (the major
Judges), Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Izban, Elon, and Abdon (the
minor Judges).
6) Samuel (1SA 7:15).
7) The king of Israel (2SA 15:2), during the monarchy.
8) Magistrates and judges (EZR 7:25), after the exile.
d) How Did Deborah Judge?
1) She was "leading Israel" (JDG 4:4).
a] Israel needed leadership.
i] Israel was without a strong leader with the death of
Joshua (JDG 2:8).
ii] Israel was without strong spiritual advisors after
the elders of Joshua's generation died.
b] Israel "had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" (JDG
21:25), i.e. the people did not acknowledge God as
their King and were disloyal to Him and His rule (JDG
3:7).
i] Israel "did evil" after Joshua's generation died
(JDG 2:10) and served the Canaanite gods (JDG 3:7).
ii] Israel began a pattern of cycles of apostasy,
oppression, crying out for relief, and divine
deliverance after Joshua's generation died.
2) She judged Israel
a] She "held court" at a fixed location, the Palm of
Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country
of Ephraim (JDG 4:5).
b] She settled disputes for all the Israelites who came to
her (JDG 4:5).
3) She aroused Israel
a] Israel had been oppressed
i] Northern Israel (Zebulon, Naphtali, W. Manasseh,
Issachar, and Asher) had been cruelly oppressed for
twenty yrs. under Jabin, a Canaanite king from
northern Israel, who probably headed a coalition of
Canaanite forces trying to restore their rule to
northern Israel (JDG 4:1-3).
*"Jabin" may have been a title or perhaps a family
name since Joshua slew a Canaanite king of the same
name earlier in Israel's history (JOS 11:10).
-- Jabin had 900 iron chariots in his arsenal (JDG
4:3), too many for a single city to have (Pharaoh
Thutmose III, in the 15th century B.C., had 924
Egyptian chariots for the nation): this probably
represented a combined Canaanite army of 100,000.
-- Jabin's royal city was Hazor which had been
decimated and burned by the Israelites under
Joshua (JOS 11:10).
ii] Sisera, Jabin's army commander, had led the
Canaanite forces, including the 900 iron chariots,
against Israel for twenty yrs. (JDG 4:2,3).
b] Israel had been demoralized
JDG 4:3 "Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and
had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years,
they cried to the LORD for help."
*without God's blessing the Israelites were defenseless
and helpless.
i] life in Israel was hazardous- it was not even safe
to travel roads: travelers took to "winding paths"
to avoid enemy troops and marauders (JDG 5:6).
ii] "village life had ceased" (JDG 5:7)- it was unsafe
to live in open villages so everyone fled to walled
towns for protection.
iii] Israel had few weapons and could not throw off their
oppressors (JDG 5:8).
-- perhaps this was because Israel had voluntarily
disarmed because of a peace agreement between
themselves and the Canaanites.
-- perhaps this was because Israel had been stripped
of her weapons by her oppressors.
c] Israel was called to freedom
i] God gave a message to Deborah
HOW DID DEBORAH GET THIS MESSAGE?
Scripture does not specifically say, but after Moses
and Joshua God spoke to men in visions:
HOS 12:10 "I spoke to the prophets, gave them many
visions and told parables through them."
HEB 1:1 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers
through the prophets at many times and in various
ways..."
JOE 2:28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit
on all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young
men will see visions."
ii] God gave a promise of deliverance to Israel
JDG 4:7 "I will lure Sisera, the commander of
Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to
the Kishon River and give him into your hands."
2. Deborah, Barak, And Jael Saved The People
a) Deborah Commissioned Barak And Prophesied Honor For A Woman
1) Barak "thunderbolt," son of Abinoam, was summoned to
Deborah (JDG 4:6).
a] he was from Kedesh in Naphtali (JDG 4:6)
b] he is included in the "heroes of faith" in HEB 11:32
2) Barak was commissioned to fight Sisera, Jabin's army
commander and his army (Jdg 4:6,7).
a] he was commanded to muster an army of 10,000 men from
Naphtali and Zebulun (JDG 4:6).
b] he was commanded to meet Sisera's army (which was
headquartered at nearby Harosheth Haggoyim JDG 4:13) at
Mt. Tabor (JDG 4:7).
i] Mt. Tabor:
-- a hill in the valley of Jezreel about ten mi. SW
of the Sea of Galilee.
-- the elevation of Mt. Tabor is about 1,300 ft.
(1,843 ft. above sea level), and the hill is
located northeast of the battle site.
-- it has been identified as modern day Jebel et-Tur
(mount of the height). It is a steep, somewhat
symmetrical promontory with a rounded top and
affords an unobstructed view in every direction.
-- Tabor is thought to be the site of the
transfiguration of Jesus.
-- the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar shared borders
at Tabor.
*this information came from "The NIV Study
Bible", pg. 335, and "The Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible", vol.4, pg. 302.
ii] Sisera's army, including his chariots and troops
would be "lured" to the Kishon River by the LORD
(JDG 4:7).
-- The Kishon River:
I. Kishon River " curving" is about twenty five
mi. in length, originating in the northern
hills of Samaria (Biblical En-gannin JOS
15:34;19:21; 21:29) and ending at the
Mediterranean Sea, by Mt. Carmel.
II. The Kishon River roughly follows the outline
of the Carmel ridge, passing through the
Valley of Jezreel (Esdraelon Valley), a flat
marshy area in Biblical times, as a torrent in
times of heavy run-off or as a brook or dry
bed late in the year.
III. In times of storm the Kishon River floods the
Valley of Jezreel making it virtually
impassable.
*this information came from "The NIV Study
Bible", pg. 335, and "The Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible", vol.3, pg.830.
-- the Valley of Jezreel
I. it is in the SE part of the larger valley that
separates Samaria (S) from Galilee (N).
II. the Valley of Megiddo is the northwestern part
of it.
III. the borders of the valley are:
A. on the W, Gilboa and Moreh
B. on the E by the Jordan River
IV. it is part of the only natural E-W pass across
Pal., so it has always been heavily traveled.
*this information came from "The Zondervan
Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible", vol.3,
pgs. 590,591.
-- God "lured" Sisera to the Valley of Jezreel by:
I. having Barak encamp his troops on Mt. Tabor
(JDG 4:12).
II. allowing Sisera to learn of their location and
intent (JDG 4:12).
III. making the Valley of Jezreel appear ideal to
Sisera for the deployment of his chariots.
*the flooded Kishon River in the Valley of
Jezreel would later help Napoleon gain victory
over a Turkish army in April, 1799 ("The NIV
Study Bible", pg. 335).
3) Barak was chastened (JDG 4:9).
a] Barak was reluctant to trust God (JDG 4:8)
JDG 4:8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will
go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go."
*He had faith that God would ensure victory if Deborah
went along but did not believe that it would occur
without her.
i] it may be that he thought of Deborah as a kind of
"good luck charm" as the Israelites would later
regard the ark of the covenant to be (1SA 4:3), i.e.
that Deborah had some power to effect victory.
ii] it may be that he did not trust God's evaluation of
his abilities and therefore wanted help.
b] Barak was rebuked for his lack of faith (JDG 4:9).
JDG 4:9 "'Very well,' Deborah said, 'I will go with
you. But because of the way you are going about this,
the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand
Sisera over to a woman.'"
b) Deborah And Barak Led The Forces To Victory
1) The trap was set
a] Deborah and Barak went to Kedesh where Barak summoned
10,000 men of Zebulun and Naphtali (JDG 4:9,10).
b] Deborah and Barak and the army went to Mt. Tabor and
camped there (JDG 4:10,12).
c] word was brought to Sisera that Israel's army had gone
up to Mt. Tabor (JDG 4:12).
d] Sisera, his 900 chariots and his army, assembled in the
Valley of Jezreel (JDG 4:13).
2) The trap was sprung
a] God "went before Israel" (JDG 4:14).
i] the powers of heaven, i.e. rain and floods, fought
for Israel in the Valley of Jezreel (JDG 5:20,21).
ii] the Kishon River swept away some of Sisera's army
(JDG 5:21).
b] Barak routed Sisera's army
i] Deborah urged Barak and his army to advance upon the
Canaanites whose superior numbers and equipment were
nullified by their inability to maneuver in the
flooded condition of the valley floor (JDG 4:14).
*There is disagreement about the location of the
battle but it is generally thought that the battle
occurred in the western end of the Valley of
Jezreel, towards the camp of the Canaanites.
ii] the Canaanite army was "routed by the sword", i.e.
panicked, and fled before the Israelites (JDG 4:15).
iii] Barak's army pursued, overtook, and slew the
remainder of the Canaanite army, even going as far
as Harosheth Haggoyim, the camp of the Canaanite
army (JDG 4:16).
iv] Sisera escaped on foot and fled to the camp of Heber
the Kenite, which was near Kedesh (JDG 4:17).
*if both references to Kedesh refer to the same
place in Naphtali, the distance to there from the
battlefield could have been as great as forty miles.
A man on foot probably could not have made it in
less than two days.
c) Jael killed Sisera
1) Sisera sought sanctuary
a] he came to the camp of an ally, Heber the Kenite (JDG
4:17).
i] there were friendly relations between Heber the
Kenite and Jabin (JDG 4:17).
ii] Heber the Kenite may have been the informant who
notified Sisera of Israel's activities (implied from
JDG 4:11,12).
*He expected to receive "hospitality" from Heber, a
Middle Eastern custom which promises shelter, food,
and protection (even to one's enemies for up to
three days under normal circumstances).
b] he came to the tent of Jael, Heber's wife (JDG 4:17).
*the tents of women, in Near Eastern customs, were
off-limits to any men other than their husbands. Sisera
believed he would be safe from discovery from the
pursuing Israelites there ("The NIV Study Bible" notes,
pg.335).
i] he asked for protection- hospitality
JDG 4:20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he
told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is
anyone here?' say 'No.'"
ii] he sought refreshment-hospitality
*To be invited to come into someone's home and to
receive water was to be acknowledged as a guest and
entitled to the benefits of the custom of
"hospitality".
-- he laid down in the tent with a covering over him
(JDG 4:18).
-- he asked for water (JDG 4:19).
2) Jael planned to kill Sisera
a] Jael deceived Sisera
i] she invited him into the concealment of her tent
(JDG 4:18).
ii] she assured him of safety (JDG 4:18).
JDG 4:18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to
him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be
afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a
covering over him.
b] Jael "drugged" Sisera
i] she gave him milk to drink because he was thirsty
(JDG 4:19)
ii] she gave him milk to drink because he was exhausted
(JDG 4:19,21).
*this was probably goat's milk.
WHY DID SHE GIVE HIM MILK AND NOT WATER?
It would have been as easy for her to have given him
the water he asked for as to give him milk, but only
milk would have acted as a natural sedative on an
exhausted man. (Perhaps a subconscious reason she
gave him milk was because she did not really want to
offer "hospitality" to him, which an offer of water
usually guaranteed).
c] Jael dispensed with Sisera
i] she gathered her weapons and approached her enemy:
JDG 4:21 "But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent
peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he
lay fast asleep, exhausted."
*As a housewife Jael was very familiar with the
tools of tenting, pegs and hammers, and because she
was a housewife and not as strong as Sisera she used
the only weapons she had in the only plan that
seemed possible:
ii] she used them to kill him
JDG 4:21 "She drove the peg through his temple into
the ground, and he died."
3) Jael was credited with killing Sisera
a] she exhibited his body to Barak (JDG 4:22).
JDG 4:22 "Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael
went out to meet him. 'Come,' she said, 'I will show you
the man you're looking for.' So he went in with her, and
there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his
temple--dead."
b] she was extolled by Deborah in song (JDG 5:24-27).
*WHY WOULD JAEL KILL SISERA?
1) she knew about the battle that had just occurred
because:
a] Barak's summons had gone out in the land (JDG
4:10).
b] If Heber was the informant to Sisera Jael would
have learned of the impending battle.
c] Jael knew that Barak was searching for Sisera (JDG
4:22).
2) she was obviously on Israel's side and regarded
Sisera as an enemy.
3) she was acting in accordance with God's will that a
woman would kill Sisera (JDG 4:9).
*WAS SHE RIGHT IN DOING WHAT SHE DID? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WHAT WAS THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THEIR STRUGGLE?
JDG 4:23,24 "On that day God subdued Jabin, the
Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of
the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin,
the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him."
C. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THEM?
1. God hears and answers the prayers of the penitent and delivers
them out of their troubles (JDG 4:3).
2. God chastens those who are disobedient, as Barak was (JDG 4:9).
3. God is not a respecter of persons- women are as useful to Him as
men are (GAL 3:28).
III. What Fruits of the Spirit Can You See in Them?
IV. Memory Verse: COL 3:23,24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you
will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord
Christ you are serving."
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Kathy Capoccia's Sunday School Lessons" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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