It is amazing how seemingly individual, one-off and unconnected events occurring at different points in history, are all actually linked together and collectively move the hands of time discretely towards a definite plan and purpose determined by God. With our human limitations,the difficulty lies in beholding the whole picture, a part of which still stretches into the future, many a time. As St.Paul says “Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!(1 Cor. 13:9)
Let’s take for example the story of Joseph.
His dreams as a young lad, his brothers’ casting him into the pit, selling him off to the Ishmaelite traders, his struggle in Egypt, unjust accusation in the hands of Potiphar’s wife, prison term, interpretation of the baker’s and butler’s dreams – all seem no more than parts of a tragic subgenre of a bildungsroman; and we have to wait till his appointment as Prime Minister of Egypt, the years of plenty and famine and the travel to Goshen of Jacob and his entourage, to begin to understand God’s declaration to Abraham: “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions” (Gen. 15:13-14). So all of the happenings in Joseph’s life were designed to contribute to the fulfillment of this magnificent prophecy, but it is unlikely that the dramatis personae at each point of time understood that they were playing out a scripted role.
It is mind boggling when we become aware that the above story itself is but a small component of the greatest divine narrative where the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus marked the unfolding in time of God’s eternal plan of salvation, whose origins go back to the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Phew!
So we see that many an event in the history of mankind under God’s sovereign will, sees the lapse of long periods of time before the conception and completion. While we can understand this with the aid of the word of prophecy and an historical overview, instances of such planned gestation periods over one’s life time still surprise us. Here is one such story.
This was the time of Judges.
Joshua had died. The Israelites were pretty much left to themselves. Every now and then there would pop up a leader, call the people to order, remind them of the Law, dispense justice, fight the enemy – of the lot left unconquered by Joshua – win the battle and eventually die. The Israelites would quickly forget the Law, follow the inclinations of their own heart, displease the Lord and invite upon themselves the rule of a gentile king, suffer oppression, cry out to the Lord, the Lord would send another deliverer …..and so the cycle continued.
For about 350 years, up to the reign of Samuel.
Somewhere in the middle of this era happens our story, which begins with the innocuous verse :” Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh” (Judg. 4:11).
So, what? Why should this little detail be recorded in the narrative?
The Kenites also referred to as the Midianites had attached themselves to the children of Israel and it appears a portion of them had settled with the tribe of Napthali. There ensues a battle prophesied by Deborah, between the armies of King Jabin, then current oppressor of the Israelites, led by Siserah of the 900 iron chariot fame on the one side, and the army drawn from Naphtali and Zebulun led by Barak, called to the task by Deborah, on the other.
When Deborah calls Barak to lead the Israelites, he says he would go only if she also went along. Deborah agrees but tells Barak that the credit for Israel’s promised victory would not go to him but to a woman. Since no other woman is in sight, is she talking about herself? Barak consents, thinking probably the same thought but he asks no questions. At Kedesh, he called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.
Herein a lesson: fight the Lord’s battle without minding where the credit goes. Ronald Regan captured the same idea; among his pithy sayings, there is one that declares, “There is no limit to what a man can do, provided he does not mind who takes the credit”. But the Lord does not leave His servants without recognition. Barak’s name figures repeatedly in Deborah’s song of victory recorded in Judges 5 and more significantly, he is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews ch.11!
We will pick up the story at this point, straight from the Bible. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. Not a single one was left alive.
Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
“Please give me some water,” he said. “I’m thirsty.” So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again.
“Stand at the door of the tent,” he told her. “If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no.”
But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died. (Judg. 4:14-21)
(credit:oneyearbibleimages.com)
Time to revisit Judges 4:11 and ask ourselves again if Heber’s decision to move his tent was a simple matter of relocation for personal reasons or was this basic to God’s plan to decisively end the battle in favour of the Israelites. It is also mentioned that Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor. This too seems to have been pre-arranged so that Sisera would not think of Jael’s tent as hostile territory.
This is a classic story of how God grants victory to His chosen people; while He it is Who makes it possible, contrary to the impression we may run away with, we are not merely puppets being pulled by strings suspended from the sky. There are responsibilities to be discharged; there are actions to be taken. In this context, it is germane to quote from Deborah’s song of victory:
“Wake up, Deborah, wake up!
Wake up, wake up, and sing a song!
Arise, Barak!
Lead your captives away, son of Abinoam!
– Judges 5:12
Yes, there is nothing passive in this business of fighting the enemy. We need to take charge (Judges 5:2), we need to call out for the fighting forces to assemble (Judges 4:10), we need to lead (Judges 4:14) and we need to attack (Judges 4:15). And of course, finally we need to nail the enemy (Judges 4:22)
What about us? Can we call ourselves God’s fighting force? Do we have a part in God’s plan for achieving victory over the evil one? Are we fulfilling His purpose in our lives? Do we have a sense of his sovereignty over us that governs all our decisions?
Or are we content to let Jabin rule over us and live under constant threats by Sisera. Never mind he had 900 chariots; not a single one could rescue him (Judges 4:15) in the day of battle, and he had to run (Judges 4:17).
Let’s chase down the enemy and leave it to Mrs.Jael Heber to play out her part!
Jael, give me some water please!
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