Judges 4:18
And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
After his army was routed, Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Heber the Kenite, and Jael went out to meet him, bade him turn in without fear, and covered him with a mantle as he rested. Her shelter proved his undoing, for she then slew him with a tent peg and so gained the honor of finishing Israel's enemy as foretold. Her deed belonged to Israel's deliverance after twenty years of oppression under Jabin, when trusting God Israel overcame Sisera and his nine hundred iron chariots under Deborah and Barak. That battle stands as an object lesson for Armageddon, to be studied in connection with the sixth and seventh plagues. The account honors courageous women in God's service, and calls for Jael-like fearlessness, firmness and decision today not in worldly strife but in the home, to strike the death-blow to sin where the greatest battle is waged.
Story and Historical Setting
This verse belongs to the composite record of Judges 3 to 17 of backsliding from God followed by consequent suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, and upon returning to God, forgiveness and deliverance. It shows the perversity and unbelief of Israel set against the long-suffering and goodness of God, taking place amid awful moral surroundings and the demoralizing influences of the tribes Israel permitted to remain in the land of promise. It belongs to the account of Sisera's defeat in which Israel, trusting God, overcame Sisera and his nine hundred iron chariots under Deborah and Barak. It belongs to Jael's unusual part in delivering Israel from Jabin, king of Canaan, after twenty years of oppression, a deliverance later celebrated in the song of Deborah and Barak. It is part of the victory of Barak and Deborah through which the Israelites first gained possession of the Plain of Jezreel, though several Canaanite cities there remained in Canaanite hands until the time of the kings.
After his army was defeated, Sisera fled on foot like a common soldier and came to the tent of Heber, a descendant of Jethro, Heber the Kenite, whom he regarded as a friend. He arrived in Heber's absence, and Jael received him there. Jael went out to meet him and invited him to take shelter in her tent, courteously giving him a refreshing drink and opportunity for rest until the weary general fell asleep. At first she was ignorant of his character and resolved to conceal him, but she changed her purpose when she afterward learned he was Sisera, the enemy of God and of His people.
Jael, Heber the Kenite's wife, welcomed Sisera into her tent, reassured him with fear not, received him and covered him with a mantle as he rested. This hospitality and apparent shelter preceded her killing him with a tent peg. So was fulfilled the prediction that a woman would gain the honor of defeating Israel's enemy.
Prophetic Lesson for Armageddon
The conflict in the days of Deborah and Barak, to which the sheltering of Sisera in Jael's tent belongs, is an object lesson for Armageddon. It is important to study that deliverance in connection with the sixth and seventh plagues of Revelation 16. The Barak and Deborah account carries prophetic significance as a marvel in metaphor, a significance hitherto generally unnoticed.
Women's Honor and Courage
The chapter is a record of the honor God the Father has bestowed upon women. Courageous Jael receiving the captain of the Midianitish bands when he was delivered into her hands stands among the good works of woman with which the Bible abounds. That company includes Deborah leading the hosts of God in war and Dorcas making coats for the poor and needy, showing that God honors woman in all ages and sets her as a beacon-light in every avenue of life.
The silence enjoined in 1 Corinthians 14:34,35 and the prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12,15 concern governmental matters in the church, not sharing in the worship of God and in public service. Man and woman are equal, yet their spheres are different, and man as the stronger is given the ruling position. Humble, modest, faithful women may share in worship and public service, winning and molding hearts by a godly life rather than by ruling or controlling or assuming authority. Deborah the prophetess helping Barak is an example of a woman serving publicly in Israel. Scripture therefore does not forbid women to bear testimony or to speak in public, though domineering or usurping authority is warned against.
The verse displays the fearlessness and courage of Jael in receiving the enemy captain into her tent without fear and covering him. That courage is needed today not on the field of worldly strife but in the home, to strike the death-blow to sin there. The home is the limited but mighty province where the greatest battle of the universe is waged, the war against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. Mothers are needed with Jael-like fearlessness, firmness, decision and determination for that warfare.