C. Israel's defeat of Sisera
1. (Judges 4:11-13) The armies gather together against one another
Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
Heber the Kenite: Verse eleven begins another angle on this story. It is about a group of people led by Heber the Kenite. The Kenites were a clan that belonged to the Tribe of Midian. This clan had a closer than usual attachment to Israel because it was the clan of Moses's wife Zipporah. The Kenites were normally pro-Israel, but this particular sub-clan had broken away and either formed a direct alliance with Jabin of Hazor or informally agreed to inform on the movements of Israel to some degree or another, likely in return for being protected from Canaanite oppression.
The Kenite clan was located in Arad in the Negev (south of Judah). But, here we find that Heber's family was located in the northern land near the royal city of Hazor. So, the separation of Heber from the rest of the Kenite clan was both political and geographical. God will use Heber's location for good to bring about His will.
Then they told Sisera: Verse 12 begins the unfolding of how the battle began. Heber informed Sisera that Barak had formed an army and was heading for Mount Tabor. Just as Deborah's prophecy foretold, Sisera reacted by mustering his forces and leading them from a place called Harosheth-hagoyim (the woodlands of the gentiles) to the River Kishon, which ran along the base of Mount Tabor. Even though standard military tactics say that such a move was reckless, Sisera was confident in his enormous battalion of iron chariots.
Even in his arrogance, Sisera knew that a middy battlefield would essentially neutralize the advantage of his chariots. He must have expected a dry riverbed and firm ground. Therefore, it is likely his battle was going to take place in the summer when the Kishon River bed would have normally been dry. Sisera was completely unaware that God was setting a trap for him.
2. (Judges 4:14-16) Sisera and his army are utterly defeated
Deborah said to Barak, "Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out before you." So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. The LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left.
Deborah said to Barak: Deborah encouraged Barak and his troops by the call of action to "Get going! This is the day God hands over Sisera to you!" The context is such that she must have been at the plateau of Mount Tabor with Barak because immediately Barak and his 10,000 soldiers rush down the hill towards Sisera and his army.
Located at the western end of the Jezreel Valley, the battle began in earnest, but just as quickly, something went terribly wrong for the Canaanite army. They fly into a panic and flee. We are not told at this point in Scripture what exactly happened, but we will get more details of this event in the next chapter.
The Canaanites began abandoning many of there chariots and running away on foot as did their leader Sisera. The only reason one could speculate why a person would run instead of using a much faster team of horses is that something happened to the horses which impeded them from moving. Some chariots were able to escape, and as usual, the fleeing soldiers began making their way back home to their base in Harosheth-hagoyim. The Israelite troops were in close pursuit behind them and eventually caught up to Sisera's army and killed them.
The victory was not complete, however, because Sisera was still on the run. Sisera obviously was taking a different route to safety than his men. While his army was trying to to return to Harosheth-hagoyim, Sisera was heading for the fortified city of Hazor. The encampment of Heber the Kenite was apparently on the way. And, Sisera, knowing that this man and his clan were pro-Canaanite, stopped there to hide and rest for a while.
3. (Judges 4:17-22) The death of Sisera by the hand of a woman
Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid." And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. He said to her, "Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, 'Is there anyone here?' that you shall say, 'No.'" But Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." And he entered with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.
Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael: As Sisera entered the tent village, he encountered Heber's wife Jael. Jael means mountain goat. Reading that Heber and his clan lived in tents explains that they lived their lives as nomads. They lived as the Bedouin did. Middle Eastern custom greatly valued hospitality, but for the nomads, hospitality was especially prized. The code for the Bedouin is such that they would give up their own lives to protect a guest, friend or stranger. This was common knowledge. So Sisera knew what he was doing in coming to Heber's clan for help.
Jael went out to meet Sisera: First Jael properly greets Sisera, and then in finest Bedouin tradition, she offered him more than what he asked for. It was obvious to Jael that he was running for his life. Thus the words, "do not be afraid" (the implication being that she and her people would of course be a shield to him). He asked to rest. She offered him her own tent and a blanket. He asked for water. She offered him milk.
So she opened a bottle of milk: It has been a folk remedy for all cultures that warm milk is soothing and helps to bring on sleep. In that day, there was not such a thing as cold milk. Sisera being exhausted and now drowsy from the warm milk, Sisera tells Jael to stand guard at the tent entrance. If any of the Israelites come looking for him, she was to explain that no one is in her tent. Modesty traditions would dictate that if indeed she had said to a male Israelit soldier that no one was in her tent, he would have honored her word and not have entered her tent. Now feeling comfortable and safe, Sisera lays down in Jael's tent. She covers him with a blanket. Immediately, he falls asleep.
Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg: In a very uncharacteristic move, Jael surprises us when she picks up a tent peg and hammer, returns to her tent and when she is assured that Sisera is in a deep sleep, she dries a wooden tent peg through his temple. She drives the tent peg so deep that it goes through his skull and out the other side. Death would have been instantaneous. Sisera does not move.
We should not doubt Jael's ability to pull off such a grisly murder. It was the duty of the nomadic females to disassemble and erect the tents. Jael would have been an expert with a hammer and sharp wooden tent pegs. It would have taken little more than two or three quick strikes with a heavy hammer to drive the tent peg clean through Sisera's head. Thus, we find in the most unsuspecting way that indeed Deborah's prophecy was completely true: Sisera was handed over to a woman--just not the same woman that we expected.
As Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him: From Jael's actions, she must not have agreed with her husband's pro-Canaanite stance. When Barak arrives on the scene, Jael runs out to meet Barak. She directs Barak to her tent and presented the corpse to Barak. Now the victory was complete. But, poor Barak. He was denied the honor of executing the opposing military commander, as was the custom. This end result was the result of Barak doubting Deborah when she first presented God's instructions to him.
4. (Judges 4:23-24) After this decisive battle, full victory won for Israel
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
God subdued on that day Jabin king of Canaan: Chapter four ends with giving all the glory to the God of Israel for this resounding victory and deliverance. This battle was a tipping point. The northern Israelite tribe who had known only humiliation and subjugation for many years now found themselves with the tables turned. In a short time, Jabin king of Canaan was no longer a threat. However, this does not mean that there was a complete destruction of the Canaanites. This was only the end of those in alliance with the royal city of Hazor. Future oppressions and subjugations by various Canaanite groups were all but assured to continue plaguing the Israelites.
No comments:
Post a Comment