Introduction
This chapter is popularly known among Jews and Christians alike as the Song of Deborah. Although some modern scholars disagree, the Hebrew sages say that there is no doubt that Deborah authored this song, with some amount of editing done in the centuries to follow.
Before we delve too deeply into this Song of Deborah, a reasonable question ought to be: Was Jael justified in murdering Sisera in cold blood? The Song of Deborah goes into great length to glorify Sisera's death and even goes so far as to mock Sisera's mother who waited anxiously at home, scanning the horizon for a son she loved but who would never return.
The usual take on this in Christian circles is that while the LORD was well aware that Jael would use treachery and murder to end Sisera's life, that it was wrong. C.F. Keil in his mastery commentary on the book of Judges sums it up this way:
"Nevertheless the act (of killing Sisera) was not morally justified, either by this prophetic pronouncement or by the fact that it is commemorated in the song (the Song of Deborah). Even though there can be no doubt that Jael acted under the influence of religious enthusiasm for the cause of Israel and of its God, and that she was prompted by religious motivations to regard the connection of her tribe with Israel, the people of the Lord, as higher and more sacred not only than the bond of peace in which her tribe was living with Yavin the Canaanite king, but even that the duties of hospitality, which are so universally sacred to the oriental mind that her heroic deed cannot be acquitted of the sins of lying, treachery, and assassination..."
The Hebrew sages are a little bit more tolerant of Jael's actions, although they do not entirely excuse them either. In fact, some rabbinical commentaries say that what Jael did was FIRST to seduce Sisera, and she did so SEVEN times!
A couple quick points to ponder when making your own decision:
1. Jael was NOT an Israelite, and her god was not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
2. It is very hard to fault someone for ridding the world of a tyrant by whatever means necessary.
3. We find Israel using deceit, spying, ambush, the cover of darkness and other stealthily and grisly means to kill their enemies in a number of biblical situations. There is no chastisement from the LORD against it.
Even with all this said, there is still some line in the sand which probably ought not to be crossed even when dealing with a vicious and heartless enemy. The problem especially for modern western Christians is that this assassination of Sisera by Jael seems so barbaric and horrible compared to our sentiments and sensibilities of fair play. But our sentiments are certainly not the standard for those times, or Middle Eastern culture in general.
The Islamic methods we see depicted today with beheadings, lopping off of hands and feet for relatively minor crimes, honor killings by the fathers of daughters who refuse arranged marriages, blood feuds that go on for generations, etc., give us a pretty good picture of ancient Middle Eastern and biblical society in general. Of course, with Israel, God ordained a different way than all other people of the region, but not so different as we suppose. Their general customs still operated much like their neighbors.
While we need to be thoughtful in our assessment of this act of Jael upon Sisera, we also need to note that God NEVER ordained or directed Jael's actions, even though He foreknew them. In the end, followers of the God of Israel are held to a higher standard than those who are not His. However, we are not to suppose that a Hebrew woman might not have done exactly as Jael did if she had the opportunity.
Kal V'homer
This is where the Rabbinical method called Kal V'homer is so valuable for us. It is the principle of light and heavy. There will always be in this sinful and fallen world situation that have no good resolution, not even for the most pious Believers and studied Bible teachers. A good example of this is Corrie Ten Boom, who saved many Jewish lives during World War II by blatantly disobeying her government, hiding Jews wanted by the police and regularly lying as to their whereabouts so as to keep them from death camps. Yet, in both the New Testament and Old Testament we are told that lying is a sin under any circumstance. And in the New Testament especially, we are told to submit ourselves to the government because human government is ordained by God.
For Hebrews, the matter is handled by applying Kal V'homer. The principle being the greater good of having innocent lives saved outweighs the smaller matter of lying and not submitting ourselves to the human authorities. Thus, the proper course of action for a God fearer becomes clear. Even though Jael was a pagan, we should look upon her murderous actions in the same way--committing a terrible evil ended an even greater evil.
Song Overview
The Song of Deborah is a victory song; it is an anthem of freedom. It was written to commemorate a great moment in Israel's history. It is also a strong summation of what gets God's people into trouble and what they must do to be delivered.
Despite the admiration shown for some throughout the song, and the heroic actions by certain central characters in the battle at the Kishon River, it must all be taken within the context of "relative" good and not "pure" good. That is in this era of the Judges, the various Israelite tribes had wandered so far from God that for some of them to do something that at least resembled godliness seemed so very pure when compared to the abject wickedness that had become their typical way of life.
Contrast this with Joshua and the first generation of Israelites to crossover the Jordan and take the Promised Land. Although they had a few individual failures and missteps, they were firmly rooted in the ways of the Torah and strived dutifully to be obedient to God in every way. As usual as it was for Israel to ignore God's laws during the era of the Judges, it was equally unusual for them to misbehave during the conquest era of Joshua. What existed during Joshua's time of leadership was not necessarily the absolute, heavenly ideal of good leadership and service to the LORD, but it was closer than any group had attained since the time of Adam and Eve. It was close enough to be held up as a very good example for all future leaders of Israel to follow and will not be imitated until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. Thus, even when doing the so-called "good" occurred during the Times of the Judges, it was usually tainted by sin in some form or another.
Various kinds of literature in the Bible
There are several different writing styles, which comprise the Bible. There is narrative, prose, accounting records, poetry, legal language and song. It is key to understand which literature style we are looking at if we are to take it in the proper context. Historical narrative, for instance, ought to be taken the most literally as it is meant to impart information and facts to us. Poetry was used to help more easily remember and transmit an event or a principle to future generations. Some liberties were taken with words so that the proper rhythm and rhyme could be achieved.
Song is usually employed to commemorate an especially important event. It is designed to be recited (or sung) simultaneously by many at a communal celebration. But song also tends to be that form of biblical literature where the MOST liberties are taken in regards to the subject matter. Exaggeration is normal and primarily the emotion-packed or aggrandizing details are included. But the nature of song is also that it is more sensitive and relative to a specific time or era than most other forms of literature. By sensitive and relative, I mean that songs tend to capture and reflect the specific mood of a certain timeframe.
For example, during the first half of the 1940's, songs in the USA captured a mood totally revolved around World War II. The mood ranged from hope to grave concern for family to political theme of unity and sacrifice to sad songs remembering loved ones who were far away or lost in conflict, etc. The meaning and impact of certain words and phrases of the 1940's songs can only be understood in relation to World War II. During the 1950's, the songs also captured the mood of our nation--it was a theme of "happy days" because we were at a time of relative peace. The songs of the 1960's and 1970's reflected the mood of rebellion against authority, a mistrust of institutions and a free-for-all lifestyle. The point is that the songs from every era have their own sense to them. One will not understand it unless one understands the realities of that particular time. The same came be applied for the Song of Deborah.
Understanding the Song of Deborah
Scholars have had a very difficult time making sense out of the fifth chapter of the Book of Judges. Because it is a song, it reflects a short slice of Israelite history. It also takes many liberties with words and phrases. Thus, when the Song of Deborah is studied stanza by stanza, we often find ourselves lost in the words. Some of the lines in this song are so difficult to unravel that there is nothing even approaching a majority or consensus view or its meaning.This problem is primarily owed to ignoring the era, ignoring the changing and evolving Hebrew culture and simply trying to translate words as though history was static, and the context of the event did not matter. As we study the Song of Deborah, we need to keep these key ideas in our minds.
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