Girl Power, Old Testament Style

Jael and the Tent Peg

Old Testament women had no power.  Men had all the power.  Except there are a bunch of Old Testament stories about powerful women.  What's up with that?  I don't know.  On Sunday I heard one of my favorite "Girl Power" Old Testament stories.

It's about Jael.  Was she good or was she bad?  I'll let you decide.

What theological truth is this story providing?  I have no idea.

First, let me remind you that I don't condone violence.  Remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine gets in trouble with her publisher because she wants to change the name of the book "War and Peace" to "War - What is it Good For"?  I'm with Elaine on this subject.

But back to Jael.  In the book of Judges in the Old Testament, one of the judges was Deborah (a girl -How did that happen?  We don't know.)  Deborah tells the leader of the Israelite army, Barak, that he needs to go to war with the Canaanites and, more specifically, get rid of Sisera, the leader of the Canaanite army.

But Barak is scared.  He says in Judges 4:8 If you will go with me I will go, but if you will not go with me I will not go."  (What's up with that?  I don't know.)

So Deborah agrees but tells him that he'll win the war but a woman will get the credit.  (Spoiler alert - it won't be Deborah.  It will be Jael.)

They have the big battle and all goes well however, Sisera (the Canaanite army leader) escapes.  He's wondering around then stumbles into the tent of Jael.  She welcomes him in, gives him a drink, waits until he falls asleep and then......pounds a tent peg through his head and into the ground!

That's pretty much the end of the story.  Except there is a poem about Sisera's mom waiting for him to come home from the war - but we know this won't happen because of the tent peg incident.  However, I like the poem because it reminds us that war always leaves moms waiting for a child who will never come home.


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