Judges 4:22
When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.
When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera,

Barak continued the victory God had given Israel at Mount Tabor, pursuing the fleeing commander of Jabin’s army. Deborah had foretold that Sisera would not fall by Barak’s hand but would be delivered to a woman (Judg. 4:9).

1Sa 30:8 David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders?”…
Gen 14:15 During the night, Abram divided his forces…
Exo 14:23-24 And the Egyptians chased after them—all Pharaoh’s horses…

Jael went out to greet him

Jael, though the wife of Heber the Kenite, acted against the apparent peace between Heber’s household and King Jabin. She identified herself with the Lord’s cause and with Israel rather than with Sisera’s oppressive kingdom.

1Sa 25:23-24 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey,…
Gen 18:2 And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby.…
Gen 24:17-18 So the servant ran to meet her and said…

and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.”

Jael spoke with calm assurance because Sisera’s defeat was already complete. Her invitation revealed the fulfillment of Deborah’s prophecy and showed that God had used an unexpected servant to bring down Israel’s feared enemy.

2Ki 6:19 And Elisha told them, “This is not the way,…
Jhn 1:39 “Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw…
Jhn 4:29 Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.…

So he went in with her,

Barak followed Jael into the tent and became a witness to the outcome God had ordained. The Israelite commander found that the final victory had been accomplished before he arrived.

Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah…
Gen 19:3 But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him.…
Luk 24:29 But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is…

and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.

Sisera’s death ended the threat of the Canaanite army and brought God’s judgment upon a commander who had cruelly oppressed Israel for twenty years. A tent peg, an ordinary tool associated with Jael’s household work, became the instrument by which the Lord humbled a powerful military leader. God’s deliverance demonstrated that strength, weapons, and human reputation cannot resist His purpose.

Jdg 5:26-27 She reached for the tent peg, her right hand…
1Sa 17:49-50 Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone,…
Psa 110:6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead;…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Barak
A military leader of Israel who, under the guidance of the prophetess Deborah, pursued the Canaanite army led by Sisera.

2. Sisera
The commander of the Canaanite army, who fled the battlefield and sought refuge in the tent of Jael.

3. Jael
The wife of Heber the Kenite, who played a pivotal role in the defeat of Sisera by killing him with a tent peg.

4. Heber the Kenite
Jael's husband, whose family was at peace with King Jabin of Canaan, Sisera's superior.

5. The Tent
The setting where Jael executed her decisive act, symbolizing a place of refuge turned into a place of judgment.
Teaching Points
God Uses Unexpected Instruments
Jael, a non-Israelite woman, becomes the instrument of God's deliverance, reminding us that God can use anyone, regardless of background or status, to fulfill His purposes.

Courage in Obedience
Jael's bold action demonstrates the courage required to act in alignment with God's will, even when it involves personal risk or unconventional methods.

Prophecy Fulfilled
The fulfillment of Deborah's prophecy through Jael underscores the reliability of God's word and the certainty of His promises.

The Role of Women in God's Plan
This passage highlights the significant roles women can play in God's redemptive history, challenging cultural norms and expectations.

Victory Over Evil
Sisera's defeat symbolizes the ultimate victory of God's people over their oppressors, encouraging believers to trust in God's deliverance in their own battles.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jael's action in Judges 4:22 challenge or affirm your understanding of who God can use to accomplish His purposes?

2. In what ways does the account of Jael and Sisera encourage you to act courageously in your own life?

3. How does the fulfillment of Deborah's prophecy in this passage strengthen your faith in the reliability of God's promises?

4. What lessons can we learn from the role of women in this account, and how can these lessons be applied in today's church and society?

5. How does the defeat of Sisera serve as a reminder of God's ultimate victory over evil, and how can this assurance impact your daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Judges 4:9
Deborah's prophecy that the honor of victory over Sisera would go to a woman, which is fulfilled by Jael's actions.

Genesis 3:15
The theme of a woman playing a crucial role in the defeat of evil, echoing the promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman.

Psalm 83:9
A prayer for God to deal with Israel's enemies as He did with Sisera, highlighting the enduring memory of this victory.

Hebrews 11:32
Barak is mentioned among the heroes of faith, indicating the importance of his role in the broader account of faith and obedience.
Sin SlainCharles Haddon Spurgeon Judges 4:22
Jael and SiseraF. F. Statham, B. A.Judges 4:18-24
Jael, a Type of the Unscrupulous Helpers of a Good CauseR. A. Watson, M. A.Judges 4:18-24
Jael's DeedL. H. Wiseman, M. A.Judges 4:18-24
Life's CrisesR. A. Watson, M. A.Judges 4:18-24
Sin SlainSpurgeon, Charles HaddonJudges 4:18-24
The Defence and Example of JaelH. Melvill, B. D.Judges 4:18-24
People
Abinoam, Barak, Deborah, Ehud, Heber, Hobab, Israelites, Jabin, Jael, Kenites, Lapidoth, Naphtali, Sisera, Zebulun
Places
Bethel, Canaan, Harosheth-hagoyim, Hazor, Kedesh, Kedesh-naphtali, Kishon River, Moab, Mount Tabor, Ramah, Zaanannim
Topics
Barak, Behold, Dead, Entered, Fallen, Jael, Ja'el, Lay, Lying, Meet, Meeting, Nail, Peg, Pin, Pursued, Pursuing, Pursuit, Searching, Seek, Seekest, Seeking, Shew, Sisera, Sis'era, Stretched, Temple, Temples, Tent, Tent-pin, You're
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Judges 4:21

     5578   tents
     5582   tiredness
     8328   quietness

Library
Sin Slain
I want to picture to you to-night, if I can, three acts in a great history--three different pictures illustrating one subject. I trust we have passed through all three of them, many of us; and as we shall look upon them, whilst I paint them upon the wall, I think there will be many here who will be able to say, I was in that state once;" and when we come to the last, I hope we shall be able to clap our hands, and rejoice to feel that the last is our case also, and that we are in the plight of the
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

Whether the Grace of the Word of Wisdom and Knowledge is Becoming to Women?
Objection 1: It would seem that the grace of the word of wisdom and knowledge is becoming even to women. For teaching is pertinent to this grace, as stated in the foregoing Article. Now it is becoming to a woman to teach; for it is written (Prov. 4:3,4): "I was an only son in the sight of my mother, and she taught me [*Vulg.: 'I was my father's son, tender, and as an only son in the sight of my mother. And he taught me.']." Therefore this grace is becoming to women. Objection 2: Further, the grace
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The First Blast of the Trumpet
The English Scholar's Library etc. No. 2. The First Blast of the Trumpet &c. 1558. The English Scholar's Library of Old and Modern Works. No. 2. The First Blast of the Trumpet &c. 1558. Edited by EDWARD ARBER, F.S.A., etc., LECTURER IN ENGLISH LITERATURE, ETC., UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON. SOUTHGATE, LONDON, N. 15 August 1878. No. 2. (All rights reserved.) CONTENTS. Bibliography vii-viii Introduction
John Knox—The First Blast of the Trumpet

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
ISRAEL'S VICTORIES OVER THE CANAANITES.--Josh. 2-9; Judg. 1, 4, 5. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible II,1-4.1. Prin. of Politics X. That the leaders took the lead in Israel, That the people volunteered readily, Bless Jehovah! Zebulun was a people who exposed themselves to deadly peril, And Naphtali on the heights of the open field. Kings came, they fought; They fought, the kings of Canaan, At Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, They took no booty of silver. Prom heaven fought the stars, From their
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Gamala. Chorazin.
These things determine the situation of Gamala:--1. It was "in lower Gaulon," in which, as we have seen, Bethsaida was. 2. It was "upon the lake [of Gennesaret]." 3. It was "over-against Tarichee." Compare the maps, whether in their placing of it they agree with these passages. Here was Judas born, commonly called 'Gaulanites,' and as commonly also, the 'Galilean.' So Peter and Andrew and Philip were Gaulanites; of Bethsaida, John 1:44; and yet they were called 'Galileans.' While we are speaking
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

A Cloud of Witnesses.
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was nigh, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.... By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient,
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

He Does Battle for the Faith; He Restores Peace among those who were at Variance; He Takes in Hand to Build a Stone Church.
57. (32). There was a certain clerk in Lismore whose life, as it is said, was good, but his faith not so. He was a man of some knowledge in his own eyes, and dared to say that in the Eucharist there is only a sacrament and not the fact[718] of the sacrament, that is, mere sanctification and not the truth of the Body. On this subject he was often addressed by Malachy in secret, but in vain; and finally he was called before a public assembly, the laity however being excluded, in order that if it were
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Miscellaneous Subjects.
Woman's Freedom. The Scriptural right for women to labor in the gospel as exhorters, teachers, preachers, etc., is questioned by many. To deny women such a privilege is contrary to the Christian spirit of equality, and a serious obstruction to pure gospel light. We (male and female) are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:28. In the kingdom of grace man and woman are on an equal footing so far as concerns the work of God. To explain some texts that seem to prohibit women from laboring in the gospel
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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