Read:
When Deborah shared God’s command with Barak, he hesitated before agreeing. Because of his hesitation, Deborah warned, “you will receive no honor in this venture, for the LORD’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman” (Judges 4:9, NLT).
Enter Jael.
Jael was the wife of a nomad and happened to be settled near the battleground where the Israelites faced the Canaanites. She was a homemaker who kept their tent and watched over their family—but she was exactly where God wanted to use her.
After being defeated in battle, with all of his soldiers dead and scattered, Sisera fled for his life, stumbling upon a camp and seeking refuge. He stumbled up to none other than Jael’s tent, and in his vulnerable state she welcomed him in.
But Jael knew exactly who she was dealing with. While Sisera slept, exhausted from the battle, Jael drove a tent peg through Sisera’s head and ended his life, fulfilling what God had promised through Deborah—that the honor of victory over Sisera would go to a woman. The people of Israel celebrated Jael’s courage, and the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 names her as “most blessed among women.”
Jael’s story shows that God uses courage and faithfulness in the ordinary, even quiet, spaces of life. You don’t have to hold public office or lead armies to make an impact. God often calls us to act with bravery in the spaces and roles we already occupy.