Delilah, a name which has held a lot of negative connotation and stigma over the years within the Christian community. She is not the type of women who gets praise for her faith under pressure, uplifting Bible studies do not get written about her. Delilah is usually the type of woman the men get warned about with the hope of avoidance all together and women are instructed to be the complete opposite of her and to strive to not take on characteristics which she possessed. Her story is not a story of personal redemption, but her story is a story which was written down in the immortal pages of the Bible. And it is there for a reason. Delilah’s history was captured and immoralized for us, both women and men, to learn from. Delilah gets a bad reputation, and rightly so, she was not a great example of Godly femininity, but there is much we can learn from her. Hand in hand with the lessons that we are provided with in the life of Delilah, there is value in learning about the type of man who she ultimately chose to spend the her life with.

Before we get into Delilah’s life with Samson, I believe that it is helpful to know his backstory and some of the decisions he made, which laid the foundation of life of a man with a very poor moral compass, prior to meeting Delilah. So let us delve in to the “pre-Delilah” life of Samson for a little bit. The Israelite greatest foe, the Philistines had been oppressing the children of Israel for years, during a time when Israel was ruled over for 400 plus years through a judicial system rather than a monarchy, which would then come later. There is not an exact date, but toward the end of the judicial period, God informed a barren (childless) woman from the tribe of Dan that she would give birth to a son who would become the 15^th judge of Israel, Samson. From his conception, Samson was to live under the Nazarite laws. If you are interested in reading all about them, the Nazarite laws were set forth in Numbers 6.3-21. These laws were not the normal laws and rules which the average Israelite followed daily, these laws were different and stricter. Some of the Nazarite laws included: 1) no consumption of wine, nothing from a vine, not even a grape, on the off chance that the grape was just past its ripe state and could be fermenting and on its way to wine status; 2) no razor would cut a hair on his head; and 3) no touching dead bodies.  Samson’s parents greatest desire was that their son be obedient to God in all things, in the living of the Nazarite way and marrying within the Israelite people as God had commanded. While God appointed Samson to be a judge, he was not a great and Godly leader. One of the ways Samson failed as a leader was rebelling by going against the wishes of his parents and more importantly God when he married a Philistine woman. Intermarrying with other nations was prohibited by God in the Old Testament because foreign nations typically took part in idolatry which God vehemently forbade (Deuteronomy 7).

Samson’s intermarrying with a Philistine woman would not be his only act of disobedience against God. Shortly prior to his marriage, he killed a lion with his bare hands and further disobeyed God and broke Nazarite law by eating honey from the carcass of the lion. (Judges 14.5-9). Later, Samson made a feast, where at this feast he set forth a riddle for 30 companions of his new Philistine wife to answer. As much as they tried, the companions could not solve his riddle, and his wife was sent in to try to pry the answer out of Samson. Samson’s wife tried to miniplate him in to giving her the answer. She cried before him and accused him of not loving her, but that did not break Samson’s silence. For days she pestered him for the answer to his riddle, she eventually broke him, he gave her the answer to the riddle and she in turn went and told her companions. This displeased Samson, but he would not learn from this experience as this Philistine woman would provide Samson a taste of what would come to him again more than 20 years later. In anger of his wife’s actions, Samson then kills 30 men in Ashkelon, takes their clothes and returns to his father’s house in Zorah. While he is holding a position of power, he is not welding his power effectively, cautiously or appropriately, Samson was a man who was able to be manipulated by a woman to get what she wants through her actions and words nor is he a man who is not self-controlled, he is a man who cannot hide or control his anger.

Sometime later, during a time of harvesting wheat, Samson returns to his wife, as she had been staying with her father. In Samson’s absence, his father-in-law had given his wife away to one of Samson’s companions who had stayed behind. In rage, Samson takes 300 foxes, lights their tails on fire and sets them loose in the wheat fields belonging to the Philistines. The Philistine leaders are informed that Samson set fire to the fields in retaliation to his wife and father-in-law’s actions and the Philistines take them both and set fire to them. Samson then fleas to Etam and soon the Philistines are on the move to capture Samson and set camp in Lehi in Judah. This makes Judah uncomfortable, and right so, and 300 men of Judah go up to Etam to try to capture and coax Samson down the mountain so they can deliver him to the Philistines. The men of Judah tell Samson they will not kill them, and he agrees to be bound up with 2 new cords and taken to the Philistines. The men of Judah bring a bound Samson to the Philistine camp where he breaks free from the cords and kills 1,000 Philistine men with the skull of an ass (donkey) and Samson goes on his merry way. Some time goes by, but the Philistines are still angry with their enemy, Samson, and wait outside the city walls of Gaza in an attempt to kill him in an early morning ambush. The Philistines trap falls apart when at midnight, Samson just walked off with the doors of the city gate of Gaza – yes, Samson walks away with the doors of the gates of Gaza, marching with them on his shoulders up a hill and there they rested.

In time, but while in the same region, in the Valley of Sorek, Samson meets a woman named Deliliah, a women who would who will lead him to his ruin. Her family history is unknown, but we know her name means “delicate” or “dainty one” and her story comprises 18 verses in Judges 16. She not a woman whose name is mentioned anywhere else outside of Judges, and her name is heavy with stigma because her legacy as a woman who was vindictive and heartless femme fatale and brought down a weak man has lasted for centuries. She is not a woman that we should aspire to be like in any way, but we should still know who she is and about her so that we can identify her characteristic, avoid, and flee from them in our own lives so that we do not become a woman like her. 

Just as sure as Samson was set on marrying his first wife, Samson was set on Delilah. In Scripture, there is no mention of a marriage occurring between the two, Samson made his claim on her and lived with her as though she was his wife, but as we will see as we examine this story, Delilah was the one who would have her claim on Samson. Samson was physically strong, but weak when it came to exhibiting self-control and poor leadership with the women in his life and Delilah caught on to his weakness and was going to capitalize on his weakness for her own personal gain. 

Samson was a man who was physically strong, but I would like to suggest that he probably did not look like he was a strong man, he probably looked like an average man, no bulging muscles or godlike physique – he probably didn’t look like Thor. This might be what would have caused the Philistines so much interest in wanting to know where his strength came from. Perhaps his physical appearance was telling of his character in that he was a man who was a representative of God as a judge of Israel and was strong in stature among the people but was himself morally weak. Like Deliliah, the Philistine leaders knew Samson’s greatest fault was his weakness for woman and knew to approach Delilah. The Philistine leaders each offered Delilah 1,100 pieces of silver if she were able to get Samson to tell her where his strength came from. Delilah agreed to the proposed terms, she went home to Samson and very shortly thereafter began her questioning. “Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee” (Judges 16.6). Samson answered, telling her that if he were bound with 7 withs (cords or ropes), that had not been dried, then he would lose his strength. Delilah goes back to the Philistine leaders who then provide her with 7 new withs, and while Samson sleeps, she ties him up while the Philistines stand at the ready to subdue him. But to everyone, but Samson’s surprise, when Delilah shouts that the Philistines are coming, Samson breaks free of his bonds. Delilah feels like Samson has tricked her, “Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound” (Judges 16.10). Unfazed by Delilah’s prior actions, Samson answers her for the second time, telling her that if he is bound by new ropes, that have never been used before, then he will lose his strength and he will be as weak as a regular man. Again, Delilah goes to the Philistine leaders who provide her with new ropes, she then takes them and while he is sleeping, binds Samson up, she calls out “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson…” (Judges 16.12), but he broke free from the new ropes. Delilah’s rage is growing stronger and stronger, “…thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound…” (Judges 16.13). For the third time, the unfazed Samson then tells Delilah that if she braids his hair and secures it with a pin, then will he lose his strength and be as weak as any other man. Samson falls asleep and Delilah sits with the man who she is supposed to love, but who in on her third attempt of trapping him and handing him over to his enemies, braiding his hair. When she’s finished fastening it with a pin, she cries out again that the Philistines were coming for him. Samson woke out of his sleep, and he was as strong as when he went to sleep. Samson lied to Delilah yet again. Delilah is enraged and exclaims, “How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.” (Judges 16.15) Delilah was very hurt by Samson and questioned his love for her since he would not share his secret to his strength. Samson on the other hand doesn’t seem to care that his woman has tried three times to hand him over to his enemies, the Philistines. Maybe he thought he had everything under control, and he had convinced himself that he was strong enough. Delilah was not to be stopped, verse 16 of Judges chapter 16 says that she pressed Samson “daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death.” Samson finally caved to the nagging persistence of Delilah and finally shared with her the truth about where his strength came from. Samson shared with her his Nazarite upbringing and that if his hair be shaved off, then and only then would he become weak like any other man. 

Delilah was satisfied with Samson’s answer, maybe his tone was different when he was telling her this fourth time. Delilah betrayed the man who she was supposed to love and went to Philistines leaders and shared with them Samson’s secret. They handed over the money to her, which she took, setting in motion the trap to truly capture Samson. As Samson soundly slept on Delilah’s lap, she called for a man to come and shave off Samson’s hair, and not content enough with having just cutting his hair and stripping him of his strength, Delilah goes a step further and afflicts Samson. One last time Delilah shouts out, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.” (Judges 16.20), and Samson wakes from his sleep. Unlike the previous three occasions, this time is different, his hair is gone, the one thing that connected him in obedience to God was no longer there and the spirit of the LORD had left Samson – he was no longer possessed the strength that God provided. The Philistine men who were at the ready, captured Samson, gouged out his eyes, bound him with brass shackles and took him to prison in Gaza. There in Gaza, this once strong and undefeatable man was weakened, humbled, imprisoned and doing the work of a slave and even more demeaning for a man in that time period, the work of a woman. God brought his man low, but there in prison in Gaza, Samson’s hair began to grow back. 

The proud Philistines gathered in Gaza to celebrate Samson’s capture and offered sacrifices to their god, Dagon, a god who they believed had delivered Samson into their hands. There was much sacrificing, partying, and drinking, which aroused the Philistines. Soon they ordered Samson to be brought out for their entertainment. Samsons was paraded out in front of all the people, and people did not hold back expressing their disgust with one of their most hated enemies. The people spat on Samson, they beat and mocked him and set him between two pillars which held up the rood of the Temple of Dagon. Unable to see, Samson asked the boy who was responsible for guiding his steps to guide his hands to where the pillars of the Temple were so that he could lean on them for support. The Philistine’s celebration of Samson’s capture grew to 3,000 men and women and the sacrificing, partying, and mocking of Samson continued for hours. It’s highly likely that Delilah was in attendance of the Philistines celebrations. After hours had past, Samson cried out to God. “O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” (Judges 16.28-30). In his final act, Samson asked God to give him strength one last time so that he could defeat and pass judgement on to the Philistines, and as He usually did with those who He use, the merciful God answered Samson’s request and gave him his strength. Samson killed all 3,000 men and women that day who offered sacrifices to the false god Dagon, but it would cost Samson his life. Samson is yet another example of God using imperfect people to fulfill His story. He was a very flawed man, a poor leader and a weak man. However, despite his flaws, God did not completely abandon Samson. Samson showed repentance, even though he was out for revenge, God was merciful to Samson, and the same God will also be merciful with us imperfect sinners. 

Delilah holds no virtue which a Godly women should want to aspire to be like. Yes, Samson was weak when it came to women and morals, but Delilah knew where and when to attack Samson in his weakness and used her strengths, such as her charm, beauty, body and manipulative tactics to get what she wanted. Samson poured out his heart to Delilah, the woman he loved, and instead of encouraging, cherishing, and protecting it, she used his vulnerability to crush him. Delilah’s characteristics were deceitful and evil from the beginning of their relationship. There is nothing in Scripture that would cause us to believe that Delilah had any intention other than personal gain in her relationship with Samson. Proverbs 5.3-6 describes the type of woman Delilah was, “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.” Imagine the kind of influence and impact she could have had on Samson’s life and leadership, if instead of her scheming and manipulation caused his ruin and capture, which ultimately lead to his death, would have loved him enough, or even at all in the smallest way. Or instead of her persistent nagging, she would instead encourage him to be a strong moral leader to the people of Israel, to honor God and sought to honor him in the way she treated him publicly. How differently this story would be if when the Philistines approached her, instead of choosing to seek gain for herself Delilah decided to stand along-side Samson and uplift him, rather than bringing him to his lowest point in his life. Delilah was by far the one of the most deceptive women in the Bible, we are probably not a harlot like her, but she was a sinner just like us, so we need to make sure that we are not type of woman that she was. Because of sin, we all have the innate nature to be deceptive and to seek our personal gain, so we must then be careful with our actions and words, making sure that our motives are pure and correct. As women, we need to be loyal, trustworthy, honest, faithful women of God, who seek to influence and encourage, others, especially the men in our lives in a way that does not use our charm or manipulation to get what we want, but rather what God wants. A verse which we should memorize and keep in our hearts is, Proverbs 31.30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  Let each of us strive to possess the characteristics, which in contrast to Delilah, are characteristics which the Spirit of the Lord provides: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. (Galatians 5.22-23).

Read: 1 Samuel 1.1-18

The time in Israel’s history when the land was ruled by judges was winding down. This was the time when the people were doing what was right in their own eyes, but there were still men and women in the land who worshipped God. One of those men was a man whose name was Elkanah, who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah was able to provide Elklanah with sons and daughters, but Hannah was barren and was unable to give Elkanah any children. In ancient Israel, the ability to bear children was a woman’s highest calling. Children were seen to be a sign of God’s blessing and bareness was seen as a curse. Hannah would have felt shame for her bareness and perhaps she was shunned by women who she knew. She was shunned by Peninnah who became Hannah’s adversary, who would mock and torment Hannah because she had no children and God had closed her womb. Peninnah was merciless in taunting Hannah, which continued year after year. Peninnah’s torture of Hannah seemed to reach a breaking point when the two wives went with Elkanah to Shiloh to worship. 

Jerusalem had not been established as the holy city, that would come in the following years, but Shiloh, which was a Canaanite town, was the place where the Ark of the Covenant rested, it was the place where the Tabernacle was, it was the main place of worship to God. Each year, Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah would travel to Shiloh where Elkanah would offer a burnt offering of sacrifice to the LORD on behalf of his family. After the sacrifice was offered, they celebrated with a ceremonial meal, Elkanah gave one portion of food to Peninnah and each of her sons and daughters, but to Hannah, Elkanah gave a double portion. Because she was able to bare children, Peninnah was, according to social standards, to be the preferred wife, but even though she was not able to provide him with any children, Elkanah preferred and loved Hannah more than Peninnah and he was not afraid to show his favor. This favoritism caused much animosity between Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah used Hannah’s bareness to wound her deeply. Peninnah knew Hannah’s deepest desire was to have children and rather than comforting her, Peninnah would gloat, taunt and mock her, she knew Hannah’s weakness and would cut straight to her heart, she tried to break Hannah’s spirit and she was successful. Hannah’s spirit was broken, she was heavy-hearted, she wept and was unable to eat the double portion Elkanah placed before her.

Infertility is such a difficult and lonely burden to carry in Hannah’s time and even now and from Scripture we can see the weight, emptiness, and despair Hannah felt carrying this heavy load of bareness. Every year Hannah and her family would travel to Shiloh, Elkanah would offer a sacrifice unto the Lord and Hannah would bring her request to God: to open her womb, to give her a child. Scripture does not tell us how many years had gone by, but I can only speculate that Hannah had been praying for a child since she married Elkanah. With time passing, the probable judgment and shunning from others, and Peninnah’s unrelenting taunting, Hannah had reached a point where 1 Samuel 1.10 describes her with “bitterness of soul”. Hannah was a woman who was crushed by her circumstances; circumstances that were not of her own doing or choosing, but she had no way of her own to redeem herself from this situation and had nowhere else where turn to. Yes, Hannah, was bitter and worried, but Hannah also “prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.” She brought her deepest desire and suffering to the only one who could redeem her, she left the family meal and went to the Tabernacle. There at the Tabernacle, Hannah brought her bitterness and poured out her heart in prayer and weeping to the Almighty Lord God of Israel.

As Hannah prayed for God to look upon her, to not forget her, notice she calls herself His handmaid three times, she is His servant, and she pleaded with Him to open her womb and give her a son. A son who she would raise according to the Nazarite laws and a son who she would, instead of keeping for herself, she would dedicate her unborn child to God for as long as he were to live. Imagine asking and waiting for God to grant you your request and give you a gift, the one thing that you’ve been longing for more than anything in the whole world, only for you to give it right back to Him as a gift. Hannah wanted a child so badly, but her prayer and her request to God was unselfish. Eli, the priest, who had been sitting within the Tabernacle, had taken notice of Hannah as she prayed. Hannah probably did not know that Eli was watching her, and I doubt his presence would have stopped her from praying at this point, she was a heartbroken woman who was deeply seeking God’s mercy. Hannah’s prayer was not loud, she was not showing off or seeking attention, her prayer was sincere and silent, her mouth was moving, but her heart was doing the speaking the LORD. Eli incorrectly assumed and accused her of being drunk, but she was just a distraught woman in anguish. As she spoke to Eli, she is adamant that she was not drunk, she was not a wicked woman of Belial, but rather she was a “woman of a sorrowful spirit” who was pouring out her heart to God. I don’t want us to focus so much on her burden of barrenness, but rather on her prayer and attitude. Hannah was a woman who hurt deeply, she longed for something that was outside of her reach, and was incapable of changing her circumstances. Hannah felt empty and bitter about her circumstance, but rather than holding on to her bitterness of bareness, rather than letting it remain within her and turn her rotten, she brought her heart’s greatest desire for a child and the heavy grief she was holding to God.

Eli responds, assuring Hannah that the “God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” These words from Eli were not the same empty words of comfort that Elkanah attempted in verse 8. Oftentimes when we share our cares and sorrows with others, they try to comfort us with words, the usual, “Everything will turn out all right” comes to mind. While they may mean well, and I’m not trying to discourage seeking solace or advice from a friend, just understand that they do not know how things are going to turn out. Naturally, we want to hear words of comfort, but please do not cherish empty words and neglect to turn to the one who knows exactly how a situation will turn out. Even though He knows them all, God still wants us to come to Him with the deepest cares and concerns we carry, He wants us to pour out our hearts before Him. This is what Hannah did. When she first arrived at the Tabernacle to pray, her countenance was broken, she had no joy, but if we look at the end of verse 18, “and her countenance was no more sad.” We know what happens, but Hannah did not. I ask you, what changed in the circumstances in Hannah’s life in her time at the Tabernacle to change her countenance so quickly from sorrow to happiness?

As she left the Tabernacle, her physical circumstance had not changed, she was still a woman with no child, but as she left the Tabernacle, she left filled with the peace of God, but God, was doing a work in her life without her even knowing. I believe in Hannah pouring out her heart to the LORD, He filled her emptiness with His love and hope, and He gave her peace of mind and heart. This is the peace that Paul writes of in Philippians 4.6-7, ⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

As I mentioned earlier, we are not told how many times Hannah previously brought her petition to the LORD or in what condition her heart was when she prayed. Perhaps each time she went to the Tabernacle to worship, she would pray and pour her heart out to God, or maybe this was the first time her prayer was more than just going through the motions of a prayer filled with words, but a prayer with no heart or authenticity – no guts. What we do see in 1 Samuel 1 is Hannah’s prayer of bitter affliction, sorrow, grief, and tears, her heart was so very heavy and she could not carry the disappointment, sadness of barrenness anymore and was laying it all down, she was surrendering it to the God of Israel to carry. She placed her burden in front of Almighty God and He in His grace and mercy bore her burden. I believe because of her surrendering to God with the greatest burden in her life, God filled the empty and broken parts of her heart that longed for a baby of her own and gave her peace and joy that can only come from truly laying down your burdens and letting God take ownership of them. Hannah’s barrenness was not her fault, her response to her circumstance was what made her stand out. Her faith and belief in the God that created the world in which she lived, who breathed life into the dust of the ground and made man, cared so much for her and would be able to look upon her in her darkest time, open her womb and provide her with a baby. The Almighty God of Israel cared for this barren woman of Ephraim and He was about to show her and the rest of all humanity who would read this Scripture in the centuries to follow, that He cares for us, He will carry our burden if we submit to Him and He will give us peace. Let’s read verses 19-20, ¹⁹ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord. Not only was Hannah indwelt with the peace that only God can provide, but He heard and answered her prayer. God did what was impossible for Hannah to do, He opened Hannah’s womb and gave her a baby boy who she would name Samuel.

I want to challenge us to take seriously our time spent in prayer. Let our time not be flippant and ceremonial, but rather let our time in prayer be genuine and heartfelt. God does not care about prayers that are filled with words that sound spiritual and holy, He knows if we are not being honest, we cannot hide from God, especially in prayer, we cannot imitate prayer with words or actions with Him and then have a heart that is and hallow. We can learn from Hannah’s prayer, that God wants our honesty, our tears, and our hearts when we pray to Him. Remember Philippians 4.6, reminds us not to be anxious, so when those feelings of anxiousness return, what does 1 Thessalonians 5.17 say, Pray without ceasing, return to God in prayer until your prayer is answered and wait for Him to show you His might and mercy in your life. Psalm 46.10 also reminds us to “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Let’s be women who lay it all out before God, pour out everything, He knows what is troubling us, He knows what is really on our hearts, and He knows how to fix it all. My hope and prayer are that as we face any challenge, battle, trial, or triumph we take it to God in prayer. I pray that we leave all our cares and worries in the capable hands of the one who has created us. Let Him guide us and mold us into the women He wants us to be. And I pray that when we rise from our prayers, we are filled with an unexplainable peace that no matter the answer or the length of time it takes to answer, no man, circumstance, or situation can take that peace.

Sisera had abandoned his men, fleeing on foot and making his way through the desert towards Kedesh, located in the Upper Galilee region near the current Israeli Lebanese border. Pulling back the flaps of the tent, a woman sees off in the distance the defeated Canaanite general approaching – this woman is Jael. Unexpectedly, she leaves the confines of her tent and goes out to meet the battered Canaanite general. Jael approaches Sisera and invites him into her tent. Once in the tent, Sisera asks Jael for water, but instead of giving him the water he requested, she gives him milk and covers his battle worn body with a blanket. The worn out Sisera soon falls asleep. As he lay in her tent asleep, Jael quietly approaches the Canaanite general with a mallet and tent peg in her hands. The Israelites oppressive enemy is right at her feet, she kneels, hovering over Sisera, then without any recorded hesitation, hammers the tent peg through the sleeping general’s skull with so much force the tent peg is secured to the ground. The Canaanite general is instantly killed while he slept at Jael’s feet. And just as Deborah had prophesied to Barak, Sisera died at the hands of a woman.

While the Bible narrative does not provide an exhaustive account of the events of Sisera’s death at hands of Jael or even intricate details into her life, I would like to share a couple of my observations and theories about this woman, her character, possible motives to her actions and some personal conclusions about this woman who has made an impact on my life. Please let me be clear, there is historical evidence and facts for what I am about to propose related to Kenite history, as well as the social life of women in this specific time and geographical region, but my assumptions and theories of Jael are not found in the Biblical account found in Judges. However, if we explore this story with an understanding of verified historical evidence and facts, together with some liberty, some critical thinking and understanding of a Proverbs 31 woman, we may be able to understand more clearly why Jael acted in the manner which we see written and possibly even why her story is recorded at all in the pages of Scripture.

From the Bible we are told Jael was married and are given her husband’s name and identity. Jael was married a man name Heber, who was a Kenite. Who were the Kenites and why is Heber’s nationality important? Please, allow me to provide some historical background on who the Kenites were. The Kenites are first mentioned in Genesis 15.19 and were most likely the distant descendants of Adam’s son, Cain and would have originally lived in the land of Canaan. While on the run for his life, Exodus 2.21 records that Moses married one of the daughters of a Kenite man by the name of Jethro. This marriage would not only bring together Moses and his wife but would also unite together the Israelite nation and Kenites in relations that would span years. The Kenites traveled together with the Israelites during their exodus from Egyptian slavery throughout their wilderness wanderings. Through their years of traveling, worshipping and intermarrying, the Kenites and the Israelites forged a close bond, and it wouldn’t be farfetched to assume that a level of trust grew between these two peoples. While the Israelite people desired to set up permanent residence in the Promise Land, the Kenite people preferred to maintain a nomadic lifestyle, traveling from place to place, pitching their tents when they reached their destination. There is further historical evidence which shows that the Kenites’ were known to work in the copper and metalworking trade as their primary means of providing a living for themselves.

So, now that we have a historical foundation of who the Kenites were, which was who Jael’s husband, Heber, was descended from, their way of life and their means of providing a living for themselves, allow me to share a couple of my theories about what might have led up to Jael responding in the way we see in the Biblical account. If we read in verse 11 of Judges 4, Scripture states that Heber separated himself from the rest of the Kenites, and from the rest of the Israelites and set up his tents in Kedesh. What could have made Heber want to leave the rest of his people and set his tent in Kedesh? Could there have been something in Kedesh that lured him away? What could have been so enticing in Kedesh, what’s so special there? Well, Kedesh was located near the city of Hazor and was where Jabin, the Canaanite king, reigned and his military leader, Sisera, held camp. In Judges 4, we are told that Sisera was known for his iron chariots. And if you’ll remember what the Kenites did as a primary means of employment for themselves. I’d like to propose that Jael’s husband, Heber, more likely than not worked with some form of metal or copper. So, knowing the location of Heber’s home and the historical fact about the Kenites, I wonder if Heber was contracted or hired by Sisera to maintain his collection of 900 chariots during his 20-year campaign against the Israelites. Could Heber and Sisera’s working relationship be what connected Jael and Sisera? Did Jael know who Sisera was from his possible dealings with her husband? Maybe the two had met before when Sisera had come to meet with Heber. As I’ve said before, this my theory, but I think it’s likely this could have possibly happened. It might explain why Jael would even leave the confines of her tent and approach Sisera in the first place.

Having just fought in battle and running for his life, Sisera’s appearance would probably have been shocking, his body and face bloody, bruised, worn down and haggard, not only from whatever fighting he participated in, but also the journey from the Valley of Jezreel to Kedesh. From what we read in Judges 4, Jael does not seem phased by Sisera’s physical appearance, her disposition and spirit throughout the Biblical account is not of a woman who is afraid. What thoughts must have been going through Jael’s head, she might have been scared out of her mind, but whatever Jael was feeling internally, externally she appeared calm and held it together. Her demeanor reassured the tired Sisera to trust her, to not fear her, and to come into her tent. What caused Jael to leave her tent to meet Sisera in the first place? Did she want to provide aid to this possibly wounded man? Why did she then invite him into her tent instead of calling for help?

These questions may sound odd, I know the idea of Jael approaching a man may not sound shocking to us today and the thought of not helping an injured individual may be foreign, but remember this woman lived in a very different time and culture than us. For a woman in ancient times and the background from which Jael came from, women were especially known for their hospitality, but they were also very modest and approaching a man, unchaperoned, was unheard of. While Jael’s approaching Sisera was uncommon for a woman, her invitation to enter her tent would have been even more scandalous for two reasons. Firstly, women and men in that time and culture had their own tent and there was a separate tent where women and men would comingle and where entertaining would take place. Women in ancient times did not cohabitate in the same tent as their husbands or male relatives like we do today. Secondly, Jael inviting a man, who was not her husband or relative, into her tent is probably the most scandalous and dangerous of the two reasons, as her, her husband, and her family’s reputation could be marred at the accusations which could arise at such an event. Nevertheless, this woman for whatever reason set aside cultural precedence and Sisera entered her tent.

Once Sisera was in her tent, we see Jael going above and beyond his requests. He asked her for water and instead she gave him milk. Is she being hospitable or are Jael’s actions a strategic move? She seems to be going above and beyond, could she have an alternative motive? Her actions may seem as nothing calculated: handing out milk verses water is something so nonthreatening, but in contrast to water, milk, especially warm milk which would have been the case due to lack of modern refrigeration, would have been more satisfying to Sisera. And due to tryptophan, a natural property found in warm milk, which produces a sleep-inducing chemical reaction, Sisera would have become sleepy. Was she a mother who had knowledge of this facts as she would have seen the benefits of warm milk on a tired child and hoped it would have the same effect on this evil man? Jael must have known the cruelty that this man was capable of, she does not appear to be the type of women who was blind to the events going on around her.

Sisera was not a nice man, he was not a gentleman, he was a man of war. You’ll notice that in Judges 4.18-19, twice the Bible mentions the need for Jael to cover Sisera. What were Sisera’s intentions toward Jael, is it possible that he had previously, was attempting to or, would have eventually forced himself on her and raped Jael? Another proposition that I’d like to throw out for consideration is, is it possible that Jael may have found herself in a position where she needed to protect herself and quite possibly even the other female family members in her tent. Whatever Jael’s reasons or motives for acting in the way we see in Scripture, God brought the Israelite enemy to her tent, and she had an opportunity of a lifetime to do something that would be impactful not only on her life, but on the lives of others – the lives of the Israelites, and Jael did not let a providential moment go to waste. 

So why does this obscure Old Testament women have such a hold on me? Several years ago, I was first introduced to this woman, Jael, at a retreat which was sponsored by my church. I loved hearing this woman’s story of heroism and hadn’t really heard of her before then and didn’t really think much of her in the years since. Recently I was struggling, prompted by events going on in my life, and I was at a place where I was searching and needing to figure out the type of woman God wanted me to be and become. I spent a lot of time questioning who I was and what my purpose would be as a Christian woman. As I spent more time praying and reading, trying to find to find my purpose in Scripture, I landed on the book of Judges, I found myself becoming reacquainted with Jael and grew an extreme admiration for this woman like I had never had before. Christian women do not have to be what society or what some churches want them to be, but rather be the woman that God wants them to be. Jael was just a normal woman, she is a housewife, she’s going about her day at home minding her business, her story is not pretty, it’s not the typical fairy tale type, it’s not the story that you dream up and she’s not the princess we want to be when we’re young girls. But Jael is who God wants her to be, a fearless, courageous, strong woman who walks by faith and when she faced with a challenge and a God given opportunity to make a difference in her life and the lives of others, instead of cowering and withdrawing from the fight at her door – she steps in to action. We may not encounter a Canaanite general at our door, but are we not we faced with unexpected, shocking, unnerving, scary and ­­­­­­­uncomfortable challenges on regular basis. We do not know what challenges we will face as we live our lives, but we do know that they will come, and we can either run from them or run to them and face them head on. That is the spirit of Jael and countless other woman who can be found in the pages of Scripture. Women who were just average woman, who may have grown up in a Godly environment or they may have had baggage and were far from perfect; they have been accepted or shunned; they were married, widowed, single, mothers or childless. There is women all though the Bible with stories and lives that vary just like we do, but they are there to be examples for us.  Jael, is like so many other strong and courageous women in the Bible who I aspire to be like, to know more of and who I will write about – I think we can and need to be like Jael and these other women in Bible.

I’ve seen a phrase used within the Christian community which basically summed up says that you cannot be a Proverbs 31 women without being a Judges 4-5 woman and I agree, and I want to be both one day. To me, Jael embodies, Proverbs 31.25 – “Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” I love Jael’s attitude, especially her approach for handling a situation she was faced with. She was in a difficult situation, and as far as we can tell, she was calm and calculated, she was not hysterical or paralyzed with fear of the situation she found herself providentially in and ultimately, she was used greatly in fulfilling God’s plan and her story recorded for generations to know of in the years that came after her. Each of us women can be Jaels, and my hope is that this space will serve as a place for me to write and share things that I come across in God’s Word though my personal studies. I pray that something I write in this journal will be a blessing and encouragement to you too as we all face our own battles. I believe that God does not want the role of a Christian woman in this world to be passive. Jael is one of many examples in the Bible of God using an unexpected heroine to fulfill His story. The enemy, Satan, is at our doorstep, he’s in our homes and infiltrating our lives on a daily basis, he’s in this world and we need to take action against him as best as we can, using the lessons and tools, maybe not in the form of tent stake and hammer, but rather from those in the Bible, from these woman who have fought similar battles that we find ourselves in today we can prevail.

The Biblical account of Jael’s story can be found in Judges 4-5.

Up Next: Deborah, the Judge and Prophet

I would like to introduce you to a woman named Jael. She is a woman whose story in the Bible is not lengthy and only takes up two chapters in the book of Judges. Her character under pressure, decision-making skills and her story can leave a lasting impact on all who learn of this little-known housewife from the Old Testament. She has become an inspiration to me and is who this new project that I am embarking on is named after. You might wonder why out of all the women in the Bible I aspire to be like Jael. It is true her place in Biblical history is gory, gruesome, and more than slightly aggressive, but maybe her unusual story is something that draws me to her. Her story is different, it is not a fairytale, it is not pretty or wholesome. Jael’s story is not what you or society might expect from a Biblical woman, but that does not mean that she was not instrumental or useful in advancing God’s overall plan for the ages, she was not without purpose. Before we examine Jael and her life, please allow me to set the scene for you which led up to this woman’s entrance into time-enduring Biblical history.

It is about 1250 B.C. in ancient Israel, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee is the Jezreel Valley, and if you know one bad character trait of the ancient Israelites, you know that they continually sinned against God. What do they say about history repeating itself? Well, our story opens with, surprise, surprise, the Israelites have once again sinned against God. Now not only have the Israelites sinned against God, but they sinned against Him in their most favorite way – idolatry. Idolatry was rooted deep in their hearts and was once again drawing the Israelites away from God. If you look back to chapter 3 of Judges, you can get a glimpse of the repetitiveness of Israel’s idolatry and God’s reaction to their sin. Each time the Israelites turned from God to idolatry, He allowed them to be oppressed by their enemies through slavery or war. Eventually, after they had enough of the oppression, the Israelites would cry out to God for help, and faithfully He would answer and deliver them. Judges chapter 4 opens with “the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD…” Once again, the Israelites have turned to idol worship instead of worshipping God. God allowed one of Israel’s longtime enemies, the Canaanites, under the rule of King Jabin, to “mightily oppress” the Israelites. This 20 year oppression, was led by the Canaanite general, Sisera, and he was the type of general you could imagine most ancient military leaders to be like. He was a savage, evil man who probably did not forget about his ancestor’s suffering at the hand of the Israelites years before under Joshua, and perhaps he was in some way now repaying punishment on the Israelites. Sisera’s reputation of brutality was no doubt increased by his collection of iron chariots, which was 900 strong and were outfitted unlike normal chariots. Sisera’s chariots were known to have protruding out of each wheel a curved blade, imagine the grim reapers blade, which would cut down anything or anyone in its path. These were not your typical chariots, but Sisera was not your typical general, he was a merciless tyrant of a man, he was a man that evoked fear.

After 20 years of oppression, the Israelites finally turned from their idolatry and looked to God for help, and as always, He was faithful to hear and answer the cries of His children. Deborah, the prophetess and judge, the overseer over all things legal and military in her region of Israel, summoned her general, Barak, to a meeting where she held court. Her court was not located in the city, but under the palm trees of Israel, between Ramah and Bethel. Barak came and met with his military commander, Deborah. During their meeting, Deborah instructed Barak that he had been chosen to lead the Israelite army of 10,000 men up to Mt. Tabor – it is time to prepare to face their enemy, it is time for their oppression to be over. Deborah further explained to Barak that God was going to lead Sisera and his men to the river Kishon, which ran near the base of Mt. Tabor. Once the Canaanite army had settled by the river, Barak would lead the Israelite army down the mountain to war. And there the Canaanite army would fall. After hearing the battle plan, Barak expressed his reluctancy to go alone, he wanted Deborah to ride into battle with him, otherwise he is not complying. Please do not get the idea that Barak was trying to hide behind Deborah, but remember that she, as judge, is the physical representative of God to Israel. Barak recognized Deborah’s position and wanted the theocratic representative of God close to the battle. Deborah agrees, but she knows that she is not going with Barak for her or his honor, she is going for God’s honor. Before they depart to Mt. Tabor, Deborah prophesies to Barak that Sisera’s death will not be at his hand or at the hands of his men, but instead Sisera’s death will be at the hand of a woman.

While God may let His children make their own mistakes time after time again, remember that He had promised to never forsake them, and He was not planning to forsake them now. With Deborah at his side, Barak led the Israelite army up to Mt. Tabor and, just as God had planned, Sisera led his army to the river Kishon. Everyone was providentially brought to the place where they needed to be. Even though Deborah ceremoniously went up to Mt. Tabor with Barak, she would not be fighting in this battle alongside him, instead she would stay behind and watch the battle unfold from the mountain top. Barak and the Israelite army descended Mt. Tabor on foot, as they were not outfitted with the same caliber of military equipment that the Canaanites possessed. However, they do have God on their side. As Barak and his men are in formation and the battle is about the begin, God sent rain to the Jezreel Valley. This sudden rain from Heaven caused the river Kishon to overflow and flood the valley. The flash flood caused Sisera and his men to panic because their heavy iron chariots began to get stuck in the muddy, rain-soaked valley. Much of their success in battle relied on Sisera’s chariots, but in the mud, they lost their ability to maneuver effectively and swiftly. They lost their advantage over the Israelites. Now the Canaanite army, trapped in useless chariots in the muddy Jezreel Valley were unable to flee the advancing Israelite army. Sisera’s plan failed not because of Barak or the Israelite army, but because the all-knowing, Almighty God of Israel thwarted it. Being an experienced general, he realized his outcome in this war was not going be success, his 20 years of bloodshed over Israel is finally ending. As shocking as it may be to imagine, Sisera was not an honorable leader, he did not stay with his men to fight to end, but instead he deserted them to fight the Israelite army on their own. Sisera abandoned his chariot, left it mired in the valley where his men would either be captured or die at the hands of the Israelites. A defeated Sisera fled for his life on foot into the desert and traveled alone, a distance of 20 miles, give or take, from the river Kishon to Kedesh. There in the Kedesh, searching for shelter, he met a Kenite housewife, Jael, who would change the course of his life, as well as alter the course the lives of the Israelites.

***Part 2 and the conclusion of this series will be released in the coming days.