18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.'” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. 22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. 23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.
Judges 4:18-23
24 “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. 25 He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl. 26 She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet; she struck Sisera; she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.
Judges 5:24-27
Common People, Uncommon Opportunity
The second woman in the story is Jael. Unlike Deborah, she was a housewife and seemed to be just that. Not everyone is talented and in a high position, most people just go about their lives. But no matter how “common” we think we are,
there are opportunities for us.
Some of these opportunities are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. These opportunities will not announce in advance so you know they are coming. But, when they arrive, you would have to be prepared to seize it. Sadly, many people just let them slip away.
Seize your opportunity, not set up a perfect plan. Although people often take action when they think they have a perfect plan. The secret of successful people is to plan when there is no opportunity and act when the opportunity comes.
Use your tools. Jael was a wife, not a warrior. She did not have armor or weapons of war. She used what she had in the tent.
Ultimate success. Jael killed the enemy no one could because she acted when the opportunity presented itself. This led to the liberation of the Israelites.
I have heard people complain that what Jael did was treachery. Do not judge someone you know very little about and whose shoes you have not to wear. Listen to what her contemporary said about her. She was the “Most blessed of woman.” I think they knew her better than any of us. Sometimes, no matter what we do, there will always be people who say what we do is not correct. Remember
there is One who always appreciate what we do because He knows us best and deepest.
Raisins & Apples Bible Devotional & more 