Buried
in the book of Judges is the story of Jael. She is described as “most blessed
of homemaking women.” (Judges 5:24-27 MSG)
So,
how come we don’t hear much about this paragon of womanhood?
Well,
here’s the rest of Jael’s story: Sisera, a cruel oppressing general, comes to
her tent (home) asking for a drink of water. She decides to be extra
hospitable—gives him milk in a nice bowl. After the oppressor falls asleep,
Jael drives a tent peg through his head and kills him!
I’m
not sure what to make of this story…but for some reason, I’m amused by it. I’m
not advocating that anyone kill their unwanted guests. However, I’m intrigued
by this obscure character from the Bible. Why is she called ‘most blessed of
homemaking women’, and then, a few lines later, she is smashing someone’s head
in?
My
thoughts: Jael was not about to let a tyrant oppress her in her own home. So
she lulled him into complacency and then, like any good homemaker, she ‘took
care’ of the tyrant.
As
women, we have the right to defend our homes against tyrants. We need to know
when to put a stop to the nonsense, when to say enough is enough…when to put a
peg in it.
No comments:
Post a Comment