The Israelites battled the mighty Canaanites and beat them handily. What a great victory!! And here’s the back story. General Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, gave the order for his 900 chariots to advance, watched them sink in the mud of the Kishon River, witnessed Barak attack his soldiers . . . and then quietly ran away. That’s right. He ran. “Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite” (1) —a friend of King Jabin’s. The great general turned coward, left in the heat of the battle, sought shelter and safety while his troops fought bravely and sacrificed their lives for him. 😦
Wow. 😯 Not exactly what I was expecting. So, what happened next? Jael invited him into her house and told him not to be afraid. She covered him (hid him) with a rug and he asked for a drink. And then he told her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” (2)
Wow. 😯 Not exactly what I was expecting. I guess Sisera knew Barak would come searching for him but he felt safe for the moment because he was so tired he fell asleep under the covers. So what happened next? “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.” (3) 😮
Wow!! 😯 Not exactly what I was expecting! But then, to be honest, I have never been in a real war. I have never had to face my enemy and kill him knowing that it was him or me. I am only familiar with spiritual warfare. Here’s what I know about spiritual battles. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (4) This sounds scarier than an actual war! It is very serious. My question is this? Why would Satan feel inclined to fight me? Who am I? What threat do I really offer?
And here is my answer. None. No threat at all. Unless. Unless I am working to advance God’s kingdom in this world. And if that’s the case? Watch out! Seriously. Watch out! Because Satan will go to any extreme to make you fall, to make you doubt what you are doing, to cause you to question your calling. He will attack your family, your relationships, your reputation, your health, your finances, your faith—every aspect of your life—in order to hinder and even destroy your “good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.” (5)
Expect Satan to come after you. And when he does, be as bold as Jael. Be ready. Do not negotiate with Satan. Do not entertain him. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (6) As long as we continue to share God’s love with people, these schemes will be cunning and powerful and never-ending.
So. Here’s the thing. If you are not occasionally fighting spiritual battles, then perhaps you are on the wrong side of the war.
Wow. 😯 Not exactly what I was expecting!
1) Judges 4:17 2) Judges 4:20 3) Judges 4:21 4) Ephesians 6:12 5) Ephesians 2:10 6) Ephesians 6:10
