Intervieew with old Testament Fifures –Jael: Our interviewee for this edition is one of the unlikely heroes of the Holy Bible. What she did in biblical times in support of Israel could have earned her recriminations in our times. She wrote her name in Scripture after killing a Canaanite General, Sisera by driving a tent peg through is skull as he slept in her tent after she gave him milk to drink, lulling him to sleep.
Jael’s action was actually a fulfilment of the prophecy given by Deborah to Barak, an Isralite General after he showed reluctance in going after Sisera, that God would deliver the Canaanite into the hands of a woman (Judges 4: 9). Obviously, Jael is admired by many believers and Jews as many parents in Latin America, United States of America and Israel name their female babies after this heroine. Globally, it’s a unique name, appearing around 1200-17000 in popularity charts.
Regardless of what humans say, Deborah pronounced God’s blessing on Jael in Judges 5:24, “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.” We are glad to have her with us today to shed light on her encounter with Sisera.
Shepherd Heart: We are excited to have you with us Jael
Jael: I am delighted to be here. Thanks for having me
Shepherd Heart: Kindly give our readers a pen portrait of yourself
Jael: I belonged to the Kenite Bedoun tribe that inhabited the plain of Zaanaim by Kedesh. My husband traced his lineage to Heber, one of the sons of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law while he took refuge in Midian after he fled from Pharoah’s wrath in Egypt.
Shepherd Heart: You did something spectacular that brought you to Scriptural limelight. Kindly tell our readers about it.
Jael: The story of my encounter with the Canaanite General is told in chapters 4 and 5 of the Judges. I can only narrate what is already recorded in Scripture.
Shepherd Heart: That’s okay with us as we do not endorse any act of disrespect to God and his word by tampering with Scripture in any form or shape.
Jael: I was in my tent on that fateful day when Sisera barged in flustered and apparently afraid for his life. I knew who he was and something told me that I needed to help Israel against the Canaanites. So, I lulled him to sleep with milk and drove the tent peg through his skull as he slept. I know some people may call me a wicked host, but I had to obey my instinct, inspired by God’s Spirit or an angel
Shepherd Heart: The reason we conduct interviews with Old Testament figures is not to criticise or condemn anyone. We believe that every story in the Bible has something to teach us in our generation. You mentioned your instinct as that something that propelled you to act. As believers in Christ, we operate on a higher realm of discernment because we are now the temple of God. Meaning that God indwells us by His Spirit. How were you sure that your instinct was inspired by God. Did you have any relationship with Him prior to this time?
Jael: When you talk of a relationship, you do you mean some kind of friendship with Almighty God?
Most people in the Old Testament era did not encounter God as a friend to suggest having a relationship with him. We had priests that offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the generality of the people. No. I did not know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a friend.
Shepherd heart: I asked that question because If I am confronted with a decision to take the life of another person for religious reasons, I would want to be 100% sure that God would sanction my action. I would not trust my instinct at all.
Jael: I agree with you to an extent, But this was the life of one man versus the lives of thousands that could potentially be sacrificed were he to be allowed to live. I may not have heard directly from God as you believers do now through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, but I am sure I did the right thing, otherwise, God would not have pronounced a mighty blessing on me through Deborah.
Shepherd Heart: I believe that many of us under the dispensation of grace who benefit from operations of the Holy Spirit would face serious scrutiny on judgment day because of our disobedience. You did not have an indwelling Holy Spirit but acted promptly on Instinct that obviously inspired by God. Many believers in our generation consciously disobeys God’s commands and the promptings of the Holy Spirit at will. What do you think is responsible for such disrespect for the person of God and His eternal word?
Jael: The most critical factor is the abuse of God’s grace. Another factor is the misconception that the God of the Old Testament is not the same God of the New Testament. That is a grievous fallacy. God Himself said in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” God did not become less holy because He sent His Son to die to atone for the sins of humanity.
On the issue of grace, many preachers present it as a license for people to sin. Jude addressed this in verse 4 of his letter: “For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed – ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Some of these preachers affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not address moral issues. You cannot have the Holy Spirit. and be immoral or embrace the depravity that immorality breeds.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 states: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In His priestly prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus asked the Father in verse 17 to sanctify believers with His word. Sanctification means being set apart for God’s use. If believers are the temple of God, then their spirits, souls and bodies are no longer available for common use. They are dedicated to God’s use only. The idea that you can be a disciple of Christ and be an immoral person is absurd and ridiculous
Shepherd Heart: We totally agree with you. There is so much that is wrong with the modern gospel that focuses on self-actualisation instead of the risen Christ. In some of his letters, Paul the apostle said emphatically that his goal was to preach Christ.
That is where most of the church leaders have erred. Once they stopped feeding on the word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to testify about what Jesus did on the cross and His resurrection, they cook up fables to attract followers to themselves. Then they present their own version of the Gospel wrapped up in the fake or cheap grace, which only encourages people to pursue their own dreams and self-actualisation. What final word do you have for us on this issue?
Jael: No one can add to God’s redemption plan, actualised in Christ. Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever, nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him. The solution to the pollutions in the church is for believers to return to the Gospel of Christ, the true Gospel, not fables that tickle the ears of unregenerated men
Shepherd heart: Thank you very much for your wise counsel. We really appreciate it
Jael: Thank you once again for having me.