Sat.’s Devo - Women of Faith

Read: Judges 4:1-5:31; Luke 22:35-53; Psalm 94:1-23; Proverbs 14:3-4
Once Ehud died, Israel went back into sin. God turned them over to King Jabin, a Canaanite king, who oppressed Israel for 20 years. Finally, the people cried out to the Lord for help. God sent the third judge - Deborah who judged Israel from the hills of Ephraim. She sent for Barak who lived in Naphtali and told him to round up 10,000 warriors from Naphtali and Zebulun to come and fight Sisera and his 900 iron chariots. Barak told Deborah that the only way he would do it was if she came with him.
Deborah agreed but said that since he was afraid to go in faith, the honor of the victory would go to a woman and ironically it wasn’t her.
God gave Barak great victory in war but Sisera, their commander fled on foot. He came to the tent of Jael.
She was the wife of a Kenite whose husband was a friend of King Jabin’s, so Sisera thought he had found a safe refuge. Jael’s husband had abandoned her so she got to take out her animosity against her husband on Sisera. She lulled him to sleep with milk then drove a tent peg through his temple.
In Deborah and Barak’s song you find more details. They sang of the mother of Sisera and her anticipation as she waits for her son to come home and bring her some of the spoil.
This is an interesting read. So many women are talked about in today’s reading. It is good to remember that women often stand for the Bride and today she is empowered to prophecy, conquer and sing about victory over her enemies.
They had peace for 40 years.
In Luke, Jesus reminded them of how, as long as He was with them they never had to worry about money, clothes or the future. But now, they needed to prepare for the future because He was about to face his darkest hour and leave them. Then they would have to learn for themselves how to grow in faith. They had been riding on Jesus’ faith and it would take time to develop their own. Also, they were entering a time when the power of darkness would reign.
Jesus was arrested at night and never saw the light of day till he was nailed to the cross.
Lord, help us to go fearlessly against our enemy and defeat him with faith. It is You who bring the victory.