To Whom Does the Glory Belong?

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The LORD the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand." Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." And she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." - Judges 4:4-10a

While chapters 4 and 5 of Judges in the Old Testament lift up two women, Deborah and Jael, as women of faith and the downfall of King Jabin of Canaan and his army, a theme of glory and honor weaves through the text. Deborah, a well-respected judge and prophetess, commands Barak to gather an army of Israelites to do battle with the King of Canann who had oppressed the Israelites for many years. Well aware of his people's history of being freed from bondage by God after hearing the pleas of the people, Barak wavers a bit in his response. "If you go with me, I will go," he bargains with Deborah. Sensing his hesitation, Deborah agrees to head to war with him. However, the final part of her affirmative response gets at the heart of the story. "Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory."

Ouch! Her words had to have stung. Barak is going to lead ten thousand men into battle against an army with hundreds of iron chariots and overthrow the Canannites; yet, he will not be the one to whom everyone gives glory or credit for this amazing feat. He is going to be the one at the front of the charge, the one calling all the shots, the one who will subdue his people's oppressor. "The Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." What? The general of the Canannite army will elude Barak and be brought down by some woman? Regardless of all the thoughts running through his head, Barak gathers ten thousand men and heads off for battle.

As Deborah prophesies, the Israelites destroy the king of Canaan and his entire army. The men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun give their all, trusting in the promises given to them by Deborah after she heard the word of the Lord. In the midst of this brutal confrontation, Sisera escapes. Seeking refuge with a family that had isolated themselves from the rest of their people, Sisera is convinced that because of his power and renown, he will be kept safe until his soldiers can take him back home. Playing on his ego, Jael pampers him with attention, food and drink until he falls sound asleep. Not needing any reassurance from anyone else, she knows what she needs to do to be faithful to God. She drives a tent peg into Sisera's skull, killing him while he slept.

Unlike Barak, Sisera or even Sisera's mother who hopes her son will shower her with gifts he stole after winning, Jael honors the LORD and does not ask or expect any type of reward or acknowledgment. She considers what is the best thing for her people, what is just for all parties involved in the conflict between the various nations and tribes. When Barak arrives at her tent, she shows him the lifeless body of Sisera. She doesn't ask to be congratulated or for some payment for her deed. Rather, she in essence tells Barak the fight for freedom is done, victory is ours, now let's move on and not become the oppressors.

For Jael, and also for Deborah, their reward is knowing that they have done God's will. The one to be praised and glorified is the LORD, who heard the pleas of the people and answered their prayers. The women understand that they are mere instruments of God's saving work in the world. Their stories may live on, as they do in the Bible, but they are only a small snippet of God's redeeming activities. TAll glory belongs to God who does not desire for anyone to suffer. Instead God desires to be in communion with creation, which includes us human beings. When we stay focused on ourselves, we become oppressors and lose sight of what is truly important. When we glorify ourselves, we forget that God created us to be part of a community where every relationship flourishes in love.