A Story of Redemption

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. (Judges 4:1-3 ESV).

I love the authenticity of the Bible. It can never be said that the Bible only recounts to good stories. In fact, if you read any of the Old Testament, you are struck with the unadulterated truth, whether it is flattering or not. And, the Bible contains its share of “R rated” stories. Our reading today telling the story of Deborah, Barak, and Jael is one of those stories. It is the repetitive cycle found throughout Judges. God’s people become rebellious and sin; they suffer, this time by the oppression of the wicked King Jabin and his military leader Sisera. They cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness and he provides a “judge” who comes to deliver them from their predicament. In this instance, the wisdom of God's plan to save his people comes from Deborah, a prophetess in Israel. She instructs Barak to gather 10,000 powerful Israelite warriors at Mt Tabor and fight Sisera and his 900 iron-plated chariots. When Barak leads his men into battle the Lord brings a heavy rain that leaves Sisera and his chariots stuck in the mud! With defeat looming, Sisera flees the battlefield and finds hospitality in the tent of an ordinary woman - Jael (her name means "mountain goat"). Sisera had a reputation as an evil man. When he falls asleep, Jael takes the opportunity to quietly approach him with a mallet and a tent peg. With "callous efficiency", she drives the peg through his skull, pinning his head to the dirt floor. An ordinary woman with two ordinary elements, a tent peg and mallet, led to the death of Sisera and freedom for the people of God. This short story gives us a unique perspective of the story of redemption. It is an illustration of God redeeming his people from sin and death. The Apostle Paul says that the cross of Christ reveals the wisdom of God. While some see Christ crucified as foolishness, Christians see the wisdom of God at Calvary because it is at the cross where God remains holy by punishing sin, but also reveals his grace by forgiving sinners (cf. 1 Corinthians 1). Moreover, the cross reveals the power of God. When God seemed at his weakest, in human flesh, beaten, tortured, and nailed to a wooden cross, he was actually defeating sin and death. To borrow a phrase from the English theologian John Owen, the death of death occurred in the death of Christ. In other words, God used the death of his only Son to powerfully conquer death and give eternal life to his people. Finally, our redemption occurs in an ordinary and mundane manner. Jesus Christ was born to an unwed teenage mother, raised in a small town, worked for years making tables and chairs, lived without a home, and was crucified between two common criminals on a cross. Yet, it is through his life, death, and resurrection that you have the gift of forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.