Courage Lessons from a Mountain Girl

Her husband was gone, and she was alone with no other family or friends. Off in the distance, she sees someone walking up towards her. It wasn’t her husband; this was the terrifying, imposing Canaanite commander, Sisera. This tough mountain girl, Jael, was no physical match for the battle-hardened warrior. There was no flight or flight option for her. The Canaanite culture was ruthless. It involved child sacrifice and temple prostitution, practices that don’t value human life or monogamous or even consensual sex. She saw the threat, and she made a series of decisions. Courage is little more than a decision to move forward regardless of fear. Let’s see what we can learn about courage from this humble mountain girl.

“But Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.” Judges 4:17

Jael, Called the Shots & Used Her Resources

Instead of cowering in her tent, Jael took a breath and went out to meet Sisera face to face. Jael stayed calm, which allowed her to consider the circumstances and to ask herself questions. Why was Sisera there? She realized it was because Canaan was losing, and he was on the run from the Israel army. She also looked past her fear to see that this mountain of man was utterly exhausted. Jael turned on her natural motherly charm and invited him into her tent. Though he asked only for water, she gave him some warm milk and covered him with a blankee. Accustomed to ordering others around, he ordered her to keep watch for him and lie to the Israelite army for him. He underestimated her.

“Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, ‘“’Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” Judges 4:18-20

Jael Used Logic and Strategy

The Bible said that Jael’s husband was allied with the Canaanite army. How did she have a change of heart so quickly? Jael was a survivor; her thinking wasn’t clouded by fear. The Israelite army would not be far behind if Sisera had been running and asking her to hide him. She’d take a huge chance hiding this fugitive enemy commander from the victors. She weighed her options. The unscrupulous commander asleep in her tent would soon be rested and nourished, and she would be even more vulnerable. The time to act was now. Like young David with Goliath, Jael nailed the tent pegs into the rocky mountain soil throughout her life. She was comfortable, she knew her strength. Jael took a big breath and nailed Sisera’s head to the ground with a tent peg.

“But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.” Judges 4:21

The Victory Report

The BIble doesn’t say what Jael did after she killed Sisera. I seem to feel that she made herself a cup of tea and warmed herself by the fire. She went out to meet the Israelite army and showed them her brave act. By killing Sisera, she fulfilled the prophetess’ word to Barak that a woman would the honor of killing Sisera wouldn’t go to him but a woman. This is a story of sheer brutality to our gentile Western ears. This was ancient life and warfare. It was bloody and brutal. Jael wouldn’t be seen as a freak but a hero. What can we learn about courage from Jael?

“Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.” Judges 4:22

Learning from Jael

Jael nipped fear in the bud at the start. If she had allowed her mind to run away with fear, it would have clouded her thinking, blinding her to opportunities in front of her. She might not have seen a weary and defeated man in front of her. 2 Timothy 1:7 says fear isn’t compatible with a sound mind. With a clear head, Jael made logical decisions. She courageously left her tent to meet Sisera. She went above and beyond, giving him milk to make him sleep, a blanket, and assurance to disarm him. Then she didn’t try to find a knife, sword, or axe, but used what she knew. Jael could hammer the heck out of a tent peg. She’d probably been hammering tent pegs into rocky mountain soil since childhood. Still shaking in her sandals, she took a deep breath and with all her might followed her plan. Below is a little list of Jael’s inspired, courageous decisions.