90 - Sisera' death and the rise of the 6th Judge Gideon

Kathleen's thoughts

Judges4,5,6,

When I read Judges 4: 17-24 I could not imagine taking a tent peg and placing it on someones temple and hammering it through the temple. What courage Jael must have had but I do believe the Lord's hand was upon her as one notes in chapter 5:24 Jael is most blessed of women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.

Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to greet him and took him to the site where Sisera laid dead from the tent peg. That day Jabin King of Canaan became subdued before the Israelites and so the power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin King of Canaan until they destroyed him.

The Israelites fell back into sin and so the Lord handed them over to Midian for 7 years. In this time the Israelites fell into famine. The Midianites destroyed the produce of the land even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep ox or donkey. and so Israel became poverty stricken.

The sixth Judge - Gideon

The Angel of the Lord came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah belonging to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son was Gidion who at the time was threshing wheat in the wine vat Then the Angel of the Lord spoke to Gidion and said The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. The Lord gave strength to Gideon to destroy his fathers altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it and build a well constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this rock. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down. Gideon did this. His fathers people were very upset and wanted justice to be done but the Lord of Gideon was with him.

The spirit of the Lord enveloped Gideon and he blew the rams horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.

The fleece of Gideon. Gideon once again needed proof that the Lord will deliver Israel by his hand and so the fleece of wool was laid on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece and all the ground is dry I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength as You said this did happen but Gideon needed more proof and asked if the dew is only on the ground and not on the fleece and this God did for Gideon.

Psalm 101:6 My eyes favour the faithful of the land so that they may sit down with me. The one who follows the way of integrity may serve me.

Blessings

Kathleen.