El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-08

THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
"The Lord Shall Deliver Sisera Into
the Hands of a Woman

"The Lord Shall Deliver Sisera Into
the Hands of Norman"
Rev. w. O.. Millican preached Sun,
day morning from the text. the Lord
shall deliver Sisera into the hands of
wonsp." Judges 40.
Joan of Arc was not the first woman
to take the battlefield and fight bat
tie to victory, nor was she the last.
Nearly three thousand years before
| the brilliant achievements of Orleans
woman judged q mighty nation,
oman took the field against one OF
and a woman struck the fatal blow
that brought glory to God and freedom
to his people.
Barak was the Judge of Israel, but
for some cause or other God had asso-
ciated with him in this Office Deborah,
the prophecies. Israel was under the
dominion of Jabin, the Canaantish
king. There came message from the
Lord through Deborah telling Barak to
strike for liberty and drive the Canaan
ties out of his territory. But Jabin's
army was commanded by the mighty
captain, Sisera, and to say nothing of
other forces, he had 900 chariots of iron.
So Barak agreed to go only on condi-
tion that Deborah would take the field
with him. These are her words. II
will surely 60 with thee, but neverthe-
less. the journey that thou takest shall
not be for thine honor: for the Lord
shall deliver Sisera into the hand of
woman 100
The battle was fought between Mt.
Tabor and Little Hermon. At the Opeps
ing of the fight we are told there was
binding rain, JOsephus adds sleet and
rain, to which Barak and Deborah
+ - ,L,, ho~
say, 1.-THE stars in their course fought
against S sera," struck the enemy full
in the face. In an incredibly short
time the "waters of Megiddo" over
flowed the Gishon river, changing TT e
beautiful valley into one vast swamp.
and sweeping away in wild confusion
many of the men aud chariots.
The army was panic stricken, and as
Israel attacked from their better van
tsge ground, the enemy fed, leaving
the ground, says Mr.. Stanley, with the
corpse fattening the ground.
Sisera escaped from his chariot and
took refuge in the tent of an Arab
sheik. And here the tragedy of the
text took place. After drenching him
on buttermllk and seeing him fast
asleep, Jasl, the Arabs wife. either
from feeling of resentment 10 favor OF
Israel or moved directly by the Lord,
took one of the sharp tent pins, or nails,
and placing 1t on the temple of the
sleeping captain, drove it with one
blow from q powerful hammer, entire
ly through his head, pinning him to
the earth.
So we see this was q woman's battle
and woman's victory.
And in the whole story there appear
some facts that have been prominent
in nearly all of the various battles wo-
man has engaged in from that day to
this.
First: A woman Is sometimes more
responsive to the will of God than is
man. 1t had been clearly revealed that
God wanted Barac to attack the enemy
but he refused to go unless Deborah
would agree to go with him. 1t was q
radical and hazardous thing for q wo-
man to do. But Gods wish was at stake
and Deborah was determined that it
should be respected and carried out
whatever the cost to her.
There are more women In the world
today by far than men who try to do
the will of God by coming into and
working in the churches. Paul's first
convert in Europe was q woman She
onment and the stripes OF the Apostle
If only she might do the will of her
Lord. Women were "last at the cross
and first at the grave" So here a wo-
man gave the opening command in the
bloody battle and woman struck the
fatal blow.
Second: A woman's courage when
thus moved yields to no difficulties.
What was the little army of 10, 900 COM
pared with Sisera's mighty host, with
his chsriots of iron? No wonder Bsrak
was afraid to go. But Deborah had an
eye that looked behind the scenes. 1t
was the eye of faith based on the prom
Uses of God. Like the noble Elisha she
saw that Gods cbarioteers were riding
the clouds and encamping in the noun
tains and hills round about ready to
fight in the battle for the right. And
she was not afraid to go.
In ministry Of ten years and an
observation of twenty years since l
came into the church, I have found
this true of the women almost without
an exception. 1 have never yet seen
them hold back in q difficult undertake
ing or fall in determined effort. Nor
does this have reference simply to wo-
men of highest attachments. Mr..
Spurgeon has beautifully said of this
woman who slew Sisera 'She was no
Amazon. but wife who kept the tent.
She was no orator. but woman who
MIXED the cows and made butter"
Women wait not for conventional in
aviation or for professional ability
With Jaal it was a question of what
needed to be done and not of how the
wind blew. She had no saber nor bat
tie AK nor mauser gun with which to
perform the hazardous task; but she
showed to the world that woma will
use tent--pin with which to fight her
battles If she can find nothing better.
and in my judgement when she gets
after man with any kind of pin,
tent-piu, writing-pen or rolling
pin, he had better surrender on til q
spot, or do like Sisers take to his
heels. A woman's battle is usually
woman's victory.