The Republican., 1935-02-07
Pen Pictures of Patriarchs-
DEBORAH

<AAl e1CllAOSpIlClC VI IOlIldIlCS GlNSl-
opes the story of Deborah, the wife OF
Lappidoth, who dwelt under a palm
tree, called after her name, between
Ramah and Bethel, in Mt. Ephraim
The reason for her call to the pro-
phetic office is no different than the
common one, recurring through the
ages of this peoples history, after a
prophet deliverer passes from the
stage of action: "And the children of
Israel again did evil in the sight of the
Lord, when Ehud was dead" Evil do
ing brought its normal retribution, for
in the next verse of the story as told
in the fourth chapter of the Book of
Judges, we read: "And the Lord sold
them into the hand Of Jabin, King of
Canaan, that reigned in Hazor: the
captain of whose host was Sisera,
which dwelt in Haro-sheth of the Cen
tiles"
Sisera had nine hundred chariots of
iron, fully equipped for war. With
this terrible regiment of ancient tanks
and with forays of infantry, he might
lily oppressed Israel for twenty years.
Again, because Of their oppression,
the Israelites cried unto the Lord.
Whereupon Deborah sent and called
Barak, the son Of Abinoam, out of
Kedeshnaphtali, and gave him COM
mand from the Lord to raise an army
Of ten thousand men, drafting them
from the tribes of Naphtali and Zeb-
ulum. With these troops he was or
dered to march toward Mt. Tabor.
Deborah also undertook to lure Jab-
ms army, with his chariots and camp
followers, commanded by Sisera, to
the river Kishon, where she promised
to deliver them into the hand of
Barak.
Barak was faint-hearted, and re-
fused to undertake this mission unless
Deborah accompanied him. This she
consented to do, though she warned
him that the honor of overcoming
Sisera should not be his for the Lord
would sell Sisera into the hands of a
woman. So Barak and Deborah began
their journey to Kedesh.
Now there dwelt in the plains of
Zaanaim, near Kedesh, one Heber, the
Kenite, who was related to Hobab, the
father-in-law of Moses, but who had
severed himself from the Kenites and
was on friendly terms with Jabin
King of Hazor. Through Heber, Si9era
learned of the assembling of
army at Kedesh and Immediately -
bilized his entire army and advanced
to attack Barak, who charged down
the mountain, overthrowing Sisera's
host and discomfting them with the
edge of the sword. The slaughter was
complete, for the record says: "there
was not man left"
When Sisera saw that the battle
was lost and his army about to be an
initiated, he lighted down off his char
lot and fled on foot to the tent of He
Der the Kenite, where he sought sane
tuary, as he believed, among friends.
Jael, the wife of Heber, did one of
the cruelest acts of a bloody age, and
one hard to condone by any ethical
standards acceptable among us. See
ing the weary Captain Sisera ap-
preaching, she went out to meet him
and said: "Turn in, my lord, turn in
to me; fear not" And when he had
turned in she covered him with a man
tie, gave him cool milk to drink and
pretended to be standing guard at the
tent door to ward off enemy search
ers. However, as soon as Sisera slept
she took long nail and drove it with
hammer through his temples. Thus
literally nailed to the tent floor he was
presently found by the victorious
Barak. The chapter ends: "And the
hand of the children Of Israel pros
pered and prevailed against Jabin the
King of Canaan until they had de-
stroyed Jabin King of Canaan"
GIDEON