Someone
recently commented that I was a nice person – a very nice compliment (no pun intended). Please don’t misunderstand; I appreciate an accolade now and
then -- yet sometimes I tire of my niceness.
My
being nice doesn’t make a dramatic difference in the world. Nor is it risky or daring. Sometimes being nice means I don’t get
my way. Hmmmm, doesn’t sound very
exciting, does it?
I
used to think being nice was foundational to living out my faith. Boy was
I wrong (& completely misinformed)!
Jesus wasn't always nice. Last time I checked, He even had a few
enemies.
In
her book Nice Girls Don’t Change the World, Lynn Hybels states that the
opposite of being a nice girl is a “good woman”.
A good woman means trading the safe,
passive, people-pleasing behavior of niceness for the dynamic power of true
goodness. It means moving from the
weakness and immaturity of girlhood toward the strength and maturity of
womanhood.
(pg 21)
Among
other things - she goes on to say that a good woman doesn’t let fear stop her
and that a “good woman can be, in reality, a dangerous woman – a woman who
shows up with everything she is and joins the battle against whatever opposes
the redeeming work of God in our lives and in our world.“(pg 89)
Tucked
away in chapters 4 – 6 of the Biblical book of Judges is a brief story of a
very dangerous woman who rose above her circumstances and became a hero. Although most of us have never seen her
story played out on a Sunday School felt board, it is one worth telling.
Jael
lived several thousand years ago -- hundreds of years before Jesus walked the
earth. Most likely she was a very well
behaved wife, housekeeper, mother and friend. Although she was an Israelite, her husband had uprooted his
family from their close-knit tribal community and re-settled amongst the
neighboring Canaanites. We are
told that her husband formed a friendly alliance with the Canaanite King
Jabin.
At
this time in history, the Israelites and Canaanites were hostile neighbors -- the
Canaanites having the upper hand. Sisera,
a ruthless and cruel Canaanite army commander was making life miserable for the
Israelites – a misery that continued for decades.
Weary
from the severe Canaanite oppression, the Israelites cried out to God for help. We’re told that God told the Israelite
army to advance & attack the Canaanites, promising a victory. So, the poorly armed Israelites marched
into battle against Sisera’s superior military force.
As
the battle between the two armies ensued, God sent a violent storm to confuse
the Canaanite warriors. They charged
into a valley, where they died by the swords of the Israelites. Not a single Canaanite warrior survived. However, their commander Sisera, managed
to escape on foot.
“Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of
Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly
terms with King Jabin of Hazor.
Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “come into my tent,
sir. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she
covered him with a blanket.
“Please give me some water, “ he
said. “I’m thirsty.” So she gave him some milk from a
leather bag and covered him again.
“Stand at the door of the tent” he
told her. “If anybody comes and
asks you if there is anyone here, say no.”
But when Sisera fell asleep from
exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her
hand. Then she drove the tent peg
through his temple and into the ground and so he died.
Judges 4:17 – 21 NLT
Wowzers! Gotta give Jael credit for her bravery
and quick thinking prowess. She is
quite the gutsy gal.
So
gutsy in fact that she became a legend amongst her people. Judges chapter 6 includes
a song with a portion written in her honor:
“Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite. May
she be blessed above all women who live in tents.
Sisera asked for water, and she gave
him milk. In a bowl fit for
nobles, she brought him yogurt.
Then with her left hand she reached
for a tent peg, and with her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera with the hammer,
crushing his head.
With a shattering blow, she pierced
his temples.
He sank, he fell, he lay still at
her feet.
And where he sank, there he died.” Judges 5:24-27
So,
what have I learned from this dangerous woman?
• Like
Jael, I can choose to see purpose in my
circumstances – and believe that God has positioned me for a perfect opportunity
to serve Him no matter how alone, overwhelmed or afraid I may feel. It was Jael’s circumstances that strategically
positioned her for the opportunity to become a hero to her people.
• Like
Jael, I can choose not to allow my status
to limit me. Isn’t it just like God to chose someone weak to vanquish
someone strong? Although I may
feel inadequate, unprepared and insignificant, God can make a way for me to
emerge victorious over any challenge.
Sisera was a wicked military leader with thousands of warriors at his
disposal, yet he was no match for God’s warrior, Jael.
• Like
Jael, I can take action – no matter
how risky or out-of-the-box it may seem.
When Jael saw the opportunity, rather than wait for someone else to come
along, she steadied her hand, raised her hammer and struck.
How about you? Do you find yourself living amidst complicated circumstances? Perhaps you are far from home or living amongst the unfamiliar. Or - you may feel alone, inadequate or weak. May Jael's story give you a different perspective with which to view your world AND give you hope for the future.
Lynn
Hybel wrote this poem and included in her book. It inspires me and I pray that it may inspire you to live "dangerously" too!
May we be dangerous women.
May we be women who acknowledge our
power to change, and grow, and be radically alive for God.
May we be healers of wounds and
righters of wrongs.
May we weep with those who weep and
speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
May we cherish children, embrace the
elderly, and empower the poor.
May we pray deeply and teach wisely.
May we be srong and gentle leaders.
May we sing songs of joy and talk
down fear.
May we never hesitate to let passion
push us, conviction compel us, and righteous anger energize.
May we strike fear into all that is
unjust and evil in the world.
May we dismantle abusive systems and
silence lies with truth.
May we shine like stars in a
darkened generation.
May we overflow with goodness in the
name of God and by the power of Jesus.
And in that name, and by that power,
may we change the world.
Dear God, Please make us dangerous
women.
Amen.
