Judges 4:1-7 [8-24]
Deborah sends Barak into battle
(From the Psalter of St. Louis, 13th century,
Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Wonderwomen
I think that not too many know
This ancient, Wonderwomen tale,
Where, Barak asks a prophetess
To go with him before he sails
To battle a strong enemy,
As guarantee he would not fail.
Or does he ask to humor her,
A woman who'd command a male?
Or could it be he's worried that
His aspirations she'd assail
- Like some Uriah prequel - and
He'd be the one to be impaled?
At any rate, she says she'll go,
Though goes with him to no avail,
That is, no glory will he earn;
Another woman will derail
The plans of Sisera, who burns
To conquer Israel, yet fails.
Soon Sisera will be no more,
His gory end makes us inhale;
But though, to us, the ethics of
Jael seem dubious and frail,
God's purposes for those oppressed
Will, by God's chosen means, prevail.
Scott L. Barton
(Note: It's a shame the lectionary designers stop at verse
7, which in my view pretty much misses the point of the story. Go at least
through verse 9. [I did that at my sister's wedding 31 years ago to highlight
the companionship requested by Barak.] But consider strongly going even further in
Sunday worship, which in this case means telling the rest of the story which
includes Jael, as long as we realize it's meant to make us smile at how God
will do in a cruel oppressor by whatever means will do the trick.)
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the
Lord , after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of
Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived
in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for
he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly
twenty years.
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was
judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and
Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for
judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali,
and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position
at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe
of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by
the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your
hand.’” [Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will
not go with me, I will not go.” And she said, “I will surely go with you;
nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for
the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and
went with Barak to Kedesh.
Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten
thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber
the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of
Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as
Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh. When Sisera was told that Barak son of
Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera called out all his chariots, nine
hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from
Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For
this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is
indeed going out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten
thousand warriors following him. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots
and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot
and fled away on foot, while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to
Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.
Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of
Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan
of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn
aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into
the tent, and she covered him with a rug. Then he said to her, “Please give me
a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and
gave him a drink and covered him. He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the
tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” But Jael
wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly
to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he
was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died. Then, as Barak came in
pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I
will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent; and
there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple. So on that day
God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. Then the hand of the
Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed
King Jabin of Canaan.]
+ + +
Matthew 25:14-30
Annette Gandy Fortt: Parable of the Talents
Treasure This
Beware that you don't use this text
To be the means whereby the next
Year's budget you might "make" converges
With what it seems the story urges.
One talent being far too much
For common laborers to touch,
It speaks, instead, of what is gained
When nothing you did, you attained.
Those overwhelmed by all they have,
Who know that all they are, God gave,
In joy, astounded by their treasure,
Know greatest gifts cannot be measured.
But those who try to make it last,
In worry they'll lose all amassed,
Have entered now into the hell
Which only trust in grace dispels.
Scott L. Barton
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his
slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to
another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went
away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded
with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two
talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went
off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time
the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one
who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents,
saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more
talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you
have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came
forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made
two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy
slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many
things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the
one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh
man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter
seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you
have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You
knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not
scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my
return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent
from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who
have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who
have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless
slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.’
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