Heroics, Gender Roles, "Hey Sister, Go Sis-er-a, Sis-er-a Sister"

Judges Week!


Judges 4:17-21

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.

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Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister
Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister

"Lady Marmalade" by Labelle written by Kenny Nolan and Robert Crewe from Labelle's "Love Songs"

Ah, the Judges. This reading is a part of the story the Judge Deborah and Barak. Barak was summoned by Deborah and told he would be able to free the people from the Canaanite King Jabin and his harsh General Sisera. Sisera was a true warrior, feared with reason to be feared. His reputation was vast and his reputation was earned. Barak was afraid, and who in their right mind wouldn't be?

Deborah prophesied the path to victory over Jabin and Canaan for Barak, but he was not too keen on going. He didn't want to go alone. He didn't want to go with an army. So he struck a deal, if Deborah would go, he would go. She agreed, but she told him that if she went, the glory would not go to him, but to a woman. I would guess folks thought Deborah would get the glory of the victory. Logical, makes sense. Deborah goes, she gets the glory, right? Not so fast. As we just read, the glory went to Jael.

In seminary, I had a professor who contended that Jael was a controversial figure in biblical studies because she killed Sisera with a tent peg driven east/west from temple to temple "until it went down into the ground." I love how the text continues, "he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died" like the first symptom of having your skull pierced is weariness, followed by death. She contended if she had done it with a Cuisinart, everybody would have been much happier. I don't know nearly as many biblical scholars as my professor, so I gather she had the pulse of the scholarship and the room. From my point of view, the text goes from warm milk to calm him down, a nice rug for a blankey and to hide and then a nice mutilation and he drifts off to slumberville. Then he dies. I think she may have a point.

A point we can make from this is when people's lives go beyond gender expectations, the rest of the world gets uncomfortable. Consider our biblical scholars who would have preferred she found another way to keep him asleep and wait for a big strong man to deliver the killing blow. Some come along to a new world view quickly. Some not so much.

What do I say? Men and women are different. There's no denying this no matter how hard we try. We are different. BUT, this does not mean that women cannot be heroic. This does not mean men cannot be nurturing. This does not mean we cannot transcend the stereotypes of the cultural aspects of gender. Biology? That's a different kettle of fish. But is Jael less of a woman for saving her nation? No. She just followed the call of God and the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

And anybody who thinks she wasn't ladylike should remember she did it with hospitality.