5:19-23
Here we get a poetic description of the battle itself. Several kings came to fight, but they took no plunder, i.e. their efforts were in vain. The natural elements were against the enemy as well. When we work with the Lord all sorts of things start to work in our favour. Meroz may have been where Reuben, Dan and Asher were, and they come under condemnation from the angel of the Lord for their refusal to fight.
5:24-27
Jael’s driving a tent peg into Sisera’s temple is celebrated, and Jael is called “most blessed of tent swelling women”. This all seems a bit bloodthirsty to us, though we should admit that we are loath to face up to the realities of life. With the Israel-Palestine conflict there is much hand wringing over Israel’s invasion of Palestine. Now concern for the massive suffering that is involved is understandable and right. However, the notion that if only Israel treated the Palestinians in a nicer way then everything would be better is naive in the extreme. How is Israel supposed to react to the horrors of October 7? How do you suggest they deal with Hamas who are embedded within Palestine? Having said that, I am not confident that Israel’s actions will improve things much, but those of us outside the situation should at least be a little more realistic.
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