No Mercy

No Mercy

Jael

Read: Judges 4:17-24

Kara wanted to turn off the television, but she didn’t. Her history professor had given his class an assignment to watch this movie about the Holocaust. Kara had expected some violence, but she had been unprepared for the disturbing images. Sometimes she had to cover her face during scenes of Jewish people being savagely tortured or murdered inside the concentration camps. Kara wondered how the guards could be so cold and merciless toward their prisoners.

It’s also difficult to read about Jael’s act of cruelty. Since she was not an Israelite, she had no trouble persuading Sisera to hide in her tent when he fled from the battle with the Israelites. After he fell asleep, Jael hammered a tent peg all the way through his head. In this act of murder, Jael used deceit and broke the ancient code of hospitality that put the life of a guest above one’s own. The Bible passage gives no hint of any emotion on her part as she killed him, but we do know that Sisera was an army commander who had ruthlessly oppressed Israel for twenty years, so we can conclude that he was an enemy now being judged by God.

We may have a hard time relating to the way that Jael killed Sisera, but we are all called to be single-minded in opposing sin. Haven’t we all been tempted to overlook minor lapses that seem hidden and harmless? But sin is evil, and compromise with evil is always dangerous. Little habits grow into ingrained attitudes that shape our behavior. What seems so harmless can explode in disastrous consequences. We can’t afford to harbor thoughts or attitudes that go against God’s principles. Sin is the one area in which God wants us to show no mercy.

If through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

Romans 8:13