And we are
back. I am so excited for my next guest, so let's not wait any longer!!
Come on out, Jael!!!
(Jael comes out, hugs Oprah, and has a seat on the couch next to Oprah.)
Hello, Jael! Thank you so much for being here!
Hi, Oprah! It is such an honor to be on your show!
(Jael comes out, hugs Oprah, and has a seat on the couch next to Oprah.)
Hello, Jael! Thank you so much for being here!
Hi, Oprah! It is such an honor to be on your show!
For those of you who do not know who you are, can you help us learn how to pronounce your name? Because if I have heard right, it is not pronounced exactly as it is spelled.
Yes, of course. Well, looking at my name can be deceiving, because you would think it was pronounce with a J. But actually, it is pronounced as Yael.
Awesome, thank you for that clarification! Okay, so let's get started on your story. You were actually mentioned in the Bible before you were ever even aware of it. Can you explain how this was?
Well, I was actually first brought up in a prophecy. There was a woman named Deborah from Kedesh, and she was the judge of the people of Israel. And during this time, the Israelites and King Jabin of Canaan were at war with each other. Within the army of King Jabin, there was a very evil man named Sisera. God came to Deborah telling her that a woman would actually be the one to kill Sisera, which would lead to finally putting the two armies to rest.
So, for those who have not figured it out, you were the woman that God was talking about in his prophecy!!How exciting was it for you to find out that God chose you, of all the people in the world, to be the one to fulfill his mission?
I did not really know God had spoken about me in a prophecy before the incident, but finding that out afterwards was very exciting. To think the God trusted me completely to carry out his word was such an amazing feeling.
Okay, so let's talk about what happened on that night. You were keeping the tents in the land of Kenite, which is where you and your husband, Heber, were from. Can you tell us the events that led to this prophecy to become true?
Yes, I was keeping the tents one night. I knew that King Jabin and the Israelites were at war with each other, but Kenite had nothing to do with this war. Well, one night, Sisera had managed to sneak away and bolt from the battle because he did not want to end up being killed. He knew that a lot of people were personally out for him. So, he was a chicken and he fled the scene. As I was keeping the tent, I heard someone come in. It was Sisera.
What happened next? Since you already knew of Sisera and that he had run away, what led you to know what you needed to do next?
Yes, I recognized Sisera. I was not really sure of what to do next. I was apprehensive to even get involved with the situation because Kenite was not at war with Jabin. Which meant that if I did anything to Sisera, I ran the risk of betraying my husband, because he was at peace with Sisera and the land of Jabin. But on the other hand, I had this strong intuition that I needed to somehow kill Sisera while he least expected it. I without a doubt know this intense inner feeling came from God.
So, you now realize that God was leading you to kill Sisera. What did you do in order to play this out?
Well, as he came in, I stayed completely calm and tried not to make it seem like I was nervous at all. He asked me for a drink of water, and in order to entice him more, I gave him milk. Then he asked to lie down, so I had him lie on my lap while I tried to get him to fall asleep. I knew once I had him asleep, he would be very vulnerable and that would be my prime time to kill him.
He finally fell asleep on your lap. What did you do next?
I saw in the corner a hammer and a peg. I reached over, trying not to wake him, and I picked them up. He had his temple turned towards me, and once I got enough courage, I hammered the peg into his head. And that was how I killed him.
You were able to fulfill God's prophecy. You did not know the exact reasons why God had chosen you to carry this act out, but he did. How did this make you feel and what did you learn from this?
I was very excited, and honored. I could not believe God chose a no body like me to do his works. I mean, not only was I a no body, but on top of that I was a woman. This was an even bigger deal to me, because in these kinds of situations, you would usually think of a man doing the dirty work. But it was me. I was the one who was killing Sisera. God had chosen me. He did not consider gender into his decision. He just picked the person he had the most faith in to actually get done what he needed to have done. So, I learned that anyone can do whatever they want. There are no limitations to what we can and cannot do. Regardless of what gender we are, if it is part of God's plan, there are no limits!.
Your story is amazing, Jael. Thank you so much for being here and being apart of my show today!! And once again, I would also like to thank Sarah, Esther, and Ruth for joining me as well! Today's show was one of my favorite shows I think I have ever done. I will always remember this show and be inspired by these four strong women. Thank you for watching and I'll see you back here tomorrow!!
Author's Note: There was not much I had to change about this story, because this was such a short story in itself. Jael's story was very significant, but was only present in one chapter in the Bible. Nonetheless, she was important. God was actually just trying to help all of the Israelites to bring down King Jabin of Canaan, but Sisera was also a significant member of his kingdom, so by having him killed, it led to the downfall of King Jabin's whole kingdom. It is also not very clear to me, but in the Biblical version, I think Jael was kind of expecting Sisera to come to her tent, because it almost appears as if she was waiting for him in the tent. But I changed it to him coming unexpectedly just because I was not very clear on that.
I wanted to use this story because I felt Jael needed so much courage and faith in order to fulfill this task for God, and I think she fit perfectly in the context of this storybook. I also chose her because we have seen so many women have to fight through the years to be able to be accepted for who they are no matter what gender they are, and I think Jael was an awesome example to show that it does not matter what gender you are, the only thing that matters is your faith.
Web Source: Jael. Wikipedia
Image: Jael. Source: One Year Bible Blog