Jael, 10 Points for Bible Study -7/11/15

For our lesson of Jael, found in Judges 4-5, and in our workbook, Women of the Bible, 52 Bible Studies for Individuals and Groups, by Jean E. Syswerda. The lesson is on pages 67-70.

1.  Jael – the name means: “a wild or mountain goat.” (3, pg. 67)

2.  Her character: Decisive and courageous, she seized the opportunity to kill an enemy of God’s people. (3, pg. 67)

3. Her joy: To be lauded by Deborah and Barak for her part in a decisive victory.  (4,pg 116)

4.  Her husband: Heber, a Kenite: The husband of Jael, the woman who killed Sisera. (Judges 4:11, 17, 21; 5:24)  Considerations of meter make it probable that “the wife of Heber, the Kenite” was inserted into Judges 5:24 under the influence of Judges 4.  (1, pg. 552)

5.  Now Heber, the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. (2, Judges 4:11, pg. 453)

6.  Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. (2, Judges 4:4, pg.452)

7.  Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s, a King of Canaan, army.  All of Siseras’ nine-hundred chariots and men were killed by Barak’s army.  Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor, and the clan of Heber, the Kenite. (2, Judges 4:1, pg. 452 and Judges 4:15-17, pg. 454).

8.  Sisera was met outside the tent by Jael. “Come, my lord, come right in.  Don’t be afraid.”  So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. (2, Judges 4:18).

9.  But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted.  She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. (2, Judges 4: 21 and footnote)

10.  Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him.  “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.”  So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.  (2, Judges 4:22 Bible, Pg. 454, and footnote)

Resources:

1. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volume Two E-J, In Four Volumes, Abingdon Press, New York 1962.
2. The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan 2008 Edition (All scriptures)
3. Women of the Bible, 52 Bible Studies for Individuals and Groups,Jean E Syswerda, Zondervan, 1999.
4. Women of the Bible,  One Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture,Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda, Zondervan, 2007.

Lord, I’m in Trouble, Again!

 Judges 10:10-16

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving Baals.”

The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands?  But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.  Go cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

 

But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”  Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And He could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

Does it seem to you that you’re always in-and-out of trouble? Before one problem can be solved and you can experience peace for awhile, some other problem “crops up.” Is it possible that we are in trouble with God, our Father, because we don’t really know what He expects of us as His children? You may argue that God just requires us to “be good” and “do good.” To pull that off effectively, we really need God’s help. Learning what God expects is a process that begins with having a personal relationship with Him as Father and friend.

To get God’s help when we’re in trouble, we need to explain to Him that we really want to be a better person, but we’ve been selfish and self-centered for so long that we don’t really know any other way to live. Ask Him to help us to change into what He would have us to be.

As we talk with God we need to acknowledge our remorse over the things we’ve done that we know now, were wrong and probably the base cause of the trouble we’re in. Ask Him for forgiveness to go forward as a better person.

We then need to ask God to bring us into a right-relationship with Him that we want to nurture for the rest of our lives. This relationship grows deeper as we learn about God and how to obey His rules for living. We can start each day by asking Him how He wants to use us, and do what we sense He is telling us.

We also nurture this growing relationship through the study of the Bible, God’s holy word (New International Study Bible). Start by reading the Gospel of John, where you’ll experience his eye-witness account of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. As you read and continue to daily talk with God, you’ll find tremendous corrections, peace, and understanding for your life as you grow spiritually.

(Previously in Homewords Small Group Bible Study Ministry, August, 2011)

Delilah Bible Study – 10 Key Points for Bible Study 07/19/14

For our lesson of Delilah, Judges 16:4-22, here are some important points. The points do not directly answer the questions on pages 73-74 of the text, but may help you in our discussion at the Saturday Bible Study 07/19/2014.

1. Delilah was in all probability a Philistine, though she bore a Semitic name. (Judges 16:4) 1.(The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 2 pg. 792)

2. Her name has become a synonym for deceit and treachery.  In the game which he played with her, seeming to reveal the secret of his strength but in reality retaining it.  Sampson engaged in an amusing but dangerous sport.  He was playing with fire; he was so often on the verge of yielding his secret, of selling his birthright, that finally in a weak moment, vexed to death (vs. 16), he went over the edge—into the abyss. 2. The Interpreter’s Bible

3. The Philistine rulers offered Delilah an extraordinarily generous amount to get Sampson to reveal the secret of his great strength. (16:5)

4. Delilah was given what she thought was the source of Sampson’s strength: For him to be tied with fresh thongs that had not been dried. (vs. 16:7)

5. When tested, the seven fresh thongs were not the source of his strength. (vs. 16:8)

6. Delilah confronted Sampson, accusing him of making a fool of her. She again asked for the source of his strength. (vs. 16:10)

7. Sampson gave her another answer for the source of his strength—to be subdued with “new” ropes. (vs. 16:11)

8. When tested the new ropes also failed to be the source of his strength. (vs. 16:13)

9. She again asked Sampson for the source of his strength. (vs. 16:13)

10. Sampson told her that weaving the seven braids of his head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with a pin was the source of his strength. This also proved to be a false source of his strength. (vs. 16:14)  

1. The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 2, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York.

2. The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1995.

3. Jean E Syswerda, Women of the Bible, Zondervan, 1999.

 

 

Women of the Bible, Delilah – July 19, 2014

Delilah is our seventh study in our series from Women of the Bible, 52 Bible Studies for Individuals and Groups by Jean E Syswerda. The study of Delilah is found on page 71. The Bible Study small group will be held on July, 19 2014, 4:00-6:00 p.m. If you have not received your books for the study, please see Glenda. Remember that all materials are free as they are gifts to you from students participating in Homewords Small Group Bible Study Ministry. For information contact Glenda at 727-542-4683 .