Judges 4-6
The story of Jael is a little confusing to me. She broke a peace between her family and the King of Hazor (Jabin). Then she deceived Sisera into believing she would take care of him but then proceeded to kill him. And yet Deborah and Barak praised her as “most blessed” for these very actions. There is also indication that God had set her aside for this task long before it ever happened. So it seems she was being obedient to Him, whether she knew it or not (had God spoken to her in some way?).
But here’s the thing – Sisera clearly wasn’t her personal enemy (there was peace with her family). He was, rather, an enemy of her nation – her people. She did not do what she did for any personal gain, but in order to remove an evil from her land. It seems to me this makes a difference. We are called to be kind and compassionate to our own personal enemies, not to evil in the land.
I noticed what the angel of the LORD said to Gideon, who was the least in his family in the weakest clan in Manasseh. First, he called Gideon a “mighty man of valor” (v 12). Then he told him to “Go in this might of yours and save Israel…” (v14). What might? Gideon had none and was scared to death! The answer is in v 16, where the LORD says to him, “But I will be with you…”. God was not recognizing Gideon alone, but Gideon with God. And this made all the difference.
Yes, God equips us for that to which He calls us. And He does not call us to use our strengths, because those are limited. Instead, He calls us to use our weaknesses, because, as God later said to Paul, “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (II Cor 12:10). Scared as he was, Gideon obeyed the LORD, standing against his own father as well as the entire town, and tore down his father’s altar. Surly I can face my fears in obedience to God as well.
Luke 13:1-22
Jesus basically says that we are not punished based on the degree of our sin but that, without repentance, we are all dead. It is that fruit-bearing connection to Christ that gives us life. Without that, it does not matter what we have or have not done.