March 7th

March 7th -- Judges 4:4-24 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%204:4-24&version=NLT)

(Shortly after) Deborah becomes Israel's judge.  (Judges were basically people set in charge like a Moses or a Joshua, just there to try and keep Israel in order as best they could.)

So Deborah was judging at this time, and Israelites came to her for judgement. One day she sends for a man named Barak. She gives him a message from God, saying He said that Barak is to call 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali, Zebulun, and Mount Tabor. Then God will call out Sisera, the Jabin army's commander, and God will give Barak victory. Barak says he will go if Deborah comes. She agrees, but says he won't get honor, because the victory will go to a woman. So Barak does as told, and Deborah goes with him.

So Heber, one of the men, had moved his tent away from the others. Sisera finds out about Barak going to Mount Tabor and calls for his 900 chariots. They march to the Kishon River. Deboarh tells Barak this is they day they will have victory. When Barak attacks, God thros Sisera and his men into a panic, and they all flee but are killed.
While this is going on, Sisera ran to Jael's tent (she was the wife of a friend). She invites him in and protects him. When he falls asleep, though, she kills him with a tent peg. Barak came looking, and Jael shows him Sisera, dead. On that day, Israel watched God defeat Jabin, and Israel became stronger after that until they destroyed him.

I like this story. Honestly, I think it's just because it's nice to see some women in the Bible getting some credit. The Bible doesn't always have the men winning and whatnot, but the women get their stories, too. I just think that's nice. Cunning is sometimes seen as less next to force, but this story shows it can be just as helpful.
Also, I love stories where to armies go to battle, and the one God's fighting for whoops butt just because God sends the other army into an array of chaos and panic.

Well, that's all. God bless! Shalom!