The man who, at dawn, was the brave captain of the Canaanite army, the great military strategist who planned to punish the Israelites according to King Jabin's will, was now a frightened fugitive from battle. While his soldiers fought desperately against Israel, Sisera cowardly abandoned everything behind him and took refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, to save himself.

         What a bad example this leader set for his followers! Surely, they saw him flee on foot from the battlefield, going to hide in a friend's tent, after gathering his wicked and dangerous soldiers to return and afflict the Israelites. What Sisera did not imagine was that he would be killed by a stake driven by the hands of a woman who did not agree with the evil he did to the people who belonged to the Most High (Exodus 19:5). You don't mess with the Lord!

         We don't know how much that peace cost Heber, for Jabin was addicted to plundering others, as he did with Israel. However, Jael knew. When she encountered Sisera, she welcomed him into her home. He asked her for water, but she gave him milk, so the general believed he had found a welcome there and instructed her to lie, saying that he was not in her house if anyone asked her about it. Jael had a plan that came from God, and no one knew that she would carry it out.

         Wars should never break out. They are all devised by greedy people and do tremendous harm to nations. The soldiers sent to fight are young men trained to kill the enemy, and they do so without thinking about why they should take someone's life. This will later cause them to have nightmares and live without love for their neighbors. The countries that are attacked defend themselves as best they can and resist the attacks, but they will also pay dearly for the damage caused to others. Mercy, Father!

         The Canaanite king stole everything Israel produced for its sustenance, leaving that nation almost in poverty. Today, the same thing is happening in the world. In addition to military warfare, there is economic warfare, consuming the fruits of the labor of many people who have to pay dearly for food, medicine, and other essentials of life. In addition, there is warfare in large cities, waged by gangs that rob citizens, sell drugs, and demand a fee from residents and merchants that they call participation.

         It is sad to know that doctors disgrace their beautiful profession by lying to patients about unnecessary, life-threatening surgeries or questionable treatments, performed not to cure them but to extract resources from them to be shared with their colleagues. Man is the same as ever, but God will bring such people to justice (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

         Why are there evil people among us? Why does man not respect his neighbor and rob him? Because he does not know the Scriptures and does not believe that one day he will stand before the righteous and incorruptible Judge to give an account of what he did to innocent people who had no one to look after them. Today, instead of judgment, God wants to give you life in abundance. Repent now!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares