Some folks are sore about the position I took concerning Yael murdering Sisra in cold blood.
They insist Yael was not morally justified EVEN IF her actions are commemorated in the Song of Devorah.
I disagree but I understand where my critics are coming from.
And the truth is…it’s not just the Christians but even the Jewish sages don’t entirely excuse Yael’s actions of lying, deceit and then murder.
However, Jewish scholars are more tolerant of her actions.
So is there any middle ground between the two extremes of saying Yael was completely in the wrong and completely in the right?
I believe there is and it’s found in the Rabbinical method called KAL V’HOMER.
This is loosely translated as the principle of light versus heavy.
Basically what it means is that since we live in a fallen world, we’re always gonna run into sticky situations where no matter what choice we make, we’ll end up breaking one or more of God’s commandments.
The classic example is an ambulance racing towards its destination to save a life on the Sabbath.
Are the ambulance drivers breaking the Sabbath which in times past was a death penalty offense?
Yes they are.
But if they didn’t break the Sabbath, they’d be breaking an even more important commandment which is to prioritize human life above all.
Yeshua also applied KAL V’HOMER in his ministry.
Check out this tidbit from the gospel of Mark.
“Another time Yeshua went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Yeshua said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Yeshua asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent.” He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.-Mark 3:1-5
Or how about those times when righteous Germans hid Jews in their homes during the holocaust and then lied to the Nazi soldiers when they came knocking on their doors?
The Bible tells us it is a sin to lie, right?
The Bible also tells us to submit to our governments, right?
But in this case, was not lying and defying the Nazi government authorities justified?
I would say hell to the yeah man.
To close, my point is could we not look at Yael’s murderous actions in the same way?
Yes, she may have committed a terrible evil.
But the terrible evil she committed ended up eliminating an even greater evil.
Hi Richcka, Yael was right. All through scriptures it is common to see that anytime we support God’s plan then it is RGHT, Example is Rehab. Thanks and God bless you
Hey Rahab is an awesome example. Thanks for sharing. Be blessed and Shalom.