Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Make a Difference | Historical Books | Judges 4:11-24

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. We all want to make a difference, right? Whether it's what we do at work, the way we raise our kids, how we act at school, the things we say on our podcast, the things we post on our social media, we all want to make a difference. We truly want to make the world better. But what does it take to make a difference? Do we have to be loud?

Starting point is 00:00:31 Do we need over 500 LinkedIn connections? I'm not really sure what that means, but for some reason, LinkedIn stops counting a 500 and just adds a plus sign for really connected people. Do we need a massive social media following? Do we need a loyal posse that repost our post? Well, none of those things were true. At least I don't think they were. For a mom and a social worker in my hometown who over 15 years ago started something that truly changed the trajectory of life for hundreds, maybe even thousands of families in our area. See, Jane saw a need.

Starting point is 00:01:01 More than that, Jane saw people. And she created a resource to help families struggling with basic necessities, food, housing, financial counseling, furniture, transportation. What began as a small resource grew into a community-driven initiative, led by Jane and her dedicated, compassionate team. Today, Love, Inc. stands as a vital safety net, sometimes being the only thing preventing families from eviction or homelessness. But let's go back to Jane. She was a social worker who didn't just notice a problem. she stepped into the middle of it, not for recognition, not because she had unlimited resources, but because she believed things could be better. I admire Jane, but honestly, I don't think I'll

Starting point is 00:01:43 ever have the kind of impact that she has had. And I know why, because I let my enough statements get in the way. I'm not assertive enough. I don't know enough people. I don't have enough knowledge. I don't have enough time. I'm not brave enough. This brings us to today's passage in Judges 4. An ordinary woman named Jail becomes the key player in a plan to free Israel from the crushing oppression of King Jabin of Hazar. Now, at this time, the Israelites were living in fear and oppression. Jabin's commander Cicero ruled over them with 900 iron chariots, making their lives unbearable. A change had to happen where they would be destroyed, crushed. Now, in most of the stories you'd expect a mighty warrior to rise up as the hero. And while leaders like Deborah,

Starting point is 00:02:32 the judge of Israel and Barrack, a military commander, played a role, the real difference maker was someone who simply did what she could with what she had when it mattered most. Now, at first, jail is only briefly mentioned. When Deborah outlines God's plans to Barrack, she warns him that while the battle will be won, the ultimate victory will belong to a woman. Barak assumes that she's referring to herself to Deborah, but Deborah is alluding to someone else, an ordinary woman. Jail is at home, minding her tent when Cicera is fleeing from the battlefield and stumbles upon her dwelling. And because of an alliance between his king and her husband's people, Cicera assumes that he's safe. It says, Jail went out to meet Cicera and said to him,

Starting point is 00:03:15 Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid. So he entered her tent and she covered him with a blanket. I'm thirsty, he said. Please give me some water. She opened. Wund a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. Now Jail now finds herself in an unimaginable situation. She is harboring the most dangerous man in Canaan. He says, stand in the doorway of the tent. If someone comes by and asks if anyone is here, say no. Well, what would you do?

Starting point is 00:03:43 Call for help, hide, run. Jail doesn't do any of those things. Instead, she takes what she has, a tent peg and a hammer, tools she uses daily, and drives the peg through Cicesterist temple as he sleeps. The oppressor is dead. When Barrett comes looking for Ciccera at jail calmly shows him the lifeless body. This was the woman Deborah had spoken of. How did she find the courage? We don't have a clear answer. Hopefully none of us will ever face a life or death situation like Jails, but perhaps she didn't see herself as a hero. Maybe in her mind she was simply using

Starting point is 00:04:17 what she had to do what was necessary. Jail is a significant figure in this story, but the true hero is God. And that is true in all the Bible. We learn from the people and the stories God gave us, but all of the Bible points to our greatest rescuer, Jesus. All of it points to the hero of our own life story, the one who by his blood made us significant in God's story and made us worthy of serving him. So how do we live out our significance? We live by faith. But it's not the kind of faith we devolt towards. It's not faith in ourselves that we need. It's faith. It's faith. in God. Hebrews 11 describes faith as assurance of things hope for and the conviction of things not seen. When we know that what God is doing through Jesus, our Redeemer, is true and when it

Starting point is 00:05:07 becomes real to us, when we believe and cling to that, his bigger story seeps into our thoughts and our plan in a way that frees us from holding so tightly to everything in this moment. This morning I heard Captain Sully, famous for safely landing his plane in the Hudson after a flock of geese flew into the jet and took at both of the engines. I heard him say, safety is not a destination. It's an ongoing journey. I think that is also true of faith. Faith is listening to God in every stage of life. Barak was an experienced leader, yet he listened when Deborah told him, God has gone before you, today is the day. We never become too wise, too busy or too important to listen to God. If our voice starts sounding too much like God's voice, we might be missing out

Starting point is 00:05:53 something crucial. Faith silences our agenda, desires, and will to follow God. Faith is showing courage in the face of overwhelming odds. If Barrick had done the math, he would have realized that 10,000 Israelite troops didn't stand a chance against Sissar's 900 iron chariots, but he didn't let human calculations override divine intervention. He trusted God's plan. Faith is humble, not honor-seeking. Barak fought the battle, knowing the victory would be credited to someone else. Jail never sought recognition, yet both played a pivotal role in God's deliverance. Faith is trusting God with what we have.

Starting point is 00:06:32 Jail used the same tools she worked with daily, a tent peg and a hammer, to do something even powerful men had feared. Sissor had a reputation for terrorizing women, yet she stood firm trusting that what she had was enough. So who deserves the honor? Ultimately, no human receives the glory in this story. It was the Lord who spoke to Deborah. It was the Lord who went before Barrack. It was the Lord who led Cicero to Jail's tent.

Starting point is 00:06:57 And it was the Lord who strengthened Jail. How humbling is it to know that God works through ordinary people? Is there something God has prompted you to do? We should live our lives not for our own recognition, not remembering well what we have done, but in constant pursuit of what God is doing around us. So what is he doing through you? And who is he calling you to be

Starting point is 00:07:21 in the spaces you inhabit today. You may not feel like enough, but in God's hands, you can make a difference.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Make a Difference | Historical Books | Judges 4:11-24

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