Sisera, Exhaustion, Stress and Sleep

Synopsis     Judges 4:11-20     6/9/2018 

Heber the Kenite was a descendent of Moses’ father-in-law. Coincidently, he and his wife Jael lived in tents in the northern part of Israel.

Israel was oppressed by Jabin and his general, Sisera. Barak and Deborah were Israelite leaders working in northern Israel to form an army of men from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. They attacked Sisera at Mount Tabor. Despite the Canaanites having over 900 iron chariots, the Israelite army routed them. In order to save himself from the defeat, Jabin abandoned his chariot and ran on foot.

He approached Heber’s tent seeking protection from Jael. She gave him milk to drink and he fell asleep.

Sisera and a Hiding Place

Exhausted from battle, Sisera asked for water. But Jael gave him milk. Jael didn’t know that milk contains tryptophan, but she did know that milk soothes babies to sleep. She wanted him to sleep. And he was too exhausted to refuse the milk.

And so, Sisera went to sleep.

Exhaustion, Stress and Sleep

That’s the moment of greatest vulnerability – when I’m tired. My thinking isn’t as clear. My concern for the potential of danger is less acute. It’s then that, all of the sudden, I’m presented with a temptation.

Not doing something you know is wrong requires mental effort. This is more than a personal observation, it’s a scientific fact. Reflective thought takes a remarkable amount of energy that is distributed through discreet regions of the brain. And exhaustion, stress, and certain chemicals like alcohol, depress the functioning of those regions.

So, sleep when it’s time to sleep. When you wake, pray and stay awake.

“What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:35