“…If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31 (NIV)
Jephthah, in his journey from childhood to adulthood, had three strikes against him. First, he was an illegitimate child; second, he was the son of a prostitute; and third, he was raised in an atmosphere of hatred and hostility (Judges 11:1-3).
Jephthah’s fathers’ wife also bore him sons, and his half-brothers made him a target of verbal abuse. He was disinherited by them because he was a son of a prostitute and kicked out of his home at a young age. Jephthah adopted the lifestyle of a rebel and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him, and he later became their leader.
Suddenly, a change occurred. The people of Israel encountered a barrage of hostilities from their eastern neighbours – The Ammonites. The longer the battle raged against this hateful enemy tribe, the more obvious it became that Israel needed help. Defeat was near.
The Jews needed a very brave leader to stand up against the fiery foes from Ammon, and the only person that fitted the job description was Jephthah from Tob, who his brothers had chased away. The elders of Gilead located him and said, “Come…“be our commander so we can fight the Ammonites…and you will be head over all of us who live In Gilead” (Judges 11:6-8 – NIV). Jephthah accepted.
As Commander, he pursued a round of diplomacy with the Ammonites to resolve the matter amicably, and after that failed, he predictably annihilated the Ammonites in short order after seeking God’s intervention.
Jephthah, the Judge? One may argue that he had no right to claim such a high calling. However, beloved, God is the one who builds trophies from the scrap piles, who draws His clay from under the bridge, and Who makes clean instruments of beauty from the filthy failures of yesteryear.
My brothers, it is the grace of God that can take us from obscurity to prominence.
Some lessons from Jephthah: The least among men can become the most needed by God. People tolerated by men are often celebrated by God. Rejection is often the birthplace of distinction, and lastly, great destinies are often raised out of obscurity. Do not despise your humble beginnings.
Read: Judges 11:1-11; Psalm 22:4
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 69:1-12; John 21; 2 Samuel 2:8-32; 2 Samuel 3:1-21
