Calendar

JEPHTHAH (II)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Judges 11:1-11

1 Samuel 7:1-12

 

“…what shall I more say?…”

 

JEPHTHAH (II)
 
In Judges 11, we are given an account of the man Jephthah. His account begins with his rejection. His story is similar but worse than that of Abimelech. His mother was not a concubine as in Abimelech’s case. His mother was a harlot. As such, he was unwanted in his father’s house and eventually his father’s sons thrust him away. But he was the one whom God had chosen to use to deliver His people; and there is even a record of his faith in Hebrews 11:32.
 
“Then Jephthah fled from his brethren…” (Judg 11:3). Jephthah’s rejection and exile from among his father’s brethren put him on a path that would bring him back in due time. He became a leader of a band of outcasts like himself and was thus, by divine providence, schooled and prepared to serve the very same people who rejected him. The one, who was denied a part in the inheritance, was called upon to lead the fight to secure the inheritance against the invading Ammonites.
 
“And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead…” (Judg 11:7). In the meeting that the elders had with Jephthah as they sought his help, Jephthah held them responsible for the actions of his own brothers, but agreed to their request because of the distress they were in. This brought him back into the society from which he had been chased, and put him in the forefront of their fight against the Ammonite oppression. In the whole dialogue, Jephthah made mention of the LORD as he responded to the invitation to be leader in the battle against the Ammonites. He did not appeal to his courage or experience gained in the years spent at Tob, but rather to the LORD who would subdue the enemy and give them into the hand of Jephthah. In this conversation, Jephthah revealed a different spirit from that of the natural man. He did not allow pride to blind him into declining the elders’ invitation, even though he held them responsible for what had happened to him. Moreover, unlike Abimelech, Jephthah received his commission in Mizpeh in the presence of the LORD (Judg 11:9-11).
 
THOUGHT: God’s choice is not governed by man’s rules.

PRAYER: O Father, help me trust Thee with my decisions and future.

Search