What About Jephthah? Part II

“And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”
Judges 11:5,6

As we learned in Part I, Jephthah had every reason to turn away and not confront the Ammonites. Why should he? He was rejected by his own brothers, but he did what they asked after the elders of Gilead assured him that he would become their leader. Now, maybe some of you are wondering what this story means to you. Some of you, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, already know; His Spirit bearing witness to your own. Others still may simply scratch your heads, and forget about Jephthah for the time being, but remember him a day; week; month; or year from now; whenever the Lord brings it to your attention and need. I don’t know exactly how God will use this blog in your life, but I write them anyway, believing that He has a purpose for each and every one of you that read this. The moment I publish it, for me it is as casting my bread upon the water and trusting that it will return to Him, even as the crowns we will be given, we will cast back to Him.

The exciting thing is that God knew exactly what He was doing with Jephthah, as He knows what He is doing in our lives and to what end. In the case of Jephthah, God had it all planned out, eons before Gilead, Jephthah’s father, and his mother hooked up. God planned it that way, just as He did with Joseph, the son of Jacob (Genesis 37). Out of envy, Joseph’s brothers faked Joseph’s death and turned him over to a band of Ishmaelite traders who carted him off to Egypt, where he became a slave. After all that Joseph went through, he confronted his brothers many years later. God had put him in the situation to save his family from a seven-year famine. Anyway, as his brothers cowered in fear; thinking Joseph would seek vengeance, what did he tell them? “You meant this for evil, but God intended it for good.” Wow! I don’t know about you but that had to cut them deeper than any sharpened dagger. Forgiveness, prompted through our faith in an all-powerful and loving God, is a wonderful gift; it’s restorative; healing; confirming that we are His, and that He knows us (which will come in real great at judgment.)

How wonderful it is to contemplate who God chooses to use in the course of human history. God very often uses the unexpected person; the youngest of the family; the loner; the deformed; blind; deaf and mute (as God demonstrated through our Lord’s healing.) Man, I don’t know how low your thoughts might be of yourself; how sinful you are and what you’ve done; but let me tell you a secret: Our ultimate self-esteem is found in knowing that Jesus is our friend; His love of us shows us how we can truly love our neighbors; our families, as we come to love ourselves through His grace and forgiveness. Believe me, I know that the circumstances that we may face, as Jephthah and Joseph suffered, might not be easy. In fact, it might seem to us unbearable, but God knows how much and how long we can take whatever God allows the Devil to dish out. Of course, if we suffer as the result of our own sin and the consequences that came from them, then we much pray to bear it patiently and with humility. It that is hard, it’s okay to cry out, ‘Help thou my unbelief!’ He will answer for He is faithful and true to His name.

Also, you can comment on this site (not FB), and let us know your prayers needs. I will print your comments for our prayer list but not post it to the site. We will pray for you.