The name "Jephthah" was mentioned in the Bible 29 times no less; 28 times in the book of Judges [Judges 11 and 12] and once in the book of Hebrews [Hebrews 11]. Surprisingly, when I introduce myself as Jephthah to some Christians, they tell me they are hearing that name for the first time. This has prompted me to put together this write up about the man the Bible referred to as a mighty man of valor. Although his name is mentioned in only three chapters of the Bible yet there are a number of lessons to be learnt from the life of Jephthah. Before considering the lessons from his life, let me quickly run through the account of his life as recorded in the book of Judges.
Jephthah was a Gileadite whose mother was a prostitute. Being the son of a prostitute, he was considered by his half-brothers as an illegitimate child and thus chased away from among them so that he wouldn't get an inheritance. He then moved to the land of Tob where he led a band of scoundrels. Later, the Ammonites threatened to fight the children of Israel over some disputed land which made the elders of Gilead to seek the help of Jephthah to lead them against the children of Ammon. Although reluctant at first because of the way he had been treated by his own people, Jephthah agreed to fight this battle for them after they had assured him he was going to be made a leader over them after the war. Then, Jephthah sent a message to the King of Ammon who gave him a negative response stating that the land din't belong to Israel and was not ready to part with it. The only option was then to go war. It must be stated here that prior to this time, the Ammonites had dominated the Israelite for 18 years. Notwithstanding, Jephthah expected victory and attempted the impossible. To achieve this, he trusted in God and made a vow (a rash vow) that if he won the battle he will give to God whatever first comes out of the door to meet him on his return. Jephthah won the battle and on his return, his daughter was the first to come out. This made him very sad, but he had to fulfill his vow because he knew the weight of making a vow to God; there was no going back. Surprisingly, his daughter accepted the terms and only asked for two months to bewail her virginity with her friends.
After the defeat of the Ammonites, the Ephraimites also rose up against Jephthah accusing him of not asking for their assistance when going to war against the Ammonites. Therefore, they threatened to burn down the house of Jephthah. Jephthah reacted to this and ended up killing about 42,000 Ephraimites.
The story of Jephthah is one of the most intriguing in the Bible. It is both tragic and encouraging. Some of the lessons to be learnt from the life of Jephthah are highlighted subsequently.
Regardless of what our past says God can use us if He chooses to. It doesn't matter who our parents are, where we were born, our level of education and whatnot. If God could make an outcast a Judge over Israel then he could use anyone for whatever he pleases. This shows that it is God's purpose for our lives that matters and not what people think of us.
Jephthah who was first rejected by his own people was begged to come and help them. He was rejected alright, but he did not allow that to stop him from equipping himself with skills required to be a warrior. He gathered scoundrels together and led so well that they became instrumental in fighting God's enemies. When men reject us, we should be strong as long as we are not rejected by God. Even if God rejects us, we should humble ourselves and plead that he accepts us back to him. In the end not being rejected by God is all that matters
It was by well constructed words that the leaders of Gilead were able to persuade Jephthah to fight for them. The words of the king of Ammon triggered the war. One very important implication of words in the Jephthah's story is the vow that cost him his daughter. He understood that words matter a lot especially when it comes to making vows and he had to bear the consequence. How many people today make wedding vows and don't even think twice about it before being unfaithful to their partners or filing for a divorce. The last consequence of words I will like to highlight is the threat the Ephraimites issued to Jephthah. The people of Ephraim who did not have the courage to fight the Ammonites could easily use the words of their mouth to threaten to burn down Jephthah's house. This cost them 42,000 lives.
Whether we do the right thing or the wrong thing, people must always have something to talk about. So we should always expect this as Christians. This could be seen from the attitude of the Ephramites who accused Jephthah of not asking for their support when going to war against the Ammonites. But they equally had the chance of going to fight against them before Jephthah took that responsibility to do so.
Little wonder Jephthah's name is included in the "faith hall of fame" in Hebrews 11. Jephthah went into battle expecting victory even though the Ammonites had dominated Israel for 18 years. Jephthah attempted the impossible because he had a strong believe that God would give victory. Truly God gave him victory and shattered the 18-year record held by the Ammonites.
Is there any other lesson from the life of Jephthah you think should be highlighted? Please feel free to include them as comments.