How many of us have heard the name of Jephthah? Do you know anyone in your town by that name? We often don't have a clue as to who he is and I confess that I haven't met a "Jephthah" anywhere as yet.
However, his name is written in the "Heroes of the Faith" roll, in Hebrews 11. He is considered to be one of the men who displayed great faith in his life time. If you want to read more of his story, then you will have to read it in Judges 11 - click
here to go there now. Anyway, his story starts off like this:
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His
father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.”
Well that’s a
lovely way to be introduced in the Word of God, isn't it? Your father was a mighty man and his name was Gilead, but your mother was an unnamed
prostitute! The story of Jephthah is a powerful reminder that God is not concerned about where we grew up, or even who are family is, but God is concerned about US. God has a plan and a future for all of us and so we should let go of the hang-ups of our past.
We have no control over how we come into this world, but we do have a say in how we live this life we have been given. What is more, we also have a choice in where we will spend our eternal destiny.
Out of interest, the meaning of Jephthah's name is very profound – it means “whom God sets free” or “to open” or “to release”. His life story tells us that God released him from his disgrace and allowed him to be used in a powerful way.
Worth thinking about, don't you agree?
Living in Grace
D3LM3
