Read Judges 10 – 12
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was a son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.. Judges 11:1-2 KJV
Jephthah was not the kind of man we would expect God to use, at least not in a mighty way. His past was really troubled. He was born out of his father’s unfaithfulness, but then brought into his father’s home to be raised. However, as the legitimate children grew up, they drove Jephthah out of the home saying they would not share their inheritance with the son of a harlot. As a result, he live a very rough life, and with rough people. Under the circumstances there are some encouraging lessons to learn from his example, but one especially stands out: God often surprises us in whom He chooses to use. Let’s face it, the reason we are children of God is not because we are the best of the best, we’re not at all, like Jephthah, we’re the outcast of this world. We are children of God by God’s grace alone, and like Jephtah, we should be surprised and rejoice that He wants to use us at all.
Lord, I take comfort in your choice of Jephthah. My circumstances were different than his, but I have often felt like an outcast, unqualified for your use. I’m grateful you have chosen the foolish, weak, and outcast to accomplish your purposes in the world.
