Turn a Negative to a Positive (Part 2)

by Roger Pepin
(Niagara Falls, Canada)

Judges 11:1-11 From Reject to Ruler
Jephthah took a negative and turned it into a positive. Jephthah could have taken his rejection by his brothers as an indication that his life was over and that he would never amount to anything.

Instead, he rose above the challenges of his life and made something of himself. Remember whether you see it or not, whether you believe it or not, all the days of your life have been structured by God to make you into the person He wants you to be.

God seems to delight in using the unusable. He specializes in taking those who seem to be the least of the least and making them vessels of honour for His glory, 1 Cor. 1:26-31

Jephthah is living his life in exile. He is something like a Robin Hood. He is protecting the Israelites and making the best out of his situation when his own people are looking for him. The nation is under attack.

The Ammonites are trying to take over the land. So, Israel is under attack and they do not have a strong leader to guide them to victory over their enemies.

The elders come to him with the request that he come back and become their captain. At one point they asked him to leave; now they come to him asking him to lead. Just goes to show you that the call to service or leadership might come without notice. We are to be ready and prepared to answer His call when it comes.

Our duty is to faithfully serve the Lord where we are. We should ever do His will where He has placed us. We must strive to learn all the lessons He wants to teach us.

It is God’s responsibility to open the doors of ministry and opportunity. It is our responsibility to grow where we are planted, and to trust the Lord to use us when, where, and how He sees fit. If we will make our hearts available to Him, He will give us plenty of opportunities for service in His kingdom’s work. When we serve Him faithfully today, He will look after our tomorrow’s.

In verse 7, Jephthah reminds them of their past attitude towards him. He reminds them that they were the ones who asked him to leave; now they want him to come back and be their ruler.

In verse 8, they make the promise that Jephthah will be their head if he will only come back with them and deliver them from their enemies. They want Jephthah to come back and take over.

That is pretty sad. They had no use for him when things were going well, but when the bottom fell out, they ran to him for the help they needed.
By the way, this is how many people treat the Lord. They refuse to be faithful.

They refuse to serve Him. They refuse to honour His word, His will or His house. They treat Him like He is an unwanted intruder in their lives. They treat Him like He is the spare tire on the car of their life.

He is to stay in the trunk and keep quiet, but He better be ready when they have a flat and pull him out.

What a shame! How much better it is to walk in the will of the Lord, day by day. Then, when the bad days come, you have the confidence that you have walked with Him, and now He will walk with you. If you leave Him out of your life, He may just let you deal with your problem on your own when it comes.

If He did, who could blame him? If you would have been in Jephthah’s place what would have been your response? Jephthah consents to go with them and to lead them to victory.

His treatment of them is vastly different from their treatment of him. Even though they had abused him and treated him like dirt, Jephthah is not bitter.

He was able to get over the things they did to him. He was able to see past their mean spirited actions and he caught a glimpse of the hand of God at work in his life.

Jephthah was a man who honoured the Lord in his life. He might have been an exile from Israel, but he was never an exile from God. Unlike his relatives, he proved his commitment to the Lord by his treatment of others.

The people kept their word and they elevated the reject and made him their ruler. He became their head and he became their captain. He then called on the Lord to look upon the promises made to him by his people. He is calling on the Lord to watch over him as he goes out to battle.

He is acknowledging the Lord and looking to Him for the help he will need to win the victory. In verse 9, Jephthah knows that any victory they might enjoy will only come from the Lord.

Let’s remember that any victories we might enjoy in this life will be ours only if the Lord delights in us. Victory does not come from us, our efforts or our abilities. Victory comes from the Lord and it pays to acknowledge God in everything we do.

It pays to call on Him, look to Him and trust Him for the victories we seek in life. Jephthah became a victor, but only because he was first a servant of God who looked to the Lord for the victory.

The reject became the ruler. Most of us will not become rulers in our lifetime, but let’s learn these important lessons:

• We all have strengths and weaknesses, but the Lord can use us and make something special out of our lives.
  
  
• There may be a cycle of sin in our background, but it can be broken today.
  
  
• God can use you in spite of your past, your family or your failures. A ten dollar bill has the same value whether it is new, worn or torn. Its value never changes.
  
  
• Your treatment of others reveals how you really feel about God.
  
  
• You can and should serve God faithfully today and trust Him with all your tomorrows.
  

Roger Pepin
Contact me here