Judges 11:1 says, Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.  We are told of a man named Jephthah, who was a son of Gilead, and was known as a man of great valor, but he was the son of a harlot.  His mother was evidently not even a concubine, which would have made him acceptable.  Still, a child should not be judged by the sins of his or her parents.  Verse two states, 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.  When Gilead's sons by his wife grew up, they threw Jephthah out of the household and told him he would not inherit any of their father's estate.  They had done nothing more to inherit their father's estate than had Jephthah.  No matter what our status is in the world, we have done nothing more than anyone else to deserve to inherit everlasting life.  We all inherit it by accepting the gift of the Heavenly Father, salvation through Jesus Christ.  Verse three says, Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.  Matthew Henry says that these vain men were men that had lost their inheritance or had squandered it in some way, but that they were making their way honestly.  Verse four states, And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.  In time, the people of Ammon made war against Israel.  There always seemed to be an enemy ready to challenge Israel, just as there will always be enemies ready to challenge us today as the followers of Christ.  We will never have to go out looking for enemies, because they will find us.  Verse five declares, 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:  When the people of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah, who was living in the land of Tob.  Remember, Jephthah was know as a man of great valor, and now the people Israel needed him.  We may be rejected by the world as followers of Christ, but we must still remain people of great valor for the Lord, and even if they never realize it, the people of the world need us.  Verse six adds, And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.  The elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come be their captain.  Suddenly, they were not concerned about who his mother was.  Verse seven asks, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?  Jephthah asked a legitimate question, and that was if they were not the ones who had driven him out of his father's house, so why were they now coming to him in their time of distress?  We might be able to ask the same question of those who reject us as Christian until they need something from us, but I don't believe this is what God expects from us.  Verse eight states, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  The elders said that they turned to him because they needed him, and that they would make him the head of the people of Gilead.  I have to wonder how his half brothers felt about this.  Verse nine says, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?  Jephthah asked if he returned, and the Lord delivered them from the Ammonites, would they make him the ruler of Gilead.  He did not say if he delivered them, but if God did.  No matter how great we may be in the eyes of the world, any victory that we achieve will be by the grace and power of God.  Verse ten declares, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  The elders of Gilead called on the LORD to be their witness that they would make Jephthah their ruler.  If we make a promise based on our relationship with God, and any  time we make a promise as a follower of Christ we do so, then we better be prepared to follow through on it.  Verse eleven states, Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.  The elders of Gilead made Jephthah their ruler, and he uttered his words to God.  Jephthah might have been looked down on by people until he was needed, but he evidently kept his relationship with God.  This is the only relationship that we should be concerned with today.