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. In answer to their question of who would lead them, God began to give them the answer. Jephthah, the son of a harlot and Gilead, a very unlikely choice as a leader, was still known to be a mighty man of valor. He was looked down on because of his parentage, as some people are today, though we as a society seem more and more willing to accept children born to parents who are not married as normal, though we do still tend to look down on those born to a prostitute. We need to realize that children cannot control who their parents are. Verse two adds, 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 and his wife had other sons and they grew up, they told Jephthah that he would never inherit from his father, because he was born of a stranger woman. Matthew Henry says this might have meant his mother was a Gentile, but no matter who she was, the other children and Jephthah had the same father. No matter who our birth parents are as Christians, we have the same heavenly Father, and are all equal in His sight. Verse three continues, 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. Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, where he gathered a band of what are called vain men. This does not mean conceited, but a group of men who for whatever reason had nothing. We today are spiritually without anything until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Verse four states, And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. There came a time when the people of Ammon made war against Israel. We can be certain that everyday the forces of Satan make war against Christians, though sometimes and in some places it is worse than others. Verse five adds, 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 Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Israel went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They might have consented to his being driven out earlier, but now that they needed him, they called for him to return. We may sit in judgment of others, even our fellow Christians, until we need them for something today, but this should never be the case. Verse six continues, And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. The elders asked Jephthah to come be their captain so that they might fight against the Ammonites. We are not told that they consulted God about this, and they evidently had little faith in God being able to deliver them. If we are in a bad situation today as followers of Christ, we need to first look to God to see what He would have us to do, and not just blindly put our faith in someone until we do. 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 them some legitimate questions. He asked if they were not the ones who drove him out of his father’s house, and why did they therefore come to him now. Let's hope we never drive any Christian, who therefore has the same heavenly Father, out of our congregation, and if we do, let's hope we never have to go to them and ask for help. They might view us the same way Jephthah viewed these elders of Israel. Verse eight adds, 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 told Jephthah that they came to him asking that he lead them in the fight against the Ammonites. They really didn't answer his question, but simply asked that he now, though rejected before, come back and be their leader in the fight against Ammon. We have all rejected Jesus Christ at some point in life, but we will never be successful in our fight against sin and evil in the world until we ask Him to come into our heart as our personal Savior and Lord. 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 them if he returned, and the LORD delivered the people of Ammon to him, would they make him the head of Israel. Of course, if we are victorious over sin today, it is by the power of God, and He should always be our Leader. Verse ten adds, 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 said let the LORD be their witness that they would do as he asked. As Christians, God' is always our witness when we make promises to anyone about anything. How we follow through on that promise reflects on God, so we should always do our best to keep our promises. Verse eleven continues, 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. Jephthah returned with the elders and they made him their captain, and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD at Mizpeh. Jephthah said he would only do this if the LORD was with him, and this should still be our attitude as Christians today. We should never accept any position in the church, or even in our everyday life, without knowing God is with us in our decision.
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