Heb 11:32d And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of… Jephthae,…
The life of Jephthah is related to us in Judges 11:1-12:7.
After being cast out of his own family because his mother was a harlot (prostitute), Jephthah is used of God to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the invading Ammonites. Following the great victory over the Ammonites, Jephthah kept the promise he made to God, and gave up the possibility of descendants (Judges 11:34) by giving over his virgin daughter to a lifetime of service in the temple (a living sacrifice for God’s use and glory).
We see great faith on the part of Jephthah in, at least, three areas:
- He had great faith in believing God would use him, although he was son of a prostitute and rejected by his own family.
- He had great faith in trusting God to deliver the much larger Ammonite army into defeat at the hands of the Israelite army.
- He had great faith in keeping the promise he had made to God, by giving up his only child to full-time service of the temple.
One of the many lessons we can learn from the life of Jephthah is the ability, by faith, to overcome human rejection and become faithful servants of the Lord….
Have you ever been rejected by others that you have wanted to have a relationship? Perhaps you were rejected by a former spouse or romantic interest, school mate, co-worker, friend, or even family member? Has this left scars in your life, causing you to feel unworthy and useless in service to the Lord?
Just as Jephthah did not allow rejection by his family stop him from serving His Lord… Now is the time for you to place your faith in God, knowing that no matter why you may be rejected by man, the Lord will use you in great ways for His honor and glory if you only come to Him in submission to His will and ways.
May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.
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oh yes, Rob, I know exactly what you are talking about! I have had those very issues and yes, they blocked me-some for years-one I was in a God mad for years–thank you He has forgiven me for that-but I do know and yes, yes, yes, one can come forward from that time and God can do so much with one broken person. I continue to be amazed at how He is using me!!
AMEN Cindy! The Lord is so gracious being willing to use fallen, sinful mankind for His honro and glory! Thanks for the comment. Lord bless.
Rejection was my middle name as a child, but that word is a foreign language to me now, because my loving Father loves me so much that He gave His most precious, the Lord Jesus, for me. He drew me to Himself and adopted me into His own family. He has been my constant Companion, undertaking for me in every way, for 53 years.
Yes, people will reject me – will reject the message I deliver – but their rejection hurts them, not me.
My amazing God will NEVER reject me, and is WITH me 24/7.
What an amazing God!
I love it when you say “their rejection hurts them and not me”. Sadly, you are so right. When we tell others about the Lord and are rejected… it only hurts those who so greatly the truth. Lord bless you.
Rejection is a part of everyone’s life I think at one time or another. I used to think at times that by my father not being around when I was growing up that he rejected loving me…but then when speaking to my older sister (there were 10 of us and I was the last) I found that my father just shouldn’t have been one..he didn’t really do anything with his children…she said not once did he hold any of them and tell them he loved them. As a side point he was an alcoholic and gambler… So I think the other 9 who had them in his life and home probably suffered more rejection than I who didn’t….. but thank you for bringing another part of scripture to life….Diane
Diane,
I believe you are correct when you say that all of us have been rejjected at one time or another. Rejection comes in many types, shapes and sizes but the pain is all the same. I thank the Lord He has graced you and allowed you to deal with the rejection that you experienced. Lord bless you.
Dear Pastor Barkman,
I appreciate how you drew out the restoring compassion of God. Isn’t it interesting how Jephthah was the son of harlot, then rejected from his family but God still used him mightily. And Jephthah’s only beloved daughter was preserved as special and set apart, being dedicated to the Lord (similar to Samuel) in purity.
Thought about different aspects of this today. Thanks for leading our minds towards God’s precious Word.
Grace and Peace in Christ, charisse
Charisse,
Thank you for the wonderful comments. I never thought about the relationship between Samuel and Jephthah’s daughter. Very interesting. Lord bless you.
I’ve heard something else about rejection lately, how it is the basis or root for bullying behaviors. So great to see here that there is something else we can do with rejection! We can believe and have faith in Him and watch what He does with our lives. God bless you, Rob, as you help us think of things that honor and glorify Him.
Debbie,
It is intersting about the relationship between rejection and bullying.. it makes sense. Thanks for sharing… Lord bless you!