Judges 11:1-11
In Judges Chapter 11, we read about a named Jephthah. The Bible says he was a mighty man of valor AND he was the son of a harlot. His father married another woman and had children from her. Those children, Jephthah’s half brothers, thrust Jephthah out of their father’s house and said, “You will not inherit in our father’s house because you are the son of a strange woman.” In other words, they didn’t want Jephthah to inherit with them because his mama was a ho.
But that’s not the real reason they put him out. The real reason they put him out was because they were jealous. Though his mother was a woman of indiscretion, Jephthah still managed to become a MIGHTY man of VALOR. He overcame his questionable lineage and family history, pulled himself by his bootstraps, worked hard, refused to be a victim, and turned himself into what the Bible calls a MIGHTY man.
And that’s why people don’t like you and that’s why they can’t stand me. You and I have overcome trials, tribulations, persecution, bad credit, unemployment, traumatic relationships.
And it seems like no matter what life throws our way, we keep getting up. Sadly, the people who keep knocking us down is not always strangers in the street. Sometimes, it’s people who should have our backs. People we grew up with. People we’ve known all of our lives. You know...so called FAMILY.
Jephthah was rejected by the ones who should have accepted him. And the Bible says that Jephthah fled to the land of Tob. Tob means good. So when people reject you, it causes you to flee in search of better surroundings. And the place that you flee to is the place of good. In the beginning, it may not feel good. It may not look good. It may not sound good, but before it’s all over, God is going to make it good.
Later, we find that Jephthah’s brother’s got in trouble. They were being threatened by an enemy. So they sent for Jephthah and asked him to help them fight. LOLLLLLLL…I love how God does things.
Jephthah got smart with them. He said, “Didn’t ya’ll hate me? I thought y’all didn’t like me. So why are you coming to me now when you are in distress?”
His brother’s replied, “Yeah, yeah, yeah…we need you now. We need your skills, your expertise, we need your favor. And if you come and fight with us, we will make you our head and our captain.”
Now, his enemies have become his footstool. Now, Jephthah is the head and not the tail. The very thing they thrust him out over is the thing that positioned him for his purpose.
Can I tell you something? The thing you are crying over. The thing that is keeping you up at night, that is the thing that is going to propel you into your purpose.Stop running behind people begging them to love you and begging them to see the gift in you. I wish I would -- after everything I’ve been through – I wish I would spend my energy trying to change people’s minds about me. If you don’t want to be bothered with me, I been didn’t want to be bothered with you. It’s just not that serious.
What people say about you may or may not be true, but what God says about you, that’s what matters.So if you’ve got some haters that don’t want you in their little clique or their little club, REJOICE! It means that they are too low for you. It means that you were not meant to be in fellowship with them. It means that God is taking you to higher heights, deeper depths and to places where they can not go.
If you’ve got haters this morning, wave at ‘em and say, “Hi haters. I sure do appreciate everything you’ve done to me. You meant it for my evil, but God has made it good!” ‘Til next time, may the Lord God bless you real good!
