Lessons from an unusual hero - 3
“Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?” Judges 11:12-13
In the last two days I have commented on the lessons this unusual hero, Jephthah teaches us. [Click here for Part 1 and here for part 2]. As we progress in the story of this “mighty man of valor”, I see yet another surprising strength of character – restraint! He has been appointed leader because of his gift of courage. He was chosen so he could fight the common enemy – the Ammonites. He has shown a passive strength of great character in resisting the urge to take revenge by removing himself to the land of Tob. He has shown an active strength of character by agreeing to go with them, resisting the temptation to put personal agenda before the common good. But now he shows a strength that is a rarity in many gifted people – He shows restraint. He has been hired to fight, and we would expect that first on his agenda would be a battle plan. Instead we read a fascinating and prolonged correspondence where Jephthah logically argues with Ammonites asking them to re-consider.
I have to confess I am impressed by Jephthah. As I read the limited but vivid description of his personality, and his exploits with the freebooters, I am inclined to think of Jephthah as a man ready to fight, over eager to use his gift of courage. I imagine him to be a man of un-tempered boldness, a sort of a man who resolves all things with his might. It is said that a man with a hammer in his hand assumes that every problem is a nail. But here is a great principle – “A wise man knows how to use his gift with balance”. Jepthah has surely learned to temper his gift and balance it with wisdom and compassion. Courageous he is, but he does not run into battle as his first resort. Instead he negotiates. He does what he feels would be the ideal. Had it worked, he would be a leader without a fight. Notice that it is only following the failure of his negotiations, the Bible uses these words to describe the action and approval of heaven – “then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah”. He did right by restraining himself at first, and then proceeded with God’s approval. By showing restraint, he showed that he depended on God, not his valor. A wise person always depends on God, not his gift. It is interesting to note that his later successor, Samson, described in the next few chapters shares a similar gift, but with this great failing – he often lacks restraint.
Restraint, especially for a gifted man, is often very hard. But it is the greatest test of our character, because the world’s greatest act of restraint was shown by God Himself. When Jesus was betrayed, Peter wanted to fight, but Jesus told him to put away his sword, and added that if He so desired, God would have sent twelve legions of angels to his assistance. When all things would have accorded every right to wipe out the injustice, God in His compassion restrained His wrath all the way from the mocking and the crucifixion to that terrifying moment in history when God abandoned His Son for our sake. Jesus’ cry on the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me” will forever stand out as a testament to God’s restraint to procure our liberty.
Danesh Manik
________________________________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ.
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All Rights Reserved. You may re-transmit by electronic mail, or make individual copy of this message provided the use is not for profit or commercial purpose, and the following credit line appears in its entirety at the conclusion of the forward or reprint.
Copyright(c) 200, India International Church
A Soul’s Anchor is the ministry of the India International church. India International Church may withdraw or modify this grant of permission at any time. "A Soul’s Anchor" may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in print media or other media without express written permission. Please submit requests via email to indiachurch@jesusforindians.org or write to:
A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
In the last two days I have commented on the lessons this unusual hero, Jephthah teaches us. [Click here for Part 1 and here for part 2]. As we progress in the story of this “mighty man of valor”, I see yet another surprising strength of character – restraint! He has been appointed leader because of his gift of courage. He was chosen so he could fight the common enemy – the Ammonites. He has shown a passive strength of great character in resisting the urge to take revenge by removing himself to the land of Tob. He has shown an active strength of character by agreeing to go with them, resisting the temptation to put personal agenda before the common good. But now he shows a strength that is a rarity in many gifted people – He shows restraint. He has been hired to fight, and we would expect that first on his agenda would be a battle plan. Instead we read a fascinating and prolonged correspondence where Jephthah logically argues with Ammonites asking them to re-consider.
I have to confess I am impressed by Jephthah. As I read the limited but vivid description of his personality, and his exploits with the freebooters, I am inclined to think of Jephthah as a man ready to fight, over eager to use his gift of courage. I imagine him to be a man of un-tempered boldness, a sort of a man who resolves all things with his might. It is said that a man with a hammer in his hand assumes that every problem is a nail. But here is a great principle – “A wise man knows how to use his gift with balance”. Jepthah has surely learned to temper his gift and balance it with wisdom and compassion. Courageous he is, but he does not run into battle as his first resort. Instead he negotiates. He does what he feels would be the ideal. Had it worked, he would be a leader without a fight. Notice that it is only following the failure of his negotiations, the Bible uses these words to describe the action and approval of heaven – “then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah”. He did right by restraining himself at first, and then proceeded with God’s approval. By showing restraint, he showed that he depended on God, not his valor. A wise person always depends on God, not his gift. It is interesting to note that his later successor, Samson, described in the next few chapters shares a similar gift, but with this great failing – he often lacks restraint.
Restraint, especially for a gifted man, is often very hard. But it is the greatest test of our character, because the world’s greatest act of restraint was shown by God Himself. When Jesus was betrayed, Peter wanted to fight, but Jesus told him to put away his sword, and added that if He so desired, God would have sent twelve legions of angels to his assistance. When all things would have accorded every right to wipe out the injustice, God in His compassion restrained His wrath all the way from the mocking and the crucifixion to that terrifying moment in history when God abandoned His Son for our sake. Jesus’ cry on the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me” will forever stand out as a testament to God’s restraint to procure our liberty.
Danesh Manik
________________________________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ.
If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
Copyright Notice:
All Rights Reserved. You may re-transmit by electronic mail, or make individual copy of this message provided the use is not for profit or commercial purpose, and the following credit line appears in its entirety at the conclusion of the forward or reprint.
Copyright(c) 200, India International Church
A Soul’s Anchor is the ministry of the India International church. India International Church may withdraw or modify this grant of permission at any time. "A Soul’s Anchor" may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in print media or other media without express written permission. Please submit requests via email to indiachurch@jesusforindians.org or write to:
A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
posted by Danesh Manik | 12:48 PM
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