PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Judges 11-12
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah.” (Judges 11:29)
If I think of the fruit of the Spirit, Jephthah does not come to mind.
And yet he is considered one of the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32).
To me this reminds me again of God’s amazing grace.
God hates war, murder, dysfunctional families or child sacrifice.
God was not pleased by the death of Jephthah’s daughter.
God hates sin and immorality, yet works with us to reclaim the world.
If God didn’t, none of us would be here, for who isn’t flawed?
God steps into the mess to become our human messiah in Jesus.
Jesus shows us what a Spirit-filled human ought to be like.
We look to Jesus, not Jephthah, to know about life in the Spirit.
Jesus leads us not by taking lives, but giving his life for us!
Jephthah was the best Israel could find at the time.
But now the Jesus has come, we follow him and live by his Spirit!
How is the Spirit of Jesus coming on me in my life?
PRAYER
Lord, come on me with your Spirit, so that I can live and lead and love like you!
How can we avoid doing stupid things-better not to make a vow! By seeking God’s counsel before we do anything!! It’s amazing that God used leaders like Jephthah. To me its a dark time – an aimless time – the judges needed to step in to lead. Still the ‘spirit of God’ enabled these flawed leaders to continue the line of Israel – for the sake of the covenant! Lord Jesus – keep me connected to you!
Once again, the Lord uses an ‘outcast’ His purpose to fulfill. Jephthah was led by the Lord when he went to battle. God gives the victory. I too need the Lord on my side. Decisions I make need to be made prayerfully. I need to come before Him asking Him to lead and guide me always by His Spirit so that His will be done and not mine. And so once again starting a new day I come into His presence asking God to lead me and guide me as I serve my risen Saviour. Each day I journey in His ‘SonShine.’
1 Come into God’s presence singing
“Alleluia,
alleluia,
alleluia.”
2 Come into God’s presence singing
“Jesus is Lord,
Jesus is Lord,
Jesus is Lord.”
3 Praise the Lord together singing
“Worthy the Lamb,
worthy the Lamb,
worthy the Lamb.”
4 Praise the Lord together singing
“Glory to God,
glory to God,
glory to God.”