Title: Enterprising Believer
Contents
♡♥♡ Enterprising believers / Judges 11:1-11
*** Introduction
The meaning of “even to a standstill” is when the course of life stops due to hardship, adversity, or no way forward. Pastor Mueller believed that God was watching and guiding him even in times of adversity.
The course of life does not always have only good things, joyous things, and good things. There are times when unexpected hardships and adversity come to you, and there are times when life is dark like a dark night where you cannot find your way. True faith, relying on God, shows its true value when the path of life is dark. Just as the deeper the darkness, the brighter the light shines. Moreover, the depth of darkness is also a sign that a new day is near. Therefore, the person of faith must rely more on God and improve his faith for the new day that is dawning. Because only those who are prepared can enjoy the new day.
The background of the text is at the end of the 300-year period of the Judges. The Age of Judges is the intermediate stage between the theocracy, when God Himself reigned, and the age of monarchy, when the king ruled. Judges are God's people who have been appointed by God to defeat the enemies in every crisis in Israel, and have served as prophets, priests, and kings at the same time. Jephthah, the main character of the text, is one of 16 judges, both priest and prophet. Jephthah's period of study was a short period of six years. What we want to examine in this time is the progressive attitude of Jephthah, a judge, pioneering his environment.
First, let's look at the environmental conditions of Jephthah, the judge.
Jephthah's environment was such that he could not become a judge at the time. 'Jephthah' was the son of 'Gilead' who ruled a tribe, but he was born through a prostitute, not the son of his wife (Gilead is the grandson of Manasseh and the ancestor of the Gileadites, and Gilead in the text is his descendant) (The land they live in is also called Gilead). Although Jephthah was of low origin, he was a ‘great warrior’. Bonn's wife also had sons, who as they grew up were conscious of their place, they expelled Jephthah. Jephthah fled to the land of Tob to avoid his half brothers and became the head of a gang of wandering gangsters.
After a while, the Ammonites went to war with Gilead. The elders of Gilead, who were in a hurry, came to Jephthah and proposed, ‘If you fight the Ammonites for us, we will make you our chieftain and our chieftain.’ Jephthah agreed and became the leader of Gilead, and went to war with the Ammonites. Of course, the outcome was triumphant and peace was restored.
In what ways was Jephthah a forward-looking attitude?
Jephthah had the courage to pioneer his own life. In the biography of Jephthah, Jephthah was a great warrior, and he feared God enough to be used as God's judge. Becoming a ‘great hero’ does not happen automatically, nor does it happen overnight. In other words, Jephthah overcame the limitations of the environment and circumstances given to him and pioneered his own life. Perhaps he fled and honed his skills while living in the land of Dob. That's why the various kinds of people around you, who are similar to you, have gathered. His prowess is evidenced by the fact that his reputation was known even to his own people.
Moreover, Jephthah did not forget to fear God. If he had resented God or was pessimistic about himself because of the circumstances he was given, he would also have been reduced to useless miscellaneous goods. But Jephthah did not waste his life. It is the best use of the time given.
And another is that Jephthah had a broad heart. The people of Gilead were in peril as the Ammonites went to war. They did not trust their weak leaders. They thought of Jephthah, who had been expelled from the rumored past. They came to Jephthah and asked, ‘Please protect them from the crisis they are facing.’ This opportunity was a golden opportunity for Jephthah to avenge the neglected and abandoned past. But Jephthah showed generosity in accepting his own race. This is Jephthah's enterprising lifestyle.
God gives opportunities to enterprising believers.
In Matthew 11:12, the Lord said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” In other words, the kingdom of God is given to those who move forward with an active attitude of life. It is as if Jephthah, who overcame the environment with a forward-looking attitude despite the harsh environment given to him, eventually became the head of the tribe.
If the official process had been followed, the chief of the Gilead tribe would have come out of the original sons of Gilead. For this reason, Jephthah must have been expelled. However, God made Jephthah a leader, an enterprising person who feared God and actively pioneered his own life, transcending all circumstances.
The 25th World Olympics was held in Barcelona, Spain in 1992. What makes this competition memorable is that we won our first and last gold medals in Korea. The athlete who gave the nation the glory of the first gold medal at that event was Gap-soon Yeo, a shooter, and Yeong-jo Hwang, the athlete in the last marathon, gave the gold medal.
Even experts who carefully analyzed the stats did not expect Yeo Gap-sun to win. It was because they were 1-2 points behind the winner, Bulgaria's Lecheva.
People have basic needs for peace, security, and self-esteem. Therefore, they are wary of new environments or dangerous situations and do not easily jump into them. If your peace is broken, your security is not guaranteed, and you are caught up in a sense of inferiority that falls behind others, you will be under a lot of stress. It takes a lot of effort to overcome yourself. That is why Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city.”
Don't try to settle for everyday comfort. Even if you are faced with a limit, don't give up, and with the hope of a better future, mobilize your time, ability and everything to pioneer yourself. The Lord gives opportunities to those who are prepared.