Jephthah the Ninth Judge
11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a [a]valiant warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead [b]was the father of Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves [c]about Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4 It came about after a while that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel. 5 When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob; 6 and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” 7 Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” 8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up [d]to me, will I become your head?” 10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is [e]witness between us; surely we will do [f]as you have said.” 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
Adversity has an interesting way of bringing people together. When they were younger, it seemed like an irreconcilable flaw, the fact that their brother Jephthah was born out of a harlot.
But when trouble came, and the Gileadites were under attack, that seemingly important detail became irrelevant, and they pleaded with him to come back.
Be careful in your own dealings with those around you. Don’t make a big deal out of something small, especially when it is outside that person’s control. Let grace rule in your relationships, and let God guide you in His love.