Converted Dog Great Should Know Offenders Are Saddened To Hear
Quite differently boy meet and wait lord have not hare the proper credentials, we are not the kind of people the Lord can or use. As we have already seen, that is not the pattern we find God's Word. God is not a God of stereotypes, and, if we need any confirmation of that, we have it abundance the study of another judge, a unique named Jephthah. He was a whom we find great conflicts and contrasts. There are some ugly blotches his life, but there are also some glorious victories. To understand Jephthah, it is essential for us to understand the times which he lived and served God. That background is given Judges 10–18.... Jephthah's emergence is unlike that of any other judge. Earlier judges have been raised up by God, often rather dramatic fashion. But there is no such intervention that puts Jephthah on stage, as it were. Instead we are shown the deliberations and maneuverings of people. That is not to suggest that God is not at work behind the seen. He clearly is, but Jephthah's emergence is described as -level. When the Ammonites once again moved force into Israelite territory east of the they aroused a counter-response by the eastern Israelite tribes, who mustered against them at Mizpah. It is hard to imagine that they became aware of the problem only at that point, but it quickly became evident that they lacked one vital ingredient-a leader of enough skill and charisma that he could lead the Israelite forces against the enemy. This was no small problem-survival depended upon it! The question Who lead us? was a cry of desperation, not one of curiosity. It was a situation that should have driven them to their knees heartfelt prayer to the Lord that He would either reveal or raise up such a deliverer, as He had the past. There is no such prayer. Instead there is a declaration that combines appeal and bribery: Whoever launch the attack against the Ammonites be the head of all those living Gilead. To accept any person who would simply claim leadership or automatically to make a military leader a nation's political head without knowing advance whom that person might be would not be considered a wise strategy. But desperate times call forth desperate measures, and the Israelites were desperate. Not, mind you, desperate enough to humble themselves before their God! It is at this point that we are introduced to Jephthah by way of a flashback. He is one of the most unusual men the Old Testament: a with a tragic past, a checkered career, and a strong personality, a possessed with more than his share of faults. Nothing about Jephthah came pale colors. His gifts and weaknesses were painted bold colors, and his inner conflicts ran deep. Yet he was a God used to accomplish something of His purpose for His people. The Lord does not produce Christians the way General Motors produces cars, a few basic models rolling off assembly line with a variety of available options. He is infinitely creative. We search Scripture vain for established pattern into which we must fit before He would deign to use us. As I write this, I am on way home from a pastor's meeting, intrigued once again by how very different the various men were- differences personality, appearance, age, ethnicity, background, and skill set-yet we do very similar things. God can use each one of us. Yet Christians suffer from a severe inferiority complex because they do not fit the mold, whatever they conceive it to be. Sometimes the fault is ours because we put restrictions on God; sometimes it is others', who are quite sure they have the Lord figured out. Thank God, there is no such mold. Some time ago a friend wrote a letter describing what he was witnessing as a missionary Ethiopia. Among other things, he wrote: The key to the exciting growth of the church Ethiopia is the Holy Spirit. His human agents all of this are the Ethiopian evangelists. Nine of them share the work here Each is supported by his home church which provides him with about $20 a month. All of them have families, and, as you can well imagine, find it very difficult to make ends meet on such meager allowances. As for the men themselves, there is little, humanly speaking, to commend them as missionaries. Without exception, they would be rejected by North American mission societies. Their average education is grade four. Some of them have no formal Bible training. Take Indreas, for example. With his wife-a former barmaid-and four children-one of whom is a hunch back-he preaches and teaches at a remote point two full days journey from Bonga. Last time I went to his church, I attended the baptism of 88 believers! Or take Arshe, a of about 25. He has six fingers on his hand. He is well educated by