Our Common Humanity

Scripture passage that caught my attention today: Judges 11:1-10 Now Jephthah the Gileadite, the son of a prostitute, was a mighty warrior. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife also bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah away, saying to him, “You shall not inherit anything in our father’s house; for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Outlaws collected around Jephthah and went raiding with him.

Judg. 11:4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. 5 And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, so that we may fight with the Ammonites.” 7 But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Are you not the very ones who rejected me and drove me out of my father’s house? So why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?” 8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Nevertheless, we have now turned back to you, so that you may go with us and fight with the Ammonites, and become head over us, over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them over to me, I will be your head.” 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD will be witness between us; we will surely do as you say.”

Observation: Jephthah grew up ostracized, yet also developed remarkable street sense that his more privileged relatives could not match.

Application: I don’t have any one person in mind when I write this but over the years I’ve noticed that some people just have a knack for looking at things differently; they can quickly size up a situation and make you wonder why you didn’t think of that. They may or may not have ever been to college, but they’ve completed some serious life experience coursework at what is popularly known as the ‘school of hard knocks.’ As a college graduate myself, I sometimes feel stupid in their presence. Yet I’m also grateful for their presence. Clearly I share their humanity, and they mine. The great levelers in life like disease and accidents and broken relationships show no partiality. First thing ya know, we need each other or at least grow to appreciate our common gifts and fraility. That’s what Jephthah’s brothers eventually discovered about him—they needed him. And in a convoluted way, I think he needed them too.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see our common need for one another and, ultimately, our need for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scripture readings today included: Judges 11-12, Psalm 50, and 2 Corinthians 1)