So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him. – Judges 11:3

Today's Scripture Reading (May 7, 2025): Judges 11

Sometimes, we are defined by our past. However, we often seem very comfortable with our old roles. It is who we are; for good or bad, it is how we are defined. In the Star Wars saga, Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes a hermit named Old Ben Kenobi. However, he is still Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan doesn't fit into the New World Order. Obi-Wan might hide as Old Ben, but Obi-Wan has never changed. He is still exactly who he used to be.

Jephthah grows up hated by his own family and becomes a warrior. Can you imagine being Jephthah? What if you were chased away from your family so that they wouldn't have to share their inheritance with you? You go and live your life differently and in a different place. But when trouble comes, those who chased you away because you didn't fit into their plans run back to you and ask you to come and lead them. What would you say?

Part of our problem, I believe, is that we live our lives with this image of who people think that we are. It is why we work so hard to play the game. We feel we have to fit into someone else's reality. Psychologically, it is a powerful shaper of personality. Social Scientists have long discussed the idea that so much of who we are is defined by what someone else thinks of us. We are often  defined not by what we write in our figurative notebooks but by what others write in theirs.

Here is an interesting reality. Some of our personality is shaped by the things we are caught doing. If we are caught doing something positive, we will be encouraged and continue doing those things. In those instances, we can rewrite our notebook with a positive view of ourselves. However, the opposite also works; if we are caught doing something negative and are disciplined for it, the hope is that we will stop the behavior. Unfortunately, what actually happens is that we rewrite the notebook with a negative view of ourselves, and we come to believe that we can't do anything better.

Jephthah is forced to leave home. The translation here is unfortunate. The men that he joins up with are not necessarily criminals. They were likely young men who lived in poverty and did not possess property or jobs. Some commentators believe they might have existed much like David and his friends did in the days when Saul was King. Their work might have protected the people living in Israel, and they received pay from those they protected. Or, again, like David, they might have plundered the villages of those who stood as enemies to Israel. In the process, he became the unofficial protector of the nation. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 12

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my Son, Craig.