Yesterday we saw how Jephthah’s Destiny still came to pass even after he’d been driven away by his own family. Three hundred men gathered around him, recognised his leadership, before Israel called him to lead their army.
29 Then the SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME ON JEPHTHAH. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah MADE A VOW TO THE LORD: ‘If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.’ Judges 11
Jephthah was anointed of the Lord to lead Israel in battle, to victory over their enemies. However, he made a very unfortunate vow before God, to offer a sacrifice when God gave him victory. His only child (how sad), a daughter, came running from his house to greet him. The amazing thing was that she accepted her father’s vow and told him to fulfill it, after two months alone with her friends. How seriously they took that vow to the Lord. Did Jephthah act rashly or did the enemy (devil) trick him? We don’t know, but sometimes the fulfilment of our Destiny may involve personal cost to us and blessings for others.
In Monday’s blog, Acts 13, we saw how the early Church at Antioch met before the Lord in worship and fasting. The Holy Spirit told them, ‘to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work He’d called them to do.’ They were commissioned and prayed over, before being sent out on the first Church Missionary Journey. The Spirit chose them to be together and sent them off to take the Gospel to unreached Gentile peoples. God commended their testimony with signs and wonders to the Gentiles.
Acts 15:36-41 gives us a very different account of the next Missionary Journey. Now it’s Paul who’s taking the initiative, but a major disagreement took place between the two apostles. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul wouldn’t agree because he’d deserted them before. So the duo called together by the Holy Spirit, split and went their separate ways. We don’t know whether the enemy got in and destroyed the relationship or if the time had come for them to part. Once again, as with Jephthah, it seems that words (spoken in heated moments) had a major part to play. Even situations and people anointed by God to work together still need to be careful in walking out their Destiny.
God always has chosen us, everyone of us, to help bring in His Kingdom on earth. Walking out our Destiny may well involve some personal cost for us and hopefully blessing in the Kingdom. We need to be careful and value God given relationships and not give the enemy a foothold or opportunity to destroy them. Ephesians 4:27
God bless and keep you today.