"SON OF A HARLOT"
Jephthah was one of the judges of Israel. His family life got off to a bad start. He was as son of a harlot. When he and his brothers grew in age, they wanted him to be thrown out of the house. They did not want any of their father?s inheritance to go to him (Judges 11:1,2). The events of this man?s life led him to be chosen by God to judge His people. He is listed as one of the great examples of faith by the Hebrew writer (Hebrews 12:32). It raises an interesting point. Since he was the son of a harlot, he should have been a bad man all of his life. That is the way the world thinks, is it not?
If the parents or parent is evil then the child must turn out the same way. We can spend time discussing the power of influence. Jesus taught us that as His followers we are to be the ?salt of the earth? (Matthew 5:13). Righteous conduct can influence the lives of those around us. Peter instructed the Christian wife to live the right kind of life in front of her husband that he might be influenced by her living the Word in front of him (I Peter 3:1). It stands to reason then that the influence of evil or of good can certainly affect those who come in contact with it.
Paul did not want Christians to be deceived about the power of influence. Forming friendships with those who are evil will corrupt good conduct (I Corinthians 15:33). The word for communication here refers to companionships. The Christian then who forms friendships with those of the world need to be aware of the warning that Paul gives. We would have a hard time trying to lead people to Christ if we chose not to be of a friendly spirit. The warning here then is not about having friends in the world rather the warning is to not allow those friendships to be in a position of control over the Christian.
James gives a warning to faltering Christians who were beginning to be unfaithful to the Lord. In plain language James argues that if one is a friend of the world, they are an enemy of God (James 4:4). A friend of the world is one who chooses to not walk in the light of God?s revealed truth (I John 1:7). Forming a close friendship with such an individual always has the potential of taking the Christian away from God. Paul then commands the Christian to come out from among them and be separate (II Corinthians 6:17). Again there is no thought here that we have nothing to do with the evil people of the world. Because as Paul shows then we would have to go out of the world (I Corinthians 5:10).
A person may have bad things in their past such as Jephthah being the son of a harlot. It does not follow that one ?must? turn out the same way. Children who grow to become adults must make choices in their lives to accept or reject the influence with which they were raised. Some children have had bad parenting skills taught to them by their parents. Yet they grow to adulthood and choose to raise their children differently. What makes the difference? The power of influence of good people over the influence over those who are not good.
A prime example is Timothy. His father was a Greek. However his mother and grandmother had come to faith in Jesus. Paul describes such faith as being unfeigned (II Timothy 1:5). The word unfeigned means sincere. Lois and Eunice practiced their Christian faith in front of Timothy. Their godly influence was enough to offset the wisdom of the Greeks manifested by his own father. Timothy became a soldier of the cross of Christ and served in the capacity of helping the apostle Paul in much of his labors.
Have you made mistakes in life? Do not allow those mistakes to be the final chapter of the book you are writing by the life you live. One thing for certain is that we do not spend time trying to blame our past for what we are today. That is a futile journey that never leads to responsibility. We are what we are today as a result of all the lessons we have learned along life's journey. Be thankful for what we have learned and have courage to discard the bad and hold on to the good. The son of a harlot became a judge in Israel and his name is listed as an example of faith in God.