Life is what you make of it

“Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, ‘Ask all the citizens of Shechem, which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man? Remember, I am your flesh and blood.’” Judges 9:1-2
In the book of Judges we come across certain characters, who are presented to us because of their importance in Israel’s history, and also to show us examples of what those times were like. In Judges 9 we have the account of Abimelech, and in Judges 10 the account of Jephthah. These two men had several things in common, but they were also very different.
Firstly, let’s look at the things they had in common. Both were sons of prominent fathers: Abimelech was the son of Gideon (also called Jerub-Baal, for tearing down his father’s altar to Baal, see Judg. 6:32), while Jephthah was the son of Gilead, whom the region of Gilead is named after. Both were sons of women other than the wives of their fathers – Abimelech the son of a concubine, and Jephthah the son of a prostitute. As such they were viewed as second-class sons. But this is where the similarities end.
Abimelech resented his social position, and took power for himself, killing all of his brothers (the sons of Gideon). Jephthah, on the other hand, was approached by the men of Gilead to be their leader – and it took them asking him three times, before he accepted. Abimelech was arrogant, while Jephthah was humble. Abimelech was a carnal man,while Jephthah sought to please God.
Here’s a lesson for us: our personal situations don’t determine our character. Here were two men in similar situations, who each made a different life for themselves out of it. The choice is yours – so choose life, choose eternal life, choose to follow Christ.