My friend Jimmy recently told me about his view of Jephthah. Here’s what he said, “You gotta understand… Jephthah was the son of a prostitute! Jephthah had no control over this. And honestly, I doubt that his mom had much control over her station in life either. Bottom line, Jephthah had NO STATUS, NO POMP, NO WAY TO PLAY THE GAME OF PRETENSE; and he was driven away by his half-brothers… OUTCAST! Jephthah suffered profound cruelty. He was intensely shamed and exiled for circumstances entirely beyond his control. Jephthah was forced to live in the dystopia of Tob—just like Andy Dufresne was forced to live in Shawshank. Jephthah learned how to survive among outlaws. It was a harsh, marginal existence—like Joseph, son of Jacob, living as a slave and prisoner in the land of Egypt. And even though many worthless fellows surrounded Jephthah, he nevertheless developed a formidable executive prowess and impressive erudite rigor. …So one day when the elders of Gilead (the very community that rejected him… like the way Zaphenath-Paneah’s brothers rejected him) begged for his help against the invading Ammonites, Jephthah responded not with vengeful aggression, but with wise-wary questions and remarkable diplomatic composure! And before drawing a sword, he sent messengers to the Ammonite king, laying out a meticulously reasoned historical defense—reminding the Ammonite king that Israel had originally asked for simple, peaceful permission to pass through Edom and Moab without conflict, and only when Sihon, King of the Amorites, refused passage and launched an unprovoked attack did Israel defend themselves (and ultimately the land was awarded to Israel by right of defensive conquest under God, after which Israel lived there undisturbed for 300 years). …*Jephthah was a man branded by his origins and disdained with societal prejudice; he was thrust into the margins and forced to endure the society of desperate outcasts. And nevertheless, he rose to become a relatively calm diplomat and defender of his people.”