B.E.S.T. Shabbat

"And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.""   Jdg 11:30-31 (NKJV) Click here to listen to " Vows and Inheritances " Last chapter we shared about the issue of legitimacy, rejection, and the forging of a leader through the fires of rejection. Jephthah was born outside of the wedding covenant to Gilead and an unnamed harlot, an  ishah   zona ”.  We saw how rejection was an essential part of destiny for Jephthah and how leaders are often built out of the fires of affliction. Jephthah was raised up as a Judge in Israel to deliver Israel from the Ammonites, whose name means the mob.   The mob employs the power of bullying  and rejection.   It was the mob that  screamed “crucify ...

"Now Jephthah the  Gileadite  was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah."   Jdg 11:1 (NASB) Click here to listen to " The Issue of Legitimacy " Legitimacy has been a challenge for many people. Feelings of the shame that comes from illegitimacy can affect the way we see ourselves and our claim on the victories in our lives.  What is legitimacy really all about ?  With respect to our   birth,  legitimacy is de termined  by  the marriage  covenant  of the parents .   When a child is conceived  in a marriage covenant, as a boundary generated by the pledges of 2 individuals and through them two lineages , the child is celebrated as the legitimate fruit of that covenant. So, what happens when a child is birthed outside of the boundaries of covenant?   This is often named as an illegitimate child. In this  chapter we will look at such a person, a hero ...