Judges 11:1-17

Judges 11:1-3
Jephthah is despised and rejected because he is the son of a prostitute. Is this any worse than being the son of a gossip, or the daughter of a drunk? In fact, why do we so often judge others not by who or what they are in themselves, but by association with others?
Why do we have a league table of sins in which the ones we don't commit are always worse than the ones we do commit?

How many have been driven from our fellowships, our congregations, from the gospel, because of our unwelcoming and severe attitudes towards their sin?

Judges 11:4-17
When trouble arises Jephthah and his band of worthless rogues are sought out. How would we have answered the elders of Gilead? Would we not have told them to get lost! Jephthah, perhaps longing for inclusion, answers gently and undertakes to deliver the people.
His gentle words work well on the people of Gilead, but not so well on the king of the Ammonites. Jephthah tries to resolve this dispute by talking. What a wonderful idea, if only we would try resolving disputes by talking first we might aviod much conflict in our lives.
That Jephthah's talking fails does not mean it was a bad idea or that it should not be tried again. By all means talk, and talk again. Anything to avoid the destruction of warfare.