As I picked up the old paperback book with a faded cover, it crackled as I opened it, causing many pages to fall to the floor. I probably had this relic for at least 25 years in my library before deciding to check it out the material for an article I definitely found something:

Before he ever came to plate, a guy, Jephthah, had 3 strikes against him.

He was an illegitimate child. STRIKE ONE.

He was the son of a cocktail hostess and a “tough guy.” STRIKE TWO.

He was raised in an atmosphere of hatred and hostility. STRIKE THREE.

Nurtured in an overcrowded cage of half-brothers, all he heard was ugly put-downs and violent profanity. Putting it mildly, Jephthah wasn’t wanted. He made up for it by becoming the meanest kid on the block.

Kicked out of home before he reached young manhood, he took up the lifestyle of a rebel among a tough bunch of thugs that hung out in a place called Tob. Earning a reputation as the roughest terror, he was elected leader of a gang. They ripped and rammed their way through villages like a pack of wild hyenas. Had they ridden motorcycles then, their black leather jackets would have read, “The Tob Mob” as they raced over the hills, outrunning the law of the land. Read Judges 11:1-2 for yourself, it’s all there. A societal reject, Jephthah was Charles Manson, the Boston Strangler, and Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde) all wrapped in one explosive body. Having him and his monsters drop into the Tob Pharmacy for Saturday night drinks was about as comfortable as taking a swim with the Loch Ness monster.

Suddenly, a change occurred. The people of Israel encountered a barrage of hostilities of their not-so-friendly neighbors to the east---the Ammonites. The longer the battle raged against this hateful enemy tribe, the more obvious it became that Israel was against all odds. Defeat was inevitable.

The Jews needed a leader with guts to stand up against the fiery foes from Ammon. Guess what the Israelites thought of? Right! They figured that only a guy with his scary record would qualify for the job, so they called the man from Tob. Trembling, they sent out this message—since phones were not in the picture yet: “Come and be our chief that we might fight against the sons of Ammon…and you may become head over all the people of Gilead (Judges 11:6-8).

What a deal! This was unheard of. Asking Jephthah if he could fight was like asking Louie Armstrong if he could blow some jazz! That was Jephthah’s day in court. After a brief cat-and-mouse interchange, the mobster signed the dotted line. Predictably, he wiped out the Ammonites in short order and the TOB EVEVING NEWS rolled off the presses with the headline

: “Hoodlum Becomes Hero—EX-CON ELECTED JUDGE!

Jephthah the judge! Fellow gangsters had to call him, “Your Honor.” What a switch! He fit the throne about as appropriately as a Russian would fit in the White House. Jephthah had no rightful claim to such a high calling.

That would have been true—except for one thing: GOD’S GRACE. Remember now God is the one who builds trophies from the scrap pile…Who draws his clay from under the bridge…who makes clean instruments of beauty from the filthy failures from yesteryear.

To underscore this truth, consider Paul’s stunning remark made to a group of unsophisticated Corinthian Christians: Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And, that is what some of you were…(I Corinthians 6:9-11a NIV).

Don’t rush over the last 8 words.

Our Father in great grace, loved us when you and I were like Jephthah—a rebel or drunk or a gossip or a crook or a liar or a playboy or an adulteress or hypocrite or a do-gooder or a drop-out or a drug addict. Looking for sinners He found us in desperate situations. Lifting us to the level of His much-loved Son, He brought us in. Washed our wounds and changed our direction.

All our church-going and hymn-singing and long-praying and committee-sitting and religious-talking will never erase the fact that we were dug from a deep, dark deathly pit. And may we NEVER forget it. Class misfits…like Jephthah. But there is one major difference between him and us. God chose to reveal his past for everyone to read. But He chose to hide ours so none would ever know what classic misfits we really are.

Talk about grace!

I looked at Chuck Swindoll’s book “SECOND WIND, a fresh run at life” differently now. I slowly organized the fallen pages and carefully put them back in the cover. Published 40 years ago, I could tell it had been through rough times. This one story caused a need to respect the old book. I can’t wait to read the rest of it. (I did take liberty to make a few changes so it would fit in today’s time.)