Disdain is a word we don’t often use in our everyday vernacular, but we use different words to express a feeling of contempt for someone or to regard something as being unworthy or inferior.
Another word for disdain is scorn.
In the book of Judges we read of a man’s life, Jephthah who was scorned by his brothers. Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior (verse 11:1). Jephthah name means “He opens”. In verse 2 it reads in the NIV, “Gilead's wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. You will not get any of our father's inheritance," they said, "for you are the son of a prostitute.”
Obviously, Jephthah had no say in his father’s relationship with a prostitute. However, his brothers took it upon themselves to drive him out of the family home and land to ensure he would not receive an inheritance. How painful is must have been to be disdained by family members for something you had no control over!
While visiting a friend in Ireland several years ago, a woman said that those who profess Christianity were disowned by their Catholic family members. Her father refused to talk to her saying in essence, she was dead to him. She pleaded with him as his daughter not on the grounds of religion, but he refused.
Later, Jephthah’s brothers came to him for help to fight against the Ammonites. You could hear the longing in Jephthah’s voice to be part of their lives again so he agreed on the terms he becomes their leader. It says the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him (Judges 11:30) so he gained a victory over the enemy, but he did something foolish. He made a vow that whatever comes of the out of the door, he would sacrifice (31).
It wasn’t enough that God gave him power over the enemy; Jephthah had to add something more to ensure a victory. He opened his mouth and subsequently his front door flew open when his daughter came out celebrating her father’s triumph.
And this is the poison of one who has been disdained. Something gets deeply entrenched in our minds and hearts that we have to secure God’s favor. God will not disdain us as others had in our lives because we fail or falter in trusting Him. He accepts us into His call and equips us without our help or vows.
He swings open a door to a victory we have so longed for, but because of the sting of disdain, we can’t accept it so easily because we believe we will be rejected, mocked and or put to scorn. The only antidote to disdain is in the faithfulness of God to us. He was faithful to Jephthah, as He is to us today, to include us in His records of the mighty in faith (Hebrews 11:32)not our family history or orgin. You are His valiant overcomer!
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