Chapter 4

Reason off the Rails

Before going any further, two potential problems are faced when it comes to Reason, and that is finding it and living it out. Any outcomes of failure in both these arenas may result in a man existing in a wrong identity, or left orphan without one at all. He is either behaving without moral direction or not committing to any behavioural standard whatsoever. It can happen intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly, on purpose or by default. Men can find Reason or purpose when they embrace their masculine Roles and live in Relationship with God – both will be discussed later on this book.

So, what happens when a man’s identity and life is going in the wrong direction and he is living with a misaligned purpose? What happens when ‘Reason goes off the rails’? Is it recoverable? One can see this most clearly in the example of Jephthah taken from Judges 11:1-11.

Jephthah would eventually be a leader and warrior of Ancient Israel, but was not always on the right track. His situation was an example of a young man whose reason went “off the rails”. Quite simply, he was not existing in his Reason or purpose, and therefore was not being truly who he was supposed to be as a man.

The Story behind the Story

Jephthah’s backstory began with that of questionable prodigy. He was born as an illegitimate child and of course this had nothing to do with him. Jephthah’s father had an illicit relationship with a woman other than his wife -some sources have said that it may have been some kind of temple prostitute.

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One may assume that his father did what he could to make things right because the Bible indicated that he took the child and made him a part of his family. However, as the passage progressed, we can see that this was not enough. Maybe his father didn’t do a good enough job assimilating Jeph (may I call him ‘Jeph’?) into the family. It’s possible that his own guilt could have affected his parenting, resulting in a lack of honesty while dealing with uncomfortable issues. Jeph might have had his own hang-ups which caused him not to integrate well into the family. (A poor attitude does wonders for personal alienation.) Furthermore, cultural biases and elitism towards authentic biological family bonds may have been too strong to alter patterns of thinking. For whatever reason, when Jephthah’s father died, his brothers decided that he was not truly a part of the family and he was unceremoniously ejected. They agreed whether by consensus or vote: “Now that our father’s gone, it’s time for him to get out.”

When Jephthah was expelled from his family (which incidentally was his entire community life), it was a major hurdle in the understanding and development of his Reason. This event stood in the way of who and what he was supposed to be.

A Word on Choices

It was not his fault that his mother was a different individual than his brothers, and he did nothing deserving of an eviction. However, it was his decision to move on in a direction of his choice, which was the city of Tob. The Bible goes on to say that while he was there “worthless men” (verse 3) became attached to him. (Pause and chew on that for a second.)

It does not mean that these men had no value as human beings, but rather, they brought no value or positive influences to his life. These kinds of people take and consume and do not add value into the lives of others. (That’s worth reflecting on as well.)

Before moving forward, we cannot miss the most important point. You are more likely to be impacted by the wrong people when you are misaligned with your Reason and/or purpose.

I wonder if those “worthless men” who gathered around Jephthah sensed that he was bitter and had a chip on his shoulder. They probably sensed that he had special abilities that could be valuable to them. In my imagination, I can see that Jephthah goes to a bar in Tob and defends himself quite skillfully when some guys try to push him around. I can hear those “worthless men” whispering to each other, “Let’s be his friend, we can use his muscle.” So, Jeph decided to allow those scoundrels to hang out with him, and they did nothing to lead him back to his true reason of male existence.

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Let’s pause for a moment. There is a myriad of scriptures that admonish this very situation; “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers”. (2 Cor 6:14) “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good”. (Prov 16:29) “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent”. (Prov 1:10) “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’”. (1 Cor 15:33)

Despite the injustices, one cannot blame everything on other people. You see, it was up to Jephthah to choose what to do while living out of his Reason. Instead of trying to find a way back to his life’s purpose, he started a crew, and went out raiding, pillaging, and stealing. Note also that the scriptures said that they “went with him”, it was not the other way around. (verse 3) This was how Jephthah (a predestined and gifted young man) chose to use his talents as a warrior and “mighty man of valour”. He became nothing more than an Old Testament gangster or Viking. Now, the ancient world probably did not do much soul searching when it came to the morality of taking from the weak and vulnerable. Even if this was an acceptable reality, raiding was clearly theft and most likely murder. (It was not a romanticized Robin Hood, rather I suspect that they had bloody hands framed by a life of violence.) So, Jephthah’s purpose, his Reason was “off the rails”. Instead of fighting for God, his people, and a good cause, he fought to line his own pockets and to make a living.

The object lesson here is that although you may be outside your Reason, God has a way of bringing you back and shining a light on your identity. In this case, it was done through challenging circumstances. The Israelites realized that they needed a fighter. They needed someone with a special set of skills; someone to save them and bring direction and guidance in a time of trouble. Jephthah seemed to put away pride and bitterness but dictated his terms for reintegration, which was to be a permanent part of the family and community. Eventually, Jephthah became a Judge and leader of Israel and returned to his Reason.

I shared this case study to show that it is possible to return to your authentic, masculine Reason for existence, even if you think you have gone too far away.

Please take a moment to review the Reflection Questions for this chapter.

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