Jephthah’s story can be found in Judges 11-12 if you want to read it before continuing with this post. This tale is about a man who rose past his lowly birth to lead his people to victory against oppressors. In fact, we can use Jephthah as an example of how we can portray strong leaders in our fiction. Today, I’ll be pointing out several things about Jephthah’s character that can be found in many strong leaders.

1. No excuses

This is a quality that any good leader should have. Leaders are often targeted by those who want to stop them, and they must be able to rise past difficulties in order to accomplish what they were meant to do.

One of my favorite examples of a great leader from fiction is Colonel Nobody from the Men of Grit book series. (Yes, his name is Nobody… it’s a long story.) The colonel had quite an extensive backstory that could have offered numerous excuses for him to fade into the background. He also underwent tremendous opposition from various sources. However, he didn’t allow these things to stop him from leading his band of men on to what he knew was good and right.

One of the first things you find out about Jephthah is his illegitimate parentage. Especially back in those days, even something that wasn’t your fault could mar your reputation for life. Such was the lot of Jephthah. When his half-brothers drove him from their father’s house, it seemed that Jephthah would never be able to amount to much.

However, as we go on to see, Jephthah didn’t let that stop him. He didn’t go and mope… in fact, he even had other men gather around him because they saw his potential as a leader.

Also, Jephthah refused to let opposition get in his way. His brothers, the men of Gilead, and the king of Ammon were against him, yet he didn’t allow fear or hurt to control him.

2. No grudges

This point goes along with the last one. Since leaders are going to come across a lot of people trying to hurt them, they will have to learn to work with people who are difficult. Now, they should never compromise what they believe, nor should they allow dangerous people into positions of power or influence. However, they’re going to need to put some personal feelings aside if they are to succeed.

We see this all the time with Colonel Nobody. In the book, “The Boy Colonel”, he puts up with General Tremont for quite some time, despite the general obviously disliking him. And there are various other characters like this throughout the series—from the irritable, sharp-tongued Scotsman to Maria, the squeamish courtier.

Jephthah also has a lot he could have held against people. His brothers, as well as the rest of the men of Gilead, made him an outcast. So when they come asking him to save them, he could have thrown all of that back in their faces and refused. But, while he does bring up the issue, he agrees to help them.

3. Respect

Good leaders are respected by others. This doesn’t mean that they are necessarily admired or praised, but people should be able to see their integrity and respect it. And if a leader’s followers are mainly discontented and rebellious, it may be a sign that he isn’t doing his job correctly.

Even at the beginning of the book, “The Boy Colonel,” before you get to know Colonel Nobody, you somehow know that he’s a person of courage, virtue, and intelligence. This is because many of the supporting characters clearly respect the colonel. Even the old field reporter, who wasn’t directly under Colonel Nobody’s command, had great reverence for him. This leads the newly-arrived reporter—as well as the audience—to form a conclusion about the colonel before even meeting him.

In Jephthah’s story, he had men gathered around him even after he became an outcast. And, furthermore, his brothers and the other men of Gilead clearly respected him, though they also disliked him. He had a reputation as a good leader.

4. Opposition

Yes, I know I just said that good leaders should be respected. However, anyone who stands up for what’s right and true will have opposition. In fact, if you sail through life without much or any conflict, you just might be doing things wrong.

As Jesus said, “Marvel not if the world hate you.” In this fallen world, there are going to be people who try to block your path or cause you to stumble. The truth makes unbelievers uncomfortable and even angry, so it should be no surprise that someone in a position of power will be confronted about their choices.

Colonel Nobody literally had more enemies than friends—and all because he stood up for the right things when no one else would. General Tremont, Lord Bronner, Little Caesar, the Russian assassins… they all tried to get the colonel to do things against his conscience, but he refused to yield.

And Jephthah, as I mentioned before, had opposition from all around him. While he may have been respected, he wasn’t exactly well-liked. In Judges 12, the men of Ephraim confront Jephthah with an outrageous accusation. It seems like many times when God’s people accomplish something good, someone seems to have a problem with it, and the men of Ephraim certainly did with Jephthah. In the end, Jephthah handled the situation calmly and wisely, as we’ll see later.

5. Courage

Any good leader will be full of bravery to do what God has called them to do. And I would say that a position of leadership calls for courage quite often. If a leader is cowardly, their followers will pick up on it, and the entire group will be weakened.

Of course, courage begins with trust in God. Then, no matter what the situation, you’ll be able to have faith that God is in control. When the objects of others’ trust start to fail, so will their bravery. But since God never fails, trust in Him will result in courage of the same sort.

In the Men of Grit series, Colonel Nobody is one of the most courageous characters I have read. Constantly, he defies odds, behaves sacrificially, and does what he knows is right even when things look bleak. For example, in “The Boy Colonel,” he chooses to defend what is his, even though it may mean certain death for him.

Jephthah is described in Judges 11:1 as being “a mighty man of valor.” This is proven by his obvious trust in God throughout the story. He knows that he has to lead his people, and he does it, despite having to go against a king with an army.

6. Humility

This is a very important point. A good leader won’t flaunt any of their qualities, nor their accomplishments. They know that if they humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, He will lift them up. There have been many leaders who may have done good things, but they constantly boast about these things until they lose respect from people.

Humility stems from having the right attitude. In the Bible, people speaking to the Lord often referred to themselves as “thy servant”—even kings did this. Good leaders know their place in the world… they know that they are only the tool that God uses. Anything good in them comes from God. And it is this mindset that both drives them forward and keeps them humble.

Colonel Nobody, while he does have a sense of wit and sarcasm, is quite humble when it comes down to it. At certain times in the series, he is gracious to those who assume the worst about him, only to be proven right in the end. His humility especially comes out in “Secret of the Settlement,” when he is forced into a very lowly position. On top of that, an injury that didn’t heal right takes away one of his most famous skills—fighting. This time in his life brought many humbling moments for him, which he took quite well.

As we saw before, Jephthah did not hold his brothers’ wrongdoings against them, nor did he throw it back in their faces once the battle was over. He didn’t gloat over his victory, and he clearly saw God as responsible for the outcome.

7. Wisdom

This is something that every leader covets. It takes great skill to lead, and leaders with humility recognize this the best. A good example of this is when King Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom. Because, as the greatest leaders know, true wisdom comes from God.

It would be incredibly foolish to appoint someone to lead who is… well, foolish. As we’ll talk about in the next two points, a leader’s choices affect those under their authority. Of course, no one possesses all wisdom, and even leaders will continue to increase in knowledge all the time. The point is that they have enough wisdom to lead, and enough humility to keep learning wisdom so that they may better lead.

Colonel Nobody is wise in matters of war and fighting tactics, as well as many subjects of faith. However, at the beginning of “The Boy Colonel,” he lacks wisdom as far as family life goes, which proves to be troublesome. But he increasingly becomes more and more learned as the series goes on because he is humble enough to accept wisdom from others.

Jephthah clearly had wisdom, as well. He knew just how to speak to the king of Ammon, as well as how to lead the men of Gilead to victory. His lacking in wisdom is that he can be too hasty—a flaw that we’ll discuss later on.

8. Responsibility

Leadership is not all about being able to call the shots and order people around. In fact, it’s a very hard and grueling job. Many leaders are asked to do things they were unprepared for, or don’t want to do. Becoming a leader means taking full responsibility for making sure things happen—and for when the outcome isn’t what was expected.

In the Men of Grit series, Colonel Nobody recognizes his responsibility and embraces it. Even when it means allowing his men to choose to desert him during a tough time. Even when it means staying to help fellow believers in Christ instead of racing to save his best friend. Even when it means sacrificing his life. Whatever it takes, Colonel Nobody claims full responsibility for his regiment, the friends under his leadership, and his family.

Jephthah also has responsibility. Even after he was kicked out of his father’s house, he had men under his command. When the battle with the king of Ammon approached, we can see that Jephthah knows it is his responsibility whether they win or lose. And he also recognizes that God is ultimately in control of the outcome.

9. Flaws

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you knew this point was coming. But it’s true… even leaders fail. And since they have responsibility, their failures often have an effect on those under their leadership. That’s why being a leader can be difficult at times—because the choices a leader makes will impact many lives. Also, enemies will seek to use any failures against them.

The amount of flaws you choose you portray in your story may depend on how mature of a Christian the character is. Plus, if the character is a Flat Arc (as many strong leaders are), their belief in the Truth will be emphasized more than their flaws.

Though his arc is generally on the flatter side, Colonel Nobody has several different flaws throughout the series. In “The Boy Colonel,” his misunderstanding of the meaning of love and his inexperience with family life cause a lot of conflict. Also, he realizes that he just may have been fighting in a war he does not believe in. And, in “Secret of the Settlement,” he nearly lets his loyalty to his friend get in the way of saving an entire group of Christians.

In Jephthah’s story, we find that he makes a hasty vow to the Lord that ends up coming back on him in a way he never expected. And, as I said before, a leader’s consequences have an effect on others. In this case, it was Jephthah’s daughter that was impacted. One, spur-of-the-moment decision made by her father changed her life.

Hopefully, these points will help you when creating a strong leader that you want your other characters—and your audience—to be able to look up to. I do have a few more things to touch on before we close.

First, I should note that Jephthah was a born leader. Not all leaders will have these qualities come quite so naturally as they came to him. However, when God places someone in a position of power, He offers infinite wisdom and courage if they will only trust in Him. And that’s the point of being a leader—it doesn’t matter if it comes easy to you. What matters is that you recognize where (or, rather, Who) it came from.

Secondly, everyone is in a different stage of growth. And, as I mentioned before, some leaders will have more flaws than others. Because of this, they won’t have all of these qualities down pat. But if you want a good leader that people can look up to, they should possess most of these traits. Typically, these leaders will be Flat Arcs.

There are also other leaders that may start off bad, but learn leadership qualities along their journey, which would be more of a Positive Change Arc. It all depends on your story’s needs and the kind of character you want to portray to your audience.

Comment below who your favorite strong leader from fiction is, or ask any questions you might have!