January 2 2025

TESTING GOD

Judith 8:11-13 (not in the Protestant Bible)

They came to her, and she said to them, “Listen to me now, rulers of the people of Bethulia! Your words spoken today to the people are not right, nor is the oath you have sworn and pronounced between God and yourselves, promising to surrender the city to our adversaries unless the Lord turns and helps you in so many days.”

“Now who are you to have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves up as God’s equal among the sons of men? You are testing the Lord Almighty, but you will never come to know anything!”

Personal Challenge

As the story of Judith continues, we come to a place where Holofernes, a ruthless Assyrian general, has surrounded Bethulia , in Israel, and trapped the Israelites there. They had run out of food and water and were becoming desperate to survive. The elders, leaders of the city, went to God in prayer and bargained with Him. They gave Him five more days to rescue them or they would submit to Holofernes and surrender.

Here is where Judith enters the picture. She is young, beautiful, and godly widow. Her life has been above reproach. She is recognized as one of the supreme citizens in Bethulia. She calls a meeting with the elders and confronts them for testing God and making an unholy decision. This is where the story gets interesting. How does this apply to us? How often do we test God? If you do X for me God, I will go to church regularly or give my tithe, or fill in the blank. God is not our patsy to bargain with. It is our responsibility to submit to Him and trust that He will do what is right in our lives. We are seeing far too many instances in purveyors of Christianity today where God is being used to justify and glorify their own preferences. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, havew mercy!