Author: David Short

Judith 9:11 LXX

For Your might is not in numbers, nor Your power in men who are strong, but You are the God of the lowly; You are the helper of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, the protector of those who are forsaken, the savior of those without hope.

Personal Challenge

God’s true nature seems to have been forgotten by those of us who claim Him as our Lord today. We look to Him to raise us up, to put our “Christian” leader into a position of authority, to rescue our country, to wield His sword of justice and righteousness and eliminate “our enemies, and to be at our beck and call. But as I read this verse and the text around it, as well as recall the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, I become more deeply aware that my God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a humble God. He is a loving God. He is a merciful God. And in that humility, love, and mercy He is the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, the protector of those who are forsaken, and the savior of those without hope. So, based on this, if I desire God to be active in my life should I not become humble, lowly, oppressed for Him and my neighbor, weak, and hopeless in anything but Him? Glory be to God!

Judith 8:24-25

Now my brothers, let us set an example for our people, for their very lives depend upon us. Furthermore, the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rest upon us. Besides all this, let us be thankful to the Lord our God, who is testing us just as He did our fathers.

Personal Challenge

One of the problems with modern Christianity is how much we have made it out to be an individual thing. It is not! Christianity started out as a community focused faith practice. We need each other to work out our salvation. We need each other to process and walk through our sins and the healing of forgiveness. We need each other to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and the love of God. In this life of the community, we then need to live our lives knowing that we will be examples that others will follow. The question that I must ask myself is whether or not the life that I am living is worthy enough to be followed by another. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Judith 8:17 LXX

Therefore, while we await His deliverance, let us call upon Him to help us, and if it pleases Him He will hear our voice.

Personal Challenge

It is one thing to lift up a prayer when a troubling situation happens and hope that the Lord will intervene, but it is an entirely different thing to get into a state of prayer where we are continually praying throughout the situation seeking God’s guidance, mercy, and love. All to often I send off that first prayer and then immediately set off on resolving the situation on my own accord. This never works out the way that it would if I would be in constant communication with my Lord. All the more reason to develop a habit and a practice of praying without ceasing. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of god, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Judith 8:11-13 LXX

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 Christians, we can complain all we want about things like political correctness, godless political leaders, corrupt business leaders, bullies amongst us, and many other social ills around us, but what are we, what am I, willing to do to correct the problems. Here we see a whole group of people that challenge God to fix the problem in a set number of days or else they will surrender to the enemy. God wants us to be willing to sacrifice ourselves to further His truths, His kingdom. Doing what is right and true is never easy when everyone around you prefers the lie but this is what we are called to do. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Preaching of Peter

“Rich is he that hath mercy on many, and he that, imitating God, giveth of that he hath. For God hath given all things unto all, of his own creatures. Understand then, ye rich, that ye ought to minister, for ye have received more than ye yourselves need. Learn that others lack the things ye have in superfluity. Be ashamed to keep things that belong to others. Imitate the fairness (equality) of God, and no man will be poor.”

Judith 5:20-21 LXX

“Now my lord and master, if there is any sin of ignorance in this people and they sin against their God, then we will identify their offense and will go up to defeat them. But if there is no lawlessness in their nation, then let my lord leave them alone, lest their Lord shield them, and their God defend them, and we will become a reproach before the whole earth.”

Personal Challenge

The reputation of the Jewish nation was well known by their neighbors as Achior, the leader of the Ammonites, was explaining to the leaders of the Assyrian army here in Judith. What he articulates could still be applied to those who follow Christ today. The condensed version is that if God’s people stay true to Him and live their lives in lawlessness, as He describes lawlessness, then He will shield them, protect them, and become a reproach to anyone who confronts them. What a clear explanation of God’s love for His children and our responsibility to Him. Glory be to God!