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1 Maccabees 2:50-51

Therefore, children, be zealous for the law, and offer your lives for the covenant of our fathers; and remember the deeds our fathers did in their generations, and receive great honor and an everlasting name.

Personal Challenge

Am I willing to offer my life for the covenant of the fathers that have gone before me? Am I willing to truly give up my life for my God? It is easy to say, “Yes!” to these questions when I am in the comfort of my home, but what will I really say, and do, when the occasion arises where I really need to give my life for Him? If we wait until those dire situations come upon us, it will be too late to make that choice. We are supposed to be offering our lives to Him every moment of every day, which prepares us for that day when we are asked to lay down our lives for Him. Am I being kind and loving toward my neighbor, even that one that is always rude and obnoxious toward me? Do I go that extra mile in everything that I do because I know that I am doing it as unto the Lord? Am I spending time with Him in prayer, worship, and reading His scriptures? Am I serving Him at all times? These are the times that we offer our lives unto our God in order to glorify Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

Esther 4:13-16

And Mordecai said to Hathach, “Go and say to Esther, ‘Do not say to yourself that you alone will be saved in the kingdom apart from all the other Jews. For if you choose not to heed this request at this time, help and deliverance for the Jews will arise elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. Besides, who knows whether it is for this occasion you reign as queen?’ ” Then Esther dispatched the one who came to her to Mordecai, saying, “Go and assemble together the Jews in Susa. Fast for me; do not eat or drink for three full days and three full nights. I and my maids will also fast. Then I will go to the king, contrary to the law, even if I am to perish.”

Personal Challenge

The story of Esther and Mordecai is such a testimony to the power of faith and the understanding that God is in the middle of everything that happens in our lives. God does not force us to do anything that we do not choose to do with our own free will. He will orchestrate the events and circumstances around us so that we can be used as His instruments for the glory of His Kingdom, but the final decision to be that instrument is still ours. This passage speaks so well to this orchestration of circumstances and of people that choose to obey God. Mordecai is a Jew and an advisor to King Artaxerxes. Esther is his beautiful niece and the queen chosen by Artaxerxes. The Jews are a conquered people and not liked by the other people of the land. Haman, another advisor to the king has devised a plan to get the king to make a proclamation to kill Mordecai and all of the Jews of the land. Mordecai has petitioned Esther to go before the king and to reveal that she too is a Jew and that Haman has deceived the king. The only problem is that anyone going before the king without an invite from him is put to death. Mordecai reminds Esther that maybe she is the queen because God put her in this position just for this occasion and that she must trust God. But, if she chooses to not do this thing for her people, God will raise up another person to do His work. The rest is His-story. This is a great read about God’s faithfulness to us and the consequences of us being faithful to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Judith 9:11

“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.”

Encouraging Words

Judith, a young widow, has just finished chastising the leaders, both religious and civic, of her community for devising a plan to test God in the midst of their trial. The trial is a pending attack by the ruthless commander of King Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Holofernes. Now she has devised a plan to rescue the people of Israel from this pending siege. But before she does anything, she prays to her God, the God of Israel, the God of all Christendom, and reminds all of us that all we need to deal with the trials and battles in our lives, is God. He is more powerful than any army or any nation. He is the helper of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, and the savior of those without hope. He is the one that we can claim as our Abba, our Father. 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

Judith finishes her chastisement of the rulers of Bethulia by encouraging them to be good examples before the members of their community. In all aspects of our lives, whether it be work, our church, our families, or any other group, if we are in positions of leadership and authority, then as Christians we must be leading as examples. We must lead in such a way that those who follow us see Christ in everything we say and do. This is how we can lead others through the tests of life that come our way. Glory be to God!

Judith 8:17

“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

We are an impatient part of God’s creation. Maybe it is because we were given free will. I don’t know, but I have never met a fellow human being that can easily wait upon God to see how His timeline will unfold. Throughout the scriptures, we are reminded to wait upon God for He knows what is best for us. We are told to trust in Him for He will deliver upon His promises. We know that He is our God and yet we still try to take things into our own hands. No wonder we mess things up so much. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Judith 8:14

“You cannot plumb the depths of the heart of man, nor grasp the thoughts of his mind. How then do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and come to understand His mind or comprehend His purpose? No, brothers! Do not provoke the Lord our God to anger.”

Personal Challenge

Judith continues to chastise the leaders of Bethulia for their attempt to test God in their dire situation. This is a great passage to remind us that we are finite in our understanding of the things going on around us, but that God is infinite in the depths of His understanding. We have the promise from our God that all things work for the good for those who love Him. If this is so in our lives, then why do we resist Him in virtually every situation, especially those that are challenging? God always knows more than we do and He always knows what is best for us. His desire for us is to trust Him, to submit to Him, and to trust that He will guide us through the storms of life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Judith 8:11-13

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

Holofernes was one of the commanders in king Nebuchadnezzar’s army. He was ruthless in battle and had destroyed many adversaries. In this part of Judith, the Jews that live in Bethulia are about to be sieged by Holofernes and his mighty army. The leaders of the community are fearful that they will not be able to withstand the siege. Their leader, Uzziah, tells them to give God five more days to help them, and if He doesn’t, they can surrender and save their lives. In essence, he is putting God to the test. Oh, how often do we do this in our own lives? “God, I will do thus and so, if you will only do…” Judith, a recent widow, heard of this and challenged Uzziah, the leaders, and the entire community. She saw that what they were doing was testing God and not trusting Him. We cannot put God on our terms. We must live our lives according to His terms. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Judith 5:20-21

“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.”

Encouraging Words

Once again, we find the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people under attack by a foreign nation. The commander of the attacking army has sought out a prophet in the land who is familiar with the Israelites to tell him about them so that he can formulate his battle plan. The prophet, Achior, informs him of the God of the Israelites and that if the Israelites have been living godly lives, lives without lawlessness before their God, then there is no way that the attack will be successful. We need to remember this. If we are living for God then we are under this protection. Glory be to God!