Context No. 3954 of 4322 · Judith

Judith 5:17-24: in context

17And while they didn’t sin before their God, they prospered, because God who hates iniquity was with them. 18But when they departed from the way which he appointed them, they were destroyed in many severe battles, and were led captives into a land that was not theirs. The temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were taken by their adversaries. 19And now they have returned to their God, and have come up from the dispersion where they were dispersed, and have possessed Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and are settled in the hill country; for it was desolate. 20And now, my lord and master, if there is any error in this people, and they sin against their God, we will find out what this thing is in which they stumble, and we will go up and overcome them. 21But if there is no lawlessness in their nation, let my lord now pass by, lest their Lord defend them, and their God be for them, and we will be a reproach before all the earth.” 22It came to pass, when Achior had finished speaking these words, all the people standing around the tent complained. The great men of Holofernes, and all who lived by the sea side and in Moab, said that he should be cut to pieces. 23For, they said, “We will not be afraid of the children of Israel, because, behold, they are a people that has no power nor might to make the battle strong. 24Therefore now we will go up, and they will be a prey to be devoured by all your army, Lord Holofernes.”

Achior, an Ammonite leader, stands before the conqueror Holofernes and tells him the plain truth about the people of Israel: as long as they were faithful to their God, they prospered and could not be defeated, but whenever they sinned against him, they were handed over to their enemies. So, he counsels, find out whether they have sinned; if they are faithful, do not attack them, lest their God defend them and you be put to shame.

It is an accurate and courageous account, and it costs him: the crowd, enraged, demands that he be cut to pieces for daring to suggest their army might fail. Two things stand out. Achior, an outsider, saw and stated a true principle about God's dealings: he protects his faithful people, and their strength rises and falls with their faithfulness, not their numbers. And the danger of speaking such truth to those who do not want to hear it; his honest words nearly got him killed. There is courage here worth admiring. Achior told the truth about God even before a hostile and imposing audience, at real risk to himself.

When I know the truth about God and his ways, am I willing, like Achior, to state it plainly even before those who do not want to hear it, and even at some cost to myself?

Sources

Judith 5:17: "While they didn't sin before their God, they prospered, because God who hates iniquity was with them."
Judith 5:21: "But if there is no lawlessness in their nation, let my lord now pass by, lest their Lord defend them, and their God be for them."
Judith 5:22: "When Achior had finished speaking these words, all the people standing around the tent complained... that he should be cut to pieces."