Judith 2:1-13: a reflection

1In the eighteenth year, the twenty-second day of the first month, there was talk in the house of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians that he should be avenged on all the land, even as he spoke. 2He called together all his servants and all his great men, and communicated with them his secret counsel, and with his own mouth, recounted the wickedness of all the land. 3They decreed to destroy all flesh which didn’t follow the word of his mouth. 4It came to pass, when he had ended his counsel, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army, who was second to himself, and said to him, 5“The great king, the lord of all the earth, says: ‘Behold, you shall go out from my presence, and take with you men who trust in their strength, to one hundred twenty thousand footmen and twelve thousand horses with their riders. 6And you shall go out against all the west country, because they disobeyed the commandment of my mouth. 7You shall declare to them that they should prepare earth and water, because I will go out in my wrath against them, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my army, who will plunder them. 8Their slain will fill their valleys and brooks, and the river will be filled with their dead until it overflows. 9I will lead them as captives to the utmost parts of all the earth. 10But you shall go forth, and take all their coasts for me first. If they will yield themselves to you, then you must reserve them for me until the day of their reproof. 11As for those who resist, your eye shall not spare; but you shall give them up to be slain and to be plundered in all your land. 12For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, I have spoken, and I will do this with my hand. 13Moreover, you shall not transgress anything of the commandments of your lord, but you shall surely accomplish them, as I have commanded you. You shall not defer to do them.’”

This passage shows a tyrant at the height of his arrogance. Nebuchadnezzar, styling himself the lord of all the earth, decrees vengeance on all the nations that did not submit to him, and commissions his general Holofernes to devastate them, to make them prepare earth and water in submission, and to spare no one who resists. It is a portrait of human power swollen with pride, a ruler who imagines himself lord of all the earth, and treats whole nations as things to be crushed at his pleasure.

Notice the arrogance on display: a ruler who calls himself lord of all the earth, and acts as though he were. Nebuchadnezzar's pride knows no bounds; he claims a place that belongs to God alone, lord of all the earth, and wields his power with cruelty, treating the nations as his to devastate. It is pride swollen to the point of usurping God's own place; and in the story that follows, this arrogance will be brought low by God through the most unlikely means. The tyrant who thought himself lord of all was not.

That portrait of arrogant power is a caution, and, for those who suffer under such power, a comfort. As a caution: pride that exalts itself to God's place, that treats others as things to be crushed at will, invites God's judgment; no one is truly lord of all the earth but God. And as a comfort: those who wield their power with such arrogance are not as invincible as they seem; God is able to bring the proudest low, as he brought down the tyrant of this story. Do not be overawed by arrogant power that struts as though it were lord of all; such pride invites God's judgment, and God is able to humble it. And guard your own heart from the smaller prides that would exalt you over others; there is one Lord of all the earth, and it is God, before whom the proudest are brought low. Neither fear the arrogant nor imitate them; God humbles the pride that usurps his place.

Lord, this passage shows a tyrant at the height of arrogance: Nebuchadnezzar, styling himself lord of all the earth, decreeing vengeance on the nations and commissioning his general to devastate them without mercy; pride swollen to the point of usurping your own place. Let that portrait be both caution and comfort. As a caution: pride that exalts itself to your place, that treats others as things to be crushed at will, invites your judgment; no one is truly lord of all the earth but you. And as a comfort: those who wield their power with such arrogance are not as invincible as they seem; you are able to bring the proudest low, as you brought down the tyrant of this story. Keep me from being overawed by arrogant power that struts as though it were lord of all; such pride invites your judgment, and you are able to humble it. And guard my own heart from the smaller prides that would exalt me over others; there is one Lord of all the earth, and it is you, before whom the proudest are brought low. Help me neither fear the arrogant nor imitate them; you humble the pride that usurps your place, Lord.