2 Maccabees 12:17-23: a reflection

17When they had gone seven hundred fifty furlongs from there, they made their way to Charax, to the Jews that are called Tubieni. 18They didn’t find Timotheus in that district, for he had by then departed from the district without accomplishing anything, but had left behind a very strong garrison in one place. 19But Dositheus and Sosipater, who were captains under Maccabaeus, went out and destroyed those who had been left by Timotheus in the stronghold, more than ten thousand men. 20Maccabaeus, arranging his own army in divisions, set these two over the bands, and marched in haste against Timotheus, who had with him one hundred twenty thousand infantry and two thousand five hundred cavalry. 21When Timotheus heard of the approach of Judas, he at once sent away the women and the children with the baggage into the fortress called Carnion; for the place was hard to besiege and difficult to access by reason of the narrowness of the approaches on all sides. 22When the band of Judas, who led the first division, appeared in sight, and when terror and fear came upon the enemy, because the manifestation of him who sees all things came upon them, they fled in every direction, carried this way and that, so that they were often injured by their own men, and pierced with the points of their own swords. 23Judas continued the pursuit more vigorously, putting the wicked wretches to the sword, and he destroyed as many as thirty thousand men.

When Judas Maccabeus and his men face a vastly larger enemy force, the tide turns not merely by their strength of arms but by something else. As the band of Judas appeared, terror and fear came upon the enemy, the account says, because the manifestation of him who sees all things came upon them. The enemy, far greater in number, was seized with terror, not chiefly by the sight of Judas's smaller force, but by the sense of God's presence, the all-seeing God, coming upon them; and they fled in confusion.

Notice what turned the battle: the presence of the all-seeing God. The enemy had the greater numbers; by human reckoning they should have prevailed. But it was not finally a matter of numbers; the presence of God, him who sees all things, came upon them, and they were seized with terror and fled. The decisive factor was not the size of the armies, but the presence of God, before whom the great enemy force melted into panic. God's presence turned a battle that human strength alone could not have won; before the all-seeing God, the greater force fled.

That is worth taking to heart, for in our own struggles, the decisive factor is not our strength but God's presence. We can face struggles where the odds are against us, where our own strength seems too small; and we can reckon the outcome by the numbers, our strength against the difficulty. But the decisive factor is not our strength; it is God's presence, which can turn a battle that our strength alone could not win, as the all-seeing God's presence turned the battle for Judas. When you face a struggle where the odds seem against you, do not reckon the outcome only by your own strength against the difficulty; the presence of God is the decisive factor, and before him the odds are not what they seem. Trust in God's presence with you rather than in your own strength, for his presence can turn what your strength alone could not, as the presence of the all-seeing God turned the battle and scattered the great enemy force before Judas and his men.

Lord, when Judas Maccabeus and his men face a vastly larger enemy force, the tide turns not merely by their strength of arms but by something else. As the band of Judas appeared, terror and fear came upon the enemy, the account says, because the manifestation of him who sees all things came upon them. The enemy, far greater in number, was seized with terror, not chiefly by the sight of Judas's smaller force, but by the sense of your presence, the all-seeing God, coming upon them; and they fled. Show me what turned the battle: the presence of the all-seeing God. The enemy had the greater numbers; by human reckoning they should have prevailed. But it was not finally a matter of numbers; your presence came upon them, and they fled. The decisive factor was not the size of the armies, but your presence, before whom the great enemy force melted into panic. Take that to my heart, for in my own struggles, the decisive factor is not my strength but your presence. I can face struggles where the odds are against me, where my own strength seems too small; and I can reckon the outcome by the numbers. But the decisive factor is not my strength; it is your presence, which can turn a battle that my strength alone could not win. When I face a struggle where the odds seem against me, keep me from reckoning the outcome only by my own strength; your presence is the decisive factor. Help me trust in your presence with me rather than in my own strength, Lord, for your presence can turn what my strength alone could not.