1 Maccabees 5:35-39: a reflection

35He turned away to Mizpeh and fought against it, took it, killed all its males, took its spoils, and burned it with fire. 36From there he marched and took Casphor, Maked, Bosor, and the other cities of the land of Gilead. 37Now after these things, Timotheus gathered another army and encamped near Raphon beyond the brook. 38Judas sent men to spy on the army; and they brought him word, saying, “All the Gentiles who are around us are gathered together to them, an exceedingly great army. 39They have hired Arabians to help them, and are encamped beyond the brook, ready to come against you to battle.” So Judas went to meet them.

As Judas Maccabeus wages his campaigns to defend his people, word comes that an exceedingly great enemy army has gathered against him, hired allies and all, encamped and ready for battle. The report is daunting: a vast force, more than his own, arrayed to come against him. And Judas's response is simple and resolute: So Judas went to meet them. He does not shrink back in fear, or wait passively for the threat to fall on him, or let the size of the enemy paralyze him; he goes forward to meet the danger head-on. Faced with a great and frightening threat, Judas advances to meet it rather than being frozen by it. There is a resolve here that refuses to be paralyzed by fear, that faces a threat head-on rather than shrinking from it or waiting in dread for it to arrive.

Notice Judas's resolve in the face of a daunting threat: he went to meet them. The enemy was great, the report frightening; a lesser resolve might have frozen in fear, or waited passively, or shrunk back. But Judas went forward to meet the threat head-on. He did not let the size of the danger paralyze him; he faced it, advanced toward it, met it rather than waiting in dread. This is not recklessness but resolve, the refusal to be paralyzed by fear, the readiness to face a threat rather than shrink from it. Fear tends to freeze us, to make us shrink back or wait passively for the worst; but Judas met the danger with resolve, going forward rather than being frozen. To face a threat head-on, with resolve, rather than being paralyzed by fear, is the spirit he showed. Resolve goes to meet what fear would flee.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to face our threats with resolve rather than being paralyzed by fear. When a daunting threat looms, we can be frozen by fear, shrinking back, waiting passively in dread for the worst to fall on us; but Judas, faced with a great enemy, went forward to meet them, refusing to be paralyzed. There is a resolve that faces a threat head-on rather than shrinking from it, that goes to meet what fear would flee. Do not let fear freeze you when a threat looms, shrinking back or waiting passively in dread; face it with resolve, as Judas went to meet the enemy. Face your threats with resolve rather than being paralyzed by fear, going forward to meet them rather than shrinking back or waiting passively in dread, as Judas, hearing of a great enemy army gathered against him, went to meet them; for fear tends to freeze us and make us shrink back, but there is a resolve that faces a threat head-on, and to meet our dangers with such resolve, rather than being paralyzed by fear, is better than waiting frozen for the worst to fall on us.

Lord, as Judas Maccabeus wages his campaigns to defend his people, word comes that an exceedingly great enemy army has gathered against him, hired allies and all, encamped and ready for battle. The report is daunting: a vast force, more than his own, arrayed to come against him. And Judas's response is simple and resolute: so Judas went to meet them. He does not shrink back in fear, or wait passively for the threat to fall on him, or let the size of the enemy paralyze him; he goes forward to meet the danger head-on. Faced with a great and frightening threat, Judas advances to meet it rather than being frozen by it. Show me Judas's resolve in the face of a daunting threat: he went to meet them. The enemy was great, the report frightening; a lesser resolve might have frozen in fear, or waited passively, or shrunk back. But Judas went forward to meet the threat head-on. He did not let the size of the danger paralyze him; he faced it, advanced toward it. This is not recklessness but resolve, the refusal to be paralyzed by fear. Fear tends to freeze us, to make us shrink back or wait passively for the worst; but Judas met the danger with resolve. Take that to my heart, for I am called to face my threats with resolve rather than being paralyzed by fear. When a daunting threat looms, I can be frozen by fear, shrinking back, waiting passively in dread for the worst to fall on me; but Judas, faced with a great enemy, went forward to meet them. There is a resolve that faces a threat head-on rather than shrinking from it. Keep me from letting fear freeze me when a threat looms; help me face it with resolve, Lord, as Judas went to meet the enemy, going forward rather than waiting frozen in dread.