"Judith" is a book found within the "Douay-Rheims Bible," which is one of the Catholic Bibles. It is believed to be written by Eliachim, but I don't really know or much care. I was unable to get anything very concrete on the matter.
"Judith" is about an evil king called Nabuchodonosor who employs a man named Holofernes to lay siege against the Israelites. Judith is the literal heroin of the book, something that is not often seen within the Bible. It does not read much like most books in the Bible but feels more like a story narrative that you would find in a regular book.
There are some extremely fascinating things about this book. The Israelites are no stranger to being invaded by bad people, and it is often because of their sins. When they became under siege, Holofernes found a way to completely cut off their water supply, and their people realized that their days were numbered. One of them says that they should wait five days, and if the Lord does not help them, they can resign themselves to their fates. I'll be honest: I didn't have a problem with this when I read it.
This is where Judith comes in and surprisingly points out that what the man suggested was a sin. Apparently the man was making terms for God when everything that happens on earth is on God's own personal terms. He wasn't supposed to make that decision. All they were expected to do was repent and leave it to God to deliver them if they so deserved it. This changed my initial perspective on the matter.
Now, Judith ends up being an absolute hero by he end of the book. Not only does she use her beauty to entrance Holofernes, but she ends up cutting his head off while he was sleeping. The book clearly suggests that God gave her the beauty and strength to do this, and it did not seem like an easy thing for her to do. She was very emotional about the whole thing, constantly asking God to give her the will to accomplish a task that usually fell to a man to complete.
After Holofernes was killed, the Israelites attack. This led to an absolutely comical scene where the enemy were having tons of trouble waking up their dead master. Apparently it was extremely bad form to barge into his sleeping chamber. They made a bunch of noise, hoping he would just come out. Eventually they walked in and clapped their hands and did everything short of tap dancing to get him to wake up. Finally, out of desperation, they threw open the curtain only to find him without a head. This scene may be the funniest thing I have ever read in the Bible. It was the very definition of comedy.
If this book is true, then Judith was a true heroine. She was, as it said, empowered by God by her own request and because of her service to Him. She lived for God. She won by God. And she lived and died a monument to the heights that women can rise to through submission to God. I absolutely recommend this one. It was an exciting story from beginning to end and actually surprisingly sexy too. Like... I'm not joking. It was hot. It was a sexy Bible book.
This blog was written on March 30, 2022.
Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Also stop by my Amazon.com listing by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/T.K.-Wade/e/B07BQK9RTZ
Check out my books! Thanks!
Fascinating the idea that God empowered Judith with irresistible sex appeal to overcome the forces of evil. Very telling. It goes to show that God is not a prude. He is not "church lady" approved... and that is good thing. He would be boring otherwise.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he was smitten by her... literally.
DeleteEverything in creation is on God's terms, it is silly for us to think otherwise. Judith was in the right place and the right time to play the part God gave her. God was laughing the whole time they were trying to wake their master.
ReplyDeleteYou know, she had a chance to bow out, and she didn't. You don't normally see that sort of initiative from female characters.
DeleteWomen can do amazing things. With His help, they can do even more. They may be weak, but He is strong.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and real strong women are strong in a different way than when men are strong. A man could never have done all the things she did. She was a hero as a woman.
Delete