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Bible Study 20231128 Judith 9:1-14 #BibleStudy #Amen #Love #Christian #VictoryinJesus  The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (Washington, DC: National Council of Churches of Christ, 1993),   The Prayer of Judith (Gen 34.1–31) 9 Then Judith prostrated herself, put ashes on her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was wearing. At the very time when the evening incense was being offered in the house of God in Jerusalem, Judith cried out to the Lord with a loud voice, and said, 2 “O Lord God of my ancestor Simeon, to whom you gave a sword to take revenge on those strangers who had torn off a virgin’s clothinga to defile her, and exposed her thighs to put her to shame, and polluted her womb to disgrace her; for you said, ‘It shall not be done’—yet they did it; 3 So you gave up their rulers to be killed, and their bed, which was ashamed of the deceit they had practiced, was stained with blood, and you struck down slaves along with princes, and princes on their thrones. 4 You gave up their wives for booty and their daughters to captivity, and all their booty to be divided among your beloved children who burned with zeal for you and abhorred the pollution of their blood and called on you for help. O God, my God, hear me also, a widow. 5 “For you have done these things and those that went before and those that followed. You have designed the things that are now, and those that are to come. What you had in mind has happened; 6 the things you decided on presented themselves and said, ‘Here we are!’ For all your ways are prepared in advance, and your judgment is with foreknowledge. 7 “Here now are the Assyrians, a greatly increased force, priding themselves in their horses and riders, boasting in the strength of their foot soldiers, and trusting in shield and spear, in bow and sling. They do not know that you are the Lord who crushes wars; the Lord is your name. 8 Break their strength by your might, and bring down their power in your anger; for they intend to defile your sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where your glorious name resides, and to break off the hornsb of your altar with the sword. 9 Look at their pride, and send your wrath upon their heads. Give to me, a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan. 10 By the deceit of my lips strike down the slave with the prince and the prince with his servant; crush their arrogance by the hand of a woman. 11 “For your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope. 12 Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer! 13 Make my deceitful words bring wound and bruise on those who have planned cruel things against your covenant, and against your sacred house, and against Mount Zion, and against the house your children possess. 14 Let your whole nation and every tribe know and understand that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone!”1 a a Cn: Gk loosed her womb b b Syr: Gk horn 1 The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (Washington, DC: National Council of Churches of Christ, 1993), Jdt 9:1–14. Revelation From God Author The author of Judith is unknown. Date The exact date the book was written is unknown, however several scholars believe it was written around 100 BCE. History Its historical range is extraordinary. Within the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (1:1; 2:1), it telescopes five centuries of historical and geographical information with imaginary details. There are references to Nineveh, the Assyrian capital destroyed in 612 B.C., to Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler not of Assyria but of Babylon (605/604–562), and to the second Temple, built around 515. The postexilic period is presumed (e.g., governance by the High Priest). The Persian period is represented by two characters, Holofernes and Bagoas, who appear together in the military campaigns of Artaxerxes III Ochus (358–338); there seem to be allusions to the second-century Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Several mysteries remain: Judith herself, Arphaxad, and others are otherwise unknown. The geographical details, such as the narrow defile into Bethulia (an unidentified town which gives access to the heart of the land), are fanciful. The simple conclusion from these and other details is that the work is historical fiction, written to exalt God as Israel’s deliverer from foreign might, not by an army, but by means of a simple widow.11 New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Jdt. Theology This a an inclusive story of a women that saves Israel, much like the story of Deborah in Judges 4:1-24, Judges 5:1-31. This is a fictional story of the Judge Judith, as she could not have lived 500 years. It is designed to show that all people are important in YHWH’s Kingdom, and that YHWH values all, or that Theophilus reigns supreme, Deut 10:18-19, Deut 11:1-32, Deut 13:3, 1 Sa 18:1-5, 2 Sam 9:1-13, John 3:16, John 13:34-35, Rom 5:8, Rom 13:8-10, 1 Co 13:1-13, Eph 5:1-21, 1 Jn 3:11-14, 1 Jn 4:1-21, 1 Jn 5:3!!!! Inner-biblical references are noteworthy: as God acted through Moses’ hand (Ex 10:21–22; 14:27–30), so God delivers “by the hand of a female,” Judith. Like Jael, who drove a tent peg through the head of Sisera (Jgs 4), Judith kills an enemy general. Like Deborah (Jgs 4–5), Judith “judges” Israel in the time of military crisis. Like Sarah, the mother of Israel’s future (Gn 17:6), Judith’s beauty deceives foreigners, with the result that blessings redound to Israel (Gn 12:11–20). Her Hebrew name means “Jewish woman.” Her exploits captured the imagination of liturgists, artists, and writers through the centuries. The book is filled with double entendres and ironic situations, e.g., Judith’s conversation with Holofernes in 11:5–8, 19, where “my lord” is ambiguous, and her declaration to Holofernes that she will lead him through Judea to Jerusalem (his head goes on such a journey). 11 New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Jdt. Structure This is a fictional historical writing. Chapter (9) {(3) YHWH, the Holy Spirit, Ruach Gen1:2. Rev 22:17, times (3) YHWH, the Holy Spirit, Ruach, Joh 14:15-31, Joh 16:4-15}. It has (1) Pericope, (Theological Idea), YHWH the Father, YHWH Ab, Tobit 13:4, Tobit 13:15, Psa 46:10, Psa 90:1-2 !!!! There are (14) verses whose sum is (5) The Broken, Rom 3:23, Rev 2:5, The Fallen, Gen 1:4-5, Rev 12:4-9, The Lost, Mat 18:10-14, Joh 10:27-30, The Sinner, Gen 6:16, 1 Ti 1:8-9, The Unbelieving, Luk 15:1-32, John 3:18 !!!! (14) is the product of (2) YHWH the Son, YHWH Bane, Christ Jesus, YHWH Yeshua, 2 Es2:37-48, 2 Es 12:31-38, 2 Es 13:21-38, Enoch 48:5–6, Enoch 48:10, Enoch 99:10, times (7) the perfect completion of creation, Gen 2:2-3, Rev 22:1-21, Christ Jesus in you,1 Cor 12:1-31, Eph 2:1-22 !!!! Purpose  The purpose of Judith is to shown all, that YHWH includes all in His design and plans and no one is excluded, John 3:16, Matt 19:12!!!! The purpose of Chapter (9) is to teach all to go to YHWH in prayer, Judith 4:1-15, Judith 6:1-20, Psa116:2, Mat 6:25-34, Eph 3:14-21, Php 4:6-7, 1 Th 5:16-18, for YHWH hears and answers our prayers, Psalm 139:4, Eph 6:18, John 5:14–15, 1 Peter 3:12!!!! Exegesis / Hermeneutical Prayer Judith 9:1-14 : Pericope, (1), YHWH the Father, YHWH Ab, Tobit 13:4, Tobit 13:15, Psa 46:10, Psa 90:1-2 !!!! There are (14) verses whose sum is (5) The Broken, Rom 3:23, Rev 2:5, The Fallen, Gen 1:4-5, Rev 12:4-9, The Lost, Mat 18:10-14, Joh 10:27-30, The Sinner, Gen 6:16, 1 Ti 1:8-9, The Unbelieving, Luk 15:1-32, John 3:18 !!!! (14) is the product of (2) YHWH the Son, YHWH Bane, Christ Jesus, YHWH Yeshua, 2 Es2:37-48, 2 Es 12:31-38, 2 Es 13:21-38, Enoch 48:5–6, Enoch 48:10, Enoch 99:10, times (7) the perfect completion of creation, Gen 2:2-3, Rev 22:1-21, Christ Jesus in you,1 Cor 12:1-31, Eph 2:1-22 !!!! Judith 9:1-14 : go to YHWH in prayer, Judith 4:1-15, Judith 6:1-20, Psa116:2, Mat 6:25-34, Eph 3:14-21, Php 4:6-7, 1 Th 5:16-18, for YHWH hears and answers our prayers, Psalm 139:4, Eph 6:18, John 5:14–15, 1 Peter 3:12!!!! Conclusion Chapter (9) teaches all to go to YHWH in prayer, Judith 4:1-15, Judith 6:1-20, Psa116:2, Mat 6:25-34, Eph 3:14-21, Php 4:6-7, 1 Th 5:16-18, for YHWH hears and answers our prayers, Psalm 139:4, Eph 6:18, John 5:14–15, 1 Peter 3:12!!!! Bible Study Question Do you go to YHWH in Prayer? We are all to go to YHWH in prayer, Judith 4:1-15, Judith 6:1-20, Psa116:2, Mat 6:25-34, Eph 3:14-21, Php 4:6-7, 1 Th 5:16-18, for YHWH hears and answers our prayers, Psalm 139:4, Eph 6:18, John 5:14–15, 1 Peter 3:12!!!!