That’s exactly the feeling gripping the Israelites as we turn to the Book of Judith.
Chapter 7 opens with a chilling description. The Assyrian army, a seemingly endless wave of warriors, begins to move. We're talking a hundred seventy thousand foot soldiers, plus twelve thousand horsemen. And that's before we even count the baggage carriers and other support personnel. The text makes it clear: this is a "very great multitude."
Imagine the scene. The Assyrian forces, under the command of Holofernes, descend upon the valley near Bethulia. They spread out, their tents and banners stretching across the landscape from Dothaim all the way to Belmaim. And lengthwise? From Bethulia to Cynamon, which lies opposite Esdraelon. The sheer scale of the encampment is breathtaking, and terrifying.
We can almost feel the fear radiating from the Israelites. “Now the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were greatly troubled." This isn’t just a passing worry; it’s a deep, unsettling dread.
What would you do? That feeling of helplessness, of being utterly overwhelmed, is something we can all relate to, even if we've never faced an army quite this size. It sets the stage for the incredible courage and faith that Judith is about to display. What happens next? We will have to wait and see.