Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master. – Proverbs 25:13

Today's Scripture Reading (November 22, 2022): Proverbs 25

There are some differences between the Bible that Protestants read and the one read by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians. And one of those differences is the addition of several books that are included in the Catholic or Eastern orthodox Old Testament that are missing in the Protestant Bibles. One of those "other books" is the Book of Judith. Protestant scholars have noted historical mistakes in the writing, such as calling Nebuchadnezzar a "King of Assyria" instead of "Babylon," as well as no historical evidence that the Book of Judith was ever considered canonical by the Jewish Scholars. The most common opinion seems to be that Judith is a historical novel or, like some of the movies we watch, which note that it is "a story based on true events." There is some truth to these stories, but there are also many added elements that are not historical and didn't really happen, at least not in the way the story depicts. And there has been no effort to get all of the facts right.

But that doesn't mean that nothing in the Book of Judith can be useful for us as readers of the Bible. And one of the things that Judith does is give us a look into the life in the centuries that immediately preceded the birth of Jesus. One of those illuminating ideas is the story of Judith's husband, Manasseh. According to the tale, Judith is a widow; Judith's husband died while harvesting the crops. "While he was supervising those who bound the sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the heat; and he collapsed on his bed and died in Bethulia, his native city. He was buried with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon" (Judith 8:3 NABRE). The story was probably not an uncommon one. Heat can be hard to take, especially if you must work in it. So, the death of Manasseh, while tragic, would have been understandable in ancient times.

It also reveals a practice of smart employers during this era. Without any artificial ways of keeping things cold, people had to look for natural ways to bring cooling refreshments to the hot fields. And one of those methods was to bring ice and snow down from the mountains and place them in a cool cave, where hopefully, the snow would remain frozen for a slightly extended time. Treated properly, the snow and ice would provide a place where the drinks could be kept cool, providing a welcome relief for the workers toiling in the harvest heat. As Proverbs speak of a snow-cooled drink, it was not that it would snow during the harvest. If that were to happen, it would be a disaster for the crop, which the moisture and the cold would ruin. Instead, it was about vineyard owners who went to extraordinary lengths to get coolness to the workers on a hot day.

Proverbs says a trustworthy messenger is like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time. Knowing that an important message will get through to where it needs to be refreshes the one sending it like a cool drink refreshes and gives life to those who are working the harvest. Neither have to worry about the task at hand; both have made preparations for everything needing to be done.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 26