Beauty becomes a weapon of war God uses to defeat evil. In the stories of Judith and Esther, these women are called upon to use the tools they have available to overcome great evil. The beauty that comes from God includes:
- A woman of prayer
- A woman of humbleness
- A woman who is pure, aligned with God
- A woman who is wise, and I would include intelligent
- A woman who seeks the counsel of God
- A woman who fasts and prays prior to taking any action
Judith (a widow), upon learning her entire race is set to be destroyed, hears of the fear of the elders (men) who might compromise God’s laws to stay alive, goes first into prayer and fasting, then after that takes off her clothes of mourning and widowhood and dons lovely celebratory clothing, jewels, and hair. She clears with the elders that she has a plan, one inspired by God. She awes the enemy’s encampment with her beauty, is not compromised, meaning there is no physical seduction, and is able to cut off the head of the enemy’s military leader and defeat the enemy, saving her people. She is with the enemy four days and nights, and each night she excuses herself to enter into prayer.
Esther discovers her people are to be annihilated. She, unlike Judith, is very young. But she is well-studied, humble, and beautiful. She too enters into a time of prayer and fasting, and with strategy is able to save her people and have the King fall even more deeply in love with her.
How is this different than feminine wiles?
First, my own impression of feminine wiles is of witchcraft, seduction, and manipulation. It uses a base sexual beauty to manipulate a man into doing what the goal is. I pulled this off the internet:
Feminine wiles refer to clever tricks or strategies that women use to persuade or influence others, often to achieve their goals or desires. This term can imply a sense of charm or manipulation in social interactions.
Charmed and enchanted, a man will lose control of his mind and values to surrender to the whims of the woman charming him.
Would this type of manipulation have been brought in by the fallen? It is under the category of witches and would have been taught to human women by the original defiant Gregori watcher angels.
Did Judith and Esther use witchcraft to defeat evil? No.
You can collapse the two types of beauty into one thing, but they are entirely separate. God gave women beauty; this beauty is enhanced by prayer and fasting. God gave women intelligence – brilliance. God spoke to and directed the ways of women, and God enhanced and fortified their efforts.
I am unable to fast, but I was asking God for some direction, and He guided me to this awareness:
5 am – 1 hour Bible study and prayer
Pray every 3 hours for 15 min
The hour before heading to bed, spend in prayer
For someone who cannot, or it is not practical to fast, this would be aligned with fasting with a purpose. Not the same, but similar.
And finally, one more not on beauty: it is lost when a woman steps away from God. In the early chapters of Maccabees, Book 1, the uncommon beauty of woman is changed; they are no longer seen for this beauty as their culture rejects and defies God. I found this interesting as well. Stepping away from God results in a loss of that pure, brilliant beauty, and a woman becomes common. And this reminds me, I thought it odd it was in the Book of Enoch, but the watchers taught the use of makeup, and I think this was to go along with charm and manipulation to the women they indoctrinated into what we now call witchcraft.
