“Word came to Judas Maccabeus concerning Nicanor’s invasion. When he told his companions of the arrival of the army, those who were cowardly and distrustful of God’s justice ran off and got away. Others sold all their remaining property. At the same time, they implored the Lord to rescue those who had been sold by the ungodly Nicanor before he ever met them. If not for their own sake, then for the sake of the covenants made with their ancestors, because he had called them by his holy and glorious name.”
This incident can be found in 1 Maccabees, chapter 3. Here, however, there is more fear among the men of Judas Maccabeus than in 1 Maccabees, where they begin to pray. Some just run away. Others sold their goods so that they would not be sold into slavery. They wanted the Lord to rescue them, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of their ancestors. They had called the Lord by his holy and glorious name.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 