Day 294: Judea Gains Independence
1 Maccabees 13:1-30 Simon, the last of the Maccabean brothers, rallied the people against the threat of Trypho’s army. Trypho set a ransom price for Jonathan but did not release him after the ransom was paid. Trypho circled Simon’s army seeking a military advantage, but in the end he killed Jonathan and retreated without a battle. Jonathan received a burial with great honor.
Ch 13:31-53 Trypho killed Antiochus and assumed his throne. Simon made peace with Demetrius, who agreed to cede control of Israel and remove all taxes, tributes, and debts. Through Simon’s leadership, Israel was completely liberated and would enjoy independence for a while.
Sirach 32:1-13 The prudent manners required of a host refer to the recurrent themes covered in this book: humility, discernment, generosity, and wisdom in speech.
Ch 32:14-24 The fourth section of this book, which focuses on the fear of the Lord and its role in wisdom, begins here. Fear of the Lord, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, is the awe and reverence with which we should regard God. If we possess true fear of the Lord, then we will embrace his will eagerly and avoid near occasions of sin.
Ch 33:1-18 The wise person carefully discerns good from evil, a practice tremendously aided by habitually keeping the Law. The wise person realizes that God will provide us with strength and deliverance if we call upon him in times of trial and temptation. Hence, the final position of the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil” (Mt. 6:13). (CCC 2750)
Ch 33:19-31 Whether as a head of a family or as one who supervises subordinates, good leadership requires prudence and wisdom. (CCC 2434-2436)
(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)
Simon
The last of Mattathias’ surviving sons, Simon, took Jonathan’s place (1 Mc 13:1-8) and sided with Demetrius II against Trypho, his brother’s captor and murderer.
For this support, the Seleucid emperor extended an olive branch to the Jewish people, releasing them from all taxes and effectively granting independence to their nation.
Not since the Babylonian incursions of the seventh century BC had Judah had such freedom.
(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)
So in 1 Maccabees Ch 13 we have the story of the brothers
Judas then Jonathan and now Simon
Every one of those brothers is pretty remarkable when it comes to battle
They have fought back and here is the new INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN NATION OF JUDAH
Essentially the INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN NATION OF ISRAEL, you might call it
It is in Judah in the city of Jerusalem
They have FREEDOM (You know I had to do this....Braveheart - They can take our lives, but they will never take our freedom 😉)
THIS IS REMARKABLE!!
This is one of those things we need to note
For over 100 years the people of Israel had their own sovereign nation
Because they fought against the Greeks and the alliances around them
Not only were they willing to do that, but they also fought in such a way that they WANTED TO KEEP THE LAW
You see this today with Simon who is going all over the place
As he goes to places like Gazara, the Citadel in Jerusalem
He says, “Yeah, I’ll spare your life, but you have to leave.”
Why?
Because they were not FOLLOWING THE LAW
They were not LIVING THE COVENANT
For us, that can be really troubling
Because we are like, “Well, that sounds like a THEOCRACY!”
At the same time, YES IT KIND OF IS
AND YET…
Here is what God had called his people to belong to Him, to FOLLOW THE LAW
As Christians, we do not believe in a theocracy
As Christians, we believe….well yes, the Church is the theocracy and we belong to the Lord
BUT…
Civilly speaking, we don’t have that
What we DO have is OUR OWN LIVES GOVERNED
Theocracy is governance OF THE PEOPLE BY THE RULES OF RELIGION
Ultimately, by God and those who enforce God’s Law as they see it
BUT…
We do have a theocracy in the Church
WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE LORD
NOT BY THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES
NOT BY THE CIVIL LIFE THAT WE ARE LIVING IN
WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF GOD
WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE COVENANT THAT JESUS ESTABLISHES IN HIS OWN BLOOD
WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE FACT THAT HE HAS POURED OUT HIS SPIRIT UPON US SO THAT WE CAN CRY OUT, “ABBA, FATHER!”
IN FACT…
The HEAD of this MONARCHY is the LORD GOD HIMSELF
YOU have been made into SONS AND DAUGHTERS of this Lord God Himself
We can make as many connections between 1 Maccabees Ch 13 and our own lives
BUT…
Keep in mind that what we are called to do is SURRENDER
We are called to SUBMIT TO THE LORD’S LAWS
We are called to LIVE OUT THE COVENANT that God has established with his people and with us
He has brought us into that
Hopefully that makes sense
Fr. Mike has been saying that a lot these last few days
Because 1 Maccabees is an historical book and does not necessarily give us a sermon
It just tells us what happens
BUT…
Sirach definitely gives us a sermon
There is some INCREDIBLE...JUST….
MY GOSH!!
Sirach 32:1, “If they make you master of the feast, do not exalt yourself; be among them as one of them…”
What kind of advice is this??
THIS IS AMAZING!!
This is a DAD speaking to his SON
Sirach 32:1-2, “...take good care of them and then be seated; when you have fulfilled your duties, take your place, that you may be merry on their account and receive a wreath for your excellent leadership.”
Sirach 32:3, “Speak, you who are older, for it is fitting that you should, but with accurate knowledge, and do not interrupt the music.”
A GOOD DAD giving some GOOD ADVICE!!
If you speak when you are older….yeah that makes sense
BUT…
Also, don’t tell lies
Give accurate knowledge
Don’t interrupt the music!!
Sirach 32:4, “Where there is entertainment, do not pour out talk…” (YEAH!!! Don’t speak during the movie in a theater, people!!! 🤨)
We’ve all been in a situation like that
Maybe there’s a dinner or function or fundraiser and there’s a show
The person next to you wants to converse during the show
“Listen, someone up there is talking. Don’t do this. They’re playing a song right now! Don’t talk!!”
If only they had read Sirach Ch 32 they would have known not to do that!!
Sirach 32:5, “A ruby seal in a setting of gold is a concert of music at a banquet of wine.”
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE!!
Sirach 32:7-8, “Speak, young man, if there is need of you, but no more than twice, and only if asked. Speak concisely, say much in few words; be as one who knows and yet holds his tongue.”
That is practical advice FOR ALL OF US to follow and to BE KIND TO EACH OTHER and to DEFER
That’s a big piece of this
Some of this wisdom in Sirach is, “Yes, belong to the Lord and live for the Lord and follow the Law.”
BUT…
Another piece is, “Defer to the people around you. Recognize that they are significant. Recognize that THEY MATTER.”
This is one of the things that is at the heart of every one of our lives is this AWARENESS
As Christians, we realize that EVERYONE AROUND US MATTERS!!
EVERYONE AROUND YOU MATTERS!!
EVERYONE AROUND ME MATTERS!!
YOU ALL MATTER!!
EVERYONE LISTENING TO THIS BIBLE IN A YEAR PODCAST MATTERS!!
The fact that you are listening to the Word of God for 294 Days…
THAT MATTERS!!
The fact that you are allowing God to shape the WAY YOU THINK, the way you SEE THE WORLD, and the WAY YOU ACT…
THAT MATTERS!!
Because above everything else...
Even if there are people around you that treat you like you don’t matter…
YOU MATTER TO GOD!!
YOU MATTER TO US, THIS COMMUNITY THAT HAS WALKED AND JOURNEYED FOR ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR!!
YOU MATTER TO US!!
YOU MATTER TO ME!!
YOU MATTER TO FR. MIKE!!
FR. MIKE IS PRAYING FOR YOU!!
PRAY FOR FR. MIKE
PRAY FOR EACH OTHER
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise. We thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your Word. We thank you for the thousandth day in a row. We thank you for your Wisdom that just guides us and calls us to belong to you and calls us to live not foolishly, to live wisely. We ask you to please guard our thoughts and guard our minds that everything we say and everything we think may be true, may be true things, may be good things, may be helpful things, and wise things. May everything we do give you glory, Father, and help our brothers and sisters around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”