2 Maccabees 8: Nicanor
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Gustave Dorè: Judas Maccabeus before the Army of Nicanor
The last verses of this chapter focus on Nicanor, a man who intensely dislikes the Jewish people and all they stand for. He will appear later in Jewish history and he will eventually be killed in battle; his head and right hand will be on display in Jerusalem for all to see. But here we read of a time of humiliation for him and we might spend time with this verse: he was eminently successful in destroying his own army. So he who had promised to provide tribute for the Romans by the capture of the people of Jerusalem testified that the Jews had a champion, and that they were invulnerable for the very reason that they followed the laws laid down by him.
This new Champion is Judas Maccabeus; the laws are those of the Lord. The man who intended to be slave-dealer flees like a runaway slave, leaving behind him the clothing that designates him as “A Friend of the King”. He will later return, but his end will be ignoble.
http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/N/NICANOR+(1)/
All of this brings me to thinking about those who float through life establishing their worth as friends of those in power; rather than finding a way to live a genuine life of devotion to God.
It brings me to thinking about how those who “live by the sword also die by the sword”; ending their lives in the very way they had intended to end the lives of others.
It brings me to thinking about my own life, my own circumstances, and how and where I spend my spiritual and emotional self. Whom do I value and why? What do I value and when? How do I value anyone or anything . . . and do I come to my evaluation with or without God?
We might eliminate a good deal of treachery and betrayal from our lives if we first find a way of doing all things through, and for, and with God alone . . . for God alone guarantees an honorable path for living. God alone assures us a life spent in eternal serenity. God alone makes promises that are fully and truly kept.
For more on Judas Maccabeus and the Selucid Empire, go to: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/353851/Judas-Maccabeus and http://www.britannica.com/search?query=selucid+empire
Written on November 24, 2010; re-written and posted today as a Favorite.
Image from: http://www.mundellchristianchurch.com/art/2Macc-15-Judas-Maccabeus-before-the-Army-of-Nicanor.html
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