Show full transcript 0:53 Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to 0:55 download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com 0:59 slash Bible in a year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes 1:03 and daily updates. And you would know that is day 298. And today is the first day of the last 1:09 book that we've got until we hit New Testament, all New Testament and almost nothing but New 1:15 Testament except for Proverbs because today is 2nd Maccabees chapter 1, Sirach chapter 40 and 41 1:19 and Proverbs chapter 24 verses 1 through 7. The second book of the Maccabees, 1:26 1. A Letter to the Jews in Egypt The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those 1:33 in the land of Judea, to their Jewish brethren in Egypt, greeting and good peace. 1:38 May God do good to you, and may He remember His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob 1:43 His faithful servants. May He give you all a heart to worship Him and to do His will 1:48 with a strong heart and a willing spirit. May He open your heart to His law and 1:52 his commandments and may he bring peace. May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you 1:57 and may he not forsake you in time of evil. We are now praying for you here. In the reign of Demetrius, 2:04 in the 169th year we Jews wrote to you in the citadel distressed which came upon us in those 2:10 years after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom and burned the 2:14 gate and shed innocent blood. We begged the Lord and we were heard and we offered sacrifice 2:20 in serial offering and we lighted the lamps and we set out the loaves and now 2:24 see that you keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev in the 188th 2:29 year. A letter to Aristotle those in Jerusalem and those in Judea and the 2:36 Senate and Judas to Aristotle who is of the family of the anointed priests 2:40 teacher of Ptolemy the king and to the Jews in Egypt greeting and good 2:45 health having been saved by God out of grave dangers we thank him greatly 2:49 for taking our side against the king, for he drove out those who fought against the holy city, 2:54 for when the leader reached Persia with a force that seemed irresistible, 2:58 they were cut to pieces in the temple of Nenia by a deception employed by the priests of Nenia. 3:03 For under pretext of intending to marry her, Antiochus came to the place together with his 3:07 friends to secure most of its treasures as a dowry. When the priests of the temple of Nenia 3:12 had set out the treasures and Antiochus had come with a few men inside the wall of 3:16 sacred precinct, they closed the temple as soon as he entered it. Opening the secret 3:21 door in the ceiling, they threw stones and struck down the leader and his men and dismembered 3:26 them and cut off their heads and threw them to the people outside. Blessed in every way 3:30 be our God, who has brought judgment upon those who have behaved impiously. 3:36 Fire consumes Nehemiah's sacrifice. Since on the 25th day of Chislev, we shall 3:41 celebrate the purification of the temple, we thought it necessary to notify you in 3:45 In order that you also may celebrate the Feast of Booths and the Feast of the Fire given 3:50 to a Nehemiah who built the temple and the altar offered sacrifices. 3:54 For when our fathers were being led captive to Persia, the pious priests of that time 3:58 took some of the fire of the altar and secretly hid it in the hollow of a dry cistern, where 4:03 they took such precautions that the place was unknown to anyone. 4:07 But after many years had passed, when it pleased God, Nehemiah, having been 4:11 commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden 4:15 the fire to get it. 4:17 And when they reported to us that they had not found fire but thick liquid, he ordered 4:20 them to dip it out and bring it. 4:23 And when the materials for the sacrifices were presented, Nehemiah ordered the priests 4:26 to sprinkle the liquid on the wood and what was laid upon it. 4:30 When this was done, and some time had passed, and the sun which had been clouded over 4:34 shone out, a great fire blazed up so that all marveled. 4:37 And while the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests offered prayer, the priests and everyone. 4:43 Jonathan led, and the rest responded as did Nehemiah. The prayer was to this effect. 4:49 Oh Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who are awe-inspiring and strong and just and merciful, 4:58 who alone are king and are kind, who alone are bountiful, who alone are just and almighty 5:03 and eternal, who rescue Israel from every evil, who chose the fathers and consecrated them. 5:10 Accept this sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel and preserve your portion and 5:14 make it holy. 5:16 Gather together our scattered people. 5:18 Set free those who are slaves among the Gentiles. 5:21 Look upon those who are rejected and despised and let the Gentiles know that you are 5:26 our God. 5:28 Afflict those who oppress and are insolent with pride. 5:30 plant your people in your holy place as Moses said." Then the priests sang the 5:37 hymns, and when the materials of the sacrifice were consumed, Nehemiah ordered 5:41 that the liquid that was left should be poured upon large stones. When this was 5:45 done, a flame blazed up, but when the light from the altar shone back, it went 5:49 out. When this matter became known and it was reported to the king of the 5:54 Persians that in the place where the exiled priests had hid in the fire, 5:57 Here, the liquid had appeared with which Nehemiah and his associates had burned the materials 6:02 of the sacrifice. 6:03 The king investigated the matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred. 6:08 And with those persons whom the king favored, he exchanged many excellent gifts. 6:12 Nehemiah and his associates called this naftar, which means purification, but by most people, 6:18 it is called nafta. 6:24 The book of Sirach, chapter 40, human wretchedness and joys of life. 6:28 life. Much labor was created for every man, and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, 6:34 from the day they come forth from their mother's womb till the day they return to the mother 6:38 of all. Their perplexities and fear of heart, their anxious thought, is the day of death. 6:44 From the man who sits on a splendid throne, to the one who is humbled in dust and ashes, 6:48 from the man who wears purple and a crown, to the one who is clothed in burlap, there 6:53 There is anger, and envy, and trouble, and unrest, and fear of death, and fury, and strife. 7:00 And when one rests upon his bed, his sleep at night confuses his mind. 7:05 He gets little or no rest, and afterward, in his sleep, as though he were on watch, 7:09 he is troubled by the visions of his mind, like one who has escaped from the battlefront. 7:14 At the moment of his rescue, he wakes up, and wonders that his fear came to nothing. 7:18 With all flesh, both man and beast, and upon sinners seven times more are death and bloodshed 7:25 and strife and sword, calamities, famine and affliction and plague. 7:30 All these were created for the wicked, and on their account the flood came. 7:35 All things that are from the earth turn back to the earth, and what is from the waters 7:39 returns to the sea. 7:41 All bribery and injustice will be blotted out, but good faith will stand forever. 7:46 The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a torrent and crash like a loud clap of thunder 7:51 in a rain. 7:53 A generous man will be made glad, likewise transgressors will utterly fail. 7:58 The children of the ungodly will not put forth many branches, they are unhealthy roots 8:02 upon sheer rock. 8:04 The reeds by any water or riverbank will be plucked up before any grass. 8:09 Kindness is like a garden of blessings and almsgiving endures forever. 8:13 However, life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker, but he who finds treasure is 8:19 better off than both. 8:21 Children and the building of a city establish a man's name, but a blameless wife is accounted 8:26 better than both. 8:28 Wine and music gladden the heart, but the love of wisdom is better than both. 8:33 The flute and the harp make pleasant melody, but a pleasant voice is better than both. 8:38 Both. 8:39 The eye desires grace and beauty, but the green shoots of grain more than both. 8:44 A friend or a companion never meets one amiss, but a wife with her husband is better than 8:49 both. 8:50 Brothers and help are for a time of trouble, but almsgiving rescues better than both. 8:56 Gold and silver make the foot stand sure, but good counsel is esteemed more than 9:01 both. 9:02 Riches and strength lift up the heart, but the fear of the Lord is better than both. 9:07 There is no loss in the fear of the Lord, and with it there is no need to seek for help. 9:13 The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing and covers a man better than any glory. 9:18 My son, do not lead the life of a beggar. 9:22 It is better to die than to beg. 9:25 When a man looks to the table of another, his existence cannot be considered as life. 9:29 He pollutes himself with another man's food. 9:31 food. 9:32 But a man who is intelligent and well-instructed guards against that. 9:37 In the mouth of the shameless, begging is sweet, but in his stomach a fire is kindled. 9:43 Chapter 41 A Series of Contrasts 9:47 O death, how bitter is the reminder of you to one who lives at peace among his possessions. 9:53 To a man without distractions who is prosperous in everything and who still has the vigor 9:58 to enjoy his food. 9:59 Oh death, how welcome is your sentence to one who is in need and is failing in strength, 10:04 very old and distracted over everything, to one who is contrary and has lost his patience. 10:10 Do not fear the sentence of death. 10:11 Remember your former days and the end of life. 10:14 This is the decree from the Lord for all flesh, and how can you reject the good 10:19 pleasure of the Most High? 10:21 Whether life is for ten or a hundred or a thousand years, there is no inquiry 10:26 about it in Hades. 10:27 The children of sinners are abominable children, and they frequent the haunts of the ungodly. 10:33 The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish, and on their posterity will be 10:37 a perpetual reproach. 10:40 Children will blame an ungodly father, for they suffer reproach because of him. 10:45 Woe to you ungodly men, who have forsaken the law of the Most High. 10:49 When you are born, you are born to a curse, and when you die, a curse is your lot. 10:53 dust. Whatever is from the dust returns to dust, so the ungodly go from curse to destruction. 11:02 The mourning of men is about their bodies, but the evil name of sinners will be blotted 11:06 out. Have regard for your name, since it will remain for you longer than a thousand 11:11 great stores of gold. The days of a good life are numbered, but a good name endures 11:17 forever. 11:19 My children, observe instruction and be at peace. 11:22 Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, what advantage is there in either of them? 11:27 Better is the man who hides his folly than the man who hides his wisdom. 11:31 Therefore show respect for my words, for it is not good to retain every kind of shame 11:36 and not everything is confidently esteemed by everyone. 11:40 Be ashamed of immorality before your father or mother, and of a lie before a prince or 11:45 a ruler, of a transgression before a judge or magistrate, and of iniquity before a congregation 11:50 or the people, of unjust dealing before your partner or friend, and of theft in the place 11:56 where you live. 11:58 Be ashamed before the truth of God and His covenant. 12:01 Be ashamed of selfish behavior at meals, of surliness in receiving and giving, and of 12:06 silence before those who greet you, of looking at a woman who is a harlot, and of rejecting 12:12 the appeal of a kinsman, of taking away someone's portion or gift, and of gazing at another man's 12:18 wife, of meddling with his maid servant, and do not approach her bed, of abusive words before 12:24 friends, and do not abrade after making a gift, of repeating and telling what you hear, 12:30 and of revealing secrets. Then he will show proper shame, and will find favor with every 12:36 Man. The Book of Proverbs, chapter 24, verses 1-7. 12:44 Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, for their minds devise violence, 12:51 and their lips talk of mischief. By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding 12:56 it is established. By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant 13:01 riches. A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge than 13:06 and he who has strength. 13:08 For by wise guidance, you can wage your war 13:10 and in abundance of counselors, there is victory. 13:14 Wisdom is too high for a fool. 13:16 In the gate, he does not open his mouth. 13:23 Father in heaven, we give you praise and thank you. 13:25 You keep calling us, gosh, every day, Lord. 13:27 You keep calling us to wisdom. 13:29 You keep calling us to see things as clearly as possible 13:31 and to choose them as firmly as possible. 13:34 Help us to walk in your will 13:36 and walk in the light of your truth. 13:38 Help us to number our days, 13:39 a rite that we may gain wisdom of heart. We make this prayer in Jesus' name, amen. In the name of 13:44 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. So kind of context for the beginning of 13:48 Second Maccabees. Again, we're throwing back. We're going to hear the story of Judas all over 13:52 again, and the story of Jason, and the story of Antiochus, Epiphanes, all over again. So this 13:57 intro is really interesting because the story's been written, right? Basically, the story's 14:00 happened already. And the author to Second Maccabees, knowing how the story went down, 14:04 is kind of like intro-ing the whole story 14:08 by not only throwing back, but throwing forward, 14:12 if that makes any sense, here's what I mean. 14:14 So we know that when Judas Maccabeus and the bros, 14:18 his brothers, they reclaimed the temple, 14:20 that they dedicated the temple 14:21 and they lit the oil lamps and what happened? 14:24 It burned for eight days 14:25 and this is the beginning of Hanukkah. 14:27 And so on the 25th day of Chislev, 14:29 they celebrate the purification of the temple. 14:31 So that's coming in the Second Book of Maccabees. 14:33 We already read it in first Maccabees, but this intro these letters that are beginning kind of initiating the whole book of second Maccabees 14:40 The author is saying by the way before we get into this any further 14:44 You are invited welcomed slash maybe even commanded to keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev 14:51 On the 25th day of Chislev we celebrate the purification the temple basically saying this is what happened in 14:56 Jerusalem in the temple the Hanukkah thing the festival lights 15:00 And so we're inviting you to participate in this festival as well. 15:04 So it's kind of one of these time warp situations where kind of like a Deuteronomy here. 15:09 We've lived through this whole story. 15:10 We've lived through the wilderness and now we're recounting the story of the wilderness a little bit like that. 15:14 And so they've already lived through purification of the temple and they're letting the people know right away. 15:19 Jewish, our Jewish brothers and sisters keep this feast, keep this observance of this festival. 15:24 Also, we have this story of Nehemiah, which we don't have necessarily anywhere else in the Bible, 15:29 But the story of Nehemiah discovering the sacred fire so on the way to Persia 15:33 Which is actually on the way to Babylon the priests hid the sacred fire and it turned into this 15:39 Sledge, I don't know it turned into this liquid essentially and what happened is when they recover this fire Nehemiah recovers the fire 15:48 Remember Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls. He was sent back to Jerusalem by the king of Persia 15:55 double points remember his name he was sent back to Jerusalem by the king of Persia and 15:59 Here's the story that we have that they recovered the fire, but actually it turned into this liquid 16:04 They put the liquid on the altar when the sun shone on it it ignited essentially and here is this this kind of 16:11 really cool 16:13 Sign of God's faithfulness and this is this this here's fire that turned into liquid that turned back to fire 16:19 We recognize that this is the people of God, right? They were fire 16:22 Here they are in covenant with God in the land of Israel 16:26 They're brought into exile and in that time they lay dormant in some ways. 16:31 I mean, obviously God is still working with them, but then they're brought back to the temple. 16:34 They're brought back to the Mount Zion and what happens, ignited once again. 16:38 It's kind of like this image that I'm teasing out here. 16:42 And no, tomorrow we're going to hear about Jeremiah hiding the Ark, 16:44 which is a whole other story. 16:46 This is incredible that we're going to get because I don't think that we heard about 16:49 Jeremiah hiding the Ark anywhere other than the Second Maccabees. 16:51 I could be wrong on that one, but I think that that's accurate. 16:53 but gosh, we also have Sirac. 16:56 And I just love, sometimes I know some wives might have been 17:01 like, okay, Sirac, I'm not sure I like this guy. 17:04 He keeps talking about a garrulous wife 17:06 or a complaining wife and all these kinds of things. 17:09 But we gotta give, we gotta highlight this. 17:11 And this is children in the building of a city 17:14 establish a man's name, 17:15 but a blameless wife is better than both. 17:18 So a lot of kids building a city, a great name. 17:21 Yeah, but a good wife, a blameless wife said better than both was on to say a friend or companion 17:27 Never meets one amiss. Those are good things 17:29 but a wife with her husband are better than both and the author of 17:33 Siraq he says multiple times that sense of like here's praise for 17:37 That great relationship between a husband and wife that the blessings of marriage can be such an incredible thing 17:44 But I love this in in Siraq how it goes through all these things that are good 17:49 We remember yesterday we talked about all the things God made are good 17:52 They can be used for evil 17:53 But he even goes on even further today in chapter 40 and talks about how here's a lot of good things 17:58 But there are things that are even better. There are there's good and it's kind of great, right? 18:02 So this life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker. Yeah, but he finds a treasure is better off than both 18:08 So basically lottery winners wine and music glad in the heart, but love of wisdom is better than both 18:15 Fluid and harp pleasant melody pleasant voice is better than both 18:19 Like, there's something so good about this recognition 18:23 that in a world of a lot of goods, 18:26 our task is to choose the best. 18:30 That in a world of full of goods, 18:32 that we can't let the good get in the way of the best. 18:36 Can't let the good get in the way of 18:38 what really should be our priority. 18:41 So moving on just a little bit here into chapter 41, 18:45 talking about death, and this is, 18:47 It's worthwhile. I'm not sure if if all of us here in this community if we reflect on death much 18:53 Sometimes it's unavoidable. I know that I imagine I know this because there's a large community of us journeying through the Bible that maybe today is the day 19:01 Of someone you love deeply's funeral. Maybe today's the day that you're sitting in someone's hospital room right now listening to the Bible and 19:10 This person you love the person who loves you is slipping away 19:15 Or is in danger of death? 19:17 So just be sensitive to that very realizing that you're not alone as we always say you're not alone 19:22 We are praying with you. We're praying for you right now 19:26 But there's this sense of a lot of us can avoid reflecting on death. We don't take the time to realize that this is 19:32 guaranteed 19:34 So in chapter 41, here's the the author saying oh death 19:37 How bitter is the reminder of you to one who lives that peace among his possessions 19:41 To manage without distractions who is prosperous and everything and we still has vigor to enjoy his food 19:45 And basically how bitter is the reminder of death to one who's at peace and one who has prosperity 19:51 One who has health on the other hand. Oh death 19:54 How welcome is your sentence to one who is in need and is failing in strength? 19:58 Who's very old and distracted over everything to one who's contrary and has lost his patience that sense of like man 20:04 Yeah, our perspective on life at this moment, whether it's full of pain 20:07 Like maybe death is welcome versus full of of strength and full of opportunity. Maybe death is a bitter reminder 20:13 but he goes on to say, 20:14 do not fear the sentence of death. 20:17 Remember your former days and the end of life. 20:19 This is the decree from the Lord for all flesh. 20:21 How can you reject the good pleasure of the most high? 20:24 For whether, and this is important, 20:26 whether life is for 10 or 100 or 1,000 years, 20:29 there is no inquiry about it in Hades. 20:31 There is something about that 20:33 that just is so important for us. 20:37 One of the things that I reflect on so often 20:41 and is that every single day is a gift. 20:44 That whether a person lives for a day 20:46 or for a hundred years, or a thousand here, 20:49 it says in Sirach, every day of those is undeserved. 20:53 Every one of those is a gift. 20:56 And sometimes that breaks our heart, right? 20:58 Obviously, when someone dies before we were ready, 21:01 if we could ever be ready, 21:03 but when someone dies before we were ready, 21:05 it just, it feels like we're robbed, right? 21:08 It feels like something's been taken from us 21:10 and that it's that's real but the a deeper truth is that something was given that didn't have to be 21:17 given here's this is someone who's four years old and I hate to even mention this someone who's four 21:23 years old and dies and then they die and we see this as something's been taken from us someone's 21:29 been taken from us and that is true and that breaks our heart and I'm not I'm not arguing 21:33 that that is true but also the deeper truth is something had been given that didn't have to 21:40 be given four years of someone's life that didn't have to be given doesn't make it easier 21:46 I guess maybe maybe it does in some ways but doesn't take away the grief doesn't take away 21:50 the heartbreak but maybe maybe before that day comes maybe before that day when the person 21:57 is taken away we can look at them across the kitchen table we can look at them we 22:01 can call them we can do FaceTime them or whatever the thing is and we can say every 22:06 day with you has been a gift that I didn't deserve. I know a lot of parents who are listening, 22:12 a lot of grandparents who are listening to be able to look at your kids and say every day with you, 22:17 however old they are, every day with you has been a gift. This didn't have to be given to me. 22:23 And so I just don't want to let it go to waste. I don't want to get to the point where it's 22:27 gone, where you're gone. And now I just think of what's taken. I want to be here in front 22:34 of you and remember what's been given. Same thing as true husbands to look at 22:38 your brides. Brides to look at your husbands. Friends to look at your friends 22:45 and all of us to be able to look at the Lord and say God however long you want 22:49 my life to be. At the end you're not taking life away from me because it was 22:55 never mine in the first place. You gave it to me. And now like Jesus we can 23:01 and say into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. 23:03 I give it back. 23:06 This is something I've been praying about 23:07 and thanks for letting me reflect on this with y'all. 23:11 I know there are so many of us right now 23:13 in this community in grief, in the midst of loss. 23:16 And so you're not alone. 23:18 We are praying for you. 23:19 We are praying for you. 23:20 Please pray for each other. 23:21 I'm praying for you. 23:22 Please pray for me. 23:23 My name's Father Mike. 23:24 I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. 23:26 God bless.
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