Day 305: The Defender (2024)
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Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Rated Venture Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 305. You have 60 after today. 60 days.

Gosh, what a gift. It's day 305. We're reading 2 Maccabees chapter 8, Wisdom chapter 5 and 6, two of those chapters. Proverbs chapter 24 verses 30 through 34. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates. It's day 305. We're reading 2 Maccabees chapter 8, Wisdom 5 and 6, as well as Proverbs chapter 24 verses 304.

30-34. The second book of the Maccabees, chapter 8, the revolt of Judas Maccabeus. But Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish faith. And so they gathered about 6,000 men.

They begged the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all, and to have pity on the temple which had been profaned by ungodly men, and to have mercy on the city which was being destroyed and about to be leveled to the ground, and to heed the blood that cried out to him, and to remember also the lawless destruction of the innocent babies and the blasphemies committed against his name, and to show his hatred of evil. As soon as Maccabeus got his army organized, the Gentiles could not withstand him, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to mercy.

Coming without warning, he would set fire to towns and villages. He captured strategic positions and put to flight not a few of the enemy. He found the knights most advantageous for such attacks, and talk of his valor spread everywhere.

When Philip saw that the man was gaining ground little by little and that he was pushing ahead with more frequent successes, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Quell Syria and Phoenicia, for aid to the king's government. And Ptolemy promptly appointed Nicanor, the son of Patroclus, one of the king's chief friends, and sent him in command of no fewer than 20,000 Gentiles of all nations to wipe out the whole race of Judea. He associated him with Gorgias, a general and a man of experience in military service, who

Nicanor determined to make up for the king the tribute due to the Romans' 2,000 talents by selling the captured Jews into slavery. And he immediately sent to the cities on the seacoast, inviting them to buy Jewish slaves and promising to hand over 90 slaves for a talent, not expecting the judgment from the Almighty that was about to overtake him. In preparation for battle, word came to Judas concerning Nicanor's invasion.

And 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 and at the same time begged the Lord to rescue those who had been sold by the ungodly Nicanor before he ever met them, if not for their own sake, yet for the sake of the covenants made with their fathers, and because he had called them by his holy and glorious name.

But Maccabeus gathered his men together to the number of six thousand, and exhorted them not to be frightened by the enemy, and not to fear the great multitude of Gentiles who were wickedly coming against them, but to fight nobly, keeping before their eyes the lawless outrage which the Gentiles had committed against the holy place, and the torture of the derided city, and besides, the overthrow of their ancestral way of life. For

For they trust to arms and acts of daring, he said. But we trust in the Almighty God, who is able with a single nod to strike down those who are coming against us and even the whole world.

Moreover, he told them of the times when help came to their ancestors, both the time of Sennacherib when 185,000 perished, and the time of battle with the Galatians that took place in Babylonia, when 8,000 in all went into the affair with 4,000 Macedonians. And when the Macedonians were hard-pressed, the 8,000, by the help that came to them from heaven, destroyed 120,000 and took much booty. Judas defeats Nicanor.

With these words, he filled them with good courage and made them ready to die for their laws and their country. Then he divided his army into four parts. He appointed his brothers also, Simon and Joseph and Jonathan, each to command a division, putting 1,500 men under each. Besides, he appointed Eleazar to read aloud from the holy book and gave the watchword, God's help. Then, leading the first division himself, he joined battle with Nicanor.

With the Almighty as their ally, they slew more than 9,000 of the enemy and wounded and disabled most of Nicanor's army and forced them all to flee. They captured the money of those who had come to buy them as slaves. After pursuing them for some distance, they were obliged to return because the hour was late. For it was the day before the Sabbath, and for that reason they did not continue their pursuit.

and when they had collected the arms of the enemy and stripped them of their spoils they kept the sabbath giving great praise and thanks to the lord who had preserved them for that day and allotted it to them as the beginning of mercy after the sabbath they gave some of the spoils to those who had been tortured and to the widows and orphans and distributed the rest among themselves and their children when they had done this they made common supplication and begged the merciful lord to be wholly reconciled with his servants

In encounters with the forces of Timothy and Bacchides, they killed more than 20,000 of them and got possession of some exceedingly high strongholds. And they divided very much plunder, giving to those who had been tortured and to the orphans and widows, and also to the aged, shares equal to their own. Collecting the arms of the enemy, they stored them all carefully in strategic places and carried the rest of the spoils to Jerusalem. They killed the commander of Timothy's forces, a most unholy man, and one who had greatly troubled the Jews.

While they were celebrating the victory in the city of their fathers, they burned those who had set fire to the sacred gates, Calisthenes and some others, who had fled into one little house, so these received the proper recompense for their impiety.

the thrice accursed nicanor who had brought the thousand merchants to buy the jews having been humbled with the help of the lord by opponents whom he regarded as of the least account took off his splendid uniform and made his way alone like a runaway slave across the country till he reached antioch having succeeded chiefly in the destruction of his own army

Thus, he who had undertaken to secure tribute for the Romans by the capture of the people of Jerusalem proclaimed that the Jews had a defender, and that therefore the Jews were invulnerable, because they followed the laws ordained by him. The Wisdom of Solomon, Chapter 5 Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence in the presence of those who have afflicted him, and those who make light of his labors. When they see him, they will be shaken with dreadful fear, and they will be amazed at his unexpected salvation.

They will speak to one another in repentance, and in anguish of spirit they will groan and say, This is the man whom we once held in derision, and made a byword of reproach. We fools! We thought that his life was madness, and that his end was without honor. Why has he been numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot among the saints? So it was we who strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine on us, and the sun did not rise upon us.

We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and we journeyed through trackless deserts. But the way of the Lord we have not known. What has our arrogance profited us? And what good has our boasted wealth brought us? All those things have vanished like a shadow, and like a rumor that passes by, like a ship that sails through the billowy water. And when it has passed, no trace can be found, nor track of its keel in the waves.

Or as when a bird flies through the air, no evidence of its passage is found. The light air lashed by the beat of its pinions and pierced by the force of its rushing flight is traversed by the movement of its wings. And afterward, no sign of its coming is found there. Or as when an arrow is shot at a target, the air thus divided comes together at once so that no one knows its pathway. So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be. And we had no sign of virtue to show, but were consumed in our wickedness.

Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind and like a light hoarfrost driven away by a storm. It is dispersed like smoke before the wind and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day. But the righteous live forever and their reward is with the Lord. The Most High takes care of them.

Therefore, they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover them, and with his arm he will shield them. The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor, and will arm all creation to repel his enemies. He will put on righteousness as a breastplate and wear impartial justice as a helmet. He will take holiness as an invincible shield and sharpen stern wrath for a sword, and creation will join with him to fight against the madman.

Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim and will leap to the target as from a well-drawn bow of clouds. And hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult. The water of the sea will rage against them and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them. A mighty wind will rise against them and like a tempest it will winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth and evil doing will overturn the thrones of rulers. Chapter 6 Admonition to Rulers

Listen therefore, O kings, and understand. Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, you that rule over multitudes and boast of many nations. For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High, who will search out your works and inquire into your plans. Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly, nor keep the law, nor walk according to the purpose of God. He will come upon you terribly and swiftly, because severe judgment falls on those in high places.

For the lowliest man may be pardoned in mercy, but the mighty men will be mightily tested. For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone, nor show deference to greatness. Because he himself made both small and great, and he takes thought for all alike. But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty. To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed, that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.

For they will be made holy who observe holy things and holiness, and those who have been taught them will find a defense. Therefore set your desire on my words. Long for them, and you will be instructed. Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates.

To fix one's thoughts on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths and meets them in every thought. The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her. In love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God.

So the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. Therefore, if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples, honor wisdom, that you may reign forever. I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be, and I will hide no secrets from you, but I will trace her course from the beginning of creation and make knowledge of her clear, and I will not pass by the truth. Neither will I travel in the company of sickly envy, for envy does not associate with wisdom.

A multitude of wise men is the salvation of the world, and a sensible king is the stability of his people. Therefore, be instructed by my words, and you will profit. The book of Proverbs chapter 24 verses 30 through 34. I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man without sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns. The ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it. I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you so much for your word today. We just lift up your name and we ask you to please receive our word of praise, receive our word of prayer, receive our word of thanks because you are God and you are just like, just as you came to be known in the battles against the Gentiles in the second Maccabees, you are our defender.

Defend us today, Lord God, we ask you in Jesus' name. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Gosh, I want to highlight this. I think maybe I gushed a little bit too much in the last two days, right? Two days ago, we had the story of Eleazar. Yesterday, we had the story of the seven brothers and their mom. And also, in Wisdom, chapters three and four, which just, again, blow my mind.

So maybe I gushed a little more than is appropriate, and I apologize, but it is God's word, and it just strikes my heart powerfully. But we can see today, right, how 2 Maccabees chapter 8 is the story we already heard in 1 Maccabees about Judas Maccabeus and his brothers rising up against the Gentiles and fighting for the honor of the Lord's temple, fighting for the ability to have the freedom to keep the laws of God.

And yet in this telling, we have so much more of God's action, so much more of God's presence. And even so much, we now don't just have the facts and figures. We have the motivation. You don't just have the heroes of battle, but we also have what's the consequence of the battle. So for example, we have Judas Maccabeus, who's coming against this massively larger army. What does he do? How does he get people involved?

How does he get them inspired? How does he get them to have their eyes clear to realize what they're doing and why they're doing it is he told them in chapter 8, verse 19. He told them of the times when help came to their ancestors, both the time of Sennacherib. Remember that one? That was awesome. When Sennacherib came against the city of Jerusalem and 185,000 perished, as well as the time of the battle with the Galatians that took place in Babylonia.

And that sense of like saying, God has fought for us in the past. He is fighting for us now. He's going to fight for us. Also, we have repented. And so now the sacrifices of those who were martyred, this has changed God's stance from justice to mercy. Again, they're seeing God as being a part of their lives right now. So, so often, gosh, isn't it so easy for us? We can look back on our lives and say, oh Lord, you were there. But here they are in real time at the moment saying,

God, this was visited upon us because of your justice. This was you loving us well and disciplining us, but not destroying us.

Now, this is you being merciful to us because we've turned back to you. And, you know, sometimes it's very difficult for us as just normal human beings to see God's working in our lives. And what is he really doing? Is this God's justice? Is this just the accident of evil? Is this part of his mercy? But to have the eyes that are looking to see, the eyes are looking to understand, but they always are the eyes of trust. Here's what I mean. Sometimes we can say, gosh, I think I must have done something wrong to

to experience this pain. Or maybe I'm being corrected by the Lord himself, but we don't have any idea why. We're just kind of guessing at this. So it's kind of sometimes, kind of sometimes, let me hedge my bets even more. It's kind of sometimes a risk to look at our lives and say, oh, this is what God is doing. But it is not a risk to say God is present and active. Hopefully that makes sense where I don't always know, okay, God, what are you doing right now in this moment?

But to be able to say, God, I know that you're here and that you're doing something. That is something we can really rest on. That's where that trust comes in of being able to say, this is not you abandoning me, Lord. This is not you giving up on me. This is not being disqualified from your word or from your promises, but you're here and you're active. You're present and you're doing something is so, so incredible. And I love this. Just gosh, wow.

At the end of this chapter eight, we have the thrice accursed Nicanor who comes to this conclusion. And his conclusion is, this is verse 36. Thus he who had undertaken to secure tribute for the Romans by the capture of the people of Jerusalem proclaimed that the Jews had a defender. It's the capital D, defender. The Jews had a defender. And again, keep this in mind. He's not referring to Judas Maccabeus as the defender. He's referring to God himself.

And the reason we know this is because the final line in that verse, and that therefore the Jews were invulnerable because they followed the laws ordained by him. So not the laws ordained by Judas, but the laws ordained by God himself, which is just really incredible and beautiful. And maybe I am going to gush again today on day 305. One last thing. In chapter six of the Wisdom of Solomon, again, as we noted, the Wisdom of Solomon is just incredible.

I thank God for it. But, you know, we note that the beginning of wisdom, you know, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But there's also another offering, another idea that comes out of the wisdom of Solomon. And it starts in chapter 6, verse 17. And it says,

So like that idea of like, I want, I want to learn, which makes sense. I can't be taught unless I'm willing to be taught. And I will only be taught really well if I really want to learn. So the beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction and concern for instruction is love of her. This is really cool. Concern for instruction is love of her. So if I'm interested in this, love her, and then it builds on that. And love of her is the keeping of her laws.

This is really important, too, because we recognize that I can say I want God's truth. I can say I want God's wisdom. I can say I even love God's wisdom, but not act like it. I don't live like that. There's going to be corruption right here, right? We recognize that the wise see clearly because they live clearly and the foolish don't see clearly because they live foolishly.

So love of her is the keeping of her laws and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality and immortality brings one near to God. So the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. See that? It goes from the desire for wisdom, love of her, keeping of her laws, assurance of immortality and immortality brings one near God. So therefore the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. And I just think that is wonderful.

one of those beautiful kind of just pieces where the wisdom of scripture highlights to us, okay, if you want to grow wise, here's your foolproof six-step plan for growing in wisdom. And I think it's cool. I think it's great. Yeah, here I am saying, I think the word of God is cool. I think it's brilliant and beautiful. And just consider hearts on fire for that sense of, God, I want to be a wise person. And yet,

you know, our walk can break down in any one of those places. Maybe we don't really desire wisdom today. Maybe we don't really long for it. Maybe we aren't willing to live that way. Maybe we find ourselves struggling to live. Maybe we find ourselves struggling in many different ways. But here we are today asking the Lord to reveal his word to us. And so I think that the fact that you press play today

That reveals something, and that reveals you have a desire for wisdom. And I have a desire for wisdom that we have. Part of what unites this community is not perfection. I mean, that would not unite any of us. What unites this community is we have a desire for God's word, a desire to know his heart, and a desire to know his will for our lives. And I think that's what makes this community really unique and really powerful is that we desire him.

Think about this. Every person listening to this podcast for 305 days, you all, we all desire him. I don't know if that's not, if that's not incredible, if that's not remarkable, if that's not even a miracle. I don't, I don't know. I don't know. So I'm praying for you because you need it. Please pray for me. I need it too. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.