The Maccabees (167-160 BC)
For out of Jerusalem will
come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. “The zeal of
the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 2 Kings 19:31 (NIV)
READ: Romans 11
We have already seen the
breakdown of the Kingdom Israel into the Northern and Southern kingdoms and how
each fell into the hands of their oppressors.
The Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria and was never re-established
whereas the Southern Kingdom was taken into captivity to Babylon. The Babylonians fell to the Persians, who
were conquered by the Greek who under the leadership of Antiochus IV killed,
plundered and destroyed Jerusalem. He
blasphemed the temple and heavily persecuted the Jews, many of which refused to
comply and were tortured and killed. The nation of Israel and their religion
were in danger of extinction. Mattathias
was a priest who refused to offer sacrifice to a pagan god and started a revolt
against the officer who ordered the sacrifice.
He and his sons (known as the Maccabees) fled to the hills and after his
death his son Judas defeated their oppressors and re-established the Jewish
religious practices. Pagan elements were
removed from the Temple and the altar was rebuilt and rededicated. The Jewish people had their religious
freedoms back. Eventually Judea came
under the control of the Romans. The
independence that the Maccabees so bravely won only lasted eighty years yet we
can see the hand of God upon His people this entire time. God has always preserved a remnant. Even though His children experienced
captivity and exile and were persecuted and suffered much, He would fulfill His
promise to Abraham that all the families of the earth shall be blessed through his
seed, the coming Messiah!
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.