The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 285: Story of Hanukkah (2023)

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

In today's reading from 1 Maccabees, we hear about the victory of Judas Maccabeus, which is also the story of Hanukkah. In Sirach, Fr. Mike points out that chasing fame and glory in this world are not worth our time, because they will all fade away after we are gone. The readings are 1 Maccabees 4, Sirach 10-12, and Proverbs 22:9-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father 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 Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds, and I'll weave it into that story today. It is day 285. We are four days into the Maccabean Revolt. We're reading

1 Maccabees chapter 4, Sirach chapter 10, 11, and 12, as well as Proverbs chapter 22, verses 9 through 12. As always, the Bible translation we are reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 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 by clicking on subscribe, and it is day 285. We're reading 1 Maccabees chapter 4, Sirach chapter 10, 11, and 12, and Proverbs chapter 22, verses 9 through 12. The first book of Maccabees, chapter 4, the battle at Emmaus. Now, Gorgias took 5,000 infantry and 1,000 picked cavalry, and this division moved out by night to fall upon the camp of the Jews and attack them suddenly.

Men from the citadel were his guides, but Judas heard of it, and he and his mighty men moved out to attack the king's force in Emmaus while the division was still absent from the camp. When Gorgias entered the camp of Judas by night, he found no one there, so he looked for them in the hills because he said, these men are fleeing from us. At daybreak, Judas appeared in the plain with 3,000 men, but they did not have armor and swords such as they desired. And they saw the camp of the Gentiles strong and fortified with cavalry round about it. And these men were trained in war. But Judas said to the men who were with him, Do not fear their numbers or be afraid when they charge. Remember how our fathers were saved at the Red Sea when Pharaoh with his forces pursued them.

And now let us cry to heaven to see whether he will favor us and remember his covenant with our fathers and crush this army before us today. Then all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeems and saves Israel. When the foreigners looked up and saw them coming against them, they went forth from their camp to battle. Then the men with Judas blew their trumpets and engaged in battle. The Gentiles were crushed and fled into the plain, and all those in the rear fell by the sword.

They pursued them to Gezerah and to the plains of Edomia and to Izadas and Jamnia, and three thousand of them fell. Then Judas and his force turned back from pursuing them, and he said to the people, Do not be greedy for plunder, for there is a battle before us. Gorgias and his force are near us in the hills, but stand now against our enemies and fight them, and afterward seize the plunder boldly. Just as Judas was finishing this speech, a detachment appeared coming out of the hills. They saw that their army had been put to flight and that the Jews were burning the camp

for the smoke that was seen showed what had happened. When they perceived this, they were greatly frightened. And when they also saw the army of Judas draw up in the plain for battle, they all fled into the land of the Philistines. Then Judas returned to plunder the camp and they seized much gold and silver, and cloth dyed blue and sea purple and great riches. On their return they sang hymns and praises to heaven, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day. First Campaign of Lysaeus Those of the foreigners who escaped went and reported to Lysaeus all that had happened.

When he heard it, he was perplexed and discouraged, for things had not happened to Israel as he had intended, nor had they turned out as the king had commanded him. But the next year he mustered sixty thousand picked infantrymen and five thousand cavalry to subdue them. They came to Idumea and encamped at Beth-zur, and Judas met them with 10,000 men. When he saw that the army was strong, he prayed, saying, Blessed are you, O Savior of Israel, who did crush the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of your servant David, and did give the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. So do you hem in

this army by the hand of your people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. Fill them with cowardice, melt the boldness of their strength, let them tremble in their destruction. Strike them down with the sword of those who love you, and let all who know your name praise you with hymns. Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lysaeus five thousand men, they fell in action. And when Lysaeus saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness which inspired those of Judas, and already they were either to live or to die nobly, he departed to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries to invade Judea again with an even larger army. Cleansing and dedication of the temple.

Then said Judas and his brothers, Behold, our enemies are crushed. Let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it. So all the army assembled, and they went up to Mount Zion. And they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket or as on one of the mountains. They also saw the chambers of the priests in ruins. Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation and sprinkled themselves with ashes. They fell face down on the ground and sounded the signal on the trumpets and cried out to heaven. Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed

the sanctuary. He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned, and they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill, until there should come a prophet to tell them what to do with them. Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. They made new holy vessels and brought the lampstand,

the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken. Early in the morning, on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice as the law directs on the new altar of burnt offerings which they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshipped and blessed heaven who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days and

offered burnt offerings with gladness. They offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields. They restored the gates and the chambers for the priests and furnished them with doors. There was very great gladness among the people and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev. At that time they fortified Mount Zion

with high walls and strong towers round about, to keep the Gentiles from coming and trampling them down as they had done before, and he stationed a garrison there to hold it. He also fortified Beth-Zur, so that the people might have a stronghold that faced Edomia. The Book of Sirach, Chapter 10 A wise magistrate will educate his people, and the rule of an understanding man will be well ordered. Like the magistrate of the people, so are his officials, and like the ruler of the city, so are all its inhabitants. An undisciplined king will ruin his people, but his city will grow through the understanding of

its rulers. The government of the earth is in the hands of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right man for the time. The success of a man is in the hands of the Lord, and he confers his honor upon the person of the scribe. Do not be angry with your neighbor for any injury, and do not attempt anything by acts of insolence. Arrogance is hateful before the Lord and before men, and injustice is outrageous to both. Sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice and insolence and wealth. How can he who is dust and ashes be proud, for even in life his bowels decay? A long illness baffles the physician. The king of

today will die tomorrow. For when a man is dead, he will inherit creeping things and wild beasts and worms. The beginning of man's pride is to depart from the Lord. His heart has forsaken his maker. For the beginning of pride is sin, and the man who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions and destroyed them utterly. The Lord has cast down the thrones of rulers and has seated the lowly in their place. The Lord has plucked up the roots of the nations and has planted the humble in their place. The Lord has overthrown the lands of the nations and has destroyed them to the foundations of the earth. He has removed some of them and destroyed them and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth.

Pride was not created for men, nor fierce anger for those born of women. What race is worthy of honor? The human race. What race is worthy of honor? Those who fear the Lord. What race is unworthy of honor? The human race. Among brothers, their leader is worthy of honor, and those who fear the Lord are worthy of honor in his eyes. The rich and the eminent and the poor, their glory is the fear of the Lord. It is not right to despise an intelligent poor man, nor is it proper to honor a sinful man. The nobleman and the judge and the ruler will be honored, but none of them is greater than the man who fears the Lord. Free men will be at the service of a wise servant, and a man of understanding will not grumble.

Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work, nor glorify yourself at a time when you are in want. Better is a man who works and has an abundance of everything than one who goes about boasting but lacks bread. My son, glorify yourself with humility, and ascribe to yourself honor according to your worth. Who will justify the man that sins against himself and who will honor the man that dishonors his own life? A poor man is honored for his knowledge while a rich man is honored for his wealth. A man honored in poverty, how much more in wealth? And a man dishonored in wealth,

how much more in poverty? Chapter 11. The wisdom of a humble man will lift up his head and will seat him among the great. Do not praise a man for his good looks, nor loathe a man because of his appearance. The bee is small among flying creatures, but her product is the best of sweet things. Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, nor exalt yourself in the day that you are honored. For the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from men. Many kings have had to sit on the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown. Many rulers have been greatly disgraced, and illustrious men have been handed over to others. Do not find fault before you

investigate. First consider and then reprove. Do not answer before you have heard, nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words. Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you, nor sit with sinners when they judge a case. My son, do not busy yourself with many matters. If you multiply activities, you will not go unpunished. And if you pursue, you will not overtake. And by fleeing, you will not escape. There is a man who works and toils and presses on, but is so much the more in want. There is another who is slow and needs help, who lacks strength and abounds in poverty,

but the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good. He lifts him out of his lowest state and raises up his head so that many are amazed at him. Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth come from the Lord. The gift of the Lord endures for those who are godly, and what he approves will have lasting success. There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial, and this he approves will have lasting success. There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial, and this is the reward allotted to him. When he says, I have found rest, and now I shall enjoy my goods, he does not know how much time will pass until he leaves them to others and dies. Stand by your covenant and attend to it, and grow old in your

work. Do not wonder at the works of a sinner, but trust in it and grow old in your work. Do not wonder at the works of a sinner, but trust in the Lord and keep at your toil. For it is easy in the sight of the Lord to enrich a poor man quickly and suddenly. The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the godly, and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish. Do not say, what do I need and what prosperity could be mine in the future? Do not say, I have enough, and what calamity could happen to me in the future? In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten. And in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered. For it is easy in the sight of the Lord to reward a man on the day of death according to his conduct.

The misery of an hour makes one forget luxury, and at the close of a man's life his deeds will be revealed. Call no one happy before his death. A man will be known through his children. Do not bring every man into your home, for many are the wiles of the crafty. Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the mind of a proud man. And like a spy, he observes your weakness, for he lies in wait, turning good into evil, and to worthy actions he will attach blame. From a spark of fire come many burning coals, and a sinner lies in wait to shed blood. Beware of a scoundrel, for he devises evil, lest he give you a lasting blemish. Receive a stranger into your home, and he will upset you with commotion,

and will estrange you from your family. Chapter 12 Friends and Enemies If you do a kindness, know to whom you do it, and you will be thanked for your good deeds. Do good to a godly man, and you will be repaid, if not by him, certainly by the Most High. No good will come to the man who persists in evil, or to him who does not give alms. Give to the godly man, but do not help the sinner. Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly. Hold back his bread, and do not give it to him, lest by means of it he subdue you. For you will receive twice as much evil for all the good which you do to him.

For the Most High also hates sinners and will inflict punishment on the ungodly. Give to the good man, but do not help the sinner. A friend will not be known in prosperity, nor will an enemy be hidden in adversity. A man's enemies are grieved when he prospers, and in his adversity even his friend will separate from him. Never trust your enemy, for like the rusting of copper, so is his wickedness. Even if he humbles himself and goes about cringing, watch yourself and be on your guard against him. And you will be to him like one who has polished a mirror, and you will know that it was not hopelessly tarnished.

Do not put him next to you, lest he overthrow you and take your place. Do not have him sit at your right, lest he try to take your seat of honor. And at last you will realize the truth of my words and be stung by what I have said. Who will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent or any who go near wild beasts? So no one will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent or any who go near wild beasts? So no one will pity a man who associates with a sinner and becomes involved in his sins.

He will stay with you for a time, but if you falter, he will not stand by you. An enemy will speak sweetly with his lips, but in his mind, he will plan to throw you into a pit. An enemy will weep with his eyes, but if he finds an opportunity, his thirst for blood will be insatiable. If calamity befalls you, you will find him there ahead of you, and while pretending to help you, he will trip you by the heel. He will shake his head and clap his hands and whisper much and change his expression. and whisper much and change his expression. The book of Proverbs chapter 22 verses 9 through 12.

He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless. Father in heaven, give you praise and glory. We thank you so much. Gosh, Lord, thank you so much for this gift, the gift of your day, this gift of your word, this gift of this story of Judas Maccabeus and the faithful Jews of Israel who are fighting for you.

We know that while Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, they fought against the Greeks. We know that our battle is not with flesh and blood. Our battle is with the principalities and powers. And just like you gave Judas Maccabeus and his brothers victory over their enemies, you give us victory over the principalities and powers. You give us victory over the dominion of Satan. You give us victory over evil in the world through your son, Jesus Christ. And in his name, we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. So yeah, so today, pretty awesome. In 1 Maccabees chapter 4, you might have noticed that's the story, the story of Hanukkah. You might not have noticed that. It might have sprung up on you at the end if you didn't know it was coming. But here we have

Judas Maccabeus and the people of Israel, his brothers, who fight against Gorgias and the Greeks. And just remarkable, right? How with a small army, you have these men who are able to defeat a larger, better funded, I mean, all the cavalry, they have thousands of cavalry, hundreds of cavalry, and they're able to defeat this cavalry. And how and why? Well, it goes all the way back to the same reason

why the people of Israel were able to defeat other armies because God was with them. God fought on their behalf. You know, it's interesting because one thing to note is, you know, this story is from only a couple hundred years before Christ. And so it's kind of a, it's almost like recent compared to, wow, way back to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joshua leading the people of Israel into the promised land. Because when it's further away, you can kind of say, oh yeah, you know, I mean,

I guess God way, way, way back when had given Joshua and the Israelites victory in battle, given David and his men victory in battle. But when it's kind of recent, you think, wait, oh gosh, yeah, they still trust. This is like now, this is only 2,100 years ago, give or take. But still, it challenges us. It challenges us to see things through the eyes of God as opposed to how we normally see things. I think a lot of us, we see things through the eyes of power. I mean, how many times have we been frustrated in our lives in looking at politics or looking

at present history, like what's going on in the world at any given time. And we think, oh my gosh, I'm so frustrated because I keep focusing on politics. I keep focusing on culture. I keep focusing on other people as opposed to saying, God, show me what you're doing here. God, in all of this, you're working. And if I don't notice, if I can't see that, then I'm missing out on a vastly important part, a very important part of what's happening. I'm just noticing the surface and not understanding really fully the depths.

But here is 1 Maccabees 4, where there is God coming to the assistance, coming to the help, coming to the aid of Judas Maccabeus and the brothers. In fact, you know, then they come into Jerusalem and one of their, you know, this is what kind of reveals a lot about Judas Maccabeus and those who fought with him is they truly actually did desire. They desired to honor the Lord. They desired to worship the Lord. And so they spend their time. Remember how Nehemiah had to remind people and Haggai and Zechariah had to remind people, you guys, you came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. You came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. We should do that now. You know, right away, here's Judas Maccabeus. They don't

need any reminding. They go into Jerusalem and they weep over the fact that it's been destroyed and they immediately restore the temple as fast as they can. And again, as I said at the end of chapter four, we have the institution of Hanukkah. Now, it's really interesting, I think, because we had the original Jewish feasts that were given to the people of Israel through Moses. We also have two new Jewish feasts that have been given to us in the last two books we read. In Esther, there's the Feast of Purim, right? And here in Maccabees, there's the Feast of Hanukkah. And I think that's kind of interesting that, there we go. That's all I got for you. But going to Sirach, you know, I hope it's not too difficult for us to journey through Sirach. This is one of those books, I think I

mentioned this a couple of days ago. It's one of those books that it's really helpful to have in front of you so you can kind of linger over certain passages. I think a lot of times it's kind of like reading Proverbs all at once, as opposed to reading Proverbs, you know, four verses a day, which is what we normally do. This is reading three chapters a day going through Sirach, but there's all this advice, the context for the advice you might've caught on by now. And I apologize if I didn't say this yet. The context for the advice of Sirach is a father trying to teach his son how to walk wisely in this world, right? So

the context, you know, the teaching is wisdom, right? But here's a father trying to teach his son how to walk wisely in this world. And I just think there's something really powerful. Like for example, in chapter 10, we're going to highlight just a couple of things here. In chapter 10, this father says, you know, basically to all of us as well in chapter 10, verse nine, how can he who is dust and ashes be proud? And I think that's such an interesting thing because, because we can find ourselves in the same position. We can find ourselves in a position where we would say that, yeah, you know, I, I've accomplished this. I've made this, I've done this. I've, were we just going to place ourself at the center as opposed to realizing that, wait a second, I am dust and to dust I shall return.

I like how the father, you know, Ben Sirach says, how can he who is dust and ashes be proud for even in life his bowels decay, which I think it says in the notes on this one, it says the Greek is obscure. I think the Greek might be obscure, but I get exactly says in the notes on this one, it says the Greek is obscure. I think the Greek might be obscure, but I get exactly what you're saying on this. He goes on in verse 17 in chapter 10. He says, you know, even talking about kings and nations and kingdoms, he says in verse 17, he has removed some of them and destroyed them and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth. I remember a couple of years ago, my spiritual director, we just, he got kind of out of the blue.

We were talking about, I don't know if we were talking about anything relating to, you know, what some of the things I was doing online or whatever. And he just said, he looked at me and he said, you know, no one's going to remember you when you die. And I was like, oh yeah, father, I know. And he's like, no, no, no, no one will remember you after you die. And I was like, oh yeah, father, I know. And he's like, no, no, no, no one will remember you after you die. You're not Thomas Aquinas. And I remember just thinking, yeah. And I was really grateful he said that. I mean, it wasn't really a surprise. It's kind of one of those things where, yes, if you read scripture, if you pray to the Lord,

you realize that here is verse 17. He has extinguished the memory of them from the earth. I mean, gosh, how many of us can remember the names of our great grandparents? How about a great uncle, a great aunt, a great great? I mean, how far back can we go to recognize that? Oh, every one of us, even the memory of us. I remember hearing this reflection. I thought it was powerful. He said, people die twice and you die when you die, but you also,

the second death is, you know, not, this is not Judeo-Christian, but this is just kind of like a, in a secular way. The second death is the last time someone ever utters your name. You know, it's kind of an interesting thing. You know, at some point it'd be the last time someone ever says your name or my name. And wow, that's so good to know. Because again, it keeps us away from pride. I love how in chapter 10, it goes on to make a distinction between those who are powerful in the eyes of human beings and those who are actually worthy. It talks about there's the nobleman and the judge and the ruler, they'll be honored,

but none of them is greater than one who fears the Lord. That's verse 24. I love this in verse 26. Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work, nor glorify yourself at a time when you are in want. And it's just so good. And you could keep going on this, but I want to highlight maybe two last ones in chapter 11, verses 1 through 6. So why? I mean, just helpful, right? A father to his child, you know, a mother to her daughter. He goes, do not praise a man for his good looks, nor loathe a man because of his appearance. Almost like what we heard the Lord say to Samuel when he went to the sons of Jesse.

He says, do not look at the outer appearance for the Lord judges the heart. Do not boast about wearing fine clothes nor exalt yourself in the day you're honored. This is verse four. For the works of the Lord are wonderful and his works are concealed from men. Again, that sense of like what's happening underneath. Verse five, many kings have had to sit on the ground, but one who has never thought of has worn a crown. Again, the humility that many kings had to sit on the ground. They thought they were powerful at one point. And also, there are many people who no one has ever thought of who have made kings.

And it goes on. Completely. Now, last little note. We could go into chapter 12, which is all about friends and enemies. And just again, here is the advice of a father to his son as he goes out into the world. Okay, don't make friends with everybody. But gosh, going back to verse 11, it says this, do not find fault before you investigate. First consider and then reprove. How many of us can leap to conclusions, right?

Do not answer before you've heard, nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words. Man, again, same kind of thing. It's just like, I have an opinion about this. Well, how about this one? Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you. How often does our circle of influence, is it dwarfed by our circle of interest? We just, we absolutely can be so preoccupied with what's going on. And yet the father's words, my son, do not busy yourself with many matters. Just focus. Where is your corner of the world that God is calling you to love, to serve, to live? And it's just so good. Oh, I've been so convicted by this. So, you know, hopefully my highlighting some of these verses at the end of this long reading

in Sirach, three chapters every day, we've been going through. Hopefully it helps a little bit. But, you know, we come to the end of our time together. My name is Father Mike. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. As I said, my name is Father Mike.

I can't wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.