The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 290: Judas Maccabeus Dies (2023)

Episode Date: October 17, 2023

Fr. Mike guides us through Judas Maccabeus' last battle, his death, and his succession. We learn that part of Judas and Jonathan's victory involved fighting fellow Jews living in the land who were not living according to God's laws. Fr. Mike points out that when the enemy is in the inside, it is especially heartbreaking. Today's readings are 1 Maccabees 9, Sirach 24-25, and Proverbs 23:1-4. 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 how we fit into that story today. It is day 290. Day 290. We're reading 1 Maccabees chapter 9, Sirach 24 and 25, Proverbs chapter 23,

verses 1 through 4. As always, the Bible translation I'm 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 your reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in the Air. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates. One of the things I forgot, gosh, I've never mentioned this. It's day 290. I've never mentioned this. There's a woman named Marisa Beyer.

Whenever you have heard this intro, she wrote it. It's one of those things that I just like, wow. You know, she sat down and said, you know what? For the introduction to the Bible in the year, here's what we want to say. And she wrote this thing. Super grateful. She does a thousand other things too, but she also wrote the intro to this. Also, Lindsay Rudiger is the young woman who basically, if you have been following along

the Great Adventure Bible timeline, she was the one who took Jeff's timeline and reworked it to fit an entire year, 365 days of reading and covering the entire Bible. That's Lindsay Rudiger. She did that. And then also, if you just, gosh, we're so blessed by Elizabeth Boyd, who has been the editor among others, but Elizabeth Boyd has edited so many of these episodes. And it's just like these, in these women, they also do a thousand other things as well. And we're so grateful for them, but they, you know, are behind the scenes and never get a chance to, you know, be named. And I say that not only to honor them, cause I just so grateful for

what they have done, but also so that you know who you're praying for. When I'm praying for you all and you're praying for me, but also these other people involved, Marisa and Elizabeth and Lindsay, and there's a whole other team of people who are involved in this. But yeah, we're praying for each other. This is a community. And I know that I've talked to so many people who have said, yeah, this feels like a community. It feels like I'm not going through this on my own because you're not.

It is day 290. You've been journeying with all of us for 290 days or more. And we're reading 1 Maccabees 9, Sirach 24 and 25, and Proverbs chapter 23, verses 1 through 4. The first book of Maccabees, chapter 9. Bacchides returns to Judea. When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alchemus into the land of Judah a second time and with them the right wing of the army. They went by the road which leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbala,

and they took it and killed many people. In the first month of the 152nd year, they encamped against Jerusalem. Then they marched off and went to Berea with 20,000 foot soldiers and 2,000 cavalry. Now Judas was encamped in Elasa, and with him were 3,000 picked men. When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than 800 of them were left. When Judas saw that his army had slipped away, and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them. He became faint, but he said to those who were left, Let us rise and go up against our enemies. We may be able to fight them. But they tried to dissuade him, saying, We are not able. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our brethren and

fight them. We are too few. But Judas said, Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our brethren, and leave no cause to question our honor. The Last Battle of Judas Then the army of Bacchides marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. Bacchides was on the right wing, flanked by the two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. Bacchides was on the right wing, flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets, and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning till evening. Judas saw that

Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right. Then all the stout-hearted men went with him, and they crushed the right wing, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azotus. When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they turned and followed close behind Judas and his men. The battle became desperate, and many on both sides were wounded and fell. Judas also fell, and the rest fled. Then Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother and buried him in the tomb of their fathers at Modin and wept for him. And all Israel made great lamentation for him. They mourned many days and said, How is the mighty fallen, the Savior of Israel? Now the rest of

the acts of Judas and his wars and the brave deeds that he did and his greatness have not been recorded, for they were very many. Jonathan succeeds Judas. After the death of Judas, the lawless emerged in all parts of Israel. All the doers of injustice appeared. In those days, a very great famine occurred, and the country deserted with them to the enemy. And Bacchides chose the ungodly and put them in charge of the country. They sought and searched for the friends of Judas and brought them to Bacchides, and he took vengeance on them and made sport of them. Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them. Then all the friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan, Since the death of your brother

Judas, there has been no one like him to go against our enemies and Bacchides and to deal with those of our nation who hate us. So now we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader to fight our battle. And Jonathan at that time accepted the leadership and took the place of Judas, his brother. The campaigns of Jonathan. When Bacchides learned of this, he tried to kill him. But Jonathan and Simon, his brother, and all who were with him heard of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa and camped by the water of the pool of Asphar. Bacchides found this out on the Sabbath day, and he with all his army crossed the Jordan. And Jonathan sent his brother as leader of the multitude and begged the Nabateans,

who were his friends, for permission to store with them the great amount of baggage which they had. But the sons of Jambri from Mediba came out and seized John and all that he had, and departed with it. After these things it was reported to Jonathan and Simon his brother, The sons of Jambri are celebrating a great wedding, and are conducting the bride, a daughter of one of the great nobles of Canaan, from Nadaboth with a large escort. And they remembered the blood of John, their brother, and went up and hid under cover of the mountain. They raised their eyes and looked and saw a tumultuous procession with much baggage, and the bridegroom came out with his friends and his

brothers to meet them with tambourines and musicians and many weapons. Then they rushed upon them from the ambush and began killing them. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled to the mountain, and they took all their goods. Thus the wedding was turned into mourning, and the voice of the musicians into a funeral dirge. And when they had fully avenged the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan. When Bacchides heard of this, he came with a large force on the Sabbath day to the banks of the Jordan, and Jonathan said to those with him, Let us rise up now and fight for our lives, for today things are not as they were before. verse 1. delivered from the hands of our enemies. So the battle began, and Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he eluded him and went to the rear. Then Jonathan and the men with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, and the enemy did not cross the Jordan

to attack them. And about 1,000 of Bacchides' men fell that day. Bacchides builds fortifications. Bacchides then returned to Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judea, the fortress of Jericho and Emmaus and Beth-haron and Bethel and Timnath and Terathon and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars. And he placed garrisons in them to harass Israel. He also fortified the city of Beth-zur and Gezerah and the citadel, and in them he put troops and stores of food. And he took the sons of the leading men of the land as hostages and put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem. In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alchemist gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary.

He tore down the work of the prophets. But he only began to tear it down, for at that time Alchemist was stricken and his work was hindered. His mouth was stopped and he was paralyzed, so that he could no longer say a word or give commands concerning his house. And Alchemist died at that time in great agony. When Bacchides saw that Alchemist was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judah had rest for two years. The End of the war. Then all the lawless plotted and said, See, Jonathan and his men are living in quiet and confidence. So now let us bring Bacchides back, and he will capture them all in one night. So they went and consulted with him.

He started to come with a large force and secretly sent letters to all his allies in Judea, telling them to seize Jonathan and his men, but they were unable to do it because their plan became known. And Jonathan's men seized about 50 of the men of the country who were leaders in this treachery and killed them. Then Jonathan with his men and Simon withdrew to Beth-Basi in the wilderness. He rebuilt the parts of it that had been demolished and they fortified it. When Bacchides heard of this, he assembled all his forces and sent orders to the men of Judea. Then he came and encamped against Beth-Basi. He fought against it for many days and made machines of war.

But Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city while he went out into the country, and he went with only a few men. He struck down Odomera and his brothers and the sons of Phaseron in their tents. Then he began to attack and went into battle with his forces. And Simon and his men sallied out from the city and set fire to the machines of war. They fought with Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They distressed him greatly, for his plan and his expedition had been in vain. So he was greatly enraged at the lawless men who had counseled him to come into the country, and he killed many of them.

Then he decided to depart to his own land. When Jonathan learned of this, he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with him and obtain release of the captives. He agreed and did as he said, and he swore to Jonathan that he would not try to harm him as long as he lived. He restored to him the captives

whom he had formerly taken from the land of Judah. Then he turned and departed to his own land and came no more into their territory. Thus the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan dwelt in Michmash. And Jonathan began to judge the people, and he destroyed the ungodly out of Israel. out of Israel. The book of Sirach, chapter 24, the praise of wisdom. Wisdom will praise herself and is honored in God and will glory in the midst of her people. In the assembly of the most high, she will open her mouth and in the presence of his host, she will glory. In the midst of her people, she is exalted. In holy fullness, she is admired. In the midst of her people she is exalted, in holy fullness she is admired. In the multitude of the chosen she finds praise, and among the blessed she is blessed, saying, I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the firstborn before all creatures. I ordained that an unfailing light

should arise in the heavens, and I covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in high places, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. Alone I have made the circuit of the vault of heaven, and have walked in the depths of the abyss. In the waves of the sea, in the whole earth, and in every people and nation I have gotten a possession. Among all these I sought a resting place, I sought in whose territory I might lodge. Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and the one who created me assigned a place for my tent. And he said, Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in Israel receive your inheritance, and among my chosen put down your roots. From eternity, in the beginning,

he created me, and for eternity I shall not cease to exist. In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him, and so I was established in Zion. In the beloved city likewise he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my dominion. So I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance, and my abode was in the full assembly of the saints. I grew tall, like a cedar in Lebanon, and like a cypress on the heights of Hermon. I grew tall like a palm tree in Ein Gedi, and like rose plants in Jericho, like a beautiful olive tree in the field, and like a plane tree I grew tall. Like cashew and camel's thorn I gave forth the aroma of spices, and like choice myrrh I spread a pleasant odor. Like galbanum, onica, and stacte, and like the fragrance of frankincense in the tabernacle.

Like a terebinth, I spread out my branches, and my branches are glorious and graceful. Like a vine, I caused loveliness to bud, and my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit. Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my produce. For my teaching is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb, and my remembrance lasts throughout all generations. Those who eat me will hunger for more, and those who drink me will thirst for more. Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame, and those who work with my help will not sin. All this is the book of the covenant of the Most High God, the law which Moses commanded us as an

inheritance for the congregation of Jacob. It fills men with wisdom, like the Pishon and like the Tigris at the time of the first fruits. It makes them full of understanding, like the Euphrates and like the Jordan at harvest time. It makes instruction shine forth like light, like the Gihon at the time of vintage. Just as the first man did not know her perfectly, the last one has not fathomed her, for her thought is more abundant than the sea and her counsel deeper than the great abyss. I went forth like a canal from a river and like a water channel into a garden. I said, I will water my orchard and drench my garden plot.

And behold, my canal became a river and my river became a sea. I will again make instruction shine forth like the dawn and I will make it shine afar. I will again pour out teaching like prophecy and leave it to all future generations. I will again pour out teaching like prophecy and leave it to all future generations. Observe that I have not labored for myself alone, but for all who seek instruction. Chapter 25. The Good and the Evil in Daily Life. My soul takes pleasure in three things, and they are beautiful in the sight of the Lord and of men, agreement between brothers, friendship between neighbors,

and a wife and husband who live in harmony. My soul hates three kinds of men, and I am greatly offended at their life, a beggar who is proud, a rich man who is a liar, and an adulterous old man who lacks good sense. You have gathered nothing in your youth. How then can you find anything in your old age?

What an attractive thing is judgment in gray-haired men and for the aged to possess good counsel. How attractive is wisdom in the aged and understanding and counsel in honorable men. Rich experience is the crown of the aged and their boast is the fear of the Lord. Nine thoughts have gladdened my heart and a tenth I shall tell with my tongue. A man rejoicing in his children, a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes.

Happy is he who lives with an intelligent wife, and he who has not made a slip with his tongue, and he who has not served a man inferior to himself. Happy is he who has gained good sense, and he who speaks to attentive listeners. How great is he who has gained good sense, and he who speaks to attentive listeners. How great is he who has gained wisdom! But there is no one superior to him who fears the Lord. The fear of the Lord surpasses everything. To whom shall be likened the one who holds it fast? Any wound, but not a wound of the heart. Any wickedness, but not the wickedness of a wife. but not a wound of the heart. Any wickedness, but not the wickedness of a wife. Any attack, but not an attack from those who hate. And any vengeance, but not the vengeance of enemies. There is no venom worse than a snake's venom, and no wrath worse than an enemy's wrath.

I would rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than dwell with an evil wife. The wickedness of a wife changes her appearance and darkens her face like that of a bear. Her husband takes his meals among the neighbors, and he cannot help sighing bitterly. Any iniquity is insignificant compared to a wife's iniquity. May a sinner's lot befall her. A sandy ascent for the feet of the aged, such is a garrulous wife for a quiet husband. Do not be ensnared by a woman's beauty, and do not desire a woman for her possessions. There is wrath and impudence and great disgrace when a wife supports her husband. A dejected mind, a gloomy face, and a

wounded heart are caused by an evil wife. Drooping hands and weak knees are caused by the wife who does not make her husband happy. From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die. Allow no outlet to water and no boldness of speech in an evil wife. If she does not go as you direct, separate her from yourself. The book of Proverbs chapter 23 verses 1 through 4. Precepts and warnings. When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. Do not toil to acquire wealth. Be wise enough to desist. Do not toil to acquire wealth. Be wise enough to desist. Father in heaven, we give you praise and thank you. Thank you for this day and thank you for this gift of being able to walk with your people. Walk with your people in darkness.

Walk with your people in times of uncertainty, in times of violence, and in times of valiant living, but also, gosh, Lord, we continue to see the ways in which wisdom wins and folly loses. So we ask you to please help us to be wise. Help us to be wise not only with what we do, but also with what we don't do. Help us be wise in how we act as well as how we don't act with what we say and what we do not say.

We ask you to please bless us this day as you have, and please receive our thanks this day as you do. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay, so while we have the death of Judas today in the first book of Maccabees, chapter 9, Bacchides, okay, so let's go back to this. I don't know how to say half these. The Hebrew names, piece of cake. I just want to return to say half these. The Hebrew names, piece of cake. I just want to return to this reality that when it comes to the Greek names, we're just doing our best here. Like Antiochus Epiphanes, I think that's how you say it.

But I've also come across so many people who have said Antiochus Epiphanes. And I'm like, okay, that sounds like a decent way. So Bacchides, Bacchides, Bacchides, I don't know. We're just going, we're doing our best today or all these days. And when it comes to those Greek names, I don't know, you guys, thanks for putting up with me. But here we have, oh gosh, the death of Judas, Judas Maccabeus, Judas the Hammer, who had been fighting for the people of Israel, fighting against those lawless ones. Now, one of the things that happens, has happened here, is not only Judas and then Jonathan,

his brother, succeeding him, fighting against Bacchides. Go say it like that, Bacchides. And those people of, you know, say the Greeks, the Seleucids. But what you have is they have to fight what is called here the lawless men. And that is who? Those are potentially brothers. When I say brothers, I don't mean like the family of Jonathan and Judas and Simon. I mean, fellow Israelites, fellow Jews, people living in the land.

Some of these people also would be maybe like Samaritans, right? Who are living in that land, in that region. They were introduced by the Babylonians to basically kind of water down and ultimately destroy the faith of the people who are left in the land of Jerusalem and the land of Judah. And so you have these people, they don't care about the law and they don't care about the covenant that God had made with them. You know, for so many of us, when there's an external enemy, that's one thing. But when the enemy is on the inside, when the enemy is supposed to be a friend, it's a whole other thing. When the enemy is supposed to be someone who actually loves you,

you agree and you're on the same team, you're on the same side, that is even worse. It's one of the reasons why Dante had placed in the deepest circle of hell, he put those who betray. It's those you were counting on, those who said you can count on me. And he placed those people like Lucifer and Judas and Brutus from the Julius Caesar, put them in the deepest circle of hell because of that betrayal. Now, at the same time, it's not always betrayal, right? To not get along with brothers, to not get along with sisters or friends or family, it's not always betrayal. Sometimes it can just be heartbreak. And that's a reality for all of us. We talked about this before recently, but that sense of here are my brothers, here are my sisters, here's my family, here are the people who should belong to the Lord God.

But they've turned to live like Greeks. They've turned to live like the Samaritans. They've turned to live like the people around them instead of living the way we were called to live, the way we were told and invited and brought into a covenant to live this way. I mean, to go back to the beginning of first Maccabees, and you have those men who were covering up the mark of their circumcision because they wanted to fit in with Greek culture. That isn't necessarily them deciding we want to be direct enemies against Judas and Jonathan and Simon and their brothers. But it is a sense of like, wait, I thought we were supposed to be united and we're not. This happens so often in families

where you try to, again, raise your kids or help your grandkids or help your siblings or whoever it is in your family to follow after the Lord and they just decide not to. It's not like they're making themselves your enemies, but it still breaks our heart. It's not like they're betraying you, but it still breaks our heart. And so here's Judas and Jonathan who are taking up arms against this because they have to

be the enforcers here. They're kind of the government now. They're the law. And so those who are outlaws, they have to go and track them down. They have to go in and stop them, put an end to their outlaw ways and put an end to them basically running amok among the people of Israel. have to go and stop them, put an end to their outlaw ways and put an end to them basically running amok among the people of Israel. Now, what we're having is we have Alexander Epiphanes, who's coming up tomorrow. And so more of the Seleucids, more of the Greek, that kind of Greek

culture and all those things. But we're going to see as the people of Israel continue to try to figure out how do we do this, That now Judas is dead. Jonathan succeeds him. And the question is, okay, so if we've been reestablished as a sovereign nation, because they're here, they're reestablished as a sovereign nation. How do we live? Because the king is supposed to be from the tribe of Judah and the Maccabee brothers, you know, Judas and Jonathan, they're not from the tribe of Judah. So what happens now? There's not someone from the tribe of Judah. There's not a descendant, an heir of King David on the throne. It's a sovereign nation, but it's not the one that God promised.

So we're going to see what happens there. You guys, this is a gift. Hopefully this, I know walking through Maccabees can be a kind of a challenge because it's really a lot of history. And one of the things we realize is that first Maccabees, the author is just telling us the story. This happened, then this happened, then that happened. He is not attempting to make any lessons about this. He is just reporting the facts. He's just reporting the news. In second Maccabees, that's where we have like the sermon. That's when we have the, here's what this means. That's where we have like the call to those people and the call to us people to say, okay, now live like this because of the example of the Maccabees. Here's, live like this as a result of the example of the faithful Jewish people at the time. But here in First Maccabees, it's kind of dry. It's kind of just, here are the

facts. Here's the data. Here's the story. And so we're going through it. Hopefully you're learning some of the data and learning some of the story with us as we're journeying through Maccabees on this day, 290. You guys, I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.