Dear Judah and Happy Birthday!
Let me tell you a story about another young man named Judah.
But first a quick history lesson. Ever since the reign of King Solomon the nation of Israel had been a nation in turmoil. This was mostly because God’s people chose to turn their backs on the one true God and chose instead to follow after gods of their own making. Instead of worshiping Yahweh who had chosen them to be His very own people, they went whoring after anything that made them feel good about themselves – the gods of money, sex, and success were just as prevalent way back then as they are today. Yes, I did indeed use the word “whoring” because it best describes what God’s people did… and still do – and because it is a word that the Bible often uses.
Because of God’s unrelenting love for His people, He allowed foreign nations to invade Israel – hoping His people would turn back to Him in repentance and find their joy in Him alone. First it was the Assyrians. Then the Babylonians. Then the Persians. Then the Greeks under a man named Alexander the Great. Alexander died in the year 323 BC and his kingdom was divided up among his generals. These kingdoms then fought each other to try to determine top dog and by the year 198 BC Israel found itself under the rule of the Seleucids and the emperor Antiochus III. But it was under the reign of this man’s son – Antiochus Epiphanes – that our story really begins.
Antiochus took the name Epiphanes because it means “illustrious one” or “God manifest.” He thought of himself as a god and hated the Jewish people – whose temple in Jerusalem was the focal point of their worship of Yahweh. As emperor he tried to eradicate the culture of the Jewish people and started by raiding the temple, stealing its treasures, setting up an altar to Zeus, and sacrificing swine on the altar.
Now even though many of the Jewish people were willing to let Antiochus have his way, there was still a remnant of steadfast followers of Yahweh who saw his actions as blasphemous. One of these was a priest named Mattathias. he and his 5 sons rallied the Jewish population to fight. When Mattathias died in 166 BC, he left his son Judah in charge.
Judah. Aka Judas. Aka the Maccabee. Aka “The Hammer”.
Under The Hammer’s leadership, this Jewish remnant of guerrilla fighters , though greatly outnumbered, defeated Antiochus. In December of 164 BC they rededicated the temple to God – celebrating their victory and the temple’s rededication for eight days – a celebration that is commemorated to this day – at a holiday that is now known as… Hanukkah.
The Hammer was a man who was consecrated to God. He dedicated himself to fighting against the evil incarnated by Antiochus Epiphanes and fighting for the honor and glory of God. He was also a man who lived and led by his convictions. Convictions really do not mean much unless you are willing to live them out when life gets hard and when your lifestyle as a follower of Christ is being challenged. That takes courage – and The Hammer was indeed a man of courage. While many of his fellow Jews were willing to conform to the ever expanding Greek culture, Judah and his band of brothers stayed true to what they believed. It has been said that “the opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.” I like that!
I realize it may be several years before you read this. But my prayer even now is that you will live a consecrated life, living out your convictions with the kind of courage that inspires others to do the same.
Never forget that you are very loved,
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