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Context No. 1383 of 4322 · 1 Maccabees

Context · Reflection

1 Maccabees 15:1-9: in context

1Antiochus son of Demetrius the king sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon the priest and governor of the Jews, and to all the nation. 2Its contents follow: “King Antiochus to Simon the chief priest and governor, and to the nation of the Jews, greetings. 3Whereas certain troublemakers have made themselves masters of the kingdom of our fathers, but my purpose is to claim the kingdom, that I may restore it as it was before; and moreover I have raised a multitude of foreign soldiers, and have prepared warships; 4moreover I plan to land in the country, that I may punish those who have destroyed our country, and those who have made many cities in the kingdom desolate; 5now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions which the kings who were before me remitted to you, and whatever gifts besides they remitted to you, 6and I permit you to coin money for your country with your own stamp, 7but that Jerusalem and the sanctuary should be free. All the weapons that you have prepared, and the strongholds that you have built, which you have in your possession, let them remain yours. 8Every debt owed to the king, and the things that will be owed to the king from henceforth and for evermore, let them be remitted to you. 9Moreover, when we have established our kingdom, we will glorify you and your nation and the temple with great glory, so that your glory will be made manifest in all the earth.

Antiochus, a claimant to the Seleucid throne, writes to Simon, the leader of the Jews, from across the sea. Needing Simon's support against a rival, he showers him with promises: he confirms all the tax remissions of previous kings, grants the Jews the right to coin their own money, promises freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary, cancels every debt owed to the crown, and pledges that when his kingdom is established he will glorify Simon and the nation and the temple with great glory, so that their glory would be known throughout the earth. It is a dazzling letter, promising honor and freedom and glory, sent by a man who needs something.

The letter dangles glory: I will glorify you, your glory will be made manifest in all the earth. It is a seductive offer, the promise of greatness and renown held out by a power that can, for the moment, make it look real. And it is worth noticing, as the story will bear out, that such promises made by those who need us tend not to hold; once Antiochus had what he wanted, he turned on Simon and demanded tribute, and the promised glory evaporated. This is how the glory the world offers usually works. It is dangled to win us, generous and grand while we are useful, and withdrawn when we are not; the honor promised by those who need something from us is rarely the honor delivered once they have it. There is a warning here against being seduced by the glory the world holds out. It looks solid in the letter, glory manifest throughout the earth, and it is written in sand. The glory worth having is not the kind a Simon could be promised by an Antiochus, the fickle renown that men extend and revoke as it suits them, but the glory that comes from God, who does not flatter to use us and does not take back what he gives. To seek honor from those who offer it to win us is to build on a promise that will not stand; the honor that lasts comes from God alone.

Am I seduced by the glory and honor the world holds out to win me, promises grand while I am useful and withdrawn when I am not, or do I seek the honor that comes from God alone, who does not flatter to use me or take back what he gives?

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