Context No. 3827 of 4322 · 1 Maccabees

1 Maccabees 15:10-14: in context

10In the one hundred seventy-fourth year, Antiochus went into the land of his fathers; and all the forces came together to him, so that there were few men with Tryphon. 11King Antiochus pursued him, and he came, as he fled, to Dor, which is by the sea; 12for he knew that troubles had come upon him all at once, and that his forces had deserted him. 13Antiochus encamped against Dor, and with him one hundred twenty thousand men of war and eight thousand cavalry. 14He surrounded the city, and the ships joined in the attack from the sea. He harassed the city by land and sea, and permitted no one to go out or in.

The usurper Tryphon, who had seized power by treachery and murder, now finds himself cornered. When the rightful heir Antiochus advances, Tryphon's forces desert him and rally to the other side; troubles come upon him all at once, and he flees to the coastal city of Dor, where he is besieged by land and sea, with no way out.

The man who had grasped power by betrayal is now abandoned by the very forces he had gathered. There is a quiet lesson in his downfall. Power seized by treachery has no firm foundation; the loyalty Tryphon commanded was only as deep as his fortunes, and when they turned, his supporters melted away. Those who rise by betrayal and self-interest often find, when trouble comes, that they stand alone, deserted by followers who were never truly loyal. What is built on treachery does not hold. It is a sober reminder that the security we gain by wrong means is hollow, and cannot be relied on in the day of trouble.

Am I tempted to grasp for advantage or security by wrong means, forgetting that what is built on treachery and self-interest has no firm foundation and will not hold when trouble comes?

Sources

1 Maccabees 15:10: "Antiochus went into the land of his fathers; and all the forces came together to him, so that there were few men with Tryphon."
1 Maccabees 15:12: "For he knew that troubles had come upon him all at once, and that his forces had deserted him."
1 Maccabees 15:14: "He surrounded the city, and the ships joined in the attack from the sea. He harassed the city by land and sea."