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Context No. 646 of 4322 · 1 Maccabees

Context · Reflection

1 Maccabees 10:67-73: in context

67In the one hundred sixty-fifth year, Demetrius, son of Demetrius, came out of Crete into the land of his ancestors. 68When King Alexander heard of it, he grieved exceedingly and returned to Antioch. 69Demetrius appointed Apollonius, who was over Coelesyria, and he gathered together a great army, and encamped against Jamnia, and sent to Jonathan the high priest, saying, 70“You alone lift up yourself against us, but I am ridiculed and in reproach because of you. Why do you assume authority against us in the mountains? 71Now therefore, if you trust in your forces, come down to us into the plain, and let’s match strength with each other there; for the power of the cities is with me. 72Ask and learn who I am, and the rest who help us. They say, ‘Your foot can’t stand before our face; for your ancestors have been put to flight twice in their own land.’ 73Now you won’t be able to withstand the cavalry and such an army as this in the plain, where there is no stone or pebble, or place to flee.”

An enemy general named Apollonius sends Jonathan a message designed to intimidate, and it is a masterclass in the art of the taunt. You alone are setting yourself against us, he says; come down from your hills into the open plain and let us test our strength there, for the power of the cities is with me. And then he reaches for the sharpest weapon in his message: ask and learn who I am; your ancestors were put to flight twice in their own land. He wants Jonathan to remember his people's past defeats, to feel the weight of a history of failure, and to conclude that he cannot possibly stand now. The whole message is engineered to unnerve, to recall old losses, and to lure Jonathan onto ground of the enemy's choosing.

Notice the particular blade: the reminder of past defeats. Apollonius does not only boast of his own strength; he drags up Jonathan's history of losing, throwing it in his face to say, you have fallen before, you will fall again. It is one of the oldest intimidation tactics there is, and it is exactly how the accuser works on the soul. When I am tempted to stand firm, to obey, to resist some sin or fear, a voice loves to recall my track record of failure: remember how you fell last time, and the time before; who do you think you are to stand now? The past defeats are weaponized to convince me that resistance is futile and I will only fail again.

That is a taunt I have to learn to recognize and refuse. My history of failing at something is real, and an accusing voice will use it to keep me from even trying to stand, to lure me into surrender before the fight begins. But past defeats do not determine the present battle, and the God I stand with is not bound by my track record. When my failures are thrown in my face to convince me I cannot stand now, do I believe the taunt and give up in advance, or do I refuse to let my history of falling decide whether I stand today?

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