1 Maccabees 11:1-7: a reflection

1Then the king of Egypt gathered together great forces, as the sand which is by the sea shore, and many ships, and sought to make himself master of Alexander’s kingdom by deceit, and to add it to his own kingdom. 2He went out into Syria with words of peace, and the people of the cities opened their gates to him and met him; for King Alexander’s command was that they should meet him, because he was his father-in-law. 3Now as he entered into the cities of Ptolemais, he set his forces for a garrison in each city. 4But when he came near to Azotus, they showed him the temple of Dagon burned with fire, and Azotus and its pasture lands destroyed, and the bodies cast out, and those who had been burned, whom he burned in the war, for they had made heaps of them in his way. 5They told the king what Jonathan had done, that they might cast blame on him; but the king kept silent. 6Jonathan met the king with pomp at Joppa, and they greeted one another, and they slept there. 7Jonathan went with the king as far as the river that is called Eleutherus, then returned to Jerusalem.

In this account, a king comes into the region with an army but with words of peace, and, trusting his peaceful words, the cities open their gates to him and welcome him. But his intent was not peace; he sought to seize the kingdom for himself, and as he entered each city, he set his own soldiers there as a garrison. The cities, which had opened their gates in trust, found the newcomer establishing his own hold within them.

Notice what happened when the cities opened their gates on the strength of peaceful words. They trusted the friendly approach and let him in; and he used that access to establish himself, garrisoning the cities for his own ends. What came with a friendly face and words of peace turned out to have a hidden intent, and once welcomed in, it gained a foothold that would be hard to remove. The open gate let in more than the cities intended.

That is a picture of a wisdom we need about what we welcome into our lives. Not everything that comes with a friendly face and words of peace is harmless; some things, once welcomed in, establish a foothold and take hold for their own ends. We can open the gates of our lives, our attention, our habits, our hearts, to things that present themselves attractively but establish a harmful hold once inside. Be wise and watchful about what you welcome in. Do not open your gates simply because something comes with a friendly face and peaceful words; consider what it may establish once inside. Guard the gates of your life against what would gain a foothold under the guise of friendship; for what is easily welcomed in can be hard to remove once it has garrisoned itself within.

Lord, in this account a king came with words of peace, and the cities, trusting his friendly approach, opened their gates, only for him to garrison them for his own ends; the open gate let in more than the cities intended. Give me the wisdom I need about what I welcome into my life. Not everything that comes with a friendly face and words of peace is harmless; some things, once welcomed in, establish a foothold and take hold for their own ends. I can open the gates of my life, my attention, my habits, my heart, to things that present themselves attractively but establish a harmful hold once inside. Make me wise and watchful about what I welcome in. Keep me from opening my gates simply because something comes with a friendly face and peaceful words; help me consider what it may establish once inside. Guard the gates of my life against what would gain a foothold under the guise of friendship; for what is easily welcomed in can be hard to remove once it has established itself within. Give me discernment about what I let in.