2 Maccabees 5:21-27: a reflection

21As for Antiochus, when he had carried away out of the temple one thousand eight hundred talents, he hurried away to Antioch, thinking in his arrogance that he could sail on land and walk on the sea, because his heart was lifted up. 22Moreover he left governors to afflict the race: at Jerusalem, Philip, by race a Phrygian, and in character more barbarous than him who set him there; 23and at Gerizim, Andronicus; and besides these, Menelaus, who worse than all the rest, exalted himself against his fellow citizens. Having a malicious mind toward the Jews whom he had made his citizens, 24he sent that lord of pollutions Apollonius with an army of twenty-two thousand, commanding him to kill all those who were of full age, and to sell the women and the boys as slaves. 25He came to Jerusalem, and pretending to be a man of peace, waited till the holy day of the Sabbath, and finding the Jews at rest from work, he commanded his men to parade fully armed. 26He put to the sword all those who came out to the spectacle. Running into the city with the armed men, he killed great multitudes. 27But Judas, who is also called Maccabaeus, with about nine others, withdrew himself, and with his company kept himself alive in the mountains like wild animals do. They continued feeding on what grew wild, that they might not be partakers of the defilement.

As Antiochus unleashes atrocities on Jerusalem, defiling the temple and slaughtering the people, one man and his small company make a costly choice. Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, withdrew himself into the mountains, living like wild animals on what grew wild, that they might not be partakers of the defilement. Rather than remain and be caught up in the defilement and compromise around them, they withdrew, separating themselves at great cost, living in hardship in the wilderness, to keep themselves undefiled and faithful.

Notice the costly separation Judas and his company made to remain undefiled. The defilement and evil around them were overwhelming; to remain in the midst of it was to risk being caught up in the compromise. So they withdrew, at great cost, to the mountains, living in hardship, to keep themselves from partaking in the defilement. Their withdrawal was not cowardice, but faithfulness; sometimes remaining faithful required separating from the evil around them, even at the cost of great hardship. They chose the hardship of the wilderness over the defilement of compromise.

That is worth taking to heart, for there are times when faithfulness requires separating ourselves from evil, even at a cost. We can be surrounded by defilement and compromise, and remaining in the midst of it can draw us into it; and sometimes faithfulness requires withdrawing, separating ourselves from the evil, even at a cost, to keep ourselves undefiled, as Judas and his company withdrew to the mountains. Do not remain in the midst of defilement and compromise when it would draw you into it, for fear of the cost of separating; sometimes faithfulness requires withdrawing from the evil around you, even at great cost, to keep yourself undefiled. Be willing, when faithfulness requires it, to separate yourself from the defilement and compromise around you, even at a cost, as Judas and his company withdrew to the wilderness to keep from partaking in the defilement; for keeping ourselves undefiled is sometimes worth the cost of separation from the evil around us.

Lord, as Antiochus unleashes atrocities on Jerusalem, defiling the temple and slaughtering the people, one man and his small company make a costly choice. Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, withdrew himself into the mountains, living like wild animals on what grew wild, that they might not be partakers of the defilement. Rather than remain and be caught up in the defilement around them, they withdrew, separating themselves at great cost, to keep themselves undefiled and faithful. Show me the costly separation Judas and his company made to remain undefiled. The defilement and evil around them were overwhelming; to remain was to risk being caught up in the compromise. So they withdrew, at great cost, living in hardship, to keep themselves from partaking in the defilement. Their withdrawal was not cowardice, but faithfulness; sometimes remaining faithful required separating from the evil around them, even at great cost. Take that to my heart, for there are times when faithfulness requires separating myself from evil, even at a cost. I can be surrounded by defilement and compromise, and remaining in the midst of it can draw me into it; and sometimes faithfulness requires withdrawing, separating myself from the evil, even at a cost. Keep me from remaining in the midst of defilement and compromise when it would draw me into it, for fear of the cost of separating; sometimes faithfulness requires withdrawing from the evil around me, Lord. Make me willing, when faithfulness requires it, to separate myself from the defilement around me, even at a cost, as Judas and his company withdrew.