2 Maccabees 6:7-11: a reflection

7On the day of the king’s birth every month, they were led along with bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices. When the feast of Dionysia came, they were compelled to go in procession in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy. 8A decree went out to the neighboring Greek cities, by the suggestion of Ptolemy, that they should observe the same conduct against the Jews, and should make them eat of the sacrifices, 9and that they should kill those who didn’t choose to go over to the Greek rites. So the present misery was for all to see. 10For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. These, when they had led them publicly around the city with the babes hung from their breasts, they threw down headlong from the wall. 11Others who had run together into the caves nearby to keep the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of the honor of that most solemn day.

In a time of fierce persecution, when the people were forced under threat of death to abandon their faith, some quietly kept it at the cost of their lives. Two women were put to death for having circumcised their children, keeping that mark of the covenant; and others who had gathered secretly in caves to keep the Sabbath were discovered and killed, unwilling even to defend themselves out of reverence for the holy day. These were not grand acts of public heroism, but quiet, hidden acts of faithfulness, keeping the ordinary observances of their faith, circumcising their children, keeping the Sabbath, at the cost of their lives. Their faithfulness in small, ordinary acts of devotion held even under the threat of death.

Notice the quiet, costly faithfulness of these ones. They were not making a public stand, seeking notice; they were simply keeping the ordinary observances of their faith, the circumcision of a child, the keeping of the Sabbath, quietly, even secretly. And they kept them at the cost of their lives, unwilling to abandon these ordinary acts of devotion even under threat of death. Their faithfulness was in the small, hidden things, the ordinary observances that others might have thought too minor to die for; yet they held to them at the greatest cost. The quiet faithfulness in ordinary acts of devotion proved as costly, and as real, as any public heroism; they would not abandon even the small observances of their faith.

That is worth taking to heart, for faithfulness is shown not only in grand acts but in keeping the ordinary observances of our faith, even at cost. We can imagine that faithfulness to God is a matter of grand, public acts of heroism; but these ones showed their faithfulness in the quiet, ordinary observances of their faith, kept at great cost. The small, ordinary acts of devotion, kept faithfully even when it costs us, are a real faithfulness. Do not despise the ordinary observances of your faith as too small to matter; keep them faithfully, even at cost, as these ones kept the Sabbath and circumcision at the cost of their lives. Keep the ordinary observances of your faith faithfully, even when it costs you, not despising them as too small to matter, as these ones kept the Sabbath and circumcised their children at the cost of their lives; for faithfulness is shown not only in grand public acts but in the quiet keeping of the ordinary observances of our faith, held to even at great cost.

Lord, in a time of fierce persecution, when the people were forced under threat of death to abandon their faith, some quietly kept it at the cost of their lives. Two women were put to death for having circumcised their children, keeping that mark of the covenant; and others who had gathered secretly in caves to keep the Sabbath were discovered and killed, unwilling even to defend themselves out of reverence for the holy day. These were not grand acts of public heroism, but quiet, hidden acts of faithfulness, keeping the ordinary observances of their faith at the cost of their lives. Show me the quiet, costly faithfulness of these ones. They were not making a public stand, seeking notice; they were simply keeping the ordinary observances of their faith, the circumcision of a child, the keeping of the Sabbath, quietly. And they kept them at the cost of their lives, unwilling to abandon these ordinary acts of devotion even under threat of death. Their faithfulness was in the small, hidden things, the ordinary observances that others might have thought too minor to die for; yet they held to them at the greatest cost. Take that to my heart, for faithfulness is shown not only in grand acts but in keeping the ordinary observances of my faith, even at cost. I can imagine that faithfulness to you is a matter of grand, public acts of heroism; but these ones showed their faithfulness in the quiet, ordinary observances of their faith. Keep me from despising the ordinary observances of my faith as too small to matter; help me keep them faithfully, Lord, even at cost, as these ones kept the Sabbath and circumcision at the cost of their lives.