1 Maccabees 1:10-15: a reflection

10There came out of them a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been a hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the one hundred thirty seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks. 11In those days transgressors of the law came out of Israel and persuaded many, saying, “Let’s go make a covenant with the Gentiles around us; for since we were separated from them many evils have befallen us.” 12That proposal was good in their eyes. 13Some of the people eagerly went to the king, and he authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. 14So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the laws of the Gentiles. 15They made themselves uncircumcised, forsook the holy covenant, joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold themselves to do evil.

In the account of a dark time for God's people, we see the temptation to abandon their distinctiveness in order to fit in with the surrounding culture. Some in Israel said, Let's go make a covenant with the Gentiles around us; for since we were separated from them many evils have befallen us. They found their separateness burdensome, a source of trouble, and longed to be like the nations around them; so they abandoned the ways that set them apart, forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles. Their desire to fit in led them to give up the very things that marked them as God's people. The pull to belong, to be like everyone else, to shed the distinctiveness that made them different, drew them away from the covenant. To abandon our distinctiveness as God's people in order to fit in with the surrounding culture is a real temptation, and a costly surrender.

Notice the temptation these Israelites gave in to: to abandon their distinctiveness in order to fit in. They found being set apart from the surrounding nations burdensome; their separateness felt like the cause of their troubles. So they longed to be like the nations, and abandoned the covenant, the ways that marked them as God's people, to join themselves to the culture around them. The desire to belong, to be like everyone else, to shed what made them different, was strong; and it led them to give up the very things that set them apart for God. This is a real and recurring temptation for God's people: to feel their distinctiveness as a burden, and to abandon it in order to blend in with the surrounding culture. But the distinctiveness of God's people is not an accident to be shed; it is part of belonging to him. To surrender it for the sake of fitting in is to give up something precious. The pull to blend in can cost us what makes us God's.

That is worth taking to heart, for the temptation to abandon our distinctiveness as God's people in order to fit in is real, and giving in is a costly surrender. We can feel our distinctiveness as God's people to be a burden, a source of difficulty, and be tempted to shed it in order to blend in with the surrounding culture, as these Israelites abandoned the covenant to be like the nations. But the distinctiveness of God's people is part of belonging to him, not an accident to be discarded for the sake of fitting in. Do not abandon your distinctiveness as one of God's people in order to fit in with the surrounding culture; it is part of belonging to him, not a burden to be shed. Guard against the temptation to abandon your distinctiveness as one of God's people in order to fit in with the surrounding culture, as some in Israel forsook the covenant to be like the nations around them because their separateness felt burdensome; for the distinctiveness of God's people is not an accident to be shed for the sake of belonging but is part of belonging to him, and to surrender it in order to blend in is to give up something precious, a costly trade of what makes us his for the comfort of fitting in.

Lord, in the account of a dark time for your people, we see the temptation to abandon their distinctiveness in order to fit in with the surrounding culture. Some in Israel said, Let's go make a covenant with the Gentiles around us; for since we were separated from them many evils have befallen us. They found their separateness burdensome, a source of trouble, and longed to be like the nations around them; so they abandoned the ways that set them apart, forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles. Their desire to fit in led them to give up the very things that marked them as your people. Show me the temptation these Israelites gave in to: to abandon their distinctiveness in order to fit in. They found being set apart from the surrounding nations burdensome; their separateness felt like the cause of their troubles. So they longed to be like the nations, and abandoned the covenant to join themselves to the culture around them. The desire to belong, to shed what made them different, was strong; and it led them to give up the very things that set them apart for you. This is a real and recurring temptation for your people. But our distinctiveness is not an accident to be shed; it is part of belonging to you. Take that to my heart, for the temptation to abandon my distinctiveness as one of your people in order to fit in is real, and giving in is a costly surrender. I can feel my distinctiveness as your person to be a burden, and be tempted to shed it in order to blend in with the surrounding culture. But it is part of belonging to you. Keep me from abandoning my distinctiveness as one of your people in order to fit in, Lord, as some in Israel forsook the covenant to be like the nations; help me guard it as part of belonging to you rather than trade it for the comfort of fitting in.