2 Maccabees 9:13-18: a reflection

13The vile man vowed to the sovereign Lord, who now no more would have pity upon him, saying 14that the holy city, to which he was going in haste to lay it even with the ground and to make it a common graveyard, he would declare free. 15Concerning the Jews, whom he had decided not even to count worthy of burial, but to cast them out to the animals with their infants for the birds to devour, he would make them all equal to citizens of Athens. 16The holy sanctuary, which before he had plundered, he would adorn with the best offerings, and would restore all the sacred vessels many times multiplied, and out of his own revenues would defray the charges that were required for the sacrifices. 17Beside all this, he said that he would become a Jew and would visit every inhabited place, proclaiming the power of God. 18But when his sufferings did in no way cease, for the judgment of God had come upon him in righteousness, having given up all hope for himself, he wrote to the Jews the letter written below, having the nature of a supplication, to this effect:

In his final sufferings, the tyrant Antiochus, who had brought such harm on God's people, makes grand promises and vows to God, but they are the desperate bargaining of a man under duress, not the fruit of a changed heart. He vowed to God, the account says, promising to free the holy city, to adorn the sanctuary he had plundered, even to become a Jew and proclaim God's greatness. But these were the promises of a man whose sufferings would not cease, bargaining in his extremity, not the sign of true repentance or a changed heart; when he could no longer escape, he tried to buy relief with lavish vows. This is a sobering picture of a repentance that is only fearful bargaining under duress, not a true change of heart. Desperate bargaining under duress is not true repentance. Lavish vows made in extremity are not a changed heart. Fear-driven bargaining differs from real repentance. True repentance is a changed heart, not desperate bargaining.

Notice the difference between what Antiochus did and true repentance. Under the pressure of his sufferings, when he could no longer escape, he made grand promises to God, vowing all manner of things, freedom for the holy city, gifts for the sanctuary, even to become a worshiper of God. But these were not the fruit of a genuinely changed heart; they were the desperate bargaining of a man trying to buy his way out of his suffering, promising anything to gain relief. This is not the same as true repentance. True repentance is a real change of heart, a genuine turning to God in sorrow for sin and love for him, not merely a fearful attempt to bargain our way out of trouble when we are cornered. This searches us. We too can be tempted, when in trouble or fear, to bargain with God, making promises to gain relief, without any real change of heart, intending to forget the promises once the trouble passes. But God sees the heart. What God desires is not desperate bargaining under duress but true repentance, a genuine turning of the heart to him. True repentance is a changed heart, not bargaining to escape trouble. God desires a genuine turning of the heart, not fearful vows. Do not merely bargain with God in trouble; truly turn your heart to him. Real repentance differs from desperate promises made under pressure.

That is worth taking to heart, for true repentance is a genuine change of heart, not the desperate bargaining of one under duress, as Antiochus made lavish vows in his sufferings without a changed heart. We can be tempted, when cornered by trouble or fear, to bargain with God, making promises to gain relief without any real change of heart, meaning to forget them once the trouble passes; but Antiochus's grand vows in his extremity were fearful bargaining, not true repentance. God sees the heart and desires a genuine turning. Do not merely bargain with God to escape trouble; let your repentance be a real turning of the heart to him. Let your repentance be a genuine turning of the heart to God rather than the desperate bargaining of one under pressure, as Antiochus, in his final sufferings that would not cease, made grand promises and vows to God, to free the holy city and adorn the sanctuary he had plundered and even become a worshiper, which were not the fruit of a changed heart but the bargaining of a man trying to buy relief from his suffering; for we too can be tempted, when in trouble or fear and unable to escape, to bargain with God, making promises to gain relief without any real change of heart and meaning to forget them once the trouble passes, but God sees the heart, and true repentance is not a fearful attempt to bargain our way out of trouble but a real change of heart, a genuine turning to God in sorrow for sin and love for him, so that we do well to offer God not desperate bargaining under duress but a genuine turning of the heart to him.

Lord, in his final sufferings, the tyrant Antiochus, who had brought such harm on your people, makes grand promises and vows to you, but they are the desperate bargaining of a man under duress, not the fruit of a changed heart. He vowed to God, the account says, promising to free the holy city, to adorn the sanctuary he had plundered, even to become a worshiper and proclaim your greatness. But these were the promises of a man whose sufferings would not cease, bargaining in his extremity, not the sign of true repentance; when he could no longer escape, he tried to buy relief with lavish vows. This is a sobering picture of a repentance that is only fearful bargaining under duress, not a true change of heart. Show me the difference between what Antiochus did and true repentance. Under the pressure of his sufferings, he made grand promises to you, vowing all manner of things. But these were not the fruit of a genuinely changed heart; they were the desperate bargaining of a man trying to buy his way out of his suffering. This is not the same as true repentance. True repentance is a real change of heart, a genuine turning to you in sorrow for sin and love for you, not merely a fearful attempt to bargain our way out of trouble when we are cornered. This searches me. I too can be tempted, when in trouble or fear, to bargain with you, making promises to gain relief, without any real change of heart, intending to forget the promises once the trouble passes. But you see the heart. What you desire is not desperate bargaining under duress but true repentance. Take that to my heart, for true repentance is a genuine change of heart, not the bargaining of one under duress. When I am cornered by trouble or fear, keep me from merely bargaining with you to gain relief; help me offer you not desperate promises but a real turning of my heart to you, Lord, a genuine repentance in sorrow for sin and love for you, not fearful vows I mean to forget.