1 Maccabees 6:48-54: a reflection

48But the soldiers of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to meet them, and the king encamped toward Judea and toward mount Zion. 49He made peace with the people of Bethsura. He came out of the city because they had no food there to endure the siege, because it was a Sabbath to the land. 50The king took Bethsura, and appointed a garrison there to keep it. 51He encamped against the sanctuary many days; and set there mounds to shoot from, and engines of war, and machines for throwing fire and stones, and weapons to throw darts, and slings. 52The Jews also made engines of war against their engines, and fought for many days. 53But there was no food in the sanctuary, because it was the seventh year, and those who fled for safety into Judea from among the Gentiles had eaten up the rest of the stores. 54There were only a few people left in the sanctuary, because the famine prevailed against them, and they were scattered, each man to his own place.

This passage records a hard time for the faithful, besieged in the sanctuary, when their resources ran out, famine prevailed, and they were reduced to a few, scattered. There was no food in the sanctuary, the account says, because it was the seventh year, and the famine prevailed against them, and they were scattered. The faithful, holding out in the sanctuary, came to the end of their own resources; their food ran out, famine overtook them, and they were left few and scattered. It is an honest picture of a time when faithfulness meets dire hardship and our own resources are exhausted. And it points us, by our very extremity, to God, who is our help when our own resources run out. This shows that when our own resources run out, God is our help in the extremity. Faithfulness sometimes meets dire hardship and depleted resources. When our own resources run out, we are cast on God. God is our help when we come to the end of our own strength. Our extremity casts us on God.

Notice the honesty of this hard passage. The faithful were besieged, holding out in the sanctuary; and their resources ran out. It was a sabbatical year, so the land had not been sown; the stores were consumed; famine prevailed; and they were reduced to a few, scattered. This is not a triumphant picture but a grim and honest one: a time when faithfulness met dire hardship, when the faithful came to the very end of their own resources, with nothing left. Scripture does not hide such times. And they can come to us too: times when, for all our faithfulness, we meet dire hardship, when our own resources, strength, and provisions run out, and we are left at the end of ourselves. What does such extremity teach? It teaches us, by driving us to the end of our own resources, that our help is finally not in ourselves but in God. When our own strength and provisions are exhausted, we are cast wholly on God, who is our help when we have no more of our own. The end of our own resources is not the end of God's; and our extremity can drive us to rely on him alone. When our own resources run out, God is our help; we are cast on him. The end of our strength is not the end of God's help. Dire extremity drives us to rely on God alone. God is our help when we have nothing left of our own.

That is worth taking to heart, for faithfulness sometimes meets dire hardship and the end of our own resources, and in such extremity we are cast on God, who is our help when we have nothing left of our own. We can expect faithfulness to spare us from dire hardship, and be shaken when instead our resources run out and we are left at the end of ourselves; but this passage honestly records such a time for the faithful, and it drives us, by our extremity, to rely on God. God is our help when our own runs out. When your own resources and strength are exhausted, do not despair; you are cast on God, who is your help. When faithfulness meets dire hardship and your own resources run out, do not despair but be cast on God, who is your help when you have nothing left of your own, as this passage honestly records a hard time for the faithful besieged in the sanctuary, when their food ran out in the sabbatical year, famine prevailed, and they were reduced to a few and scattered; for the faithful, holding out, came to the very end of their own resources with nothing left, which Scripture does not hide, and such times can come to us too, when for all our faithfulness we meet dire hardship and our own resources, strength, and provisions run out and we are left at the end of ourselves, but such extremity teaches us, by driving us to the end of our own resources, that our help is finally not in ourselves but in God, so that when our own strength and provisions are exhausted we are cast wholly on God, who is our help when we have no more of our own, since the end of our own resources is not the end of God's, and our extremity can drive us to rely on him alone.

Lord, this passage records a hard time for the faithful, besieged in the sanctuary, when their resources ran out, famine prevailed, and they were reduced to a few, scattered. There was no food in the sanctuary, the account says, because it was the seventh year, and the famine prevailed against them, and they were scattered. The faithful, holding out in the sanctuary, came to the end of their own resources; their food ran out, famine overtook them, and they were left few and scattered. It is an honest picture of a time when faithfulness meets dire hardship and our own resources are exhausted. And it points me, by my very extremity, to you, who are my help when my own resources run out. Show me the honesty of this hard passage. The faithful were besieged; and their resources ran out. The stores were consumed; famine prevailed; and they were reduced to a few, scattered. This is not a triumphant picture but a grim and honest one: a time when faithfulness met dire hardship, when the faithful came to the very end of their own resources, with nothing left. Scripture does not hide such times. And they can come to me too: times when, for all my faithfulness, I meet dire hardship, when my own resources, strength, and provisions run out, and I am left at the end of myself. Such extremity teaches me, by driving me to the end of my own resources, that my help is finally not in myself but in you. When my own strength and provisions are exhausted, I am cast wholly on you, who are my help when I have no more of my own. Take that to my heart, for faithfulness sometimes meets dire hardship and the end of my own resources, and in such extremity I am cast on you. When my own resources and strength are exhausted, keep me from despair; help me be cast on you, Lord, who are my help when I have nothing left of my own, knowing that the end of my resources is not the end of yours.