Reflections on Session 17, question number 3
All right ladies and gentlemen, I can see and hear it now. Lorraine will be reminding me that we have to look at the whole picture, Mandy across the tables from me will be preparing a counterpoint, and Maggie will have her head down turning the pages of scripture seeking something...that always results in a succint re-interpretation/rebuttal of all of my misunderstandings.
So you asked that we blog about this. But in the last 20 minutes of studying here’s where my brain has been going - and this is only on one question!
Our friends Jeff, Sarah and Tim ask:
#3. How do you explain the victories Maccabeus and his family over far greater armies? What is their attitude and motivation? (See 1 Maccabees 3,4.)
So I find, “and they carried on Israel’s war joyfully. (1M 3:2)” Really? Joyfully - blood and guts and maiming - joyfully —- ahh, but hang on Maryann, you are not seeing the whole picture!
“...and those who troubled his people, he destroyed by fire.” 1 M 5 ...now that’s hideous - I witnessed the Seton Hall fire and its aftermath...hideous...
“...for victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but in the strength that comes from heaven.” Oh my, I hear Bob Dylan singing to my teen age self, “With God on Our Side.”
Poor God. We kill each other in His name...I have been looking forward to the reprieve of the New Testament and Jesus teaching a different way, since certainly we don’t do this anymore...then I remember 6 genocides, one group exterminating the other in God’s name, or the name of purity or some such thing: 1915/1916 - the Armenian genocide 1,000,000 people killed (which Turkey still does not acknowledge); 1939-1945 - the Holocust (6,000,000 killed); 1975-1979 - Cambodia (2,000,000 people); 1987-1988 -destruction of the Kurds in Northern Iraq (100,000 people); 1992-1995 - Bosnia (200,000); 1994 - Rawanda (800,000 in100 days).
Sickening, each one “justified.”
And then I remember. The last two years of my chaplaincy at Overlook - end of life patients ...I remembered being so humbled, over and over, as I would ask a patient - in their 70,s, 80,s, 90’s - what did they want to pray for that day. “Peace, world peace.” Not their health, families, but world peace.
They knew our foolishness.
And so does He.
And ladies, that’s what I go through on just one question! What am I going to do without you? You have marked my every Wednesday since I moved here. You got me through some really lonely and tough spots, through an excruciating 40 days way before Lent began...
But now?
Back to finishing #3 - and PS there is some beautiful poetry in there...
Hope, hope, He is forgiveness and mercy, kindness...thanks for your patience with me.
When I got to question 3 I wrote down:
ReplyDeleteGod helped
-right attitude
-relationship
-ask for help
-right reasons
Which made my brain think of the Eightfold Path in Buddhism which was a nice little detour. But I think the last one is perhaps most important.
1 Maccabees 3:18-22: 'It is easy' Judas answered 'for a great number to be defeated by a few; indeed in the sight of Heaven, deliverance, whether by many or by few, is all one; for victory in war does not depend on the size of the fighting force: Heaven accords the strength. They are coming against us in full blown insolence and lawlessness to destroy us, our wives and our children, and to plunder us; but we are fighting for our lives and our laws and he will crush them before our eyes; do not be afraid of them'.
I like that its not about them personally or about glory which is what war to often is about; instead It's the right reasons to fight. It's a fight in defense rather than offense. And that's my counterpoint :)
And thanks for getting started I finally was motivated to sit down and get homework down that and I finally got work all figured out and transitioned to virtual learning so got to have downtime. Hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and sane.
My answer for this question was 3:19 "It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven". My focus was on the strength comes from Heaven. So it is today that i want to do the "right thing" in the name of God, not just the “right thing” for the wordly ways of the “right thing”. Hope that makes sense! Lorraine
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