We celebrated a late Thanksgiving dinner with three of our daughters and their families. Where most people have turkey with all the trimmings, we opted to have nachos with a variety of toppings. They were delicious and we had fun making and eating them.
Having nachos for Thanksgiving dinner made me think about our traditions and how they become imbedded in our lives. When we have a family dinner, we tend to take the same foods every time. Not only that, we also expect and look forward to our aunt’s apple pie or our uncle’s smoked turkey. Those things we look forward to are comfortable and wrap us in the love of family and life.
However, when traditions become more important than the reason we are celebrating, we need to reevaluate the reason we celebrate. We need to step back and look at the holiday and why we have it.
Do we look forward more to the food, and who brings what, than we do to rejoicing in freedom and family, and the gifts given us by God? Is our holiday ruined when those customs we’re used to are changed? If so, maybe we need to pray about what God wants us to have for a tradition or custom in our lives. What is important to Him?
In Luke 22:39 we find Jesus going to the Mount of Olives with His disciples. “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.”
In the book of Daniel, there is a plot against Daniel. If he prays to God, he will lose his life in a lion’s den. Yet, we find Daniel doing what he always does. “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel 6:10
Both Jesus and Daniel had a custom of praying at a certain time or in a certain place. Even though they both faced death, that custom was so ingrained in them that they didn’t forsake meeting with God. This tradition or custom was based on putting God first above everything else.
When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about His disciples breaking traditions, Jesus said to them:
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:6-7
We must be careful not to allow tradition to pull us away from God and His will. Keep in mind what is important. When questioned by the Pharisees about the greatest commandment, Jesus said this:
“… “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39
Having traditions like Thanksgiving can be wonderful as long as we remember what is most important. We must put God first – before the turkey, the dressing, the cranberry sauce, or even the nachos. Next we must love others more than ourselves.
Meeting Jesus must be our custom or tradition every day no matter what. This holiday season make meeting with Jesus a priority and see how blessed your days will be.
Demystifying Hospice: The Secrets to Navigating End-of-Life Care is a book that candidly describes the “nuts and bolts” of giving care to hospice patients. Writing with 20 years of experience as a hospice nurse, author Barbara Petersen delivers powerful and necessary information as well as some uncomfortable truths about the process and the business behind it. A valuable and accessible resource for families and all levels of caregivers of hospice patients, this book helps everyone know what to expect and how to better help these patients during their final months, weeks, or days.
Vicki’s Review:
We tend to not look for resources until we need them, which proved a flawed way of doing things when I needed info on end-of-life care for both of my parents. I wish I’d had this book then. It would have spared me a lot of anxiety and worry!
This is the most user-friendly book of its kind I’ve come across. The chapters are stand-alone, meaning, you don’t have to read everything that comes before what you’re looking for what you are looking for to make sense. That, I find, to be a huge blessing.
Barbara Petersen’s knowledge and experience shines light on the practical. She writes with passion and compassion and offers the rest of us, for whom this time is confusing and honestly intimidating, much needed information so that we can feel more comfortable and confident in doing our best for our loved ones. Well done—and highly recommended!
Several years ago, I established Mill Lake Books to help Christian authors get their books published in an affordable way. To date, this imprint has published over 30 books.
One of the most recent is Fullness of Time: Devotionals, Poems, Pictures, and Prayers by Ray Harris. On one level, this is a beautiful coffee table book. On another level, it is a rich spiritual banquet.
The book grew out of Ray’s ministry as Spiritual Care Coordinator at Tabor Village, a seniors’ home in Abbotsford, British Columbia.The contents of the book are organized to reflect the human journey through the seasons of the year. The centerpiece of the book is meditations, drawn from all 66 books of the Bible and based on devotionals Ray shared with various gatherings at Tabor Village.
And yet, in a real sense, the book is a product of the Christian community in which Ray served. In addition to Ray’s meditations, the book is brimming with pictures, aphorisms (brief thoughts), poems, and anecdotes (brief stories, most of them drawn from the life experiences of Tabor residents). The photographs and artwork in the book were also provided by Tabor residents, friends, and family members. Readers will find themselves drawn into Christian community as the contributors sing, pray, laugh, mourn, and worship together.
The result is a rich, easy-to-read, inspirational volume, ideal for personal devotional reading, as well as a good resource for chaplains, teachers, and others who may need to lead a devotion on short notice. The book includes an index to Scripture and an index to topics such as change, growth, death, and eternity. It comes in paper and ebook formats and is available through bookstores and online retailers such as Amazon, distributed by Ingram.
Showing is always better than telling. Below is one of Ray’s meditations, drawn from the book.
Meditation –The Blessing of An Elder
Scripture Text –Luke 2:25-35 (NIV): Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
I still can see him lifting our six-month-old son in the spotlight, with his eyes raised to the sky, reciting these words, “My eyes have seen your salvation…” It was our church Christmas program, and this elder pastor agreed to play the role of Simeon, and our son served as baby Jesus. Though the lines were spoken in a pageant, they were filled with sincerity and life experience. This octogenarian was a godly man who truly blessed us all that day.
When an elder Christian blesses another person, there is a sense of the presence and pleasure of God. The church has always taken blessings and benedictions (good words) seriously. The Bible is full of blessings, including this text often quoted or spoken during Christmas. Simeon blessing points ahead to Calvary and deep soul-piercing. And it also sings of light, salvation, fulfilment.
This text (Luke 2:25-35) is one of the Christmas songs, referred to as the Nunc Dimittis (now dismiss). Give and receive a blessing today.
This Friday marks the first day of December. For shoppers, the countdown to Christmas officially begins with Black Friday. Among the hustle and bustle of preparing our homes for the holiday, we prepare our hearts for one of the biggest events in our Christian faith. The birth of our Savior.
The Advent season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and leads up to December 25.
Advent is a time in which we reflect and anticipate that time long ago when Jesus was born in a stable. We celebrate His miraculous birth and remember that He did not stay that little Baby in the manger. Advent carries a dual meaning. The remembrance of Christ’s birth and the anticipation of His return.
I love that about this season. It not only points to the birth of Jesus, but it also reminds us to be ready for His second coming.
The Advent calendar is a wonderful way to count down the days until Christmas. As we mark each day of the Advent season, we reflect and prepare our hearts to welcome the Savior and call to mind the longing and anticipation of God’s people who for centuries awaited the coming Messiah. And the longing we have today for His return.
So, this year, as you countdown each day of the season, take time to reflect on that miraculous birth all those years ago, and look with longing forward to the return of our Savior.
A friend recently looked at my Goodreads reading list and found it funny that for a fiction author, my reading consists of a lot of nonfiction. I love learning!
This season I have been working through a lot of Bible studies and related materials. There has been Rebekah Lyons and Building a Resilient Life. Alisa Keeton and The Body Revelation. Laura Krokos and You are Unshaken. These books are revealing painful layers from my past and healing them. For too long I stuffed pain, and that’s not healthy.
Healing from pain takes action. From Rebekah Lyons I learned we have to not only name the pain, but shift the narrative. Through YouVersion’s plan on Setting Boundaries for Toxic People by Vladimir Savchuk I was dumbfounded by the simplest truth.
Jesus set boundaries.
Sure, I knew He went to the lake for private time.
I knew any time He could escape the crowds and have moments with His Dad, He did.
But Jesus set boundaries.
“Jesus did not go back to Pilate, Herod, or the Pharisees after His resurrection…where there is no repentance, there cannot be reconciliation.” He goes on, “If you have someone in your life who throws a spear at you once, twice, or even three times and they are not repentant, walk away because there is no trust there.”
Vladimir Savchuk, Setting Boundaries for Toxic People
I can err on the side of not just tough love, but harsh love. It’s easy for me to erect a wall and visually proclaim people can’t have access to me. If I did that for everyone and just let my dogs love me, that’s not healthy or Biblical.
But through David’s example, I realize he never let Saul have access to him once Saul became toxic. He respected Saul. He wept at Saul’s funeral. But Saul threw spears David’s way more than once. Saul lost access to David. And that’s healthy to walk that out if the situation is similar.
I love a good visual and I tried to picture Jesus conquering death, busting out of the tomb, and seeking out Herod. Pilate. The Pharisees. These men were not repentant and did not want to befriend Jesus. They were about stabbing Him in the back. Jesus went to those who wanted to change. That’s where He spent His time.
If that’s a model Jesus lived by, boundaries are healthy for us, too.
As I walk out my own healing journey, that’s a nugget I found and wanted to share with you. I hope it encourages you today!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s a day I like to stop and take an inventory of all that I’m thankful for. As an author, I’m so thankful for readers, especially when a reader contacts me and lets me know my stories have helped them. Or, they are simply glad I write clean stories that offer hope.
As a mom and sister, I’m thankful for a great relationship with my daughter and grands. As a friend, I’m thankful for those who always have my six, as one of my heroes likes to say–they have my back.
But most of all, I’m thankful that God offered me salvation through the sacrifice of His Son. I bask in His love. He is my friend, my Lord, my Savior, and the best friend I have. He gives me the stories I tell. And he pulls me from the miry clay when I’ve stepped off the deep end.
And while I know there are those we will miss–I miss my oldest daughter and mother, but I’m thankful I know where they are. I hold them close in my memories, and I hope you do the same for those who won’t be around your table this year. I will focus on the good times.
So, here’s hoping you have a wonderful and joyful Thanksgiving.
Hebrews 12:16-17 (NIV) warns: “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”
The story is told in Genesis 25. Esau was tired and hungry and agreed to trade his birthright to his younger brother Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew. Was Esau’s act in selling his birthright a sin? It was foolish certainly, but was it a sin? It was sinful for Jacob to deceive and take advantage of his brother, but was what Esau did sinful?
Esau’s story in this instance is more of a symbol than an example, more of a parallel story than an exact representation. It is a living parable. Esau traded his inheritance for a bowl of stew—a very bad bargain. Esau’s father Isaac had so many crops, flocks, herds, and servants that the Philistines envied him (Genesis 26:12-15). His wealthy operation was the equivalent to a huge ranch or farm or manufacturing company employing hundreds of workers today. It was worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in our money. The contrast between a bowl of stew and this inheritance is ludicrous—and that is the point. Similarly, when we trade the wonderful inheritance God has given us in Jesus—peace, love, joy, and purpose now and an eternal home in heaven with God later on—for the very fleeting pleasures of sin, we also have made a very bad bargain. It is easy for us to recognize Esau’s folly. Why do we not recognize our own? Is it because we overestimate the pleasures of sin and the length of our earthly lives? Or is it because we underestimate the blessings of the Christian life here and the unfathomable and eternal joys of heaven? Paul said elsewhere: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
In only one sense can Esau’s poor choice be said to be sinful. As he was the firstborn son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, Esau’s inheritance did not just consist of flocks and herds and material wealth. What he squandered was also God’s promised inheritance of blessing for all nations and a personal covenant relationship with God Himself (Genesis 12:3; 17:1-8). This is the same inheritance that we have in Jesus. Let us not be as foolish as Esau.
I’m currently away, but I wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving. I know it’s early, but for many this is a hectic week, especially if you are hosting and cooking the big family meal. I have cooking duty, which I actually love, so it’s no hardship. I’ve already done the bulk of my shopping so I could get away for a long weekend and not worry about fighting the crowds at the store when I get back.
This is a time to be grateful for the many blessings we have. Knowing that we serve God, who loves and takes care of us. Family. Friends. Our jobs. Spending time together with the special people in our lives.
What I want to express is gratefulness for the many readers who enjoy our books and support our careers. We couldn’t do it without you! You are the reason we spend long hours at the keyboard coming up with heartfelt stories we hope will touch your hearts. The authors here write in many different genres, but we have one goal in common, for you to enjoy the book we’ve written from page one until the end.
So, in the midst of all the busyness of this week, try to take a few extra moments to catch up on the book you’re currently reading. Or perhaps start a new journey with a novel you’ve been waiting to pick up. It’s the perfect time of year to get cozy under a warm, fuzzy blanket with a cup of tea and get immersed in a new world. I know I plan on doing just that!
I will not name her, but she is a woman I know well. For most of her life, she has been picking up strays.
Not cats. She’s allergic to them.
People. The kid in school who had no other friends. The awkward person with no social skills. The lonely senior with no family nearby. The immigrant with limited English. The person whose responsibilities exceed his emotional capacity.
She has other friends, of course. And colleagues who respect her. And faithful family members. But God also keeps putting strays in her path. And she keeps embracing them.
I have done it occasionally, but not nearly as consistently or as well as she has done.
Jesus taught, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14 NIV). And then Jesus told a parable about His Father preparing a banquet and filling it with “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” when those originally invited refused to come (Luke 14:15-24). In other words, He said that God practiced what Jesus was preaching.
Christians all know this teaching of Jesus. But too few of us put it into practice.
As a suspense author, the world around me is filled with potential. I can take the simplest of stories and make it suspenseful. It’s what I do.
Each morning, my husband and I take a walk around our property with our dog, Cody. It’s wonderful to be out in nature and to see God’s creation. Depending on the time of day, and the season, things look different.
One of my favorite things while walking is commuting with God. Just to thank Him for His love and for creating the world we live in. While I realize that the world doesn’t always seem good, I remind myself that it wasn’t God who created the mess, but we, humans.
Another thing that my writer’s brain does while walking is to create stories from my surroundings.
Take for instance, this picture that was taken in the woods on our property. When I look at it, I see bad guys lurking in the trees, waiting to attack.
In the darkness, danger is close by, pressing in.
It’s fun to imagine what might be happening in each of these photos, but the one thing that I see above everything else is God. He’s there in the details. With us in the good and the bad. Whether it’s portrayed in fiction or unfolding in the day-to-day life we live. The most encouraging thing to know is He is always there.
Romans 1:20 – Through all of the magnificent Creation, we can see the character and attributes of its Creator. In the strong oak trees we can see His strength. Through the majestic mountains, we can see His glory and majesty.
Until next time dear friends, God’s blessings be upon you.
You can tell when I have a new release around the corner.
-The house becomes cluttered
-Meals are quick and without fanfare
-I’m on the laptop all day
-I’m in a zone I call “story world” that takes me a bit to shift out of and join the real world
My family can rejoice because they get their wife/mom back because Repairing Hearts releases next week.
This is the second book of six in the Surrendering Hearts series featuring the Hart sextuplets. Each sibling discovers their own identity as they try to find a love like their parents shared. Jordyn was first in Anchored Hearts, and now it’s Ryan’s turn.
I loved writing Ryan’s story. He’s a loner who wants nothing to do with the publicity his family generates. In his haste to stay away from family drama, he bought a property that is a money pit and he doesn’t have the funds to renovate. Brother Evan pitches a reality show where Ryan is the star.
I didn’t know much about reality shows. I met with a dear friend who gave me great insight, and then I caved and watched Dance Moms, ten years after the fact. I learned so much, and I got hooked. Now I’m following the girls and the moms on social media and listening to podcasts. Yikes!
The reality show aspect gives way to plenty of conflict, and in this book, a major secret drops that changes the course of the series. I can’t wait for readers to discover it!
Authors can write all the books but it means nothing if readers don’t find, read, and review them. I hope you check out Repairing Hearts and let others know. This is a small town, reality show romance with Christian surrender themes. Anchored Hearts was about surrendering control. Repairing Hearts is about surrendering anger.
Here’s more:
What happens when a reality show creates a blight on sextuplet Ryan Hart’s life harsher than his dump of a home?
Ryan, the independent, brooding second oldest of the Hart sextuplets, can’t enjoy the solitude he craves when he agrees to star on a reality show. The plan is to discover a project manager to renovate his hole of a property. The show reveals that it’s more about Ryan’s dating life. Can he keep his guard up when everything around him is falling apart faster than the shingles on his roof?
BJ Wallace loves her quiet life in Wisconsin that she’s created far from her traumatic childhood. Everything changes when she learns she’s competing on Repairing Ryan’s Heart. As the show focuses more on Ryan than the house, BJ falls for him. Will she win the show and destroy Ryan with her secret, or sacrifice her heart to protect Ryan?
A small-town, reality show romance with family drama and a Christian thread of surrendering pride and anger.
You can KIndle pre-order now. Softcover is coming later this month.
It’s not easy, riding the unlovable/lovable ungainly beasts. I’ve had college students write about camels traveling desserts (sic), which still makes me laugh.
It takes concentration riding camels because we’re continually pitched from one direction to the other and in constant danger of falling off.
They’re called “ships of the desert” for a reason. Some people do get sea sick, and I understand why. Last January when my travel team stayed at a camel ranch in the Negev Desert, one woman chose to dismount her animal and walk back rather than complete the one-hour ride.
I’m amazed that long ago wise men from afar reached Bethlehem on camels after swaying and bumping across trackless desert sands as they were led by the patterns of the stars overhead.
Get too close to camels and they’ll spit. They try hard to keep people from mounting them for rides if they can. But if you master getting onboard, you’ve secured transportation that will help you cross impossible burning sands that few humans could master on foot. I’ve ridden one and am glad for the experience. The photo from that ride inspired the cover of my newest book, A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom.
My favorite scriptures involving camels are in Genesis 24. Rachel voluntarily waters all the animals of unnamed servant who’s on a quest to find a bride for his master’s son. Google says camels “can drink 53 gallons of water in three minutes,” so Rachel’s strong arms accomplished a major task. In return, those same beasts carried her back across the desert to her bridegroom to fulfill her destiny to birth the promised son crucial to scripture’s divine plan.
Most of us occasionally need to cross deserts. When that is necessary, I believe the Lord provides some form of ornery yet capable beast of burden for us to recognize, mount, hold the reins, and thank Him while completing the journey.
Reading Hebrews 12 recently, I was struck by one verse: “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (verse 3, NIV). Writing to Christians facing persecution in the Roman Empire, the writer to the Hebrews (possibly Paul) encouraged them to consider the example of Jesus. If Jesus faced opposition and persecution, then His followers should not be surprised if they too suffer opposition and persecution. Therefore, they should take heart, be courageous, and remain faithful. Earlier in Hebrews, the writer reminded his readers that in Jesus they had a Savior who was able “to empathize with our weaknesses” because He had been “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
But the writer was not just telling the Hebrew Christians to be encouraged. He was giving them an example to follow: “Consider Jesus.” How did Jesus respond to opposition? He simply continued on with His ministry—teaching, preaching, healing, and delivering people from demons. From time to time, He challenged those who opposed Him. At times, He miraculously avoided being harmed, as when an angry mob in Nazareth tried to throw Him off a cliff “but he walked right through the crowd and went on his way” (Luke 4:30). John 11:53-54 reports: “From that day on they plotted to take his life. Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.” Jesus did not seek death because it was not yet His time to die and He still had ministry to do. But he did not fear death either. In the end, He refused to deny the truth and courageously accepted death.
When life is easy, we gain little. But when times are tough, how we deal with them, holds the potential for great gains. Our character, and the character of those with whom we interact, is revealed in the same way.
It’s easy to be kind, compassionate, and patient with others when things in our life are going well. We feel less pressure, less stress, less irritation. So not much is revealed to us about our own character then. We might see glimpses, but rarely big pictures.
But if we’re having a hard time and we’re tested, then our reaction reveals our character. And then we do get far bigger picture insights than we do otherwise.
A while back, I saw a video captured by a Ring recorder on social media. In it, a man was delivering a package to a house. He noticed that the flagpole was down, and the American flag was on the ground. He set the package aside, tried to straighten the flagpole but it wouldn’t stay up. So, he removed the American flag and folded it properly, then set it on the front porch, saluted it, and then went on about his day.
A great deal about that man’s character is revealed in his actions. In what he did when no one was watching. He respected his flag, his country. He saluted it. He knew how to fold a flag properly. And he paused, though on a tight schedule, to do so. He didn’t make an ordeal of anything. He just did what we knew to be the right thing to do.
That is admirable. That is honorable. It is worth emulating—on matters like that and on all other matters.
We know right from wrong, good from bad, and what we should do versus what we want to do. Sometimes, we wish we didn’t, because doing the wrong, bad or what we want would be easier, cause less conflict, be more acceptable to others. But none of those things make wrong right, bad good, or make what we know we should do lose power over what we want to do.
So we should pause and take a lesson from the man who paused to honor the flag and respect what he’s been taught. We should recall that our character is revealed to us in what we do when no one is looking.
Yes, sometimes that carries costs, and yet doesn’t our willingness to pay them also reveal our character to us and to others involved? It does.
This brings to mind something I was told as a child: Nothing stays hidden. God sees and knows everything we think, say, or do. Or that we don’t.
Character is revealed in not acting or speaking when we know we should. To defend someone weaker, smaller, or younger. When we’re able to help someone in trouble, and choose not to do it.
My point is that what we do reveals our character, but what we don’t do does also.
Maybe we could benefit from remembering that. I’m not so much thinking of what our actions or inactions reveal to others about our character, though that can be important. I’m thinking of what acting or not acting reveals to us about who we are. That is, in my humble opinion, always important. Because we, and we alone, are accountable for what we do and what we leave undone.
May your choices comfort you.
Blessings,
Vicki
PS. Sharing a Faith Zone Mini from my blog I wrote many years ago that might be of interest. I kept a cutout of it on my mirror for the longest time. 😊
After the Jews returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon and rebuilt the temple and the city wall under Ezra and Nehemiah, there is a gap in the biblical record of about four centuries. During this time, the Jews struggled to survive as a small, weak remnant in a hostile environment. They were trapped between two dueling successor states to Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire—the Seleucids based in Syria and the Ptolemies in Egypt. These were thoroughly “Hellenistic” empires; that is, they were not Greek by nationality but had largely adopted Greek culture. The prophet Daniel had prophesied about some of the wars that would take place (particularly in Daniel 11). Among the Seleucid kings would be one who would “exalt and magnify himself above every god” (Daniel 11:36). His armies would “desecrate the temple fortress…abolish the daily sacrifice [and] set up the abomination that causes desolation” (Daniel 11:31). While some scholars interpret this to be referring to an end-times antichrist, the usual interpretation is that this refers to Antiochus IV, who gave himself the title “Epiphanes” (“God manifest”). About 169 BC, Antiochus entered the Holy of Holies and looted the temple. Two years later, he set up an altar to the supreme Greek god Jupiter in the temple. This resulted in a rebellion of the Jews led by a family called “the Maccabees.” Their history is recounted in the extra-biblical books 1 and 2 Maccabees and the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Like many Christians, I had very little knowledge about this “intertestamental period” (the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament). But I had become curious. So, when I came across a copy of a book called The Wars of the Maccabees by John D. Grainger at a charity garage sale (to help fund a Christian missionary effort), I snatched it up.
Grainger says at the beginning of his book that he will look at the wars (which were even more complex than suggested in Daniel’s prophecy) in purely secular terms. That is, he assumes the wars were simply struggles for power and not religious conflicts. He consistently describes the Maccabees as terrorists and imperialists (that is, as wanting to develop their own empire independent of other empires). Strangely, he never applies these terms to the empires (especially the Seleucids) that sought to subjugate the Jews—those empires are portrayed as legitimate governments. Grainger dismisses the Jews’ attempts to gain freedom and independence, saying that what the Jews really wanted was freedom to dominate their neighbors.
Grainger draws two interesting conclusions that may have relevance for our day. First, he says that the Jews were not unified but were roughly broken into three camps. There were devout Jews who mostly followed the Maccabees; there were Hellenistic Jews who enthusiastically accepted Greek culture and values and wanted to think and act and believe like Greeks; and in between there were Jews who were preoccupied with their own lives and didn’t care one way or the other. Therefore, Grainger argues that it was not Antiochus who set up the Jupiter idol in the temple, but Hellenistic Jews. This might be true, but the Seleucids also insisted on the right to appoint and replace the Jewish high priest (sometimes for money and sometimes for political advantage), so if it was the Hellenistic Jews who erected the Jupiter idol, they were empowered to do so by the Seleucids.
Second, Grainger asserts that it was the Maccabees who were intolerant rather than the Seleucids and Hellenists. Greeks, he argues, tolerated all religions at the same time; they were quite willing to let Jews worship their own God as long as they also worshiped the Greek gods. The Maccabees, however, insisted on worshiping only their own God, Yahweh.
It seems to me that Christians are facing the same issue in our day. The Christian church is not threatened so much by the world as by “Christians” who accept the world’s standards and want to change the church to be more in tune with the world around them. The Old Testament prophet Daniel commented on this problem, saying, “With flattery [the one who would exalt himself above every god] will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him” (Daniel 11:32 NIV). Daniel insisted that believers in the true God need to resist the efforts by enemy forces (and “unfaithful believers”) to make them conform to the world.
Modern Western society also strongly believes in tolerance. In fact, it insists that Christians must accept and affirm other religions and sinful lifestyles. What modern Western society will not tolerate is Christians who insist on worshiping only the true God. Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Paul asked, “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:16). But Hellenistic thinking pervades modern Western society. Modern secularists/Greek thinkers are trying today to force others to follow their religion of “tolerance.” Erecting your idol in someone else’s temple is not tolerance. Trying to force Christians to give equal weight to other religions and accept sinful lifestyles is not tolerance.
War and More War
The wars of the Maccabees continued for more than a century. The Maccabees won some battles. They lost some battles. The Judean kingdom expanded and contracted, expanded and contracted. The Maccabees fought with and against various factions in the Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms when those kingdoms were divided by civil wars. In the last century before Christ, they fought against the newly arisen Nabatean kingdom based in Petra in the desert lands to the east.
However, increasingly, the Maccabeans became what Grainger accuses them of being from the beginning. While the initial revolt was motivated by a desire to protect the temple and Jewish religion from corruption, later stages of the revolt became increasingly political and secular. The Maccabean leaders increasingly acted like the rulers of the kingdoms around them, seeking to extend their own power rather than build the kingdom of God. They hired foreign mercenaries to augment the Jewish armies. Competing claimants to the Maccabean throne fought civil wars against each other, with the Pharisees and Sadducees sometimes backing different claimants. The divisions in the kingdom eventually led to intervention by the Roman Empire as it expanded into the Middle East. A man named Antipater, “a man of great wealth and political acumen,” intervened in the Jewish civil wars. He was from Idumea, formerly Edom, the kingdom of the descendants of Esau, located to the south of Judah. The Romans later helped one of Antipater’s sons, Herod, conquer the Judean kingdom, and Herod was appointed king of Judah by the Romans.
The failure of the Maccabees to maintain political control of Judea was partly due to the strength of Judah’s external enemies. But it was also due to the inherent divisions within Jewish society. Hellenists, Pharisees, Sadducees, and power-hungry politicians all competed for power and weakened the state they were trying to establish. Like Old Testament Israel and her kings, they were not wholly committed to God and therefore lacked the power and divine blessing needed to succeed. Ultimately, they illustrated the inability of humans to build the kingdom of God by force. Only God can build His kingdom.
Christians preach only one God but should never try to force other people to worship Him (as it must be admitted they have done at certain times in history), any more than modern secularists should try to force Christians to worship their god of “tolerance.” Forced worship is never genuine, and using force in the name of religion is counter-productive.
The Conclusion
Grainger dismisses the Maccabees as terrorists who were doomed to fail because of the inherent conflict between the political and religious aims of the Jewish kingdom. He notes that the Jews continued to rebel against Rome—in 66-73 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed, in 115-117, and in 132-135. Grainger concludes, “The only way to control Judea was to destroy the Jewish community. This is the final lesson of the career of Judah Maccabee, whose methods were used eventually by the Romans against his people to destroy them.” Grainger here displays his anti-religious and ant-Jewish bias. He justifies the annihilation of the Jewish kingdom and the extermination of Jewish religion on the grounds that that religion is incompatible with Hellenistic thought. His ideal is for secular kingdoms to rule, untroubled by religious sensibilities. He never questions why the Seleucids or the Romans should claim the right to rule the Jews and their land. It is deeply concerning that he thinks the Jews deserved to be exterminated because they refused to surrender their political and religious independence.
Grainger’s analysis is thus flawed, but his volume helps to elucidate the political and religious situation in Judea when Jesus came to teach and preach and establish His kingdom.
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