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The story of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 167 B.C., which is the basis for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, is an inspiring story of courage and dedication to God. After the death of Alexander the Great, his Greek empire was divided up in 4 parts (as prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 8:22). One of those four was the Seleucid Empire, based in Syria. In 175 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes ascended to rulership of the Seleucid Empire, and he attempted to "Hellenize" the Jews by outlawing all of the rites and customs of the Jewish worship of their God. He desecrated the Temple by converting it to a shrine to the pagan god Zeus, and ordered that pigs be sacrificed and eaten by the Jews. The penalty for disobeying these decrees was death. In the village of Modiin in the Judean foothills, a unit of troops arrived to attempt to enforce these orders. In front of the assembled population, the local priest Mattathias was ordered to sacrifice a pig and eat its flesh. When he refused to perform this act of betrayal to his God, one of the townspeople, afraid of what would happen if the town disobeyed, stepped forward to do it. In a rage of holy zeal, Mattathias slew the traitor, and also the Seleucian commander. Then his sons led the villagers in an attack against the troops, destroying them. Mattathias's son Judah organized a small group of men who fled to the Judean hills. These men trained in preparation for the inevitable Seleucid military retaliation. Over time, their ranks grew, and against incredible odds they were victorious in a number of battles against the highly trained, heavily armed Seleucid army. Judah was a brilliant military strategist, utilizing what were at the time the unconventional military tactics of a guerilla campaign. By avoiding meeting the enemy in a terrain and situation that was suited to the enemy's tactics, he was able to neutralize the enemy's superiority and turn its strengths into weaknesses. Because Judah's troops were fighting for their homeland, and for the honor of their God, they were extremely motivated. However, as they become more successful, their ranks dwindled. In Judah's final battle, he was forced to face a numerically and militarily superior opponent in a situation that favored the Seleucians. Though the small band of men fought valiantly, they were soundly defeated, and Judah was killed. The Maccabean resistance movement continued though, with the leadership of Judah's brothers. In our daily struggle against the enemy of our souls, how do often do we lose a battle because we allow the enemy to set up a situation which is to his advantage? God has promised us victory, through faith in His power. Yet the enemy knows our weaknesses very well, and often we allow ourselves to get into situations where he can exploit our weaknesses. We should also know our own weaknesses, and endeavor to stay out of situations that "make provision for the flesh." Paul says "let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Romans 13:13-14)
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