be a Maccabee!

[Shmanu YAH]

shalom mishpacha, ... baruk h'shem YHWH, weh baruka h'bo beh h'shem YHWH! - blessed be the name / renoun of YHWH and blessed is his that comes in the name of YHWH ->>> Yahushua.

I pray you and yours all are doing well and will even do better as the Most High declares it.

In this message I feel compelled to deal with a topic in a way ( if we really consider the consequences ) that should motivate or spark us into a action above our desire to just use words. This message was inspired by the reading the accounts in 1st & 2nd Maccabees - a family from the tribe of Lewi (the priest lineage). For those that haven't read it because they don't have any type access to a apocrypha, or a actual hardcopy of the book and you want to help enlighten them, here is 1 of several links to utilize:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/ma2.htm

In hebrew, all names are to have a meaning and if we examine the name Maccabees (a english rendition) - it's from the hebrew word "mqbt" or maqqebet, a hebrew word for "hammer" (Strong's 4717) - a tool we are all familiar with .... a simple ancient tool that can be used to build up OR tear down. ( and they certainly had to! ) We should have read what disturbed this strong family in the first place.

If we revisit the account we should remember reading:

1st Maccabees 2:1-16,

[1] In those days arose Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin.
[2] And he had five sons, Joannan, called Caddis:
[3] Simon; called Thassi:
[4] Judas, who was called Maccabeus:
[5] Eleazar, called Avaran: and Jonathan, whose surname was Apphus.
[6] And when he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem,
[7] He said, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see this misery of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers?
[8] Her temple is become as a man without glory.
[9] Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy.
[10] What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom and gotten of her spoils?
[11] All her ornaments are taken away; of a free woman she is become a bondslave.
[12] And, behold, our sanctuary, even our beauty and our glory, is laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned it.
[13] To what end therefore shall we live any longer?
[14] Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned very sore.
[15] In the mean while the king's officers, such as compelled the people to revolt, came into the city Modin, to make them sacrifice.
[16] And when many of Israel came unto them, Mattathias also and his sons came together

This situation undoubtably had to be disturbing to priest all well as the other tribes of Yisrael knowing that the "set-apart city" is now the "torn-apart city" which bares witness to the sins of Yisrael and the allowance of this chastening by YHWH himself. Notice how the father of this Levite family led his sons in repentance by first: tearing his clothes (a symbol of admitting being uncovered, exposed and unprotected), second: putting on sackcloth (a rough material made from goat hair, etc... used as symbol of grief & humility), and repented exceedingly (publicly admitting fault! - something many seemed to omit these days). Thirdly: it also showed they pulled themselves together and the majority of Yisrael --> UNITED!, ..... NO further comment needed.

1st Maccabees 2:23-25,

[23] Now when he had left speaking these words, there came one of the Jews in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment.
[24] Which thing when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to shew his anger according to judgment: wherefore he ran, and slew him upon the altar.
[25] Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down

This also had to be disturbing to all of true Yisrael back then, but living in the laws of today's society - what would true Yisrael be willing to do to a heathen that profaned a set-apart place of your Elohym today? ( probably just get on the phone or internet and complain about it ). As we read on we see that a restoration was in the hearts of the courageous:

1st Maccabees 4:36-40,

[36] Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.
[37] Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion.
[38] And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests' chambers pulled down;.      [39] They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads,.                               [40]And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven

1st Maccabees 4:41-46,

[41] Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary. [42] So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law:
[43] Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place.
[44] And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, which was profaned;
[45] They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down,
[46] And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them.

These acts of the Maccabees were similar to what king Josiah did in 1st. Kings 23:1-25, etc. and also a pre-cursor to what Yahushua h'mashiach did, but his would be to a everlasting sanctuary that we should keep in our hearts, minds and souls as were given clarity in Yahchanan / John 2:19,

Yahushua answered and said unto them, "Destroy this temple (ME), and in three days I will raise it up". ......- so we see in this day and age we really don't have to worry about tearing down a brick and stone building like they had to but we still must "build up" and restore by declaring our faith in the temple NOT made with hands >>> Yahushua.

2nd Maccabees 6:1-6,

[1] Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of Elohym:

( sound familiar?)
[2] And to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the Defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place.
[3] The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous to the people:
[4] For the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful. - ( kinda sounds like some churches today huh?)
[5] The altar also was filled with profane things, which the law forbiddeth.
[6] Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath days or ancient fasts, or to profess himself at all to be a Jew

 

WOW! ..... this actually sounds like many churches today! ->>> whores in the church - pagan images of their messiah ( those hippie looking paintings ) - crucifixes - playing bingo in the church - selling "unclean beast" like "Bar-B-Q rib" dinners ...and for the record: "Bar" is a ancient aramaic word for SON or direct descendant (son of swine dinners?), - also observing SUNday defiantly against the appointed shabat - and the natural branch calling themselves christians instead of Israelites, .......- now I defy anyone to tell me this isn't current!. So you see we have still been presented with what that family of levites were presented with but what is our plan to tear down those strongholds?

 

The main point I'm seeking to articulate here is that the Maccabees got so incensed and offended at paganism they went to war.... they didn't just talk about going! It made them irate to see filthiness and corruption in a physical place that was supposed to represent YHWH's existence. Now if you have a whimpy "christian" mindset this type situation wouldn't really disturb your shalom - but a true israelite should respond like the "prince of peace" did as we read in John chapter 2:13-15,  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Yahushua went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; .......- so much for lip service! ( I guess Yahushua wasn't a good christian huh?).

Now we that claim to be serious servants of the most high YHWH have to ask ourselves: what am I doing - still running off the mouth where ever it's safe to, or out courageously swinging that "mqbt" aka "HAMMER" to tear down pagan strongholds?

Remember what Yahushua proved from what we read from Yahchanan / John chapter 8:12,  Then spake Yahushua again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of LIFE " ......- and next we read in chapter 9:5, "....as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world". .......- then immediately he made a man that was blind from birth to see to prove this truth ( a hint to the blind nation of Yisrael ) - then later after that we read in chapter 10:22 he showed up at Solomon's temple, .....And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication (chanakah), and it was winter. 23 And Yahushua walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. .......- we then read that he had to flee from the place to avoid stoning, (because he didn't show up to participate - but to regulate!) BUT the point we missed is he showed up to present himself as the LIGHT that he WAS and still IS, - something their oil lamps and candle sticks can't hold a light to ( yeah, I went there ). Yahushua wanted to show them what full dedication of soul was supposed to look like - as opposed to their "ritual" concept.

Whether or not we observe chanakah as declared only by the priest is not the issue, - >>> but cleansing and re-dedicating ourselves is what this is all about >>> and we should be also!

selah and shalom