It took a year to read the Bible, then almost 9 months to read the Apocrypha. Now, I'm going to try to offer reflections on the Narrative Lectionary. But, I won't be posting daily--at least, for a while.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Unsuccessful battle, a reflection on 1 Maccabees 5:45-68

After defeating Gilead, Judas led the Israelites on a journey toward the land of Judah. They met and violently overcame obstacles. Not only the enemy slowed them down; Judas had to keep rallying the laggards.

What obstacles (external and internal) do we still face as we move (or think about moving) toward a life with God?

When they heard about the successes of Judas and Jonathan, other Maccabeans decided to win some victories themselves. They lost, according to the author of 1 Maccabees, because they weren't the ones that God had chosen to lead the deliverance of evil.

 The long-ago conflict between Isaac's sons, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25-33) isn't over. Neither is the conflict with the Philistines (1Samuel 17; 23; 29; 2 Samuel 5:6-25).

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