Maccabees - 10% for the Big Guy
Sorry for missing a couple of days, but the world has gone a little mad.
As we begin 2 Maccabees 4, Simon the Fed is still making false claims to set up Onias. This time, it's that Onias conspired against the government (surprise).
2 He dared to designate as a plotter against the government the man who was the benefactor of the city, the protector of his compatriots, and a zealot for the laws.
This sounds familiar, because here, people who love the Constitution and it's promise between the People and the Government, have been designated as "plotters against the government". We're not anti-government, we're "anti-government OVERREACH". The Founders never envisioned the government having this much intrusion into your daily lives, but I digress.
With all of the unrest, most kept their heads in the sand, having a normalcy bias. Eventually, though, even Onias had to acknowledge the danger, just like we do here:
3 When his hatred progressed to such a degree that even murders were committed by one of Simon’s approved agents, 4 Onias recognized that the rivalry was serious and that Apollonius son of Menestheus, and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, was intensifying the malice of Simon.
Yep, Onias realized that the GOVERNMENT itself was instigating the violence, to justify further oppression and taxation. Man, that sure sounds familiar. The purpose of CRT and DEI programs is "intensifying the malice" of allegedly oppressed and marginalized groups.
A man named Jason offered the King a bribe and was appointed High Priest. Now, this High Priest's "Reforms" led to watering down the observances of the Church and adopting the Greek's customs and pagan ways. Every kind of immorality was suddenly "reinterpreted" by the Church, and observances fell by the wayside:
13 There was such an extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no true high priest, 14 that the priests were no longer intent upon their service at the altar. Despising the sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hurried to take part in the unlawful proceedings...
This is where Western Churches are today. Churches are reinterpreting the Word and finding ways to twist it to sanctify and excuse every detestable thing. They've justified trans-sexualism, which directly calls God into question. They have justified every kind of sexual deviance and theft or envy in the name of "equity" and "justice". Hard work has been slandered by the New Church. They have slandered the institution of marriage, which was established by God in Genesis 2:18:
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Now, as the Bible shows us time and again, this always leads to disaster:
16 For this reason heavy disaster overtook them, and those whose ways of living they admired and wished to imitate completely became their enemies and punished them. 17 It is no light thing to show irreverence to the divine laws—a fact that later events will make clear.
We are at such a moment. Disaster is impending all around us. There is some other Tactical Wisdom in here...."became their enemies and punished them". What this means is that no amount of "being an ally" or "apologizing for past discrimination" is going to appease the woke mob. They may get to you last, but they will still come for you; they are still your enemy.
At this point in our Maccabees tale, more intrigue enters. Menelaus, Simon's brother, offered a bigger bribe to the King and was allowed to replace Jason. The Tactical Wisdom here is that loyalty cannot be bought, especially when you THINK you've bought it. You can pay someone to be loyal, but they're only loyal until someone else offers them more money.
Onias attempted to expose this grift and make public all of the misdeeds of the government officials. How do you suppose that went? Exactly as you might think:
33 When Onias became fully aware of these acts, he publicly exposed them, having first withdrawn to a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch. 34 Therefore Menelaus, taking Andronicus aside, urged him to kill Onias. Andronicus came to Onias, and resorting to treachery, offered him sworn pledges and gave him his right hand; he persuaded him, though still suspicious, to come out from the place of sanctuary; then, with no regard for justice, he immediately put him out of the way.
There's a couple of pieces of Tactical Wisdom here. First, Onias set up his safe haven first. Have a safe location that you can defend that you can "bug out" to if needed. In TW-03, I discuss how to set up a "safe house" network with your allies. Second, Onias was only killed after he agreed to set aside his security preparations. Don't talk to the Feds! While I joke about Feds, seriously, if you've made arrangements for your security, don't set them aside for anything.
35 For this reason not only Jews, but many also of other nations, were grieved and displeased at the unjust murder of the man.
We've all heard of unjust killings and excessive force. This murder roused the people, and they began protesting. Rioting is as old as when men founded the first city-state. When the Greek forces in the Citadel tried to suppress the riots, things got spicy:
40 Since the crowds were becoming aroused and filled with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men and launched an unjust attack, under the leadership of a certain Auranus, a man advanced in years and no less advanced in folly. 41 But when the Jews became aware that Lysimachus was attacking them, some picked up stones, some blocks of wood, and others took handfuls of the ashes that were lying around and threw them in wild confusion at Lysimachus and his men. 42 As a result, they wounded many of them, and killed some, and put all the rest to flight; the temple robber himself they killed close by the treasury.
It's not confirmed, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the crowd was shouting "Jewish Lives Matter" and chanting "All Greeks Are Bastards", but that has not been confirmed. In all seriousness, there is a line at which point good people can be pushed too far. April 19, 1775, on Lexington Green is one such example.
After this riot, Menelaus was charged by the King, and people thought that all was good. However, when the trial began, Menelaus offered up "10% for the Big Guy":
45 But Menelaus, already as good as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptolemy son of Dorymenes to win over the king. 46 Therefore Ptolemy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind. 47 Menelaus, the cause of all the trouble, he acquitted of the charges against him, while he sentenced to death those unfortunate men, who would have been freed un-condemned if they had pleaded even before Scythians. 48 And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages, and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty.
Not only did Menelaus go free, but he also killed his accusers. How many times have we heard of those investigating the misdeeds of the powerful dying under mysterious conditions? It's not a new thing. It's as old as government and when one man desired to rule over another no matter what.
The chapter closes with the best point yet. Despite all his misdeeds, the bad guy remained in office by promising 10% to the Big Guy, and he doubled down on his tyranny, just as we are seeing today:
50 But Menelaus, because of the greed of those in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his compatriots.
Till next time....
