Day 224 – The time between: The Maccabean period
(165 to 63 BC)
“And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” Daniel 11:31 NLT
Independence for Israel proved to be both short-lived and disastrous. As the political dynasty of the Maccabees, also known as the Hasmoneans, assumed both the throne and the office of high priest, the nation became beset by infighting. The Sadducees supported the Hasmonean rulers as both kings and priests, whereas the Pharisees insisted that a true king could only be a descendant of David and a priest who was a descendant of Aaron.
The founder of the Essenes (the community that preserved for posterity the Dead Sea Scrolls) also founded the Qumran community around this time as a reaction against the Hasmoneans. As successive rulers became more and more unpopular, the country became increasingly unstable.
Israelite factions turned to mercenaries and outside nations for support. By the time the growing Roman Empire reached Israel, the nation was able to offer little resistance. In 63 BC, Pompey sacked Jerusalem, and soon the Jews were once again under the command of a foreign ruler. Antipater was installed by Rome, and His son, Herod the Great, followed him as king of the Jews, and it was under his rule that Jesus was born.
The account of these happenings is recorded in the apocryphal Book of 1 Maccabees.
Prayer: Father, it is sad to learn that Your beloved nation was divided because of religious differences, and even more sad that it is still the case today amongst Your children. But You set the climate of the times to perfection for Jesus to be born as the Messiah for all people. Amen.
