After the reign of Alexander, the lands he conquered were divided among his officers. They and their offspring ruled the various lands. One of these leaders, Antiochus Epiphanes, becomes King of the Greeks and commences an era of aggressive attacks against the Jewish people across many cities. In some locations, the Jewish people respond meekly, unable or unwilling to fight back and in this way bringing shame upon the descendants of Jacob. The king goes so far as to forbid the practice of any religion other than that of the Gentiles. Again, some Jews acquiesce. But some, most prominently Mattathias and his five sons, openly challenge the edict and the prevailing political situation. They refuse to obey the edict; they refuse to run and hide, as some of the Jews did, but instead, they fight back bravely and successfully.
As Mattathias is dying, he gathers his sons together and instructs them to "be zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers." He encourages them as follows:
Consider this from generation to generation, that none who hope in him shall fail in strength. Do not fear the words of a sinful man, for his glory ends in corruption and worms. Today he is exalted, and tomorrow he is not to be found, because he has returned to his dust, and his schemes have perished. Children! be courageous and strong in keeping the law, for by it you shall be glorified.
What a wonderful and hopeful idea, that no one who hopes in God shall fail in strength. The notion of being zealous for the law and strong in keeping the law takes me back again to the concept of faithfulness of heart. To reset, David is the paradigm of the Old Testament man who lives rightly--not because he was perfect, but because he was faithful of heart. He desired to do right, to honor God's commands, to do so lovingly and faithfully, and to hope and trust in God. It is just this sort of faithfulness of heart that Mattathias hopes to leave as his legacy in his sons.
What follows are many scenes (too many to describe) that essentially repeat the same chain of events: A Gentile leader persecutes Jews in the community or gathers an army to attack the Jews; the sons of Mattathias--the Maccabees--led by the warrior Judas, gather their own army and defeat the Gentiles, killing them and (often) plundering their belongings. At one point the victorious Jewish army recaptures Mount Zion and the desecrated temple. They rebuild, restore, and reconsecrate the temple and the altar, setting off eight days of celebration that are re-enacted today during the feast of Hannukah.
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