the commandment of the law which was given us by Moses.” Then, turning to the king: “Thou”, said he, “thou that hast been the author of all mischief against the Hebrews, shalt not escape the hand of God.” But the king, inflamed with rage, tortured him most cruelly till he yielded up his soul. Last of all the mother herself was put to death.
COMMENTARY.
Fortitude. It is impossible to extol and admire sufficiently the unshaken fortitude of the seven brothers. It was comparatively easy for the aged Eleazar to give up his life, for under no circumstances could he have had much longer to live, and the world could not offer him anything worth having. But the Machabean brothers were young, they could look forward to many years of life, and the world offered them many pleasures and enjoyments. Nevertheless, they freely and valiantly gave up their lives, refusing to be turned from their allegiance to God, either by flattering promises or horrible tortures.
The mother's heroism is even more to be admired. She had most to suffer, for in her heart she suffered all her sons’ tortures. She was, in fact, an eightfold martyr, for she shared in the sufferings of each of her sons, and finally offered up her own life. In truth, the courage of the most valiant of soldiers cannot be compared with the heroism of this woman!
What gives fortitude? What made this mother and her sons so heroically resolved to give up their lives for God’s sake? What enabled them to endure such horrible tortures?
1. Their firm faith in God and His reward. They believed and confessed that
a) God is the Almighty Lord and Creator of the world: “These hands I have from heaven” — “The King of this world will raise us up” — “God made all these things out of nothing.”
b) That God is just, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked: 'We suffer thus for our sins” — “Thou, O most wicked of men, shalt not escape the judgment of Almighty God” — “Receive death, that in that mercy I may receive thee again.”
c) That there is an eternal life, a resurrection of the body, and a meeting again in another world: “The King of this world will raise us up in the resurrection of eternal life” — “These hands I have from
