September 11: THE POISON OF REVENGE
When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. Daniel 11:12
The victory at Raphia (217BC) went to the Egyptian king’s head. Ptolemy IV, king of the South, was so lifted up over the recovery of Palestine that he decided to orchestrate a grand victory procession into Jerusalem. He offered blasphemous sacrifices at the temple. Despite the protests of the Jews, Ptolemy’s interactions with them became even more tense when he declared his determination to see inside the Most Holy Place of the temple. With tremendous difficulty the Jews restrained him from doing so. Some historians have recorded that he was divinely stricken with an illness at that point. He left the city with such anger and hatred toward the nation of Jews as a whole that he immediately devised a plan to persecute them. The city of Alexandria, Egypt* was where forty to sixty thousand Jews had resided since the days of Alexander the Great. They enjoyed the privileges of the most favored citizens.
The inglorious use that Ptolemy IV had made of the victory at Raphia worked to alter the view of his own subjects, who were disgusted with their leader. It was clear that he was more interested in worldly luxuries and court ceremonies than in government, politics, or foreign relations. Rumors of rebellion circulated. He mistakenly calculated that killing the Jews in Alexandria would reestablish his popularity, but it had the opposite effect.
Following the defeat at Raphia, Antiochus III, king of the North, after licking his wounds turned his focus toward eastern territories. He made successful recoveries all the way to the border of India. In the meantime, Ptolemy IV died. Indeed, he had cast down tens of thousands, but he [did] not prevail. His lack of popularity and terrible decisions were accompanied by “mysterious circumstances” surrounding his death. No surprise there. Ptolemy IV had married his sister (yikes), and his death landed their only son on the throne as the new ruler. Ptolemy V was barely five years old.
As the saga that we could title ‘The Vengeance of Fallen Man’ plays out, we are shown over and over that revenge does nothing but weaken character and lead to more harm. Far from setting things right, it sows the seeds of suffering and anger that spring up into yet another round of violence. In your own corner of the world, why not endeavor to envision bringing an end to strife through personally extending mercy and grace toward someone who has hurt or offended you. Your determination before God to act thusly will attract the divine aid of the Holy Spirit as you carry it out.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, di not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:17-19
*This is the city where vast libraries housing countless scrolls of Greek mysticism and Egyptian occultism had been established by Alexander. Both cultures believed in the “inherently immortal soul” and this idea was expanded at Alexandria. It was the place of education where unbiblical teachings were incorporated into Jewish philosophy by Jewish students who attended the fashionable University there.