21. Now that I am ill, I recall with affection the esteem and good will you bear me. On returning from the regions of Persia, I fell victim to a troublesome illness; so I thought it necessary to form plans for the general welfare of all.
Chapter 9 of 2 Maccabees narrates the death and final moments of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which brutally persecuted the Jews and profaped the sacred temple of Jerusalem. The verses selected below are related to the themes of divine punishment, repentance and mercy.
Psalm 50:22: "Understand this now, you who forget God, that it may not shatter you, without anyone free." This verse talks about the consequences of those who forget God and his righteousness, who are destroyed without anyone to save them, which can be applied to the Antiochus King.
Jeremiah 31:18: "I certainly heard Ephraim that was regretted: You have punished me, and I was punished, as a bull not yet tamed; I will convert, and convert me, because you are the Lord, my God." This verse shows the importance of repentance and the request for forgiveness to God. It can be applied to the Jews who suffered under the government of Antiochus, as well as the king himself who, in his final moments, allegedly sought divine forgiveness.
Psalm 103:8-10: "The Lord is merciful and compassionate, late in angry and great in love. It does not accuse or be resentful forever; it does not treat us as our sins nor do us return to our iniquities. " This verse highlights the mercy and compassion of God, which does not treat people according to their flaws, but with love and forgiveness. It can be applied to those who seek divine repentance and forgiveness.
Proverbs 16:18: "Pride precedes destruction, and the haughty of the Spirit precedes the fall." This verse talks about the dangers of pride and arrogance, which can lead to fall and destruction. It can be applied to the Antiochus King, whose pride and tyranny led him to be punished by God.
Luke 15:10: "Thus I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God by a single sinner who repents." This verse shows the joy that occurs in heaven when a person repents and turns to God. It can be applied to the Jews who suffered under the government of Antiochus, as well as the king himself who, in his final moments, allegedly sought divine forgiveness.
“O amor sem temor torna-se presunção.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina