Apocryphal Scripture of the Week: (see Doctrine and Covenants 91)
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“And as the city was held by the Hebrews from that time, I too will here conclude my account.
“If it has been well and pointedly written, that is what I wanted; but if it is poor, mediocre work, that was all I could do.
“For just as it is harmful to drink wine by itself, or again to drink water by itself, while wine mixed with water is delicious and enhances one’s enjoyment, so the style in which an account is composed delights the ears of those who read the work.
“So this will be the end.”
(2 Maccabees 15: 37-39)
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We don’t know the author of this book. He was apparently a highly educated Greek scholar abridging these Maccabean accounts—much like Mormon and Moroni’s work with the Book of Mormon. These were his final words in the record, fittingly concluding both the Jews’ reclamation of Jerusalem from the barbaric Seleucid general Nicanor and the Apocrypha itself (at least the version I read).
I am moved by this writer’s awareness of his own failings and of his profound ability to reconcile his imperfections with the important work he has engaged in. I think most of us hope that we can one day look back on our personal Books of Life and see that the deeds we have “written” were done so “well and pointedly.” But if we feel that our attempts at living complete, fulfilling lives are “poor, mediocre work,” we at least hope for the peace of knowing that we tried our best, that “that was all [we] could do.”
The final verse suggests that drinking wine or water alone is not as satisfying as mixing them together. While this seems like a strange analogy, I think what the author might be getting at is that it is better for us to accept our past in all its complexity—both the good and the bad. It is honest. It is instructive. And it helps us see life in the grand scheme of things: where we have strayed; where God’s hand has nudged (or perhaps shoved) us back in the right direction; where we’ve triumphed; where we’ve been burned by jumping onto the coals; where God has sent angels to nurture our wounds with the healing salve of His Word and of His love; and where God has made it possible for us to ultimately arrive at the end.
I’ve gained many valuable insights through my study of the Apocrypha, but I don’t think there’s any more important lesson to be learned from these collections of stories, histories, proverbs, and teachings than this: God will never abandon us. If I ever feel like the heavens have gone silent, or my efforts have gone unnoticed, or my trials have served no purpose, I can take comfort in knowing that Christ is ever ready to heal my spiritual wounds and help me find inner peace—even if I cannot win every exterior battle. He has a perfect plan for using my “poor, mediocre work” to win the war.
The Commonplace Notebook 