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Hanukkah
& The Mercies of God |
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| Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication, is an eight day feast beginning on the 25th of Kislev, which this year is sundown on December 7. | ||||||||
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Hanukkah was established in 164 BC as a memorial to the purification and rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. This cleansing was necessary due to its defilement three years earlier. In 167 BC Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of Syria, captured Jerusalem, plundered the temple treasury, and to add insult to injury, profaned the temple by sacrificing a pig to Zeus on the temple altar. His persecution of and attempt to Hellenize the Jewish people in Judea resulted in what is called the Maccabean revolt. Led by Judah Maccabee, the Israelis resisted and fought against the occupying Syrian army, and after three years, defeated them. | |||||||
Why An Eight Day Celebration? Hanukkah is thought by many people to be eight days long because of a legend regarding the oil in the Temple. According to this tradition, when the Maccabees recaptured and rededicated the Temple, they attempted to light the Temple menorah. This menorah, which was to burn continually, represented the eternal light of God. But alas, there was only enough oil to last for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight days when the Temple was rededicated. However, the legend of the oil is not historically accurate. It developed during the Roman occupation long after the events occurred. Why this legend? Perhaps to avoid the ‘warlike aspects’ of the holiday, the legend of the oil became popular. After all, celebrating the overthrow of your oppressors would be perceived as ‘politically incorrect’ by the Roman army, and would likely have caused unwanted trouble for the Israelis of that day. Actually, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days because when the Temple was rededicated for holy worship, the great feast of Sukkot had already passed (see The Feasts of Israel pp. 204). Hanukkah, therefore was considered an additional, ‘second Sukkot’ for the victorious Jewish army. Hanukkah Today Today Hanukkah centers around a nine-branch menorah called a ‘hanukkiyah’, in contrast to the temple menorah, which has only seven branches. The nine branches include the shamash, or “servant” candle, which is used to light the other eight candles. These represent the eight days of Hanukkah. Interestingly, the shamash is usually higher than, or separate from the other eight candles, and as a servant, it presents a beautiful picture of Messiah Yeshua! But as the name indicates, Hanukkah is about dedication, specifically, the dedication of the temple of God. You mean Jesus celebrated Hanukkah?! The Hebrew root word of Hanukkah is hanak, which means “to make narrow.” Dedication is similar to the idea of “holy”, or kadosh, which means “to set apart, to hallow, or to consecrate”. They both have the idea of being “for restricted use only.” So Hanukkah speaks of the fulfillment of God’s purpose for His Temple. Perhaps this is why Messiah Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah (Jn. 10:22,23), because it spoke so uniquely of Him and His work. Just as Judah Maccabee came to remove the enemies' defiling hold over God’s Temple, Yeshua came that we would be “delivered from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son” (Col. 4:12)! He came to dedicate and restore the true temple of God, all believers in Messiah, who are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19,20). As His temple, at every Hanukkah season we recognize that unless we are dedicated, we simply are not spiritually useful to God, and we, therefore, live unfulfilled lives. Empowered By Mercy In Romans 12:1 we read, “Therefore by I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” By the mercies of God refers to what God has done for us in Messiah. Mercy, or compassion, has two aspects, manifested mercy (11:31), and motivating mercy (12:1). By the mercies, means “through” His mercies. In other words, God has shown us His mercy--manifested -- in the past, but to live for Him -- motivating -- we daily rely on His mercies. The mercies are the very conduit, the empowerment that enables you to do God’s will. While all manner of service for God is within the scope of this verse, Paul bases 12:1 on his previous thought: even so these (Jewish people) also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you (Gentiles) they may also obtain mercy (see 11:30,31). Here Paul tells us that Gentile believers are to show mercy to unsaved Jewish people. Thus, in context, we see the obvious thrust for all believers to serve sacrificially by bringing the Good News to the Jewish people, and thereby make Israel jealous for their Messiah (see v. 11:11)! Put It On the Altar Next Paul tells us to present our bodies in grateful willingness as a living sacrifice to God. This involves our entire being. Think of what area or areas you may be hesitant to present to God: pride; fear, lust, ambition, personal time, etc. Left unchecked these areas become strongholds of defiance and places of corruption. Because we’ve been bought with a price, we present our lives for His use only: we are not our own anymore. We serve at His discretion, not by our preferences. A Living Sacrifice By the mercies of God we are a living sacrifice. Paul isn’t speaking about salvation, because Yeshua accomplished that for us, and no other sacrifice can be made that will expiate sins (Heb. 10:12). We’re made alive in Yeshua for service unto God (Rom. 6:4), which is the fulfillment of our lives. Some declare they are willing to die for Yeshua, but the real question is, “are we willing to live for Yeshua?” It's not your last drop of blood, but your first drop of sweat that can make a difference. So, let us offer not what's dead and useless, but that which is alive and useful! Of course, the problem with a ‘living’ sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar. So rededication is needed daily. Holy Sacrifice, Acceptable Sacrifice By the mercies of God we are a holy sacrifice. God doesn’t want defiled stuff. Holy means we’re “set apart” thru the Holy Spirit for God's purposes. When we are completely His, then we are a holy sacrifice. A life that is not set apart to God will make the occasional sacrifice, but it is like sacrificing a blemished lamb. We do not present just any old thing, but a surrendered life which is set apart unto God (Mal. 1:6,7). By the mercies of God we are an acceptable sacrifice. His mercies make our service acceptable to Him, otherwise our dead works equal vain religion. Are we ministering in the mercies of God, or by our own power? Are we doing what is acceptable in our own sight, or are we yielded to God, trusting Him to work His will though us. Some may be afraid of an absolute surrender of their life to God, but as the missionary Jim Elliot once wrote: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” In our surrender and service to the Lord, we must never think of it as loss. Rather, it is an investment that will bring praise and glory to God, and will bring us joy in having pleased Him! Extraordinary? No. This is the reasonable and spiritually appropriate action for us to take. The surrendered life is consistent with the truth revealed in Yeshua. Without His mercies it would be too much to ask or expect, but when we understand God’s mercies in Messiah it is not unreasonable, or irrational. As a redeemed man, to present myself as a living sacrifice is only reasonable! Living our whole lives for Him, 24/7, is an acceptable act of worship. All else is false worship and honestly, unacceptable before God. Total Commitment As with the Temple of Solomon, 10% dedication is 90% desecration! If He’s not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all! This Hanukkah, rededicate yourself to live as His temple. If you have not done so already, invite Messiah to come to live in your heart. He has promised, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Be sure to wish a friend “Happy Hanukkah” and invite them to our Hanukkah celebration! Shalom, & Happy Hanukkah! Y |
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