Hanukkah
Feast of dedication,
Today, I desire to deliver a message on the subject of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word meaning dedication. Some also refer to Hanukkah as the Jewish festival of lights. But before I get too deep into this subject, I want to take some time to remind ourselves of some truths we have come to learn, truths we as followers of Jesus know that we have little choice but to recognize and adopt if we intend to walk as He did, if we intend to walk in Kingdom principles.
Please
keep in mind that I do realize that some of the following material information
is fundamental to you. Much of this information we go over often, as a reminder.
However, so that you understand, many times when I am compelled to write or
speak a message, I am compelled to do so in a fashion that helps the reader or
listener who has not had the exposure to previous teachings, better understand
the message.
Now,
as a reminder, we know that John teaches us in,
1
John 2: 3 - 6
3
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.
5
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby
know we that we are in him.
6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he
walked.
We know that Yeshua Jesus is the word from the beginning and that His commandments are those of His Father in heaven. The two are one. We know the two are one because Jesus himself said, as is testified to in John chapter ten and verse thirty, “I and my Father are one.” So, If we say that Yeshua Jesus abides in us we ought to walk as he does and that walk should be as one with our Father in heaven.
We
know that Gods chosen people are in the lineage of Abraham. God made a covenant
with Abraham and we find this in the following,
Genesis
12:1-3
1
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We
know that the covenant between God and Abraham began to be made manifest
through Isaac and further, Jacob. We know that Jacob became Israel, meaning Prince
with God. We know that the lineage of Israel became known as the children of
Israel or more commonly referred to as the Israelites. We know that God himself
appointed to Jacob the name Israel.
As
we have learned, God made it clear through moses that the children of Israel
were His chosen. We find this in the following scripture.
Deuteronomy
7:6-8
6
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the
face of the earth.
7
The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in
number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8
But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had
sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and
redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of
Egypt.
God
chose the children of Israel and worked to keep His oath with Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. Israel was to become great in number and be a blessing to all
families upon the earth. But first, they had to be refined. Before Israel could
be established as nation changers they had to suffer through generations of
servitude. All good leaders should learn to serve and become intimately aware
of the conditions, limitations and challenges that come with servitude. Knowing
this makes a leader keenly aware and more empathetic and merciful to those who
serve. The king of the universe stripped down to his loin cloth and washed feet
as an example of a humble and merciful servant. Jesus displayed that in
greatness lies the heart of a servant. We see this in the totality of his
service to our father in heaven, his children, through his teachings and most
powerfully expressed through His passion and sacrifice on the tree. Think on
this,
John
13:12-15
12
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down
again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash
one another's feet.
15
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
And,
Mark
10:42-45
42
But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are
accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their
great ones exercise authority upon them.
43
But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall
be your minister:
44
And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many.
As God revealed promises to Abraham one such promise was that His people would go into captivity under the rule of the Egyptians for four hundred years. We find this in the following scripture.
Genesis 15:12-15
12
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an
horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a
land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four
hundred years;
14
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall
they come out with great substance.
15
And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old
age.
Later the twelve tribes of Israel settled in Egypt to escape the great famine. This was by invitation of Pharoah because of his love and respect for Joseph, the eleventh and favored son of Israel, also known as Jacob. However, over time this relationship was forgotten and when the Israelites grew in number, the Egyptians began to see them as a threat so the Egyptians being many, captured the children of Israel and forced them into slavery, thus fulfilling the prophecy revealed in Genesis 15: 13.
So,
the Israelites were afflicted for four hundred years until God, hearing their
cries raised up Moses, a Hebrew, in the house of Pharoah where he received an
education and deep understanding of the innerworkings of the Egyptian language,
culture and rules of civil procedure. God inarguably is the master tactician.
We know this first hand as we have witnessed Him acting as planner, strategist
and diplomat in our own ministry.
As
we all know, when Moses’s heritage was discovered, he was banished from Egypt.
In his banishment he was introduced to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the
God of Israel. God sent him to deliver His people Israel out of bondage. Moses
went from a great leader of men to becoming a servant of God tasked with
revealing the power and glory of God to Egypt in order to encourage the release
of the Israelite slaves into freedom.
The
Israelites were set free from the bondage they were subjected to in Egypt. And
in the process, they were enriched by the Egyptian people who had witnessed the
power of the God of Israel as he brought judgement upon Egypt, thus fulfilling
the prophecy found in Genesis 15: 14.
Now
that the children of Israel were free, Moses was tasked to lead them to the
land that had been promised to them in the covenant God had made with Abraham, the
land of milk and honey, the promised land. However, a journey that should have
taken less than two weeks ended up taking about forty years. This is mostly
because, even though Israel was delivered from Egypt physically, they struggled
with dispute, unrighteousness, disobedience, lack of faith, the worship of
idols, and the animated contest of liberty. It seems that getting the children
of Israel out of Egypt was one thing, but getting Egypt out of the children of
Israel proved to be a much more difficult task.
Despite
witnessing miracles signs and wonders beyond awe inspiring, such as the plagues
on Egypt, the leading of the people by the column of smoke and of fire, the
crossing of the parted red sea on dry land, not to mention the subsequent total
destruction of the Egyptian army, the children of Israel didn’t seem to thoroughly
convinced that the hand of God was with them.
The
Israelites stood on the edge of the promised land and balked at entering for
fear of the people therein. The faithless spread a bad report among the people.
They convinced many that because the land was inhabited by warring people,
giants and great walled cities they would not possess the land promised by God.
But others, full of faith contended with them and sought to convince the people
that God was with them and that they had already witnessed the great power of
their God. With Him nothing was impossible for them. These were young men, men
of the right spirit, men like Joshua and Caleb. Despite their efforts however,
the faithless won out. They were older, considered wiser, they convinced most
of the people not to go into the land.
As
you know this angered God so he dispatched those who brought a bad report about
the promised land into the congregation of the children of Israel and forced
the rest to return to the wilderness where they wandered about for forty years.
This was a time of character building for the Israelites. Yes, there was much
arguing, complaining, rebellion and disobedience displayed by the Israelites
however they were being exposed to God more and more, they were being taught
His commandments and ordinances. The Israelites were growing in testimony and
faith during their stint in the wilderness and as we spoke about earlier, God
is the master strategist it seems that during their time in the wilderness the
younger faith filled of the congregation who were of the right spirit, like
Joshua and Caleb were being raised up to inherit the land, while the older who
were not so full of faith and belief were dying off.
Numbers 14:22-25
22
Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in
Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice;
23
Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither
shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24
But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed
me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall
possess it.
25
(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you,
and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Numbers 32:9-14
9
For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they
discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into
the land which the Lord had given them.
10
And the Lord'S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
11
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and
upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
12
Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for
they have wholly followed the Lord.
13
And the Lord'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the
wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the
sight of the Lord, was consumed.
14
And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men,
to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.
In the book of Numbers in chapter 33 you will find a summary of the wanderings of the children of Israel. Eventually the twelve tribes made their way back to the vicinity of the Jordan river where they fought with and defeated the inhabitants that lived there.
Numbers 33:49-56
49
And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the
plains of Moab.
50
And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho,
saying,
51
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over
Jordan into the land of Canaan;
52
Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and
destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite
pluck down all their high places:
53
And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I
have given you the land to possess it.
54
And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and
to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give
the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his
lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
55
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then
it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks
in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein
ye dwell.
56
Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do
unto them.
The lands on the east side of the Jordan were given to the two and a half tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. The land on the West side of the Jordan, the land of Canaan, was given to the other tribes, these were the tribes of Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Asher Ephraim and the other half of the tribe of Manasseh. Now originally the twelve tribes were of the genealogy of the sons of Jacob or Israel this included Joseph and Levi. However, we do not see them included in the inheritance of promised land. This is because Joseph received a double portion of inheritance as represented by his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh who combined are referred to as the house of Joseph. As for the tribe of Levi, they were given no inheritance of land. The tribe of Levi were the priests, porters and singers given the charge to care for the word of God and its proliferation. These included the decedents of Aaron and Moses.
Deuteronomy 10:6-9
6
And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of
Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his
son ministered in the priest's office in his stead.
7
From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land
of rivers of waters.
8
At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to
bless in his name, unto this day.
9
Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his
inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.
Deuteronomy 18:1-8
1
The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor
inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire,
and his inheritance.
2
Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is
their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
3
And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a
sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the
shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.
4
The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first
of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
5
For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to
minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.
6
And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he
sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the
Lord shall choose;
7
Then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the
Levites do, which stand there before the Lord.
8
They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of
his patrimony.
Joshua 13:33
33
But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the Lord God of
Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.
Because
Levi did not receive and inheritance in the traditional sense the others were
compelled by a commandment from God to care for their daily needs. Thus, the
Priests, singers and porters were able to focus on God and caring for the
Temples, and Tabernacles. They were also the gatekeepers of the sanctuary and
provided security. They were the custodians and protectorate of the holy
places. They were those who worked to purify the places of worship and the
worship leaders of the one true living God.
Now
after victoriously warring against and defeating giants and other inhabitants
on the East side of the Jordan, Moses distributed the captured land among the
tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh. Then standing on mount
Nebo, gazing into the promised land, Moses died at the age of 120 years. It is
important to note that even Moses, the powerful leader of God’s chosen people
never entered the promised land. You see Moses kindled God’s anger enough to
where God banned him from entering.
Deuteronomy 3:24-27
24
O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty
hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy
works, and according to thy might?
25
I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that
goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
26
But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the
Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
27
Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and
northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou
shalt not go over this Jordan.
After
the death of Moses, the leadership role fell upon the shoulders of Joshua.
Joshua
1:1-9
1
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the
Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and
all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of
Israel.
3
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses.
4
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the
going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life:
as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee.
6
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an
inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from
it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou
goest.
8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success.
9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou
goest.
Joshua
and the children of Israel did cross the Jordan. They did war with the
inhabitants. They did concur giants and great walled cities came crashing down
in defeat. Because they followed God, they were victorious. They took the land
and Joshua, in obedience to Moses and God, distributed the land among the rest
of the tribes. The details of this you should read and familiarize your selves with
on your own.
Between
four and five hundred years later, after the children of Israel had settled in,
ten to twelve generations later the population grew. Here we find ourselves historically about the
time of the reign of King David. And by this time, we see the covenant that God
made with Abraham being fulfilled. The seed of Abraham is now great in numbers
and growing. They are occupying the land promised to them and though they
struggle constantly, then and now, they are trying to fulfill the charge of
being a blessing to all families of the earth. I say this because whether one
likes the God of Israel or not His favor and power were consistently displayed
through an Israel who followed Him and the world witnessed this. Further, as we
have learned, we are grafted in. By free will choice we are sojourners and as
sojourners with the Israel who is in a right relationship with God, we become
fellow partakers in all the blessings promised to them. We too become
beneficiaries of the Abrahamic covenant, in this life and after. Moreover, as
we have learned from Ruth, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob becomes our God
and His people our people, as he has said He will be our God and we will be His
children.
It
is important to remind ourselves too, that there are no different commandments
or ordinances for the children of Israel and for the stranger who chooses to
sojourn with them. They are the congregation of God. We too want to be in the
congregation of God.
Now,
what does all of this have to do with Hannukah, you ask? I thought we were
going to talk about Hannukah! Well, we
are and as we go on, I am sure what has been discussed up until now and what
will be revealed, will make sense as you bear with me further.
Some
time ago I was speaking to my wife and I told her that I believed that the
spirit of the Lord was prompting me to deliver a word on the subject at hand. I
remember telling her that I believe God had been speaking to me about this
issue and that there were some insights that I myself had not considered until
then. I also remember telling her that it wasn’t much, that I didn’t believe
there was much to convey. “The message was not too deep but short and to the
point”, I said. That was of course until I spent more time in prayer and
research and then sat down and began to write.
Sometimes
we believe we know a matter from the beginning to the end but as is often the
case with God once we start down a road on our way to the end, we are met with
much more than we had previously anticipated along the way. This is a lesson in
and of itself this is even how the prophetic works more often than not. For
example, God told Paul that he had to go before Ceaser in Rome. So, Paul, armed
with this prophetic information, was confident that he would make it to Rome
safely. However, what God didn’t tell Paul was that along the way he would be
beaten, nearly starved, thirst, be shipwrecked, nearly drown and bitten by a
viper.
As
for Hannukah, a cursory search on the internet will tell you simply that this
is a feast of dedication a celebration of the Jews, a festival of lights
celebrating a miracle of one days’ worth of lamp oil lasting instead for eight
days. As the story goes, between about 167 and 160 years before the birth of
Yeshua, Jesus the Christ, the Seleucid Empire led by King Antiochus lV
Epiphanes, the king of Syria invaded Jerusalem. During this time the Seleucid
Syrian Greeks tried to force their culture on the Israelites. Further, they
defiled the temple of Yehovah, the God of the children of Israel, by bringing
abominable practices and idols in to the holy place. In the temple, they
erected a statue of the Greek god zeus and sacrificed swine on the altar of incense.
The
actions of the Greeks, especially the defiling of the holy temple with such
abominations provoked a revolt. Mattathias, a temple priest along with his
sons, especially Judas Maccabeus led this revolt. Maccabee or Makkabi in Hebrew
means hammer. It seems the Maccabees lived up to their name’s sake as
historical accounts reveal that they ferociously attacked and defeated the
Seleucid Greeks and utterly destroyed the abominable idols erected in the temple.
I believe it important to note that the Maccabees were of the tribe of Levi.
Remember, this tribe received no inheritance of land because the Lord was their
inheritance and they were tasked with being the warrior guardians of the house
of God.
Now
there is much more to this story but for the purposes of this teaching I
believe it important to reveal the most crucial information that substantiates
the purpose of the celebration of Hannukah. After the Israelites, led by the
Maccabees, drove out the Syrians, they worked to clean and purify the temple
from the defiling of the Seleucid empire. This was done in a spiritual and
physical sense. They even removed the altar and constructed a new one that had
not undergone the rank defilement of swine and swine blood sacrifices. Once the Temple was purified and the
renovations complete, the Maccabees led the congregation of God in an eight-day
celebration to rededicate the temple to the service and habitation of the God
of the children of Israel. Remember,
Hannukah means dedication.
Many
consider this celebration a Jewish celebration, a simple Jewish tradition. To
celebrate a miracle of lamp oil lasting seven days beyond what it should have.
To me, now knowing what I know, that understanding is less deep and over
simplifies the true depth and significance underpinning the spiritual meaning
and reasons for the celebration of Hanukkah. The recognition of this dedication
celebration and its deeper meaning will bring to the follower of Yeshua, Jesus,
the Christ child of Nazareth a deeper connection to the source of all that is
holy.
The
study of this dedication celebration has brought a shift in my paradigm. To me,
I liken it a lot to the shift I experienced when I dove deeper into gaining
knowledge about the yearly feasts. In that process I found out the importance
of the feasts and that they were not simply some Jewish traditions. I found out
that they are not the feasts of the Jews as some like to portray. In Leviticus
chapter 23 verses 1-3 we find God saying this to Moses,
1
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of
the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my
feasts.
3
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an
holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in
all your dwellings.
A
deeper study reveals that the feasts are not some traditions of the Jews. To
begin with, technically the Jews are from only one tribe of Israel. The feasts
are the feasts of God, the God of Israel, the same God we pledge to follow as
we sojourn with the congregation of God, the Israelites. There is no different
commandment for the sojourner or stranger than that of the children of Israel.
In actuality the feasts serve as times to remind us of the great love of God
for His people. They are a time of rejoicing, thanksgiving, and solemn
assemblies preparing us for life in righteousness now and ever after. Hannukah
has much of the same elements in its meaning, this is because Hannukah and the
feasts and their purposes are directly linked.
Earlier
we talked about walking as Jesus walked. We discussed following God Like Jesus
did. Did Jesus celebrate the feasts? Yes, He did. Did Jesus celebrate Hannukah?
Yes, he did. We find evidence of this in the following,
John 10:22-30
22
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make
us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand.
29
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand.
30
I and my Father are one.
The Maccabees rededicated the temple in Jerusalem on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, the ninth month on the Hebrew calendar. This generally corresponds with the end of November to the middle of December.
In
the above scripture we indeed find that Jesus was in the Temple on Solomons
porch during the feast of dedication in the winter. Did Jesus celebrate
Christmas? No, He did not. There is no scriptural evidence to support that He did,
in fact as we have learned, scripture and historical records support that that
celebration has its roots in paganism. Further, the followers of the God of
Abraham are forbidden to celebrate it. However, did Jesus celebrate the yearly feasts?
Did Jesus celebrate Hanukkah? He not only celebrated them. He is the word from
the beginning. He and the father are one. He authored the storyline. He created
the events. He not only celebrated them, He wrote the commandments and
compelled the children of Israel to follow them and we have joined that flock
freely.
John 10:11-18
11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth
them, and scattereth the sheep.
13
The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for
the sheep.
16
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
He
is the good shepherd, our shepherd, we are the sheep of the other fold. We
should hear His voice and follow Him. He promises us to bring us in and make us
one with the fold, one fold under one Shepherd who has laid down His life for
those of us who decide to follow Him. This revelation vexes the legalistic, religious
and the unclean spirits now just as it did then. This is the first time Jesus
reveals who He truly is to the religious leaders of that day, and they despised
Him immensely from that time on.
So
why the history lesson preceding this? Because the roots of the celebration of
dedication and the celebration of lights actually begin with a promise of God
to Abraham. Let’s start connecting the dots. It all starts here,
Genesis
22:1-19
1
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said
unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get
thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one
of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of
his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt
offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the
lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his
son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them
together.
7
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here
am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb
for a burnt offering?
8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:
so they went both of them together.
9
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him
on the altar upon the wood.
10
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11
And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham,
Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto
him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son from me.
13
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught
in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him
up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this
day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
15
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and
thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou
hast obeyed my voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Now about fourteen generations or about one thousand years later, David became King of Israel and his palace was in Jerusalem. The children of God did not establish or build the city of Jerusalem but under the leadership of King David, did capture it from the Jebusites. This occurred about one thousand years before Christ Jesus was born.
1Chronicles
11:4-9
4
And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites
were, the inhabitants of the land.
5
And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither.
Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.
6
And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and
captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.
7
And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David.
8
And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab
repaired the rest of the city.
9 So David waxed greater and greater: for the Lord of hosts was with him.
Now David as King of Israel desired that the ark of the covenant of God be brought into Jerusalem and further that it no longer resided in a tent. It was David’s belief that it should not be kept in a tent while he resides in a palace of cedar. David set his mind to building a temple but at this time the Lord had other thoughts.
2Samuel
6:1-15
1
Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2
And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of
Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name
of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
3
And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of
Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave
the new cart.
4
And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah,
accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
5
And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of
instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on
timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
6
And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the
ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there
for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8
And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he
called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.
9
And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the
Lord come to me?
10
So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David:
but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
11
And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three
months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.
12
And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of
Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David
went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of
David with gladness.
13
And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces,
he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
14
And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with
a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
2Samuel
7:1-7
1
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him
rest round about from all his enemies;
2
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of
cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3
And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is
with thee.
4
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan,
saying,
5
Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house
for me to dwell in?
6
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the
children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent
and in a tabernacle.
7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
The desire to build a house, a temple unto God was always with King David however, even though David was a man after God’s own heart, it was not something he was anointed or allowed to do. This task would be given to David’s son Solomon. We find the account of Solomons appointment to this task in the following,
1Chronicles
28:2-7,11-13
2
Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and
my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark
of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made
ready for the building:
3
But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou
hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.
4
Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be
king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the
house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he
liked me to make me king over all Israel:
5
And of all my sons, (for the Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen
Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
6
And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts:
for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
7
Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my
commandments and my judgments, as at this day.
11
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses
thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and
of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
12
And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of
the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house
of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
13 Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord.
Solomon did build the house of the Lord. It took him about seven years to complete.
1Kings
6:37-38
37
In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the
month Zif:
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
Just before it was completed Solomon dedicated the Temple to the Lord during the fall feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot also known as the feast of booths. As most of you know this is an appointed feast consisting of seven days of feasting and fellowshipping, with the final day, the eighth day, being a day of solemn assembly.
2Chronicles
7:8-11
8
Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with
him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river
of Egypt.
9
And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication
of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
10
And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away
into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had
shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.
In
obedience to God’s commandment, the children of Israel gathered together to
live in Sukkot, also referred to as Tabernacles or booths. These were temporary
dwellings and was primarily done to remind the congregation of God about the
miracles signs and wonders they experienced as God liberated them from Egypt
during the time of the Exodus. During this time and the additional forty years
in the wilderness, Israel had to live in temporary dwellings. This feast itself
lasts for seven days with an additional day called Shemini Atzeret, meaning the
assembly of the eighth day. This day was also referred to as Simchat Torah or
rejoicing over the Torah, or law of God. The eighth day is a holy convocation,
a high sabbath.
The
law of God is referred to as the perfect law of Liberty. In other teachings we
have seen how liberty is a ruler in the kingdom of heaven. To me the most
powerful and wonderful message to be found in this celebration is the
deliverance from bondage it represents. Liberation from the bondage of slavery.
This is slavery in the physical sense and in the spiritual sense. By miraculous
movements of God, and through His perfect law of liberty, we are made free. We
are no longer slaves to sin. Unfortunately, for all of us, sometimes we have to
experience the slavery until we can no longer stand it. At that moment our
cries are heard and His deliverance can start. Then in the struggle of transitioning
from alignment with the world to the alignment with the kingdom of heaven, we
wander about in the wilderness. Some wander more than others. It depends on how
long it takes for one to surrender. Unfortunately, some prefer more the comfort
their flesh experiences in while in Egypt, so to that, they return.
For Israel, society really started to fall when Israel began
to turn from God’s rule and demand a King to rule them. God is perfect and
incorruptible. His law is liberating and obedience to Him keeps society straight
and prosperous. It is written, “When the righteous are in authority, the people
rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”. Regardless, the
people cried out for a King because the judges began to become corrupt and
caused unrighteous havoc. The people mistakenly believed that having a king
like the other nations would solve their problems. They were wrong. God warned
them of this. He warned them that the Kings of men were corruptible and would
enslave them and steal their wealth and lands and cause their children to die
in the wars the kings of men declared, for their own advancement.
Solomon like David his father before him walked with God and God blessed him with wealth, and wisdom greater than any other king ever. As we know Solomon built the Temple under the guidance and direction of God. The kingdom prospered and God made Solomon promises.
2Chronicles
1:11-12
11
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not
asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet
hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that
thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
But Solomon became corrupted and turned from God. He did build the temple but Solomon had many wives and many of those wives worshiped other gods and Solomon built temples to other gods to please his wives. For this, Solomon lost the kingdom for his generations and as God warned, the corruption of man started Israel on a long downward spiral that eventually resulted in the total destruction of Jerusalem.
1Kings
11:1,3-6,8-9,11
1
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of
Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
3
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and
his wives turned away his heart.
4
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart
after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was
the heart of David his father.
5
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom
the abomination of the Ammonites.
6
And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the
Lord, as did David his father.
8
And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and
sacrificed unto their gods.
9
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord
God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
11
Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and
thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I
will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
The
first temple to God stood for about for hundred years. It saw the reign of many
Kings and the cycles of leadership the kingdom endured. Many were evil and few
did good in the sight of the Lord. Throughout time many contended to possess
the temple, the land it was built on as well as the treasures that were stored
inside. The defilement of the temple happened more than most know. Some of the
most notable occurrences were by the following,
King
Ahaz. Ahaz reigned around 250 to 270 years after Solomon, about 730 BC. Ahaz in
an effort to appease and gain the favor of the King of Assyria, took from the
temple to pay tribute to the Assyrian King. Ahaz also renovated the altar to be
more like the kind found in Damacus and began to worship the gods of the
Assyrians in the temple of the God of the Israelites. You can read about this
in the following scriptures.
2
Chronicles 28, and 2 kings chapter 16.
Jehoiakim,
the 18th King of Judah ruled about 300 years after Solomon’s reign,
about 608 to 597 BC. Jehoiakim depleted the temple of its treasures and taxed
the people in order to pay tribute to Pharaoh Nechoh. Jehoiakim did evil in the
sight of the Lord so King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was able to take him into
captivity and carry off the vessels of the house of the Lord. You can read
about this in the following scriptures.
2
Chronicles 36; 5-8, 2 Kings 23 and Jerimiah 36
Jehoiachin
ruled in Judah about 330 to 340 years after Solomon. Jehoiachin did evil in the
sight of the Lord so King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was able to take him into
captivity, strip the temple of all of its remaining treasure and carry off the
vessels of the house of the Lord. You can read about this in the following
scriptures.
2
Kings 24 and 2 Chronicles 36
Now because of the consistent disobedience to God and the worship of other gods, Yehovah, the God of Israel wrote a letter of divorcement to the children of Israel. He lifted His hand of protection and allowed the enemies of Israel to bring destruction to the people. Further, He employed the services of the pagan king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive. Eventually this led to the complete destruction of the first temple.
Jerimiah
3:8-9
8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed
adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her
treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jerimiah
25:8-11
8
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
9
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against
this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations
round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and
an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
10
Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the
millstones, and the light of the candle.
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jerimiah
52:12-13
12
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth
year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
13 And burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
Roughly
150 years after the first temple was destroyed God began to move upon the
hearts of Kings and the people of Israel to return to Jerusalem. The first wave
of people was led by Zerubbabel subsequent to a decree made by King Cyrus of
Babylon. About 60 years after Zerubbabel began construction of the second
temple Ezra arrived to work to reestablish God’s law and temple decorum. About
a decade later Nehemiah is supported by the Persian King Artaxerxes to return
to Jerusalem to begin reconstruction of the walls and gates of the city.
Interestingly,
there were people who resided outside of the city who expressed a desire to
work to help rebuild the city walls, however it was discerned that they were
trouble causers. Therefore, they were refused and informed that they would have
no portion in the work. Because of this, these people started a campaign to
discredit the works and the workers. These people were relentless in their
gossips while attempting to propagate rumors and false accusations. They wrote
letters to civic leaders in a further effort to bring destruction to the builder’s
work. Nehemiah reported that the resistance became so bad the worker had to
work, “with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held
a weapon”. However, the efforts of the
false accusers could not overcome the plans of God nor His appointed craftsmen.
Now
upon completion of the walls and to commemorate the rebuilding of Jerusalem,
the children of Israel dedicated the restored city with a massive celebration
of the feast of tabernacles as they had found it written in the book of the
law.
Nehemiah
8:13-18
13
And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all
the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to
understand the words of the law.
14
And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that
the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh
month:
15
And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in
Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine
branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees,
to make booths, as it is written.
16
So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every
one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the
house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the
gate of Ephraim.
17
And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made
booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun
unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great
gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
Further, I feel it important to mention that as time went on, the men of Israel began to bring strange wives into the city. Meaning they were marrying women who did not share the same beliefs. They did not teach their children the language of the Israelite and they worshiped other gods. Nehemiah, knowing that this behavior led to the down fall of Israel in the days of Solomon, forced a separation and drove the women out along with the men who would not divorce them.
Nehemiah
13:23-31
23
In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and
of Moab:
24
And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in
the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.
25
And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and
plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give
your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for
yourselves.
26
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was
there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over
all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
27
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against
our God in marrying strange wives?
28
And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in
law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
29
Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the
covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
30
Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests
and the Levites, every one in his business;
31 And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
Now
remember, the Maccabean revolt took place about 160 to 167 BC. This was
approximately 270 years after the days of Nehemiah. We have already discussed
the revolt as well as whether or not Jesus celebrated Hanukkah so let’s tie
some of these pieces together. As we
discussed, God made a covenant with Abraham. This covenant came into full view
after God saw that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son in obedience to
him. The very son God had promised him and that he and Sarah had waited years
to receive. Isaac’s birth was surely a miracle gift as both Abraham and Sarah
where well stricken in years.
As
you know, just as Abraham was to deliver the sacrificial blow, and Angel of the
lord stayed his hand. Now Abraham traveled to a place God showed him, a mount, or
hill. There Abraham built an alter and readied the sacrifice. His hand was
stayed and God provided a ram in the stead of his son Issac. Abraham called
that place Yehovahyireh meaning the Yehovah sees, or the Yehovah provides. In
the dedication this hill becomes holy ground. This hill is later known as Mount
Moriah, the Temple mount. It is upon this hill that the dedication of Abraham
is displayed in a most powerful manner and subsequently the blessings of God
were poured out upon Abraham and his seed and the covenant was made. God
promised Abraham,
“That
in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy
seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice”.
When
I read this, I can’t help but see that there are two parts to this covenant.
Essentially God blessing the seed of Abraham and with that, the seed of Abraham
blessing the nations of the earth. God being perfect will always hold up His
end of an agreement until the other party breaks covenant. As far as keeping
covenant with God, The Israelites, for the most part failed miserably. They were to bless the world by being a
shining example of the blessing honor and glory unto God mankind receives while
walking in a right stead with Him. They were to be the Apostles, Prophets
Pastors, teachers and evangelists. Yes, there are many standouts but in
totality, they were not the example of the kingdom of heaven God instructed
them to be. Not then and not now. If you think about it, a large amount of
scripture contains the story of messengers and their messages all sent to
compel the children of Israel to return to and obey the God of their blessing
and to restore their charge to be a blessing to the world.
The
bible teaches us that God chastens those he loves, so, whether the messages
contained praise, warning or discipline, throughout His word we witness Gods
love for Israel. We witness His joy when they walked rightly, his anger when
they walked in wickedness and His heart break when they refused to repent.
God
divorced Israel because Israel broke covenant too many times. Jesus was sent to
the lost house of Israel to offer a new opportunity for marriage. An
opportunity that must be taken advantage of and agreed to before the door to
the marriage chamber closes.
Yes,
Jesus came for the lost house of Israel and most of them rejected Him. We know
that even most of those who say they follow Him do not. We know by scripture
that few will find the straight gate to life everlasting and many will go
through the wide gate to destruction. Not everything labeled Israeli or Jewish
are good and as sojourners with the children of Israel we need to be careful
that we follow who and what they are supposed to be in the Lord not who they
are, while in violation of His commandments.
Now
today there is no temple to Yehovah on the temple mount. The heathens have raged
over the years trying to gain the blessing God promised to Abraham, by
capturing the land. They have erected a temple and diligently worship within
its walls but despite all of their efforts they will never find the fulfillment
they desire. The blessing is not linked to the land so much as it is linked to
the land giver. One cannot receive the blessing of deliverance, unspeakable joy
and life everlasting without full dedication to the one true God through His
son Yeshua Jesus the Christ child of Nazareth. These are those who destroy
their own nations then move to others in search of more peace, stability,
cleanliness and prosperity. They seek to take advantage of the blessings of a
society they themselves refuse to build; a society they are incapable of
building. And because they refuse to change their inner man they end up
bringing the same lawless, raging destructive nature that is responsible for
the physical and moral demise of where they previously resided.
Humanity
repeats phases and the children of Israel continue to go through cycles of
blessing and disgrace. Today, many people who claim to be ministers of the
gospel of God are in truth ministers of the gospel of the antichrist. In many ways the world is in bad shape but
the blessing of the covenant is still in motion, still to be had.
As we have learned, Jesus did celebrate the feast of dedication. He stood on Solomons porch the porch mentioned in 1 kings and 1 chronicles about one thousand years earlier. He was well aware of its significance, its history and its coming end. In the book of Luke, we find him prophesying the destruction of the temple.
Luke
21:5-6
5
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and
gifts, he said,
6
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there
shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
However, if we study scripture we find this.
1Corinthians
3:16-17
16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Corinthians
6:19-20
19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
2Corinthians
6:15-16
15
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel?
16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of
the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This
brings a whole new level of personal responsibility for each and every one of
us to cleanse and safe guard our own inner temple. What defilement do you let
in? What have you not cleansed your own temple of?
Everyone
who is born again must make ready their inner temple to receive the Holy Spirit
and realize that their heart is the Holy of Holies. One simply cannot be born
again without this. How is this done? The bible instructs us. Those who obey
God receive the Holy Spirit. “Be holy for I am holy”, “be ye perfect even as
your father in heaven is perfect”. With man this is impossible but “with God
nothing is impossible”. These are all written instructions. All of the messages
and teachings God spoke to the children of Israel are at your fingertips. Remember, it is written, “All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.
If
God compelled His children to keep His feast to remind His children to walk
with Him in liberty, harmony, unity and joy, why wouldn’t I seek to do the
same? Remember how Nehemiah spoke of the very great gladness the people enjoyed
as they celebrated the feast of tabernacles in dedication of the rebuilding of
Jerusalem?
Now
I know that God never intended his celebrations to be a crutch where people
believed they could sin then rededicate themselves periodically. The evidence
is that that behavior led to the destruction of Israel. His feasts and
celebrations are intended to serve as reminders to take preventative measures to
avoid sin and maintain purity, unity and thankfulness.
When
Jesus walked among us He taught us this, “I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.
Further,
he desired us to understand that in Him we become a blessing to the people on
the earth thusly, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on
a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven”.
Now
to the follower of Yeshua Jesus, lighting candles is significant in reminding
us of this our call, and who it is He is calling us to be. Being a light to the
world is part of the covenant. I myself have a personal experience regarding
this and these scriptures hold a special place in my heart. Some of you know
the story, briefly, once, I was under a lot of persecution and torment. I was
crying out to God while trying to decide if I wanted to continue in ministry. I
had almost made up my mind to quit when through the tears God drew my attention
to a candle in the window seal of our sanctuary. As I stared at the candle it
lit. It spontaneously lit. I witnessed in that miracle God speaking to me. He
said in that moment, keep the candle lit, keep the fire going, be the light I
have called you to be. From that day forward I vowed to run this race. That
event inspired me greatly. Now every time I lite a candle I am reminded of that
miracle, I am reminded to keep going, that Jesus is the light of the world and
that he desires us to be as well.
Hanukkah.
The feast of dedication, the feast of lights. An eight day celebration in
keeping with tabernacling with God and his children. A dedication just as we
find in the days of Solomon and in the testimony of Nehemiah. My savior
celebrated this dedication feast for a reason. I believe there is a scriptural
record of it to inspire us to do the same. I also believe it is to remind us of
our ability to partake in God’s blessed covenant with Abraham. I believe it
should be observed and serve as a reminder to keep our temples clean and
dedicated and that in the process, together, we will experience great Joy.
