Day of Dedication; Day of Decision!
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
Today's mini-sermon is in honor of
all of our Jewish subscribers and friends:
"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to
pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the
Day-star arises in your hearts." (2 Pet. 1:19)
On the 25th day of Kislev (November-December), 168 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes
decided to unleash his anger against the Ptolemies on the Jews. He made them
write on a ram's horn the words "We have no portion in the God of Israel", he
caused all of the Jewish activities (celebrations of feasts, Sabbaths, daily
offerings, Torah readings, circumcision, etc. to cease, and in place of these
activities he commanded Jews to observe pagan practices. He defiled the Holy
Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus Olympius at the place of the brazen Altar,
and some say unclean sacrifices were offered
upon it. The Jewish people were under penalty of death if they violated
Antiochus' orders. However, a Jewish revolt rose up, led by Matityahu, the High
Priest, and his sons, especially his son Yehudah, also known as "Maccabee",
overthrew the enemy and re-established their independence. On the 25th of
Kislev, 165 B.C., exactly three years to the day that the Temple was desecrated
by Antiochus Epiphanes, the pagan altars were removed, the temple furniture was
restored, and the Temple was rededicated to the pure worship of the God of
Israel. From this act of consecration came commemoration - the annual eight-day
celebration of Hanukkah, which means "dedication".
I would like to suggest that the celebration of Hanukkah has several messages
for EVERYONE in today's world, both Jew and non-Jew. But to prove this point,
let's take a closer look at a couple of important parts of the story:
a. The Maccabees fought against armies 13 times their size, yet they prevailed.
Israel's history is literally filled with similar stories of God's delivering
power. Remember the walls of Jericho? How about the Exodus? Gideon and the
battle with the Mideonites? Elisha at Dotham? And in more modern times, the
six-day war? There are many other examples, but I think you get the idea! Is
it any wonder the prophet Isaiah writes: "Although the peoples roar like the
roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them
they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like
tumbleweed before a gale. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning,
they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who
plunder us." (Isa 17:13-14)?
My friends. I have good news for you! The same God who delivered Israel from
the Greeks, from Egypt, from Mideon, from the Assyrians, and from the
Philistines, is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow! "I the LORD do not
change." (Mal 3:6)! No matter what our enemy is today, "In the evening,
sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone!" (Isa. 17:14).
b. During the first festival, the priests were only able to find one jar of consecrated oil (enough for one day) to keep the nine-branched menorah lit. Nevertheless, the light of the menorah miraculously lasted for the full eight days of the ceremony.
The message for us today? Even in
the darkest walks of life, God supplies light for His people! "I am the
light of the world; He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life." (John 10:37-38). Jesus is the non-extinguishable light
given by God to His people in darkness!
Let us all then, Jews and Gentiles alike, in this Hanukkah season, remember that
our God is a God who delivers! He is a God who supplies light that cannot be
put out. Let's all reach out to our "Light of the World", for our strength in
time of trouble. And let us pray that those who do not know the Light will
reach out to the Light!
"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to
pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the
Day-star arises in your hearts." (2 Pet. 1:19)
(Information about Hanukkah gathered from "Hanukkah - Dedication to the Lord",
by Dr. Randall Price, published in "Jewish Voice Ministries International",
Nov/Dec 2001. Also from Answers2Prayer subscriber and Messianic Jew, Allan
Mann.)
Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets (
www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons/ ), Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org ,