Tonight at sundown begins the 8 day Hebrew festival of Hanukkah. It is also spelled Chanukah, or called the Festival of Lights or Feast or Dedication. The word Hanukkah itself means “re-dedication“. This festival is always from Kislev 25 to Tevet 2 on the Hebrew calendar, but on the calendar we use in our everyday lives it falls on different Gregorian calendar days. This is the only holiday (holy day) that covers 2 months.
John 10:22, “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.” The NLT Bible reads “It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah”
In John 8:12 & 9:5 Jesus says that He is the light of this world. In Matthew 5:14 Jesus says that we are to be the light of this world. We can only be the light of this world by reflecting the true Light of Jesus. As we behold the glory of His face, we will shine in this world’s present darkness.
This is not one of the 7 Feasts of the Lord, but a memorial holiday. They remember the miracle that happened and to celebrate the miracle and provision on that first Hanukkah in 167 BC. The holy temple of God had been defiled, to the extent that a pig was sacrificed on the holy altar of God by the successors of Alexander the Great. Judah Maccabee (The Hammer) organized a revolt and they succeeded in getting back the Holy Temple of God. The problem, cleaning up the unholiness and bringing back holiness into the Temple. There was only enough holy oil for the Menorah to light the Temple for 1 day and it took 8 days for the procedure to make the oil holy. A miracle happened when 1 day’s supply of oil lasted 8 days. On the 8th day they celebrated the miracle and from then until now, they celebrate and remember the miracles of God.
This holiday (holy day) reminds us:
- God’s miraculous provision– God never changes and Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever is still doing miracles
- The defeat of our enemy, both spiritual and physical- we are to have an expectation of overcoming
- Dedication to God on a national level– expect God’s Light to awaken the Church, expect a Great Awakening on a national level
- Jesus is the true Light of this world – ” Let there be light ! ” Bring out the beauty and truth of Jesus to a hurting world.
- We are called to be light, but we must be light as He is Light and reflect the glory we find in our quiet times with Him.
- As the Temples of God (1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19) we need to rededicate our bodies back to God. As we walk in this dark world it is easy to pick up the unholy habits and mindsets. Especially in these days prior to Christmas.
- Remember– call back to your memory how God has miraculously provided. Be thankful and praise Him, as you draw near to Him – He will draw near to you.
To learn how to celebrate this holiday as a Christian see this link. There is a Bible reading for each of the 8 days. http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Winter_Holidays/Chanukah/chanukah.html
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