1 Maccabees
2:15-28 20. “I, my sons and my brothers
will still follow the covenant of our ancestors.”
Hanukkah is a holiday that most of us have
heard about but of it we know little.
What we do know is that it is celebrated by the Jews and that it comes
along somewhere around Christmas time.
Hanukkah lasts eight days. As
children, I remember that some of us were a little jealous of the Jewish kids
in town because they had eight days of ‘Christmas’ and we only had one. That means seven more days of presents.
Hanukkah means “dedication.” It is a remembrance of the recapture and
rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the King of Greek Syria had a
pig sacrificed on the altar. This event
was recorded in prophetic form in the Book of Daniel as the “Abomination of
Desolation” and the King is therein referred to as “a contemptible person” in
Daniel 11:21.
A small contingency of righteous Jews known
as “the Maccabees” was able to wrest Jerusalem
from this powerful King one hundred sixty-five years before Jesus was
born. Maccabees means
“hammers”; you can read about their tremendous victory against all odds in the
book that bears their name. First
Maccabees is found in the apocryphal section of the Bible, if you have it. It is worthwhile reading.
The temple had to be cleansed and
rededicated before worship could again commence. Within the Temple was found only one cruet of the sacred
oil used in the rededication ceremony.
There would be no more until the next growing season. One cruet was enough to burn for one day. Unfortunately, the cleansing and rededication
ceremony, referred to in 2 Chron 7:9ff, was an
eight day affair. Hanukkah is also
called the Feast of Lights because during the eight-day rededication, a miracle
of light occurred. That one cruet of oil
should have lasted only a day, but it burned for the entire eight day
feast. In commemoration of this miracle
of lights, Jews of all ages light nine candles and give gifts during the eight
days of Hanukkah. Why nine candles for
eight days? I’ll tell you later.
So what does Hanukkah have to do with
us? We’re not Jews and we’ve never
celebrated Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, the
Feast of Lights. Well, here’s why. First off, the re-conquest of Jerusalem and the Temple
by the Maccabees is a prophetic type of the coming of the Messiah. In like fashion, Yahshua will soon return
with the host of heavenly hammers, and where is he going? To Jerusalem
to remake it and rededicate its new Temple,
just as the Maccabees had. Second of
all, Jesus celebrated Hanukkah! We find
that recorded in John 10:22:
John 10:22.
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.
It was during Hanukkah that Jesus revealed
his promise to be a shepherd to his sheep, granting them eternal life. Hanukkah was also the Feast in which Jesus
revealed his true identity to the world -- that he was the Son of the Mighty
One of Israel, and that he and his Father were of one work and one accord.
So tonight we follow the practice of
Jesus in lighting the Hanukkah candles.
In the first part of our program we remember the Mighty God of Israel,
Yahweh Sabaoth, who will win the battle of battles and restore our fortunes,
like the brave Maccabees of old. In the
second part of our program, we remember the wonderful child who came into this
world as a helpless babe to endure the struggles and passions of our world and
die on our behalf. In the final section,
we want to instill you with the hope of his return, that it is soon to happen,
and that your fate as a member of his flock, is eternal life in the City of Gold. May Yahweh Sabaoth bless you as you
participate in our program. May Jesus Christ descend like a dove upon
your hearts.
Please accept our thanks for your “dedication” to him and his church.
The
Ninth Hanukkah Candle
I
promised to tell you why there are nine candles for lit for eight days. Well
here goes. It is known as the Shammah. It is
the candle from which all other candles receive their flame. Though it is the
ninth candle, it is actually the first candle to be lit, reminding us that in
the Kingdom of Yahweh, the first shall be last and the last first, the servant
of all will be King, the stone which the builders has rejected will become the
cornerstone.
The number nine is also representative
of death. Our ninth candle descended to earth as a light for the whole
world. Though the darkness tried to snub out his life, it was by means of death
and resurrection that his light shines brighter still, bringing hope to a dark
and dying generation.
The Shammah
reminds us that he was here at the very first, he will also be here in the
last days -- that the Light of the World will soon
make his appearance public, make a mockery of the kings who rejected light, and
take upon himself the reins of government forever. Let me ask you a personal
question. Everything is now lined up exactly as the prophets of old once
forecast: So are you ready for his return? Have you made your garments white in
the light of the Lamb of Yahweh? Has the first candle become your candle of
eternal life and light? We hope
you have.
Jackson Snyder, December 13, 2001
There
is a nice Messianic Hanukkah section at New Jerusalem Gifts.