REDEDICATION

Although much of the historical background of Hanukkah, including the miracle of the oils is part of extra biblical Jewish sources, the following from the Apocropha in some of our Christian Bibles, relates the period of cleansing and rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem following it’s desecration by the Syrians. It is these scriptures which Christians can refer to for an understanding of the joyfulness of the Jewish Hanukkah celebration.

Although Hanukkah is often referred to as "the festival of lights," the original Hebrew meaning of the word is "to dedicate." It was the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem that was the focus of the early celebration. The rededication involved God’s miracle provision of the oil, which allowed the one-day supply of temple oil to burn for the entire eight days required to press, make ready and sanctify the new oil. Enjoy the reading.

The First Book of the Maccabees, Chapter 4

4:36 Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are
discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.
4:37 Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went
up into mount Sion.
4:38 And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar
profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the
courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the
priests' chambers pulled down;
4:39 They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast
ashes upon their heads,
4:40 And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an
alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.
4:41 Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were
in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.
4:42 So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had
pleasure in the law:
4:43 Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into
an unclean place.
4:44 And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt
offerings, which was profaned;
4:45 They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach
to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled
it down,
4:46 And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a
convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what
should be done with them.
4:47 Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a
new altar according to the former;
4:48 And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the
temple, and hallowed the courts.
4:49 They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they
brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings, and of
incense, and the table.
4:50 And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that were
upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the
temple.
4:51 Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread out
the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun to
make.
4:52 Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is
called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year,
they rose up betimes in the morning,
4:53 And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of
burnt offerings, which they had made.
4:54 Look, at what time and what day the heathen had profaned it,
even in that was it dedicated with songs, and citherns, and harps,
and cymbals.
4:55 Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and
praising the God of heaven, who had given them good success.
4:56 And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight days and
offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice
of deliverance and praise.
4:57 They decked also the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold,
and with shields; and the gates and the chambers they renewed,
and hanged doors upon them.
4:58 Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the
reproach of the heathen was put away.
4:59 Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of
Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should
be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight
days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, with
mirth and gladness.

PRAYER: Thank you holy God for your miracles and your provision. Thank you for times and seasons that remind us not only of your great power, but also of our need to cleanse and rededicate ourselves to you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Thinking of lighting a candle or nine to honor God’s miracle of the oil?

A LIVING MENORAH

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for this month is "Gifts from the Heart." Please see the list to the right and visit my friends’ blogs to see what they have to say about this topic.

This post is a recognition of the importance of Jewish history to me—a gentile, adopted into God’s family through my Jewish savior. The Jewish celebrations are mine, because they were first His. Thank you, Jesus.

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Tonight begins the celebration of Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish "Festival of Lights."

I grew up wishing "Happy Hanukkah" to my Jewish friends, but not understanding the reason behind the celebration, thinking it had little relevance to my own faith. Why should I—a Christian—care about a Jewish holy day?

Because I’m that dog eating scraps under the table that the gentile woman spoke to Jesus about. I wasn’t born as part of God’s chosen people (the Jews) but by His grace I was adopted in to His family.

When I was adopted in, I adopted God’s plan, including the story of how He led His people. That made their history important to my future because my faith through my Jewish savior’s life was part of His earthly life, too.

It was my sweet mother-in-law who first introduced me to understanding Hanukkah as a Christian. One day I asked her, "What’s your favorite book of the Bible?"

Without missing a beat, she responded, "The Macabees."

Wait a minute, I thought, that’s not in my Bible.

But it is in the Bible of many versions of Christian faiths--sometimes in the Apocrapha; sometimes as part of the Old Testament. The Maccabee are a historical account of the time less than 200 years before Jesus’ birth when the Syrian army had taken over Jerusalem. Once the army was ousted, the Jews found that everything inside the Temple of Jerusalem had been desecrated—including the sacred, refined and holy oil that kept the lamps in the Temple lit.

A single sealed container of lamp oil was found—enough to keep the lamp lit for one day and night. Yet it would take eight days for new oil to be refined, purified and made holy. By God’s miraculous power, that single container of oil kept the lamp lit in the Temple for the entire eight days until the new oil was ready.

Thus, Jews celebrate the Festival of Lights as a way to remember God’s miracle of provision and sacred power.

The story of Hanukkah reminds me of Jesus and the many times he miraculously fed the hungry crowd with a few fish and a loaf of bread.

And it reminds me that Jesus is the true light of the world and we are meant to be lamp stands to light the way for others to find Him.

Can God do a miracle in our lives and make our very small amount of spiritual oil last? He can because of Jesus.

In fact, as Christians, we can look to the celebration of Hanukkah for the truth: not only did God stretch that holy oil for eight days; He made it last all the way until Jesus’ birth—nearly 200 years later—when the eternal light of life came to earth and lit the way for all of us.

I’ll be celebrating Hanukkah tonight and praising God for His power and for the gift of His heart of lighting this world with His love through Jesus.

In fact, consider me a lamp stand for Jesus—a living menorah, all lit up and praising His name!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your miraculous provision; not only throughout history but in our lives today. Thank you for keeping the light of your love lit until you sent us Jesus. Please help us shine our lights for you for the world to see and understand what you have planned. Amen.

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? What does Hanukkah mean to you?