Hannukah- Feast of Dedication

 

The Feast of Dedication, which was once also called the Feast of the Maccabees, was an eight-day winter festival celebrated by the Jews in the month of December or sometimes late November, depending on when it fell in the lunisolar Jewish calendar. Today, this festival is called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights.

The history of the Feast of Dedication goes back to the intertestamental period and the Maccabean Revolt. After the Seleucid king Antiochus Ephiphanes profaned the Jewish temple and forced the Jews to abandon their sacrifices and adopt pagan rituals, a group of Jewish freedom fighters rose up, defied the oppressive pagan regime, and overthrew the Seleucids. The temple in Jerusalem was re-dedicated to God; ever since then, the Feast of Dedication has been celebrated to commemorate this meaningful event in Jewish history.

The original Feast of Dedication involved a miracle, according to rabbinic tradition. When the Jews re-entered the temple they could only find one small, sealed jug of olive oil that had not been profaned or contaminated by the Seleucids. They used this to light the menorah in the temple, and though the oil was only enough to last one day, it miraculously lasted eight days—time for more oil to be made ready. This is the reason Hanukkah lasts for eight days.

The Bible mentions the Feast of Dedication by name in the Gospel of John. “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade” (John 10:22–23). This is the scene in which Jesus claims oneness with the Father, for which the unbelieving Jews try to apprehend and stone Him (verses 24–39).

The Feast of Dedication, with its roots in the miracle of the menorah, has always been associated with lights; it is sometimes called the Festival of Lights. Illuminating houses and synagogues is a tradition that was probably carried over from the Feast of Tabernacles. The recitation of Psalm 30:1–12 is also an important part of the Feast of Dedication because of its themes of God-given victory over enemies and the replacement of mourning and sorrow with hope and joy (Psalm 30:5, 11).

Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication, is not one of the festivals instituted by God through Moses as part of the Law. That is not to say, however, that the festival is unbiblical or unpleasing to God. From Daniel to Jesus’ disciples to Jews persecuted under Hitler’s power and Christians persecuted in the Orient, both Jews and Christians have a long history of showing extraordinary courage in the face of intense persecution, just as the Jews did during the Seleucid oppression. The Feast of Dedication is about the darkness of persecution and the light of God that leads His people through the darkness of those figurative nights with a promise of joy in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Most Jews today do not believe in Jesus Christ as the incarnation of Yahweh. However, the Maccabees were followers of Yahweh, and Jesus’ disciples were still Jewish, even though they believed that the Great I Am had revealed Himself in the person of Jesus (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58). Christianity has its roots in Judaism, and Christians can look to the Feast of Dedication as a celebration of God’s protection and the victory He gives His faithful people who are willing to bravely continue to worship Him in the face of persecution.

Prior to the year 165 BC, the Jewish people in Judea were living under the rule of the Greek kings of Damascus. During this time Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greco-Syrian king, took control of the Temple in Jerusalem and forced the Jewish people to abandon their worship of God, their holy customs, and reading of the Torah. He made the Jews bow down to the Greek gods.

According to ancient records, King Antiochus IV (who was sometimes called "The Madman") defiled the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and spilling its blood on the holy scrolls of Scripture.

As a result of severe persecution and pagan oppression, a group of four Jewish brothers led by Judah Maccabee decided to raise up an army of religious freedom fighters. These men of fierce faith and loyalty to God became known as the Maccabees. The small band of warriors fought for three years with "strength from heaven" until achieving a miraculous victory and deliverance from Greco-Syrian control.

After regaining the Temple, it was cleansed by the Maccabees, cleared of all Greek idolatry, and readied for rededication. The rededication of the Temple to the Lord took place in the year 165 BC, on the 25th day of the Hebrew month called Kislev.

Hanukkah is called the Feast of Dedication because it celebrates the Maccabees' victory over Greek oppression and the rededication of the Temple. But Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, and this is because immediately following the miraculous deliverance, God provided another miracle of provision.

In the Temple, the eternal flame of God was to stay lit at all times as a symbol of God's presence. But according to tradition, when the Temple was rededicated, there was only enough oil left to burn the flame for one day. The rest of the oil had been defiled by the Greeks during their invasion, and it would take a week for new oil to be processed and purified. However, at the rededication, the Maccabees went ahead and set fire to the eternal flame with the remaining supply of oil. Miraculously, God's Holy presence caused the flame to burn for eight days until the new sacred oil was ready for use.

This miracle of the long-lasting oil explains why the Hanukkah Menorah is lit for eight consecutive nights of celebration. Jews also commemoratethe miracle of oil provision by making oil-rich foods, such as Latkas, an important part of Hanukkah celebrations.

Today, this festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum (or menorah) with nine branches, called a hanukkiah. Each night, one candle is lit by the special shamash candle until all eight other candles are lit on the final night of the holiday remembering the eight days the oil lasted at the rededication of the second temple. The recitation of Psalm 30:1–12 is also an important part of the Feast of Dedication because of its themes of God-given victory over enemies and the replacement of mourning and sorrow with hope and joy. Other Hanukkah festivities include playing dreidel and eating oil-based foods such as doughnuts and latkes. 

The Feast of Dedication has been observed for thousands of years celebrating God's protection and the victory He gives His faithful people who are willing to bravely continue to worship Him in the face of persecution. Since it is also referred to as the Festival of Lights, let us remember that Jesus declared himself "Light of the World" in John 8:12; and Revelation 21:23 says that in the New Jerusalem "… has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." This holiday can remind Christians of the faithful, light-giving God we serve. 

Soon, very soon, we will be with Jesus forever  the rapture of the church is next on the prophetic list of things which must occur next. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is our light and in our New Jerusalem heavenly city, we need no light because He is our light  how amazing!!!