O Come, O Come Emmanuel . . . The ancient prophets spoke of His coming and for centuries the faithful could be found awaiting His arrival. What the Heavenly Father promised would happen – the Messiah would come – but not without a fierce struggle.
Other (lesser) miraculous events have occurred through history – the discovery of this continent, the Reformation, the rebirth of the state of Israel – and each overcame extraordinary battles, outrageous odds, and the most opposing scenarios, and yet when God attaches His name to a promise two things are certain: It will happen and Satan will oppose it. And so it was with the birth of our Messiah, Jesus.
Shortly after God’s promise was given, He chose a people through whom the Messiah would come – Israel. He called Israel His servant, for from them would not only come the Messiah, but all the scriptures, the prophecies, the covenants and they would take the message of salvation to the nations. Satan’s attempt to halt that process wasn’t so covert: to abolish the message he planned to abolish the messengers.
Christians are familiar with the executive orders to kill all Hebrew baby boys by Pharaoh and also later by King Herod, and Queen Esther’s courageous to stop Haman’s Jewish annihilation plan, but few know the story of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah?! Isn’t that the Jewish Christmas? Not quite – actually, not at all.
Hanukkah took place about 165 B.C. – in the period between the Old and New Testaments. Scholars refer to that time as God’s “silent years” but we shouldn’t equate His silence with inactivity. The Psalmist says the One who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Ps. 121:4), and thank God He was on the job.
An extremely wicked king arose, named Antiochus Epiphanies, who was hell-bent on stripping the Jewish people of their identity. He wanted them to look and act Greek, so reading the Torah, circumcision, observing the Sabbath . . . anything recognized as “Jewish” was prohibited and enforced by threat of death. He ordered the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem; a pig was sacrificed on the great altar and the blood and gore were flung throughout the interior of the Holy Place. The Torah scrolls were covered in blood, sliced into pieces and most were burned. As the prophet Daniel foretold, a shrine to Zeus was erected in the Temple (Daniel 11:31). Thousands of Jewish people were murdered.
As happened with Moses’ parents and with Queen Esther and Mordecai, a righteous indignation set into the hearts of a priestly family named the Maccabees. They rallied a group of Jewish warriors and over the next three years, despite outrageous odds, fought and defeated the massive Greek army, fulfilling Daniel 11:32b. Three years from the day it was desecrated, the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated and the menorah (candelabra), which was always to be burning, was relit – to the glory of God, who watches over Israel.
Hanukkah is known as the season of miracles; when God steps into utterly impossible situations and brings about a victory. Do you need that today? It’s the season for it – ask Him! The Hebrew word, Hanukkah, means dedication. Then, it was the rededication of the Temple; today we examine our own lives and take the necessary steps to rid our Temple (our lives: 1 Cor. 3:16) of any filth or uncleanness. It’s the time to renew our commitment to let the light of Jesus shine through us into the world.
I’m so thankful for Hanukkah. I’m thankful that our God not only watches over Israel, but He also watches over us. I’m thankful that when our God makes a promise, He keeps it. I’m deeply grateful for Christmas when we celebrate the miraculous birth of our Messiah and I’m deeply grateful for the miracle of Hanukkah that kept the Jewish remnant alive.
In John 10:22, we read that Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) and it was then that he plainly declared himself as the Messiah.
Has the enemy tried to steal the purpose God has for your life? Has he tried to stop the message that is designed to flow through you? Take courage, stand and fight, be a Maccabee – if God is for you, who in the world can be against you!