Hanukah is the celebration of God’s victory and deliverance when Satan tried to destroy the Jewish people as he has sought to do throughout Jewish history. Each time he has failed miserably because God is faithful to His covenant promises!
HANUKAH STORY
After Alexander the Great dies, his kingdom was split into two by the Selucids and Ptolamies who fought for domination. It was the Selucids who invaded Israel around 170BC, led by Antiochus Epiphenes IV who made made an edict making it compulsory for the Jewish people to abandon their faith and embrace the Greek, Hellenistic culture. Anything connected with Jewish identity was punishable by death for any person refusing to comply.
Antiochus Epiphenes erected a statue of Zeus, but with his own face, on top of the altar in the Temple. Ten days later, on Kislev 25, the supposed birthday of Zeus – he offered a pig on the same altar and sprinkled its blood in the Holy of Holies, and over the Torah scrolls before he cut them to pieces and burnt them. The Temple was converted to a shrine dedicated to Zeus!
The equivalent date is December 25th – Christmas Day, so you can see why Jewish people do not associate Christmas Day with happy memories, with its roots embedded in paganism and sun-god worship introduced by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century AD.
Things deteriorated badly for the Jewish people under the control of Antiochus but the final straw came when he marched his troops to a town in the foothills near Jerusalem called Modi’in to erect a pagan god and force the people to worship it.
Modi’in was the home of a Levitical priest named Mattathias who had five sons. Instead of bowing the knee,this family single-handedly killed the soldiers and then formed a rebellion against Antiochus. This group rapidly grew and was led by two groups, the Maccabees (hammer) and the Chasidim (the pious), the forerunners of the Pharisees.
Incredibly, this tiny group of people defied the entire Syro-Phoenician detatchment of around 25000 soldiers until eventually, 3 years later, Antiochus Epiphenes gave up control of Israel although his military presence remained for some time after.
SIGNIFICANCE OF HANUKAH
An important thing about Hanukah is that it reminds us that God is always fully in control no matter how things may look outwardly. Even though great empires throughout history have come and disappeared God has been faithful to His covenant promises and the Jewish people have prospered disproportionately to her numbers.
In Jewish tradition there is a miracle associated with the seven-branched candlestick positioned in the Holy Sanctuary and kept burning continuously by the priesthood. The very purest olive oil was used and it was so pure that only the first drop of oil from each olive could be used. It took seven days to make a single batch.
The story goes that just one small jar of oil containing the seal of the High Priest remained after Antiochus Epiphenes desecrated the Temple sufficient for only one day. But God caused it to last for eight entire days which meant that during this time a new batch could be made!
The real reason for the eight-day celebration was because the Maccabees said that the Jewish people had all missed Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) that year a few months earlier — which is an 8-day celebration — because of the war against Antiochus.
The victory brought joy of re-dedicating (Hanukah) the altar to the true God, and it was decided that this date should be celebrated annually by the people for 8 days. You can read this from the original historical primary source in the Apocrypha in 2Maccabees 10:5-8.
HANUKAH CUSTOMS
Jewish people light the Hanukah Menorah throughout the 8-day period of Hanukah. When we do this, we are reminded of all of the miracles which God has performed throughout Jewish history and for all those who love and follow Him.
The Hanukah candlestick has nine candles instead of seven. One of these is called the ‘shamash’ (servant) used to light the others.
The ‘shamash’ (‘servant’ candle) is first lit and then used to light the other candles that are positioned from right to left of the menorah. (like the Hebrew language).Each night, another candle is added, one per day, so that on the eighth night all the candles are lit.
BLESSINGS RECITED
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam
a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner shel Hanukah: (Amen)
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukah light. (Amen)
2. Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melech ha’olam she’asah nisim la’avoteinu b’yamim ha’hei-im b’ziman hazeh. (Amen)
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed
miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time. (Amen)
HAPPY HANUKAH! – DAY 1
We celebrate Hanukah on the 25th day of the ninth month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, known as the Feast of Light.
The word ‘Kislev’ (meaning trust) shares the same root as the Hebrew word ‘Kislah,’ which means ‘folly.’ The consequences of ‘Kislah’ depends upon whom one chooses to place one’s trust in. Scripture exhorts us to place it completely above all things in God through Messiah Jesus, the ‘Light of the World’.
There are two states of trust; one is active and the other is passive; both are manifested in the month of Kislev:
1. The miracle of Hanukah reflects the active trust in God of those Jews led by Maccabees who stood against the might of the Syro-Phoenician Empire against all odds; they did this to preserve the integrity of the One they served, and God brought about a mighty deliverance!
2. Kislev also reflects the passive trust of a small segment within the oppressed Jewish nation. Some people (particularly amongst Hellenistic Jewry) resigned themselves to their fate or even actively cooperated with their enemy rather than oppose them. This was their folly.
Kislev is a compound of two words. ‘Lev’ is the Hebrew word meaning ‘heart.’ Passive trust is characterised by half heartedness whereas active trust is wholehearted!
Today, as we face much darkness in this world, who do we choose to place our trust in? Are we prepared to actively stand against all unrighteousness and compromise manifested in ungodly assimilation, to preserve the integrity and honour of the One we love and serve?
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 2
“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
The Word of God encourages us to drink from the well of living waters, yet it is little more than spiritual hedonism unless it is accompanied by transformation. When our love for Him becomes unconditional we really begin to taste the water in a new way!
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 3
According to the founder of the Hassidic movement, the Baal Shem Tov, nothing compares to Hanukah because it is all about kindling light. What did he mean? To understand this one must differentiate between knowledge and truth.
Knowledge can puff up and yield pride and arrogance. It can never in itself bring us closer to God. One can be the greatest theologian yet be an empty vessel.
Yeshau declared Himself to be the way and the truth and the life. No person can come to the Father but through Him. That kind of knowledge will not transform us until we make it our own and then it becomes truth.
We may know the words but unless light is kindled, it is mere knowledge; the menorah light remains just something pretty. Unless we celebrate Hanukah with illumination we remain unchanged rather than transformed. Many people choose sameness in preference to choosing the pain of His scorching Light to burn up the impurities within us.
Hanukah teaches us that our light can only truly shine when we allow the purest oil to burn within us. When the Maccabees restored the Temple, they chose to rekindle God’s light, and for this, they needed pure oil instead of that which was defiled.
When we operate on the level of ‘pure oil’, it will always bring transformation. And, He will do things in and through us that is infinite and beyond our imaginations! No matter who we are, when we allow God to reign in our lives, He shines His light upon us and nothing ever remains mundane again as we begin to discover our true identity.
We must remember that when one embraces His Light the world will always close its doors. The parable of the ten wise and foolish maidens teaches us to keep our lamps trimmed and always filled with oil.
God is faithful and true! His light burns forever even when the oil appears to be just enough for one night.
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 4
It is an easy thing to take for granted the inestimable privilege of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet, some people live as though they are doing Him a favour instead of the reverse!
God takes us in His arms with infinite compassion and tenderness, looking into our eyes with deep wells of love as He enfolds us in His embrace, even when we only present Him with the scraps under the table. This is a humbling thought……
Let’s never substitute His light for some cheap imitation or compromise as if to say, ‘I hate the darkness so please turn on the light, but not too brightly!’
At Hanukah, we display the Hanukiah candlestick in the most visible and public place for all to see as we celebrate the miracle of His redemption. We are reminded that we are not our own but were bought at a price that only Divine love could afford. Thank you, precious Messiah, You truly are our Light and our Salvation!
HAPPY HANUKAH – DAY 5
The Torah portion this Hanukah Shabbat is known as ‘Parsha Miketz’ (Hebrew: ‘at the end’) and is taken from the story of Joseph, commencing with his imprisonment (Genesis 41: 1).
Joseph was not only a dreamer of prophetic dreams but held the gift of dream interpretation. Pharoah received two disturbing dreams which none of his magicians could fathom because God had concealed them from the powers of darkness.
Pharaoh’s butler had recently been in prison with Joseph but was fully reinstated and suddenly remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream and recalled the promise he had made on his release, to commend him to Pharaoh. Now, two years later, at God’s perfectly synchronised timing, things finally came into focus.
Pharaoh summoned Joseph into his presence to interpret his dreams and the fullness of Joseph’s destiny – the impossible – in one instant, became a reality.
God is the God of wonderful surprises and a rich reward awaits those who place their trust in Him. It was similar to the Jewish remnant against Antiochus Epiphanes, but God came through sovereignly amidst impossible odds to deliver His people against a powerful enemy. At Hanukah we are reminded that our sure hope is alive and active; one person who walks in harmony with God is indeed a majority!
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 6
Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24)
The Hebrew word for “bless” is “barach” which literally means “to kneel”. A bracha is a “blessing” but more literally, the bringing of a gift to another on a bended “knee”. When we bless God or others, we are in essence, bringing a gift on bended “knee”. A true king is one who serves his people, one who will humble himself and come to his people on a bended knee.
The Hebrew word for “keep” is “shamar” which literally means “to guard”. A related word is “shamiyr” which means “thorn”. When the shepherd was out in the wilderness with his flock, he would construct a corral of thorn bushes to protect the sheep from predators, a guarding over of the sheep. (Jeff Benner – http://www.ancient-.‐hebrew.org/12_blessing.html)
When unpacked, the Aaronic blessing can be translated as follows:
“YHVH will kneel before you presenting gifts, and He will guard you with a hedge of protection, YHVH will illuminate the wholeness of His Being toward you, bringing order, and He will provide you with love, sustenance, and friendship, YHVH will lift up the wholeness of His Being and look upon you, and He will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.”
At Hanukah, we recognise the sacrifice of a few people who stood against the tyranny of a vast enemy against all odds and prevailed according to His promise for His covenant people which has been demonstrated throughout history as an inviolable reality.
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 7
There are several parallels between Sukkot and Hanukah.
Sukkot is a season that focuses on the significance of light. According to the Mishna, the priests poured oil into four huge candlesticks that had been set up in the Temple Court (fifty cubits high) which burned so brightly that its radiance could be seen even in the darkest corners of the surrounding areas of Jerusalem.
Yeshua is the ‘Light of the World,’ who was conceived during Hanukah. (month of December)
In the Book of Genesis 1:3, we find the phrase ‘and there was light’ where there is concealed a prophetic picture of Messiah. In the ancient Hebrew alphabet, the modern Hebrew phrase is represented by:
1. A nail (Vav— ו) = to secure
2. A closed hand (Yud— י) = to make, a deed
3. A window (Heh— ה) = to reveal
4. A closed hand (Yud— י) = to make, a deed
5. An ox or bull (Aleph— א) = strength, leader
6. A nail (Vav— ו) = to secure
7. A head (Resh— ר) = a person, highest
Put together, God created the light as a sign that He would:
‘Make secure, reveal and establish a strong leader, a person of the highest order who would become the Light of the World.’
Yeshua was conceived during the ninth month of Kislev and born nine months later in the seventh month of Tishri in the Hebrew calendar, the month of Reuben when Messiah was revealed (Reuben: ‘behold a son’) to the world, God Incarnate, the child born to be king!
HAPPY HANUKAH! DAY 8
The Talmud explains that Cheshvan means ‘movement of the lips’ implying fervent and incessant worship in spirit rather than a preoccupation with the busyness and tyranny of the urgent.
The greatest significance of the gematria for number eight is connected to Yeshua who was resurrected, following His death by crucifixion, on the first day of the week (i.e., on the eighth day).
Number eight represents the redeemer who offers us a new beginning. This is illustrated in the Greek. His name is ‘IHSOUS,’ that has a numerical value of 888. (I=10; H=8; S=200; O=70; U=400; S=200)
The last day of Hanukah falls on the eighth day as we consider the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days with just one day’s supply, providing the Temple priests with time to produce another batch which took seven days to prepare.
God is always punctual! He is entirely faithful and as we celebrate, we can know that the good work which He has begun in our lives will be brought to completion in the fullness of time. This is so true for His eternal purposes globally in addition to His dealings with us as individuals. Even amidst the imponderables in life, God is always entirely reliable! This was beautifully illustrated with the ANC election results announced yesterday evening (the seventh night of Hanukah; the cycle of deliverance reaching completion) – perfect timing – perfect God!
PRAYER DECREES FOR HANUKAH
First Candle, Aleph: Father”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD [is] one!”—Deuteronomy 6:4
We thank God for His love and faithfulness towards His covenant people and for all those, both Jew and Gentile, who have been redeemed by the shed blood of our Redeemer, Yeshua ha Mashiach!
Second Candle, Bet: Son
“Can two walk together unless they are agreed?”—Amos 3:3
May the love of the Father heal the hearts of Israel this Hanukkah and bring them into the knowledge of Yeshua, the Son of God who said, “I and My Father are One.”
Third Candle, Gimel: Spirit
“Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”—Ecclesiastes 4:12
May the Ruach ha Kodesh breathe upon us afresh in these days in which we live, with His power and authority to overcome all darkness through Yeshua who is the ‘Light of the World.’
Fourth Candle, Dalet: God Created
“So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”—Gen 1:19-20
God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that there is therein. By His amazing grace, we are part of His New Creation through Yeshua.
Fifth Candle, Heh: Redemption and Grace
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16
God’s grace and redemption are available to the whosoever. Although it comes free, it demands our total surrender. When we choose to walk along His path of holiness and righteousness we experience His abundant love and provision.
Sixth Candle, Vav: Man
“…having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is,] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace…”—Eph 2:15
May each believer, Jew and Gentile, experience the blessings of One New Man!
Seventh Candle, Zayen: Spiritual Perfection
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…”—Gen 2:2-3
May God’s spiritual perfection, alignment, revelation, and provision be released in each one of our lives!
Eighth Candle, Chet: Superabundance into a New Beginning
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”—Phil 4:13
May the sure hope of the living God flow through the hearts of His people as we offer up our lives as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable. He is a God of new beginnings who through Yeshua makes us more than conquerors!
Raphael ben Levi
