At sundown this evening, the Jewish people celebrate the last day of Hanukkah. This is a holiday overshadowed by the business of Christmas in our culture, but there’s something important Christians can learn from this holiday that we can carry into the New Year.
Even though the Bible doesn’t describe the events that inspired The Festival of Lights because they took place between the Old and New Testaments, Jesus affirms that He is the Messiah during the celebration of Hanukkah (see John 10:22-30).
According to the Talmud, Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the temple after a Jewish family named the Maccabees led a revolt against the Syrians who had desecrated the temple by erecting a statue of Zeus and sacrificing pigs to a false god on the alter.
The victory itself was a miracle—that a small remnant of faithful Jews could put down a huge Greek-Syrian army and retake the temple. But as they cleansed the temple and rededicated it to the Lord, tradition says another miracle occurred. There was only enough oil for the Menorah to stay lit for one night. But the Lord allowed it to burn for eight days, giving the Jews time to cleanse the temple and rededicated their service to the one true God.
That is why the Menorah candles are lit each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. The word itself means “to dedicate.”
So how does that affect the life of a Christian?
Well first, we serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so any miracle God has done for Israel is worth celebrating, but beyond that, Hanukkah can be a time for us to reflect on our own need to rededicate the temple.
Scripture says there’s a temple we must watch over—a temple we must retake for the Lord.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)
The word “body” in Scripture often refers to our whole self.
So our full being is the temple of God.
And we’re called to dedicate that temple to serving Him alone.
But many of us have found that temple is being oppressed by the enemy.
It’s been desecrated by the worship of idols in our lives and false sacrifices.
The Maccabees were willing to fight against impossible odds to regain the temple for God.
Are you?
What areas of your life need to be rededicated to His service?
Maybe this New Year it’s time for a new revolt—a revolt against the sin and oppression that has dishonored His temple.
So tonight, we light the menorah* to rededicate the temple with a messianic version of the traditional Jewish blessing:
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has made us holy through the fulfillment of His commandments by the Messiah, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
And although the final blessing is normally spoken on the first night of Hanukkah alone, it is significant to us.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
But how will we respond to those gifts? How will we respond to the life He’s given us?
Will we rededicate the temple to Him in this New Year, or will we continue to live in oppression?
Maybe God wants to offer you a new and unexpected light.
Rededicate yourself and see what miracle God might perform to make it possible.
How will you rededicate your life to the service of God in the New Year? Let’s encourage one another in the comments below.
Wow, Joshua. This is so interesting, powerful, and such fresh insight. I enjoyed learning the history here. But most of all, love the connection you make to dedicating and redicating our temple to the Lord. I don’t want to live this year in oppression, so I’m evaluating how my full being…my temple…is fully dedicated to God this year!
Amen, Ms Karen. May the Lord put that desire on the heart of every Christian. Your comment has encouraged me. Thank you.
Thank you, Joshua, for helping me to understand the background and history of Hanukkah. And for the inspiration for rededicating my temple to God’s service. Have a blessed 2020.
You are welcome, Kathy. I pray we will all be encouraged to rededicate our temples to the service of God this year.
“Well first, we serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so any miracle God has done for Israel is worth celebrating, but beyond that, Hanukkah can be a time for us to reflect on our own need to rededicate the temple.”
Love this! I think we forget that we all serve the same God, and any miracle of God is a miracle indeed!
Well said, Jessie. Christians serve the God of Israel and we have inherited salvation through the Messiah who will sit on the throne of David forever.
I love this message, Josh. Especially this year and finding out I’m Jewish! But a wonderful reminder as a Believer, to daily rededicate our temple to the one true God, who is our light giver. Thanks for this.
You are welcome, Tammy. May the Lord remind us of this each day.
Jewish traditions and celebrations should be taught to the Christian (Gentile) churchs. We read over words and phrases that have such deeper meanings because we are not taught the Jewish history. Christians today need good, sound teaching that connects us to Israelites, God’s chosen people. Thanks for sharing this insightful message.
I completely agree, Ben. It is important for us to know the history of our faith because it teaches us the faithfulness of God. We should teach Christians to honor Jewish history without imparting the legalism often attached to it. I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the I Am of the burning bush. I’m grateful for His faithfulness to me and to those in Israel.
Most certainly as we prepare for the coming year; we must rededicate ourselves to the cause, and calling, of Christ. For me, this is more about reaffirming my decision to follow Him, to surrender to His will in my life, and to strive to become more like Him with each remaining day. While my family and I do not light a menorah each evening to signify this during Hanukkah, we do attempt to rededicate our lives to Him with each waking morn and each evening’s prayer of thanks for His gift of each day. Well said Pastor Joshua. Thank you sir.
I’m always so grateful for your comments, J.D. The rededication your describing should be the focus of every believer. We should daily rededicate ourselves to follow, serve, and worship Him. This was my first year lighting a menorah, but we should rekindle that dedication in our own hearts every day.
Thank you for this message. It has motivated me to rededicate my life and service to the Lord of light. Teach on!
I’m so grateful and moved by your response. I pray the Lord will give you direction and hope.
We saw a menorah 🕎 on the front lawn of a home as we drove by and talked about the miracle of the oil but I ver much appreciated you application for me. Thank you.
Thank you, Marilyn. I appreciate your encouragement