Post by Mark on Nov 17, 2008 6:47:58 GMT -8
If I were to ask a Jew to bring me "the Light of the World", many of the Christian faith would be shocked to see that such a term would be absolutely familiar to him. He would 
understandingly, and go dig in his closet for the box that is marked "Hanukkah."
It hadn’t been but 200 or so years since the armies of Antiochus had destroyed the Temple and the brave Macabbees recovered and restored it. Messiah Yeshua and all the others must have sat and heard the stories from their grandparents, who heard the stories from those who had lived it. There was unquestionably a passion of heart and inspiration of courage that sparked for each one just at the very mention of this sacred and powerful light which has remained a rallying point for all Jews around the world. If you know anything about the story of Hanukkah, you know that it’s center piece is a very special candle called the Hanukkah Menorah.
The Menorah was one of several articles in the Temple of Adonai. It stood in the Holy Place, to the left. On the right was the Table of Showbread, with twelve loaves of bread. At the farthest end of this room, before the dividing curtain was the altar of incense, where the prayers of the people were offered before God.
The Menorah was a single piece of gold that was finely beaten into a beautiful seven branched lampstand. It gave light to the room, and thus, practical access to the Showbread, the offerings of the people and their prayers. It was commanded in
that the Light of the Menorah should never go out. It was taught that as long as the light of the Menorah remained burning, the God of Israel remained with His people.
But, over the centuries and the exposure to new ideas and new cultures, the Jewish people became distant from the God who had delivered them. They began to embrace Greek culture and thought that was brought to them by Alexander the Great. The Light of the Menorah continued to burn in the Holy Place; but outside, the world became as pagan and cosmopolitan as any other occupied by the Greeks.
Yet, there was still a distinctiveness to the Jewish people. There was still a spark of something different that they held on to. It was this distinctiveness that caused Antiochus of Syria to despise them so much. He commanded that they make alleigance to him as God, stop worshipping in the ways prescribed in, stop circumcising their children and demanded that they eat unclean meats in worship of Zeus. Sadly, many of the Jewish people had no problem with compliance; but a significant enough number refused and in one bout of rage, Antiochus destroyed the Temple and sacked Jerusalem, initiating a campaign of humiliation and bloodshed throughout the entire nation.
The light of the Menorah had gone out. The Temple was left in shambles with the blood of pigs dripping from the altar. This was not a new policy among foreign dignitaries. Submission to the rulership of a conquering king meant submission to his gods and an absolute ambrace of the new culture. This is why we have a westernized world that is replete with European thought. This is why Christianity dominates the civilized world. When conquered, you become assimilated into the conqueroring society.
Nobody told old Mattathias. When the garrison of Syrians came to require his village to pay homage to Antiochus and worship his gods, Mattathias killed them on the spot and rallied his sons together. The result was open war upon the Syrians, the most powerful war machine of the day, and the eventual victory against them.
Yehudah Maccabbee, Mattathias’ son, was the leader of the gorrilla army that marched into the city of Jerusalem after three years of battle. He was a Levite, the son of a priest. The grief and horror he must have felt when seeing what remained of the Temple must have been profound. Going through the remains of what was there, they found one cruse of holy oil, used to light the Menorah candle. One cruse would only light the lights for one day; but it would take eight days to make oil to keep the light burning. They had to make a choice. Do they obey God now and break the commandment allowing the light to go out? Or do they wait? For Yehudah, there was no choice. Delayed obedience is disobedience. The miracle story of Hanukkah is that the oil for one day burned for eight days, confirming by His miraculous providence that Adonai is with His people.
The word Hannukah means "dedication." When we ask for the Light of the World, we are asking for the Light fo Dedication: the light that responds to our obedience miraculously.
The Hannukiah is never placed in a quiet or absent room. When the candles are lit, each night, it is placed in the window for all the outside world to see. It is a declaration that the the God of Israel has not forsaken us, though we deserve to be forsaken. We re-dedicate ourselves to Him, because He has shown us that He remains dedicated to us.
Messiah Yeshua reminded the people of Israel, a people living under the oppression of foreign and pagan rulers, "You are the Light of the World." You are the light of dedication. Adonai has not forsaken you and you must not forsake Him. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).
As long as we’ve come this far, we might as well go all the way. There are a number of Christian teachers who will acknowledge and review the powerful significance of the Hanukkah story, explaining what Light of the World meant to the people to whom Messiah was teaching. It’s a wonderful and powerful lesson for all of us.
Yet, when Messiah spoke of "good works", He also spoke of something very specific. The Hebrew word for "good works" is the word mizvotim. These are the commands and prohibitions that are given to us in, the Law that was passed to us through Moses. To shine the light of dedication; but to continue in a life that doesn’t declare His supremacy is to hide the Menorah in the Holy Place while embracing the gods of our foreign oppressors. To establish our own standards of "good works" as sufficient, in disregard of God’s mitzvot is to welcome Alexander, who will eventually hand his rule over to Antiochus. We are asking to snuff out the Light of God’s presence from our lives.
understandingly, and go dig in his closet for the box that is marked "Hanukkah."It hadn’t been but 200 or so years since the armies of Antiochus had destroyed the Temple and the brave Macabbees recovered and restored it. Messiah Yeshua and all the others must have sat and heard the stories from their grandparents, who heard the stories from those who had lived it. There was unquestionably a passion of heart and inspiration of courage that sparked for each one just at the very mention of this sacred and powerful light which has remained a rallying point for all Jews around the world. If you know anything about the story of Hanukkah, you know that it’s center piece is a very special candle called the Hanukkah Menorah.
The Menorah was one of several articles in the Temple of Adonai. It stood in the Holy Place, to the left. On the right was the Table of Showbread, with twelve loaves of bread. At the farthest end of this room, before the dividing curtain was the altar of incense, where the prayers of the people were offered before God.
The Menorah was a single piece of gold that was finely beaten into a beautiful seven branched lampstand. It gave light to the room, and thus, practical access to the Showbread, the offerings of the people and their prayers. It was commanded in
that the Light of the Menorah should never go out. It was taught that as long as the light of the Menorah remained burning, the God of Israel remained with His people.But, over the centuries and the exposure to new ideas and new cultures, the Jewish people became distant from the God who had delivered them. They began to embrace Greek culture and thought that was brought to them by Alexander the Great. The Light of the Menorah continued to burn in the Holy Place; but outside, the world became as pagan and cosmopolitan as any other occupied by the Greeks.
Yet, there was still a distinctiveness to the Jewish people. There was still a spark of something different that they held on to. It was this distinctiveness that caused Antiochus of Syria to despise them so much. He commanded that they make alleigance to him as God, stop worshipping in the ways prescribed in
, stop circumcising their children and demanded that they eat unclean meats in worship of Zeus. Sadly, many of the Jewish people had no problem with compliance; but a significant enough number refused and in one bout of rage, Antiochus destroyed the Temple and sacked Jerusalem, initiating a campaign of humiliation and bloodshed throughout the entire nation.The light of the Menorah had gone out. The Temple was left in shambles with the blood of pigs dripping from the altar. This was not a new policy among foreign dignitaries. Submission to the rulership of a conquering king meant submission to his gods and an absolute ambrace of the new culture. This is why we have a westernized world that is replete with European thought. This is why Christianity dominates the civilized world. When conquered, you become assimilated into the conqueroring society.
Nobody told old Mattathias. When the garrison of Syrians came to require his village to pay homage to Antiochus and worship his gods, Mattathias killed them on the spot and rallied his sons together. The result was open war upon the Syrians, the most powerful war machine of the day, and the eventual victory against them.
Yehudah Maccabbee, Mattathias’ son, was the leader of the gorrilla army that marched into the city of Jerusalem after three years of battle. He was a Levite, the son of a priest. The grief and horror he must have felt when seeing what remained of the Temple must have been profound. Going through the remains of what was there, they found one cruse of holy oil, used to light the Menorah candle. One cruse would only light the lights for one day; but it would take eight days to make oil to keep the light burning. They had to make a choice. Do they obey God now and break the commandment allowing the light to go out? Or do they wait? For Yehudah, there was no choice. Delayed obedience is disobedience. The miracle story of Hanukkah is that the oil for one day burned for eight days, confirming by His miraculous providence that Adonai is with His people.
The word Hannukah means "dedication." When we ask for the Light of the World, we are asking for the Light fo Dedication: the light that responds to our obedience miraculously.
The Hannukiah is never placed in a quiet or absent room. When the candles are lit, each night, it is placed in the window for all the outside world to see. It is a declaration that the the God of Israel has not forsaken us, though we deserve to be forsaken. We re-dedicate ourselves to Him, because He has shown us that He remains dedicated to us.
Messiah Yeshua reminded the people of Israel, a people living under the oppression of foreign and pagan rulers, "You are the Light of the World." You are the light of dedication. Adonai has not forsaken you and you must not forsake Him. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).
As long as we’ve come this far, we might as well go all the way. There are a number of Christian teachers who will acknowledge and review the powerful significance of the Hanukkah story, explaining what Light of the World meant to the people to whom Messiah was teaching. It’s a wonderful and powerful lesson for all of us.
Yet, when Messiah spoke of "good works", He also spoke of something very specific. The Hebrew word for "good works" is the word mizvotim. These are the commands and prohibitions that are given to us in
, the Law that was passed to us through Moses. To shine the light of dedication; but to continue in a life that doesn’t declare His supremacy is to hide the Menorah in the Holy Place while embracing the gods of our foreign oppressors. To establish our own standards of "good works" as sufficient, in disregard of God’s mitzvot is to welcome Alexander, who will eventually hand his rule over to Antiochus. We are asking to snuff out the Light of God’s presence from our lives. 
