This week we are celebrating the Feast of Dedication. It’s not a Feast God prescribed to Moses when He gave the Law, but it is a Feast that Jesus celebrated and that has good reasons to celebrate.
1) It’s a celebration of religious freedom to worship God as He has directed us to. A fitting celebration after Thanksgiving Day, remembering also the Pilgrims who came to America seeking religious freedom. And the task we have before us of preserving/restoring that freedom today. (Read the story of Judah Macabee and how Hanukkah came about. This happened during the time period between the Old and New Testaments.)
2) It is the Feast of Dedication, of the Temple, a type pointing to us dedicating the true Temple (ourselves) to God. Jesus’ teaching in John 10, the chapter that tells us about Jesus in the Temple for this Holy celebration, tells us that He is the True, Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice and won’t follow the voice of another/stranger. They are dedicated to Him. They’ve been cleansed of their defilement (as was the Temple of the original Feast), and set apart for God.
3) It is the Festival of Lights, remembering a "Great Miracle Happened Here", when God miraculously kept the lamp oil of the Temple burning 8 days, instead of one day, which was all the oil they had. This points us to Jesus’ teaching in John 8:12 (and chapter 1), that He is the Light. [Also He shines through us, the Light is not hidden (Luke 8).] And also to Matthew 25:1-12, where those that are His have His Light burning, watching for Him to come. Those that He "doesn’t know", may look like they have the Light for a while, but they are not His; He does not know them. Which points back to Matthew 7. Read all of these and study them out. It is awesome!
Well, that’s enough things for you to study out, and see why I LOVE Hanukkah!
I’ll do a follow up on this in a few days.
0