Have you ever heard the saying, ''A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness''? Here's another one, ''A little bit of light is stronger than a lot of dark''.
Both of these are Jewish quotes, ages old. But that doesn't mean that they can't apply to us today. On the contrary! I think that now is the time in history that we need it most of all.
Right now, we are celebrating the Jewish feast of Chanukah (chag sameach, by the the way!), and we all know what this feast focuses on - light and the rededication of the Temple of God, and the victory of the Maccabees against the Greeks who tried to destroy their tradition and take away their identity. Did you know that the story of the Maccabees nearly line up, word for word, with some of the prophecies given in the book of Daniel? That just seems to emphasise the need to read the books of the Maccabees and see what happened!
Let's take a brief look at what happened in the days of the Maccabees. The Greeks were the world rulers of the time - advanced in science, fighting techniques, sports, you name it. They were powerful and strong. They ruled the world, including Israel.
They didn't believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They believed in other gods, many different ones. During their rein over the world, they decreed that everyone in the empire has to serve their gods and their gods only - no exceptions.
They came into God's Holy Temple and defiled it with all their pagan sacrifices. Jews were not allowed to serve God there. They weren't even allowed inside. Slowly, the Greeks started making new rules. They weren't allowed to circumcise their sons. They weren't allowed to study Torah. They weren't allowed to keep Shabbat. They weren't allowed to keep the traditions passed on to them by Ezra, Nehemiah and Moses. They couldn't be Jewish anymore. They could only be Greeks.
Some Jews fell away from the good and straight path. Many more were killed when they were discovered praying the traditional prayers, wearing tefillin, keeping Shabbat, you name it. They had to smuggle their sons into the caves with their Rabbi's to learn Torah, praying and hoping that the Greeks would not discover them.
Brother betrayed brother to death. It seemed as though the Greeks were winning, in one way - they had taken the very core of the people. But God is faithful! He raised up men like Judah Maccabee and his father and brothers, who took a pretty lopsided stand against an enemy many times larger than they. And, by God's amazing strength, through many miracles, they won!
They recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. They rededicated the Temple to God. They rebuilt the altar. They repaired the breach. Just like Ezra and Nehemiah before them, they repaired it for the work of God, for from Jerusalem and this House the Good News of Messiah will come, not too long after. If the Maccabees hadn't taken a stand and fought for their identity and their God, things could have gone very differently.
Today, in our times, we are facing a similar dilemma. The world is trying to erase our identity in Yeshua. It is trying to erase who we are. It wants us to go with the flow. To do what it does. To be equal and the same. To serve the illusions of wealth, Hollywood and sports. To be anything except what we are. To be the same.
We are all equal in Messiah. We all have a special and unique roll to play in this world to bring the Kingdom of God. Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made, and so loved by the Lord! We aren't from the world, we are from God! We are different, in a good way! We must NOT let the world define us, no, not at all! The world doesn't define who we are. We were made to be different.
The world wants to bring us down. It wants to destroy us because we are not from the world. It has attacked us in all the things that are important to us - like modesty, purity, family, just to name a few. For us girls, it has been attacking us to try and convince us that our hair just isn't nice, our freckles are out of place, we are unloved, we are worthless - all big, fat, ugly lies! It tries to make us like those around us.
Girls, we mustn't fall for it! Just like the Maccabees stood up to change the world in their time, so must we! We must change ourselves and find our identity in Messiah Yeshua, our Bridegroom and Redeemer! The Greeks in the Maccabees time attacked the things that were irreplaceable, things that are incredibly important. Modern day Greeks are doing the same with us in our generation, so don't think that what they are targeting is insignificant. If they weren't worthwhile the enemy wouldn't even be trying to wage this war. It is our job to recognise these things and to make a change in our own personal lives.
If we can, through His grace and never failing help, manage to better ourselves a little bit more everyday, we will be purifying our Temple for His service. We will be removing the stones that the Greeks defiled and replace them with holy stones. Soon, our altar will be offering sacrifices of purity, and right inside us the Light will shine forth for all to see.
In the next blog post, we'll take a look at the story of the oil and the menorah that really bring the Chanukah story alive.
For now, though, let's end on a festive note!
I would highly recommend you check out the Maccabeats a cappella group on Youtube - they have some fantastic, fun, family friendly songs for everyone of all ages to enjoy. One of my favourite songs of theirs is the Latke recipe - here's the link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg51la8Yayc
And speaking of latkes - remember to make some yummy latkes, donuts, and anything fried in oil - prepare a feast! Eight nights of good food sound like a great plan to me!
Don't forget the dreidels!
Chag Chanukah Sameach!
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