As I write this, the Jewish community is celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah. The festival of lights commemorates the miraculous victory God gave His people over the Syrian Greek rebels who had conquered the Holy Land and tried to force Israel to accept and become part of the unholy Greek culture.
God miraculously helped His people to bring glory to Himself, not for their prideful claim to earthly greatness. To add insult to injury, the invaders had defiled the Second Temple.
Judah the Maccabee resisted and fought against the Greeks’ pig sacrifice and their statue of Zeus, which defiled the holy Temple. Once God gave the Maccabees victory, they lit the menorah with a one-day supply that lasted eight days.
The temple’s salvation, cleansing, and rededication remind God’s people to be dedicated to God alone and His ways:
- Humble
- Obedient
- Faithful
- Patient
Hanukkah is a holiday of hope and the symbolism of the light of God overcoming the darkness of this fallen kingdom. God’s people are called to be the light by being dedicated to God and His ways, not following our selfish hearts or the unholy ways of this world (Leviticus 19:2, 1 Samuel 1:11, Psalm 37:5, Proverbs 16:3).
Even Jesus celebrated the festival of dedication to affirm His dedication to God (John 10:22). Jesus is our example to follow, not our hearts or the ways of this dark world (1 Corinthians 11:1).
What Is Dedicate
Dedication, like consecration, means complete and utter devotion to a specific person or cause. It is not an exclusively spiritual concept, because we can dedicate ourselves to other areas of life.
Dedicate is defined as, “To devote to the worship of a divine being or to set apart to a definitive use: commit.” We each have the free will to dedicate our time, energy, and lives to whatever and whomever we choose.
In this fallen world, there are many things we can dedicate and devote ourselves to, from sports to relationships; we can become consumed by temporary things and relationships. When we put our priorities above our dedication to God, they become idols.
God’s people are called to put God and His purposes above all, because we are dedicated to Him only (Joshua 24:15, Romans 12:1-4, James 4:4).
That is why the Bible has a lot to say about dedication (Nehemiah 12:27-28, Colossians 3: 17, 1 Peter 1:13). God set His people apart from this unholy kingdom to be His people and to walk in the light by doing good (Matthew 5:16, James 2:14-17, 1 Peter 2:9).
God paid too high a price to set us free from our selfish sins and the ways of this world for us to keep walking in the darkness (John 3:16; 8:12). Just like the Holy Temple, we are called to be dedicated to God because we are each living temples built and cleansed by God (Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:5). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about being dedicated to God.
Ḥănukâ
The Torah tells us how in the beginning there was nothing but darkness until God spoke and created the light and everything in the universe and called it good (Genesis 1:1-31).
God created mankind and put them in the garden to work and do God’s will (Genesis 2:15). All of creation served and glorified God, their maker.
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for dedication is ḥănukâ, and it can also mean “Consecration,” depending on the context it is used in.
However, sin entered the creation, and mankind sought their own evil will and became unholy because mankind chose to listen to Satan (Genesis 3:4-7). Sin causes the creation to turn from God and dedicate ourselves to our selfish wants (Isaiah 53:6; 59:2, Jeremiah 17:9).
That is why God called His people out of the darkness to be a holy nation once again dedicated to Him (Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 20:26). Judaism emphasizes the need to be dedicated and consecrated to God and His purposes by being the light in this dark world (Isaiah 12:1-6; 42:6):
- Good deeds
- Torah study
- Kindness
- Seeking justice
Jesus reminded His followers to be the light by doing good works (Matthew 5:14-16). He taught His followers that God’s kingdom is not like this dark world (John 18:36). Our Rabbi emphasized the need to serve God and others instead of following our evil desires (Matthew 6:24, Mark 9:35; 10:45, Luke 3:10-11, John 12:26).
Our Lord taught us to seek and follow God’s will at all costs, not our selfish desires (Matthew 6:7-13). Because He had reminded them how evil their hearts are (Mark 7:20-23). He warned that those who do evil hate the light, because their evil works will be exposed (John 3:20).
Epstein Photos
The other big news this weekend has been the release of a trove of pictures from Jeffrey Epstein. The 19 photos released included big-name celebrities and politicians like Pres. Trump, Steve Bannon, and Bill Gates.
These people use their power and influence to do evil and sinful wills, instead of doing good and reflecting the God who gives us wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18, Proverbs 10:22). I do not believe in the idea of self-made men or overnight successes, because God is sovereign and in control of our lives (Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 10:23).
The Bible is clear that wealth and success come from God alone, not man (1 Chronicles 29:12). When we focus more on the gift than on the Giver, we become more like the world than God:
- Greedy
- Prideful
- Deceptive
- Dark
This fallen world hides in the darkness and loves the works of the prince of the air (2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2). We are now two weeks away from the DOJ’s deadline for Congress and President Trump to release all of the Epstein files.
One day God will expose everything that is hidden in the darkness of this world (Psalm 90:8, Luke 12:2-3, 1 Corinthians 4:5). God’s people cannot condone any evil if they have truly become ḥănukâ (John 8:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:5)!
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