Ron Nov/Dec Article

Christ celebrated Chanukah so you can too!

(John 10:22-23 NIV) Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Yeshua was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.

The word “dedication” in Hebrew is Chanukah so Yeshua was at the Temple during the Festival of Chanukah. Every year during this festival we celebrate the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. In 2 Corinthians 6:16 Paul tells us we are the temples of God since God’s Spirit lives in people who belong to Yeshua. Because of this, it will spiritually benefit us to celebrate the Festival of Dedication (or Chanukah) and rededicate our temples to God.

חֲנֻכָּה (SEC # 2598) – Chanukah

It comes from (חָנַך) chanak: to train up, dedicate (SEC # 2596)

make experienced, submissive, etc. (as one does a horse by a rope in its mouth)

Dedication involves submission. When people want to keep a horse under their control, so it does what they want it to do, a rope is used to control it. Being under the control of its rider, the horse can be dedicated to doing exactly what its owner wants.

For people to be dedicated to God we need to live the same way as the horse. We need to be directed and under the control of Yeshua our Lord, Owner and Master.

The Hebrew word חָנַך is the Hebrew word Solomon used in Proverbs 22.

(Proverbs 22:6) Train up (חֲנֹךְ) a child in the way he should go

(Proverbs 22:6 GNT) Teach children how they should live

(Proverbs 22:6 TLB) Teach a child to choose the right path

(Proverbs 22:6 MSG) Point your kids in the right direction

To dedicate our temples to God we need to be pointed in the right direction so we can choose the right path and live as our Lord calls us to live.

I trust you are beginning to see how celebrating Chanukah can be a spiritual blessing to you. Chanukah begins December 12 at sunset, and ends December 20 at sunset. I encourage to learn more about Chanukah and if you desire I am available to visit your congregation, Bible study, or group of friends to lead a Chanukah celebration.

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