Hanukkah and Divine Faithfulness

December 8 to December 16, according to Jewish reckoning, marks to eight day timeframe of Hanukkah for the year 2012, which is also called the Feast of Dedication. It is a festival of lights for each day a candle is lit upon a menorah the cleansing of the temple after it had been defiled by Antiochus IV “Epiphanes” in the second century BC. According to Jewish tradition, while the temple was being restored, only a single day’s worth of sacred oil was found to keep the menorah burning, and none would be available for another eight days, but miraculously the sacred oil kept the flames burning for eight days. Hanukkah is above all things a time of remembering Yahweh’s faithfulness to His people.

How did all of this come about?

Solomon built the first temple to the Lord (1 Kings 6:1-38; 7:13-9:9, the glory of the Lord filled the place (2 Chron. 7:1-3), but in time the people sinned, the glory of the Lord departed (Ezek. 10:1-22), and in 586 BC Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Jewish people went into exile for seventy years (2 Kings 25:1-18; 2 Chron. 36:20-21; Jer. 25:11).

After Cyrus the Medo-Persian monarch subjugated the Babylonian empire, the king decreed that the Jewish exiles could return to their homeland (2 Chron. 36:22), all of which was foreseen centuries earlier by Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 44:28-45:7). God’s prophets Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah led the returning exiles in building of a second Jewish temple and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

The Medo-Persian Empire eventually fell in the early fourth century BC to the Grecian conqueror Alexander the Great, who amassed an empire from Greece down south into Egypt and east to the Indus River. What is amazing is that Daniel foresaw these things two centuries before they happened!

Daniel prophesied:

Behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly (Dan. 8:5-8a, NASB).

How do we know this is talking about Greece defeating Persia?

Daniel received an interpretation of the vision. He is told, “The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king” (Dan. 8:20-21, NASB).

Alexander the Great died soon after his conquests in 323 BC, and the rule of the empire was divided between four generals: Seleucus, Ptolemy, Cassander, and Lysimachus. Just as Daniel the prophet spoken: “The large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven…The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power” (Dan. 8:8, 22, NASB).

It is many years after the death of Alexander that a Seleucid despot named Antiochus IV “Epiphanes” rose up and led a great tribulation against the Jewish people. Antiochus defiled the altar of the second temple, sacrificing upon it a pig, and attempted to force the Jewish people to abandon their covenant with Yahweh. This was the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel (Dan. 11:31; 12:11).

Daniel depicts the anti-God nemesis Antiochus as the most pronounced of the four horns growing in the place of the large horn that broke off from the goat’s head. The rise and fall of Antiochus is described this way:

Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored” (Dan. 8:9-14, NASB).

The angel Gabriel morever revealed to Daniel,

In the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency (Dan. 8:23-25, NASB).

Just as it was prophesied, Antiochus IV Epiphanes rose to power, and attempted to systematically replace elements of Jewish worship with Greek paganism. The feasts and the sacrifices were stopped, circumcision prohibited, and the temple was consecrated for Zeus and it became a place for the worship of many pagan deities.

It was Judas Maccabeus that led a successful revolt against Antiochus IV, and liberated the Jewish people from Greece. On the other hand, one can rightly say that behind the scenes of history the anti-God despot was “broken without human agency.” It was Yahweh who ultimately put an end to the tribulation brought upon the Antiochus. In spite of the horrible things going on, God was watching, and He intervened within history to put an end to the evil. Moreover, even before all these things took place, God had revealed to His prophet Daniel what would happen, and how the people of God would be delivered. And all these things came to pass!

After the defeat of Antiochus, the Jewish people began the work to restore and rededicate the temple. 1 Maccabees, an ancient non-canonical apocryphal written between the times of the two biblical Testaments, gives this account of the restoration:

Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.

Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.  

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed (1 Mac. 4:36-58, NRSV).

2 Maccabees, another non-canonical apocryphal source written between the two Testaments, describes the restoration this way:

Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city; they tore down the altars that had been built in the public square by the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts. They purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years, and they offered incense and lighted lamps and set out the bread of the Presence. When they had done this, they fell prostrate and implored the Lord that they might never again fall into such misfortunes, but that, if they should ever sin, they might be disciplined by him with forbearance and not be handed over to blasphemous and barbarous nations. It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Chislev. They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of booths, remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place. They decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year (2 Mac. 10:1-8, NRSV).

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote, “Now Judas [Maccabeus] celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days; and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon: but he feasted them upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them, by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when after a long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of their temple worship, for eight days. (Antiquities 12.323-325).

Anti-god forces had brought forth a great tribulation against the Jewish people; however, Yahweh delivered them from destruction. Hanukkah remembers the way God preserved the righteous and His temple during times of intense persecution. This is not to say the Christian are obligated to celebrate the Festival of Lights; rather, the believer can still benefit from understanding the history behind the celebration.

All that transpired that would bring about the Hanukkah celebration was still pointing forward to something even greater. The salvation of the people and the temple was a component in still yet a larger plan of redemption. The four kingdoms of Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece would ultimately come to their demise, they would be pulverized into dust by the stone “cut without hands” (Dan. 2:34-35). In other words, “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan. 2:44, NASB). Likewise, the four beastly kingdoms of Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece would be displaced, and the Son of Man will be given an eternal kingdom over all things (Dan. 7:1-28). This too has become a reality. The Son of Man’s kingdom is inaugurated with the birth of Jesus Christ.

The course of all history is in the hands of God almighty. He has sent His own Son, to give us new life, and lead us into eternity. We have not arrived at the final destination, but God has demonstrated time and time again, that He will bring us there. The Christian can then be confident that in whatever situation comes upon that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Jude understood that God is “able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,” and for this reason, he could say, “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). Great is His faithfulness. God’s promises never fail. The kingdom of God has entered into history, and it will continue to advance until the day of final consummation. Hallelujah…and He shall reign forever, and ever.

~ WGN