In Scripture, rest is deeply connected to trust. It is an acknowledgment that His ways are higher than ours, and even though the pressure around us is heavy to keep moving forward at all times, His wisdom prevails and His heart can be trusted.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see the children of Israel building altars and setting up memorials to honor and remember something Yahweh did in that place. This year, on this final night of Hanukkah, may we establish an altar in our hearts to serve as a reminder of what He is speaking to us in this hour. May we ponder the deeper meanings of this Feast of Dedication (Festival of Lights) from a heart posture that seeks to unravel the mysteries of Yahweh and His kingdom.
Traditions deepen over time. What started in the centuries following the destruction of the temple as a way to honor Yahweh’s power to overcome difficult circumstances, remains many generations later as a reminder that He is good, He is faithful and He is able. Traditions in and of themselves carry value to us as we pass down from one generation to the next the things, ideas, identities and beliefs that make us who we are – as a family and as a people.
What we think about and dwell on is very important. Our thoughts determine our words, which determine our actions, which determine our habits, which determine our character, which determines our nature. I don’t think Yeshua is telling us to be “good little Christians,” but rather to live in such a way that people are drawn to His light in us, which draws them into His heart. He is calling us higher.
When we look around today, it may not look like His government and peace are continuing to increase in the earth. But they are. How do we know? Because His word is true and eternal. Yahweh doesn’t lie. So, in order to see the continual increase of His kingdom and peace, we must disengage from our own understanding and lean into His. We have to see with His eyes. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
The word hanukkah comes from the Hebrew root hanakh, meaning “dedication.” Without the dedication, the temple was just a building and all the “holy things” were just beautiful objects. To dedicate something means to consecrate it, to set it apart from the things that are for common use. The dedication is what sets it apart specifically by Yahweh for His purposes.
I kept hearing the phrase, “Remove what doesn’t belong.” This could be things that once served a purpose in our lives, but those seasons are over, and the “stuff” from that season is no longer needed. It is taking up valuable space that leaves little to no room for the things that are needed in this current and upcoming seasons.
Today we can see parallels of the kingdom of Yahweh being under siege. We see the compromise in the church by Christians who have carried the things and ways of the world into the temple. Since we are living temples (1 Corinthians 3:16), this includes entertaining ungodly ways and mindsets in our own lives, in addition to bringing them into the local church. We see the idolatry of economic and political motivation driving the messages coming from many pulpits. We even see brazen attempts to silence the speakers of truth by not only the world but from within the church itself.
Light was the very first thing Elohim spoke into existence during the Creation process. He saw that it was good. When He separated the light from the darkness, it was the first Scriptural reference that symbolized two kingdoms – the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness.