Hanukkah Day 4: A Deeper Look at Dedication

Passage: 1 Maccabees 4:45-51
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.

Pondering:
Sometimes, in the course of setting things in right order, it becomes necessary to scrap what is already in place and start over. This was the case in 1 Maccabees 4 when they prepared to rededicate the temple. They had removed the idols to false gods and cleansed the sanctuary, but there were some things that just needed to be destroyed to make room for the new. Not everything that can be salvaged should be.

The altar and holy vessels created for the temple had been so defiled that “repurposing” them to their original intent simply wasn’t enough. There would always be the residue of the defilement, if not on the articles themselves, then definitely in the hearts, minds and memories of the people. It was best to start fresh from a clean slate.

As hard as it might be, sometimes we just simply need to stop what we have been doing and start over. Letting go of something we have poured our time, energy, emotion and resources into is never easy, but it sometimes must be done to make a fresh start possible. If the tree is no longer bearing fruit, or if the fruit has become contaminated, it’s time to prune it, if not cut it down completely and plant a new tree.

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.

In his first letter, Peter is writing to believers in a region that includes Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia in what appears to be something of a circular letter (where one group receives the letter, reads it, then passes it on to the next group). He says in chapter 2 verse 9:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

Through the finished work of Yeshua on the cross, we have been set apart by Yahweh, through faith in Him, for His kingdom purposes – to come out of darkness into His light.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).” (Ephesians 5:8-9)

There is our mandate right there. To walk as children of His light, bearing the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth. That is what it means to be dedicated, consecrated, set apart by Him and for Him. Any endeavor in our lives that is not bearing this fruit needs to be examined. If necessary, it may need to be cut down so a new tree can be planted in its place. Selah.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for the truths in Your word, even the ones that can sometimes be difficult to hear. As we light the fourth candle tonight, I want You to help me examine my life and my heart.. Please show me if there is any area in my life that needs to be pruned and/or dismantled to make room for You to do a new thing. Everything is on the table. I hold nothing back from You. Help me to honestly and thoroughly examine every area of my life, both public and private. I want to live my life fully and wholly consecrated to You and for You. I belong to You. Amen.

Worship Song: Oil & Offering by SEU Worship