Hanukkah: Feast of Dedication

Author: Joseph

Date: December 15, 2019

[The books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees do not appear in bibles of the Protestant tradition. They are included, however, in the Catholic and various other segments of Christianity, although they are still the minority in the United States. It is important to note, before beginning to acknowledge information contained in these books, they are not recognized as biblical (that is, as a part of Scripture). Kadosh Ministries solely uses these books for historical information and hereby explicitly states that these books are not considered Scripture, nor do they have authority as part of the recognized bible. This article will include quotes appearing from the books of 1 & 2 Maccabees which are intended for information purposes only.]

The story begins with Alexander the Great dying and his kingdom being divided amongst the rulers he set in place before his death. One of these rulers was Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled over the Greeks in the region near Judea. The people of Judea were divided in their allegiances. Some wanted independence, some were content to stay under the rule of the Egyptian kingdom (whom they were currently under at the time), and some sought out to make alliances with the Greeks under Antiochus. Some of the Judeans eagerly took action and made a covenant with the Greeks, taking on their culture, customs, and essentially disregarding God’s instructions and the way He wanted them to live as His people (1 Maccabees 1:15). The Greek way of life was in direct opposition to obedience and faith in God. They worshipped their idols, stopped obeying God's commandments, and committed many forms of idolatry and evil.

The priesthood – the same priesthood previously led by Aaron, Eleazar, and Phineas and so many others – was corrupted by false priests (of Israelite birth) who were put into power by the Greeks. These false priests used bribery, murder, and all sorts of corruption in their fighting with one another for the position of high priest (2 Maccabees 3:1 – 5:10).

When Antiochus heard of the false priests inner fighting and the battles they waged against one another, he considered these events a revolt against his own rule (he was in Egypt at the time, conquering the Egyptian kingdom, which had previously ruled over the land of Judea) (1 Maccabees 1:20-28; 2 Maccabees 5:1-14).

Antiochus invaded Jerusalem, defiled the temple, and slaughtered the people. He then put laws in place that force assimilation into Greek culture and customs, including the worship of their idols and forsaking the commandments of God (1 Maccabees 1:41-43). Those that refused to assimilate and forsake God were killed very inhumanely.

Mattathias, a true priest, mourned over the deaths incurred by the Greeks and over the disaster of being conquered with such brutality. When Mattathias was offered to assimilate and show his allegiance to the Greeks by making a sacrifice to their gods, he refused to do so, and fought back, killing the Greek officer. He also killed a Jew who was willing to betray God and make the unholy sacrifice.

Mattathias led a rebellion against the Greeks, and although he faced defeats, he escaped with many people into the wilderness, eventually gaining success in his resistance against the Greeks (1 Maccabees 2:28-48). When Mattathias died, two of his sons were left in charge of the people, one of which was named Judah (known as Maccabee).

Judah led the Judeans in battle against much larger and more advanced armies than his own, inspiring them to fight in defense of faith in God and obedience to His commandments. They fasted and prayed, crying out to God for aid in their times of despair (1 Maccabees 3:18-22, 46-54). They faced impossible circumstances, but came out victorious.

Judah and his army reclaimed the temple. When they entered it, they saw it was desolate, defiled, and neglected with overgrowth of plants, causing them to mourn and cry out (1 Maccabees 4:36-40). Priests were chosen to cleanse the temple and they removed the defilement that the Greeks afflicted it with in all their abhorrent worship practices (1 Maccabees 4:42-45; 2 Maccabees 6:3-5).

Judah and the priests built a new altar and renewed the temple, made new holy vessels, and finished all the required work for the temple (1 Maccabees 4:47-51). At the same season and day that the temple was desecrated, it was rededicated and Judah led the people in celebrating the dedication of the new altar for eight days, joyfully burning offerings to God (1 Maccabees 4:52-58).

Judah “and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev” (1 Maccabees 4:59, NRSV).

"...dedicate all that you are to God..."

This festival was celebrated in the days of Yeshua (John 10:22-23) and is still celebrated to this day. If you choose to observe this festival (which is not biblically commanded, though it is recognized in the bible), then do so for the purpose of remembering to dedicate all that you are to God (and rededicate areas of your life that have been defiled by disobedience and sin).

Judah and those that followed him were willing to die for their faith in God and their obedience to His commandments. They did not accept anything other than the life that God had for them through the writings of the Scripture, nor did they choose to pretend that they could serve both God and commit idolatry. The feast of dedication, Hanukkah, should be a reminder that when we come under persecution for our faith or when we are tempted to turn away from God, that we need to stand firm in God and resist evil at all costs.

[Scripture quotations are from] New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.