While Christians continue to bask in the afterglow of Christmas, our Jewish friends are enjoying Hanukkah, one of the most joyous festivals for the Hebrew people. The celebration of light began at sundown on December 25 this year, and will conclude at sundown 8 days later, on January 2.

Hanukkah is a very interesting story of God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people, and by extension (and because of His grace), His faithfulness to us as well. Check out the amazing account in Amir Tsarfati’s The True Meaning of Hanukkah.

Now some lessons from Hanukkah:

• John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” As the Light of the World, Jesus beckons us to follow Him rather than walk in darkness!
• Hanukkah represents the cleaning of the Temple. Having been defiled by pagan sacrifice of pigs on the alter, the Maccabee’s worked diligently to cleanse the Temple and dedicate it back to the Lord. (The Hebrew word for dedicate is Hanukkah.) What about our temples (our bodies)? Are we fully dedicated to the Lord or is there defilement in our lives we need to clean up?
• The Maccabees had only enough oil to burn for one day, yet it burned for 8. The miraculous sign of Hanukkah should fill us with great hope that our God will “keep our lamps lit” if we simply dip our wick into the oil of His great faithfulness.
• Under Antiochus Epiphany IV, the Greeks brutally persecuted Jews and banned them from practicing their faith. May God grant us the courage, as He did the Maccabees, to stand for truth and righteousness, even in the most wicked of times.
• It took about 7 years for the Israelites to defeat the Greeks, but they did! May we entrust ourselves to a faithful God who will be victorious in ever battle!

Those are only a few points to ponder as we join with our Jewish friends in recognizing the miracles God did on behalf of His people! That same miracle-working God is at work in each of our lives as well.

What do you hope He does in your life this coming year?