On the second day of Chanukah, I would like to share chapter 2 of my friend Daisys book. It will give a bit more historical context then go into the process of cleansing the defiled Temple. Arent WE the Temple now since we began following Jesus? THE TRIUMPH IN CHANUKAH The deliverance eventually began with one righteous man and his family. As Daniel 11:32 says, “With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know YHWH their Elohim will firmly resist him.” Or as it can also be translated, - “the people who know their Elohim shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” “In the 2nd century BCE, Judea lay between the Ptolemaic Kingdom based in Egypt and the Seleucid empire based in Syria, kingdoms formed after the death of Alexander the Great (336–323 BCE). Judea had been under Ptolemaic rule, but fell to the Seleucids around 200 BCE. Judea at that time had been affected by the Hellenization begun by Alexander. Some Jews, mainly those of the urban upper class, notably the Tobiad family, wished to dispense with Jewish law and to adopt a Greek lifestyle. One primary source for the Hasmonean dynasty besides the book of Maccabees, is recorded in the first book of The Wars of the Jews by the Jewish historian. Notably, Josephus, a Roman citizen and former general in Galilee, who survived the Roman-Jewish wars of the 1st century CE, was a Jew who was captured and cooperated with the Romans; writing his books in Rome; leaving some to question his impartiality as a historian. The books of Maccabees use the names Judea and Israel (or cognates) as geographical descriptors throughout for both the land and people over whom the Hasmoneans would rule. The Talmud includes one of the Hasmonean kings under the description Kings of Israel. Scholars refer to the state as the Hasmonean Kingdom to distinguish it from the previous kingdoms of Israel. The Hellenization of the Jews in the pre-Hasmonean period was not universally resisted. Generally, the Jews accepted foreign rule when they were only required to pay tribute, and otherwise allowed to govern themselves internally. Nevertheless, Jews were divided between those favoring Hellenization and those opposing it, and were divided over allegiance to the Ptolemies or Seleucids.” Source: Wikipedia THE MACCABEANS The Maccabees founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE. There is much authentic research of their political aspirations and compromises with Greek influence. The Hasmoneans are not of the line of David. Second Maccabees legitimates the political claims of the Hasmonean dynasty by describing at length the peoples assembly that ratified the claim to the high priesthood and the governorship of one Hasmonean ruler named Simon. Chanukah, A Tapestry of Triumph, by Daisy Pieraldi, revised 2013, graftedintolife@gmail 4 The Greek Syrians acknowledge Simons claim by granting him the purple cloth and the gold clasp, while the Jewish people immortalize their agreement to Simons rule by engraving the agreement on brass tablets set in pillars on Mount Zion. Yet Simon never claimed to displace Davids house, therefore he never took the title king and left the agreement as a temporary one until the true prophet will come. (I Maccabees 14:41) Between c. 140 and c. 116 BCE, the dynasty ruled semi-autonomously from the Seleucids in the region of Judea. A man named (Mattathias, a Priest from the family of Hasmonea, arose against the Greeks and organized a revolt. He, his children, and a small band of armed men and skilled fighters led by his son Yehudah Macabee, (Judah the Hammer), fought the Greeks against overwhelming odds. They did not gain a total political victory, nor did they regain any land. The temporal victory gained was the reclamation of the Temple Mount, the cleansing and rededication of the Temple and the Holy of Holies, and the ability to worship as commanded in the Torah. Amidst this victory, the entire country was still under the control of the Greeks. Even the city of Jerusalem remained in the power of Greek soldiers. It was only a small area around the Holy Temple that came under the control of the Jews. However, this victory was the beginning of the decline of the odious reign of Antiochus Epiphanies. His end was sealed, and later he died a horrible death. In spite of the non-Davidic control of the political “independent” kingdom of Israel, their is an interesting word picture that flows from Yehuda Macabee. The word Maccabee in Hebrew means ‘hammer’; and Yehuda is ‘Judah’, whose name literally means Judah the Hammer. Is not the Word of YHWH like a hammer, Jeremiah 23:29? Judah the Hammer, is a type and foreshadow of the true Word of YHWH, of the tribe of Judah, who is the Word made flesh, our Messiah who will rule his enemies with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9, Rev. 2:27) CLEANSING AND DEDICATION When the Jews regained the Temple Mount, they immediately concerned themselves with the cleansing and purifying the Holy Temple and all the vessels. A process that took eight days; it involved the dismantling of the defiled altar and rebuilding a new one by using fresh stones, in order to resume the Temple services. As the Torah commands, they rededicated the altar, upon performing the eight-day Dedication Ceremony. Recall that the Hebrew word for dedication is chanukah. The service at the Holy Temple involved a number of ceremonies commanded of in Torah for the priests to keep daily. One such commandment is to light the Temple menorah every morning. Another is to bring certain sacrifices each day, and yet another is to burn incense to YHWH. Jewish Oral Tradition relates how they could not find enough oil to properly fulfill the commandment of lighting the Temple Menorah, so until they could acquire more of the rare blend of this oil used in the Temple ceremonies, they rationed a small jar of oil which lasted eight days. One need not rely on oral traditions to see the overwhelming Scriptural Messianic parallels that foreshadow important precepts for all Believers. The Word - Torah had victoriously triumphed over the assimilation of darkness prevailing from Greek wisdom and deities. Chanukah, A Tapestry of Triumph, by Daisy Pieraldi, revised 2013, graftedintolife@gmail 5 The true victory lies in the words of the prophet Daniel, as foreseen in chapter 12:3, which I believe applies to the events of Chanukah and the coming Great Tribulation period, “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.“ The Word - the Torah has victoriously triumphed over the assimilation of infringing paganism from Greek philosophies and deities. Yet the richness of this story does not end there. As you read over the coming portions, you will discover an amazing tapestry of supernatural strength amidst trials, and the triumph of the true remnant faithful to the Covenant of YHWH. This undeniably points us to a time of preparation for those who will overcome the future beast system. “There is something far worse than conflict and war. It is a worldwide unity under a demonized king. YHWH’s mercy strategy has been to check the escalation of wickedness that would hence take place on the world scene, in their efforts to coalesce power. In crises of history, the eschatological is foreshadowed; divine judgements in history are, so to speak, rehearsals of the last judgements, and successive incarnations of the antichrist, until the last supreme concentration of the rebelliousness of Satan is manifested before the end. God orchestrates empires and balances of power as part of His great mercy strategy in a fallen world. ” Allen Hood If we solely focus on the issue of the menorah that just kept on giving, we relegate this fascinating story to the position of competing for “light” with the Christmas tree. However, there is the greater essence of Chanukah that is overlooked. Victory against assimilation by demonic entities. In the end, each of us will give an account not for the land we gained, nor the political parties or ministries we supported but whether we stood in allegiance to YHWH and His Covenant, and if we availed our temple as a set-apart place to be filled with Spirit of YHWH. Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of YHWH will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of YHWH. And He will delight in the fear of YHWH, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Isaiah 11:1-4
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:29:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015