by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
Since November 27, 2024 it has now been about 4 weeks into the 60-day ceasefire between the IDF and Hezbollah. The ceasefire seems to be holding. Accordingly, the retreat of the Hezbollah north of the Litani River in tandem with Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon is hoped for.
Israel continues to occupy the buffer zone between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon as it awaits more clarity on the pronouncements, moves and directions of the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and its Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). So far, no clashes have been reported with the IDF.
Israel struck back at the Houthis in Yemen’s Hodeidah port and capital Sanaa after a ballistic missile attack in Ramat Gan caused damage but no casualties. Then the Houthis struck again with another ballistic missile that hit a children’s park in a residential area in Jaffa and this one caused several injuries to people (including a child). The US and allied aircraft then made waves of attacks on fuel depots, power plants and other military targets in Sanaa.
Negotiations for an Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange with a limited ceasefire are still on-going. There is talk of more than 30 hostages (women and children?) to be initially released in exchange for 20 Hamas prisoners per released Israeli captive. More details are being ironed out but Hamas released new video signs of life of the captives.
Let us pray for the release of all the remaining Israeli hostages (alive or dead) and for a just end to the wars against the Jewish nation. Let us continue to stand with Israel. Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9) as God commands us.
In the past, I had already written about חֲנֻכָּה “Hanukkah” or “Chanukkah,” the Jewish Festival of Dedication or Festival of Lights. This festival is not found in the Old Testament (OT) because its origin was during the intertestamental period. The story of Hanukkah came out of the 2nd century BC. Israel then was ruled by the descendants of Alexander the Great’s successor-generals Ptolemy, based in Egypt; and Seleucus, based in Syria-Mesopotamia. One particular Seleucid ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes wanted to wipe out Judaism. The oppressed Jews revolted and this is historically known as the successful Maccabean Revolt of 166-142 BC. This resulted in political freedom and independence for about 100 years for the Jews until Rome came into the picture in 63 BC.
As told by Josephus (Antiquities, XII) and 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees (of the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals), in 160 BC against overwhelming odds the Jews defeated the Syrians/Greeks and recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. They wanted to cleanse, purify and rededicate it to God. They wanted to light the menorah (multi-branch candelabra) but found that they only had one jar of undefiled olive oil good for only a day but the cleansing and purification work would take eight (8) days. Still, the Maccabees lit the center lamp of the menorah. Miraculously, the jar of oil lasted for 8 days until new oil became available! This miracle is now commemorated by חֲנֻכָּה Hanukkah or Chanukkah, which means “dedication.” The Jews have a popular saying to commemorate this, transliterated as “nes gadol haya sham” which means a great miracle happened there or a great miracle came to pass there.
The Hebrew word חֲנֻכָּה Hanukkah/Chanukkah is found only 8 times in the OT. Four (4) occurrences are in Numbers 7 which is about the dedication of the altar. One (1) is found in 2 Chronicles 7 about the dedication of the altar in Solomon’s Temple. Two (2) are found in Nehemiah 12 about the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem. The last occurrence is found as a superscript title in Psalm 30 about the dedication of the temple.
While this Festival of Dedication is not included in the OT as the events surrounding it came about 250 years later, it is explicitly mentioned in the Gospel of John (10:22). Apparently, the original series of events of the Feast of Dedication occurred in winter time. As such it bears close proximity to the timing of Christmas when the Hebrew lunisolar calendar coincides with our Gregorian solar calendar. For this 2024, the Jewish Festival of Dedication or Festival of Lights fall on December 25 and lasts for 8 days up to January 2, 2025. Hanukkah/Chanukkah 2024 falls on Christmas Day!
With Hanukkah/Chanukkah the Jews share with Christians a tradition that sees light as a symbol of God’s miracle of preservation for their embattled nation. Their menorah symbolized the power of God’s light over darkness and shows the faithfulness of the LORD to his people. For the Jews then, the darkness of foreign oppression was shattered. For Christians, we believe in the miracle of The Incarnation when God gave his Son to be the ultimate light of the world and save all who call upon his name. As the Lord Jesus himself emphatically declared in John 8:12 Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου· (I AM the light of the world;). It is one of the Lord Jesus’s great “I AM” declarations stating and affirming his divinity. And the Messiah Jesus at his coming will ultimately shatter all darkness with his great light (see Isaiah 9:2).
We will continue with “The Land Promised” after the New Year.
God bless us all.