THE FIRST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH
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Tonight is the first night of the Festival of Lights, a celebration to remember the Temple in Jerusalem being liberated in 167 BC from the hands of the enemy. Although this is not a commanded holiday, it is a wonderful tradition that both Yeshua attended in His time and a celebration that has tremendous relevance for us believers today. After all, we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we have also been liberated by Christ from the hand of our enemy. We too have been defiled and then made clean by the blood of the Lamb, and I am very grateful that His tree of Life (the menorah) shines brightly once again in us because of it.
In my own home, we have started a tradition years ago of making each night connected to the light in Scripture, starting with Genesis and moving our way all the way to Revelation, revealing the history of light on the timeline of the Bible. And tonight is night one: The Light of Creation. So here are a few of my thoughts on the first light.
First of all, what hits me is that God is Light and because He is Light, the light comes from Him. The very first thing He creates is light, a hint that all things originate and come from His primordial Light. Nothing else is made until there is a foundation, an understanding of light. Everything else naturally proceeds from it. And what was that Light? None other than the Word of YHWH, piercing the darkness and setting the stage for the rest of creation.
Second, the above thought begs the next question: What is my foundation made from? Because whatever that foundation is made of sets the stage for everything else that will come from it. Since God is light and God is love, then my foundation should be beaming with both. Every wall and structure that is created in the house of my life should be built upon the foundation of light and love. Anything that comes out of us that is not coming from the light of love is not from Him and will not stand.
In the one-thousand-year reign of the Messiah, the temple will be glowing from the light that is coming from Messiah. Moses’ face was shining so brightly when he came down from the mountain that it had to be hidden behind a veil. When we are walking in His light we are reawakening His image in the earth. We are displaying the light of creation. We are in a sense, taking the world around us back to the Garden, back to the Light.
So take some time this evening and ask yourself how much of your life is built upon the light of creation. How much of what comes out of you is stemming from love? Perhaps your burden is heavy because you have not cast your burden onto the One who promised to carry it for you. After all, He says His burden is “light.” Think about it.
Happy Hanukkah!
Jim Staley
December 2019