HANUKKAH SCRIPTURES

Below is a list of Scriptures for you to read during the Hanukkah Celebration, if you would like to do this.

As a family, we love to celebrate Christmas, not the tinsel and glamor, but the preciousness of gathering together as a family. We also love to remember the most amazing event in the world when God sent His Son to this world—into the womb of a woman and to be born as a little baby.

Bible commentators agree that Jesus was not born at this Christmas time when most people remember His birth. He would most likely have been born around the month of September during the Feast of Tabernacles. However, December is most probably that time He was divinely conceived by the power of the of Holy Ghost. Incredible. God coming to the earth as a "seed" from the Father. I am in awe. I am sure you are like me and can do nothing less than fall to your knees in wonder and worship!

John 1:14 says: “And the Word was  made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The word dwelt is skenoo and means “to tent, to encamp, to reside as God did in the tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection and communion.” Jesus came and tabernacled with us. He took on our flesh and blood for a temporary time for He was truly “the Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6). The Young’s Literal translation says: “And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us.” The Feast of Tabernacles is a time to live in booths and remember how the Israelites dwelt in temporary tents.

Even God Himself tabernacle with them in a tent! When David was preparing to build a permanent temple God said to him: “For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another” (1 Chronicles 17;22).

Although we do not know the day or the hour when Jesus returns, some Bible scholars think He may return during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Once again, He will tabernacle with us—even in the eternal kingdom. When the apostle John saw the new Jerusalem coming down from Heaven he wrote: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven say, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell (skenoo) with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21;32).,

We also love to celebrate Hanukkah. We love to light the Hanukkah candles each night and because Hanukkah celebrates the relighting of the menorah (the seven branched candlestick) in the temple, we like to read Scriptures about God and Christ who are the light and how He also wants us to be His light in this world. We do this at our Family Devotions each morning and evening.

Why do we celebrate Hanukkah?

1. It is a celebration that Jesus celebrated. Read John 10:22, 23.

2. Hanukkah in the Hebrew means "dedication." God's temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC, but the Maccabees family led a revolt against the Seleucid armies and called the nation back to God. After they had driven them out of Judea and Jerusalem, the Maccabees consecrated and rededicated the temple. However, God no longer lives in a temple in Jerusalem, but lives in the temple of our hearts. We like to take one night during the eight days of Hanukkah to rededicate the temple of our lives to God.

3. It is called the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) and also the Festival of Lights. It celebrates the re-lighting of the Menorah. History and tradition tell us that they could only find enough oil for one day, but miraculously the lights kept burning for eight days while they prepared the anointing oil, specifically commanded in the Scriptures.

You can read the history of the family of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha was  not included in the canon of Scripture, but it is interesting reading. The story of the Maccabees is especially significant to read because they were used to save the Jewish people at that time in history. Throughout the generations the devil  has tried to eliminate the Jewish people and thus hinder the coming of the Messiah. The Maccabees were instrumental in saving their people from extinction. No wonder our Savior, Jesus Christ celebrated Hanukkah.

During the eight days of Hanukkah, I usually send out a post each day telling you a little story about Hanukkah that relates to us as mothers, or a revelation from the Scriptures about the meaning of Hanukkah. I’ll post these for you too. You will be inspired, blessed, and encouraged.

I will post the Scriptures at the end of this article. Read and meditate on them in your personal devotional time. Then choose the ones you would like to use with your family. For each day, you may like to take half the Scriptures at Family Devotions in the morning and the other half in the evening, or whatever works out in your home.

If you have older children, it's a lovely idea for each one to have their own Bible and give a Scripture for each one to read aloud—and to share what they feel God is saying through the Scriptures. If you have little ones, you may only want to take one Scripture from the list and talk about it. And don't forget to ask your children questions

SCRIPTURES FOR YOU TO READ EACH DAY FOR HANUKKAH

Day 1
God is the Source of Light and gives Light
Genesis 1:3-5
Exodus 27:20, 21; 40:24, 25; cf. Leviticus 24:1-4; and Numbers 8:1-3
Exodus 13:21; Nehemiah 9:12, 19
Psalm 36:9
Psalm 104:1, 2
Matthew 17:2 (You can read the whole story in Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13; and Luke 9:28-36).
1 Timothy 6:16
James 1:17

Day 2
Jesus is the Light of the World
Isaiah 9:2; cf. Matthew 4:12-17
Luke 1:76-79 and 2:27-32
John 1:4-9, cf. Job 18:5, 6; 21:17; Proverbs 13:9; 20:20; and 24:20.
John 3:19-21
John 8:12
John 9:5
John 12:44-46
Acts 26:22, 23
Ephesians 5:14
1 John 2:8

Day 3
Shine the Light of Jesus to the world
Daniel 12:3
Judges 5:31
Proverbs 4:18
Song of Songs 6:10
Isaiah 58:6-8, 10
Isaiah 60:1, 2
Matthew 5:14-16
Matthew 6:22, 23
Luke 12:35
John 5:35
Acts 13:47
2 Corinthians 4:4-6
Philippians 2:14, 15

Day 4
God's Word is our Light
Ezra 9:8
Psalm 19:7-11
Psalm 43:3
Psalm 119:18, 105, 130
Proverbs 6:20-24
Luke 24:30-32 (You can read the whole story in verses 13-32).
Ephesians 1:17, 18
2 Peter 1:19-21

Day 5
Walk in the Light
Psalm 44:3
Psalm 89:15
Proverbs 4:18
Isaiah 2:5
Isaiah 58:8 (Read the whole passage: verses 6-12)
Luke 12:35
John 12:35, 36
Romans 13:12-14
2 Corinthians 4:4-7
1 John 1:6-9
1 John 2:8-11
Ephesians 5:8-20

Day 6
Out of Darkness into Light
Exodus 10:21-23
2 Samuel 22:29 (Psalm 18:28)
Job 24;13
Job 29:2-5
Psalm 18:28
Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 50:10
Psalm 90:8
Luke 11:33-35
Acts 26:17-18
1 Corinthians 4:5
1 Thessalonians 5:5
1 Peter 2:9
1 John 2:9-11

Day 7
Living in God is to live in Light
Psalm 4:6
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 34:5
Psalm 36:9
Psalm 37:3-6
Psalm 43:3, 4
Psalm 112:4
Micah 7:8

Day 8
God is the Light of Heaven
Isaiah 24:23 and 30:26
Isaiah 60:19, 20
Revelation 1:16
Revelation 21:22-25
Revelation 22:3-5

HANUKKAH DEVOTIONS

MY FAMILY AND I WILL NEVER GIVE UP (Day 1 of Hanukkah)
Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication as it is called in the New Testament (John 10:22, 23) is a festival of lighting candles for eight days to remember the dedication of the temple and the relighting of the lampstand which God commanded should never go out (Exodus 27:20,21).

It all happened because of a very brave family. Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over Israel and commanded all Jews to renounce their way of life, practice pagan observances, and live like the Greeks. He erected the "abomination of desolation" in the temple. Many Jews assimilated to avoid persecution and being killed. BUT NOT THIS FAMILY!

Mattathias was a godly older man with five brave sons—John, Simon, Judas (known as Maccabeus), Eleazar, and Jonathan. When the officials came to their town of Modein, they tried to get Mattathias to influence the people of his town to turn away from God. Listen to his reply, “Mattathias answered in a LOUD VOICE: What do I care if everyone in the king's entire kingdom turns from their own religion and starts obeying his laws? MY FAMILY AND I WILL ALWAYS KEEP THE PROMISES OUR ANCESTERS MADE TO GOD. WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP OUR FAITH OR DISOBEY EVEN ONE OF GOD'S LAWS. WE WILL NOT OBEY ANTIOCHUS!" (1 Maccabees 2:19-20).

When a cowardly Jew stepped forward to obey the king by offering a sacrifice, Mattathias was so furious that he rushed over, killed the man, destroyed the altar, and killed the official who ordered the sacrifice. He and his sons then ran to the hills leaving everything they owned behind. This began the bravery of the Maccabee family who conducted continual battles against the enemy and eventually delivered Israel and Jerusalem and the temple of God.
We don't face being killed for our faith today here in our Western countries, although this is currently happening in many countries of the world. Will we be those who give in or will we have courage, individually, and as families to stand true to God, even if no one else is standing? The Scripture says: "Let God be true, but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).
May God give us the strength and anointing to be bold and courageous and to raise children who will have courage and boldness to stand up for truth and never give up their faith.

STAND FOR TRUTH (Day 2 of Hanukkah)
Jesus Christ, the Son of God was never reticent to speak the truth, even in the face of death. When he came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Dedication, he walked in Solomon's Porch (on the eastern side of the temple) and people gathered around him.

Jesus knew the Jews would be remembering more than the rededication of the temple and the lighting of the Menorah again. They remembered the great victory over Antiochus Epiphanes, but also how he lifted himself to be god over them. It was Antiochus himself who added "Epiphanes" to his name, which means "God manifest" which was utter blasphemy to the Jews.

In the midst of this thinking Jesus boldly and publically declared, "I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). In other words, He confessed that He was God, which of course, He was! This was too much for the Jews who, remembering Antiochus Epiphanes the evil blasphemer, took up stones to stone him (John 10:22-33).

It was no coincidence that Jesus chose this timing to speak these words. Everything about Hanukkah speaks of standing up for truth even in the face of danger.

May we never cringe to speak the truth, no matter what the consequences.

"The righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

ARE YOU WALKING IN THE DARKNESS OR THE LIGHT?
(Day 3 of Hanukkah)

I was challenged on our first day of Hanukkah when we read Genesis 1:4: “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” God’s purpose is to separate the light from the darkness. One of the plagues God sent to Egypt was three days of darkness. In the land of Egypt, they experienced “thick darkness.” It was so dark that they could not see in front of them. No one could move. But the children of Israel had light in all their dwellings (Exodus 10:21-23).

In the Bible Egypt speaks of darkness, deception, and the spirit of this world. God does not want us to have any part of Egypt. Read Isaiah 30:1-3; 31:1-3; 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18; and Revelation 18:4. He wants us to separate from the kingdom of darkness. Separate. Sever. No blur. No grey.

When dark thoughts come into our minds, or evil tendencies from the enemy, we separate immediately!

As parents, we must guard against the dark things of evil subtly coming into our home. We must watch the little grey areas. They gradually multiply. You can be outside at dusk and the darkness slowly comes. Then suddenly it is black. We must guard against the encroaching darkness in our homes.

Job 5:5, 6 (GW) speaks of the wicked and says: “The flame of his fire stops glowing. The light in his tent becomes dark.” We must not let the light in our homes become dark. We must expose and push out all darkness and daily open our home to the light of God.

Isaiah 670:1-3: “Arise shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”

FAMILY DEDICATION SERVICE (Day 4 of Hanukkah)
Why do we call this celebration "Hanukkah"? Because "Hanukkah" is the Hebrew word for "dedication." When Judas Maccabee (the hammer) and his army eventually crushed their enemies, Judas and his brothers said: "Let's go up to cleanse and rededicate the sanctuary" (1 Maccabees 4:36). The temple was desolate, the gates burned, and even shrubs were growing in the courts like a forest! But the Maccabees got “stuck in” and cleansed and restored the sanctuary.

They built a new altar with whole, unpolished stones (because the altar had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes), brought in the Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, and the Table of Showbread, and offered sacrifices as God originally commanded. "So they celebrated the rededication of the altar for eight days" (1 Maccabees 4:56).

How does this affect our lives? God no longer lives in the Holy of Holies in the temple, but in our bodies, which are the temple of His Holy Spirit. We are not only the temple of the Holy Spirit, but the naos which speaks of the Holy of Holies in the temple. This is the word which is used in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:16. What an indescribable truth!

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple (naos—which is the word for Holy of Holies) of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” You are now the place where God wants to reside in all His glory. 

Our temples may not be desolate, but it is easy for us to allow things to come into our lives which grieve the Holy Spirit and spoil and dirty our naos. Just as the Maccabees had to cleanse and rededicate the temple, so we need times in our lives when we rededicate our bodies to the Lord. 

Therefore, it is a good idea to have a rededication service one night during Hanukah and dedicate our temples again to the Lord. Choose which morning or evening you would like to do this together as a family. Explain it to your children. Ask each one of them to confess to the Lord anything in their lives that grieves the Holy Spirit and to rededicate their "body temple" to the Lord. This includes mom and dad too. Each one can do this silently or aloud, as you feel led of the Holy Spirit.

When we have all dedicated ourselves individually, the father can rededicate the whole family to be a living sacrifice to the Lord and to be set apart for His purposes (Romans 12:1, 2).

I know that the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily as you experience this dedication service in your home.

A MOTHER'S COURAGE (Day 5 of Hanukkah)
(Forgive me for sharing such a gruesome story, but it is the truth)!

A brave mother watched her son being killed. No, not just killed but cruelly tortured. They cut out his tongue, scalped him, cut off his hands and feet, and while he was maimed and helpless, fried him alive! In the same manner, they tortured and killed her second and third sons. The third son cried out: "I have received these limbs from heaven, and I give them up for the sake of God's laws." Another cried out: "We are prepared to die rather than sin against our ancestral laws" (2 Maccabees 7:2, 11).

Because they would not bend and turn from God's laws this dear mother watched as Antiochus tortured her fourth, fifth, and sixth sons the same way. The mother had only one son left, her beloved youngest. Antiochus tried to influence the mother to save his life. He promised he would make him rich and prosperous and even a political advisor. She obliged by turning to her youngest son saying: "Son, pity me who carried you in the womb nine months, nursed you for three years, nurtured you, and brought you into this stage of life with care. I beg you, child . . . Don't fear this killer but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death so that in God's mercy I should recover you with your brothers" (2 Maccabees 7:27-29). She watched her last son die before she was put to death herself.

This mother was a nurturing and caring mother. But she had a vision for her children beyond this earth. She raised her sons to fear God rather than man. She raised them to stand for truth, no matter what the consequences. She raised them to see beyond this earth to the endless life of the heavenly.

May God help us to be courageous mothers. May He save us from raising wimpy, mediocre children who are seduced by the humanist trend of an ungodly society. May He anoint us with the mighty power of God to raise children who will have the courage to stand for God and for truth, no matter what persecution they face.

Ephesians 6:13: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all TO STAND.”

(You can read the whole of this amazing story in the Apocrypha in 2 Maccabees chapter seven).

KEEP THE LIGHT SHINING (Day 6 of Hanukkah)
Hanukkah is also called the "Festival of Lights" because of the relighting of the Menorah. This was a huge thing that happened that day, because the Jews knew that God had commanded the lights in the Holy Place to BURN CONTINUALLY. God said it was a statute that must continue for all generations (Exodus 27:20-21 and Leviticus 24:1-4).

They were to NEVER GO OUT—and they had been out for a long time!

How did they keep the lamps burning day after day, year after year? God said they had to attend to the lamps every morning and every evening. They had to trim the wicks and pour more oil into the lamps, the oil speaking of the Holy Spirit. Once a day was not sufficient. They had to do it two times a day to keep the light burning

This is a pattern for our lives today. When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He fills us with His light, but it is very easy for the light to dim, or even go out. There are many temptations, deceptions, and evils around that diminish our light, and the light in our children’s lives to keep the light burning, we must tend to it every morning and evening. We need to do this individually and as a family.

A powerful way to keep God's light burning in every member of our family is to have Family Devotions (or whatever you call it in your home) every morning and evening. Each time we come together as a family to read God’s Word and pray together, we relight our lamps. If we fail to do this, our light can go out very quickly.

How big is the flame in your family? We are not meant to be a flickering light, but a great light. If your flame is only smoldering, get back to God's "morning and evening" principle.” It's the only way that works. Let the light in "the holy place" of your temple and your home shine brightly.

P.S. Do you wonder how to go about having Family Devotions in your home? A wonderful help for you, which we use every day, is THE DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH. It has Scriptures written for every morning and every evening, plus ideas on how to make this an exciting time with your family.

Go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/CreativeIdeasToReadBible

THE WAY TO VICTORY (Day 5 of Hanukkah)
Judas Maccabee and his brothers continually fought battles to save Israel and every time they faced armies far larger and stronger than themselves. But their trust was in God.

Listen to Judas' confession on one occasion: "When all his followers saw the host coming against them, they said to Judas, 'How can so few of us fight against so many? Besides, we have had nothing to eat all day, and we are exhausted.' Judas replied: 'Many can easily be overpowered by a few; it makes no difference to Heaven to save by many or by few. Victory does not depend on numbers; strength comes from Heaven alone . . .  Heaven will crush them before our eyes. You need not be afraid of them'" (1 Maccabees 3:17-21).

The Israelites also had to face enemies far bigger than them. Deuteronomy 9:1-3 says: “Hear O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations GREATER AND MIGHTIER than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims (giants), whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.”

I know that you, too, often face challenges that loom much bigger than you can handle. Don't focus on your difficulty. Look to God. He is your Strength. He is your Source. He is your Sufficiency. He will always do what you cannot do. When we try to handle our problems we usually make a mess of the job. Put them in God's hands for He knows what is best to do.

Victory does not come by intelligence or fleshly strength. It only comes from God. Just as God delivered the Maccabees time and time again as they faced insurmountable armies, so God will deliver you as you trust in Him. Make sure you have the right confession. Don't confess your problems; confess your trust in God. It's the way to victory.

P.S. By the way, are you enjoying reading the Scriptures about God’s Light each day? We are being so blessed in our family as we read them. We get each person around the table to read one of the Scriptures, so we can all take part. We are amazed at how much God speaks about Light in His Word.

FULL TIME HANUKKAH PARENTING (Day 8 of Hanukkah)
AN IMORTANT POST FOR ALL PARENTS TO READ!

Apart from the official Hanukkah celebration which we finish celebrating today, we read about a number of dedication celebrations in God's Word.

1) Dedicating the tabernacle for 12 days. Each prince of Israel dedicated the altar for a day each (Number 7:10-11, 84, 88). This was the first dedication we read about.
2) Dedicating a new house (Deuteronomy 20:5). It is biblical to dedicate a new house.
3) Dedicating Solomon's temple which he built for the Lord (1 Kings 8:62 and 2 Chronicles 7:5, 9).
4) Dedicating the rebuilt temple when they came back from Babylon--Zerubbabel's temple (Ezra 6:16).
5) Dedicating the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:27).

And there is one more! You'll never guess!

It is found in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The word "train" is hanuk, the verb of hanukkah, meaning "to initiate, dedicate, consecrate." It is not enough to celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. As parents, we are FULLTIME HANUKKAH CELEBRATORS!

When we realize that training our children means to dedicate them to the Lord, it gives us a much larger and loftier vision. Everything we do and plan for our children should be done in the light of dedicating them to the Lord and setting them apart for His service. It's not a one-time dedication. It is a verb which requires daily action.

When our children are disobedient or don't complete what we have asked them to, we can sometimes be lazy and let it go. But not if we understand we are daily dedicating them to the Lord. How can we let things go when we consecrating them to God's holy service? We have the responsibility to train them to obedient so they will be obedient to the Lord!

As children get older, they can become more worldly and want to do what other worldly teens are doing. We could think, "Oh that's the stage they are going through." But not if we understand that we are daily consecrating them to the Lord. We will pray up a storm. We will fight the devil. We will work with our children to keep them on the narrow road that leads to life. We will do everything to save them from the broad road that leads to destruction. WE ARE PROVERBS 22:6 HANUKKAH PARENTS!

When we hanuk our children, it determines how we educate our children. It would be ludicrous to send our children into an ungodly education system each day if we are daily consecrating them for God's purposes.

As we consecrate our children to the Lord, we recognize that they totally belong to the Lord for whatever time God has for them on this earth. Above everything else, we know that we are ultimately preparing them for eternity.

May you be blessed, NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org