Is Hanukkah in the Bible?

Some claim Hanukkah is not found in the Bible. But it is! Jn:10:22: Now it was the Feast of Dedication aka (Feast of lights) in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

While Hanukkah is not one of Yehovah’s appointed times that we are to observe forever (see Leviticus 23) it most certainly is in Scripture. Yeshua (Jesus) observed it as the Feast of Dedication; aka the Feast of Lights. That’s what Hanukkah means: dedication. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple. That’s what Hanukkah means: dedication. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple. The Hanukkah holiday has a connection with Sukkot in this story, [which is the actual time of Yeshua’s (Jesus) birth!] also you will find in scripture Solomon’s dedication of the First Temple. King Solomon gathered all of Israel together in the seventh month of [Tishrei] on Sukkot to dedicate the first temple. (I Kings 8:2, 12)  Also in the book of Ezra (6:16-18) we find out where the children of the captivity held a dedication for the second temple in Jerusalem. And the children of Israel, the priest, the Levites and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the Dedication of this house of God with joy, and offered at the dedication of this house of God a 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and for a sin offering for all Israel, 12 he goats, according to the number of the 12 tribes of Israel.  And they set the priest in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. This re-dedication and the miracle (?) of a one-day’s cruse of oil that lasted eight days account for Hanukkah’s length known also as the Feast of Lights.

Why was the Temple Re-dedicated?

Allow me to recount a bit of history. It all started with Alexander the Great. He conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine. But under his relatively benevolent rule, those conquered still practiced their religions and retained a degree of self-government. Many Judeans aka (Jews) assimilated, adopting the Greek language and Hellenistic culture. Others did not. After Alexander’s death, his Empire was divided among his generals one named Antiochus would take his throne. King Antiochus ordered all the people in his kingdom to have one religion all the gentile nations obeyed and many in Israel agreed to accept the kings religion. The temple and its priest were no longer holy, set apart to god. The king sent letters along with messengers in Jerusalem and the cities in Judah, to sacrifice to idols (gods) on the altar and offer pigs and other unclean abominable animals as sacrifices. King Antiochus outlawed circumcision, the Sabbath, and studying Torah. Soldiers publicly executed babies that were circumcised along with their mothers. Judeans were compelled to worship Zeus and eat pork. They had to disobey their God (YHVH) and forget his law or be killed. On the 15th of Kislev (December), in 168 BCE, King Antiochus IV Epiphanies being a type and shadow of the antichrist, who Scripture says will seek to change YHVH’s TIMES and LAW (Torah); In an act of defiance he Desecrated the Temple with smeared pigs blood on the holy altar, put a pagan god up for worshiping named Zeus in the Temple and offered a pig on it. His people built pagan altars, destroyed, and burned books of the Law in the cities of Judah and burned incense at the doors of houses and in the streets. On the 25th of each month they offered a sacrifice to their false gods on the pagan altar that was on top of the holy altar in the Temple. In those days Mattathias Maccabees (the hammer), from the Joarib family a priest from Jerusalem along with his five sons never obeyed the kings orders and continued to keep and obey the covenant God made with his ancestors. They were outraged at this wickedness saying, he wasn’t going to take it anymore. Mattathias shouted loudly throughout the whole city,” All who want to obey God’s law and keep his commands, follow me. Then he, his sons, and some of the people who wanted to obey YHVH left for the hills leaving almost all they owned behind. When Mattitias died, his son Judah took over leadership. Judah is a type and shadow of Yeshua, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who one future day will return to save the land Israel including Jerusalem!  Judah Maccabee and his companions secretly went into the towns calling Judean people to join them in defeating the kings armies. They recruited 6000 who had remained faithful to the commands (Torah) of the covenant. Over the years they went throughout the country destroying the pagan altars, defeated 20,000 Syrians in the hills of Jerusalem. This amazing victory is recounted in the Book of the Maccabees, volumes I & II. Unfortunately, the vacated Temple had been ransacked the altar disgraced. Judah and his army were still fighting in caves on Tishrei 165 BCE [fall month of Sukkot] and could not keep the eight-day Feast. So they postponed it. Then, when they recaptured Jerusalem and had purified the temple, they celebrated the rededication on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and made it a law. It was their Sukkot. For eight days, they celebrated, worshiped, offering hymns of praise and waving palm branches, with joy and gladness.

Hanukkah is like Purim (another holiday that’s not found in Leviticus) because it carries a Messianic significance. Purim commemorates the preservation of the Jews when Esther and Mordecai thwarted Haman’s plans to eradicate them all. Esther and Mordecai preserved the lineage through which Messiah would come. So did the Maccabees when the persecution of the Judeans and desecration of the Temple by Antiochus was ended, and the Temple was re-dedicated to YHVH! They preserved the very Temple in Jerusalem that Yeshua would visit on a later Feast of Dedication!  Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah concerning the healing of the man born blind.

Some Hanukkah Traditions Today

The Hanukkiah, a nine-branch Menorah, is to be lit nightly. The shamesh is the servant light, the longest one in the middle of four smaller lights. Messianics recognize the servant candle as representing Yeshua. Lighting the servant candle first, one candle is added each night for a total of eight nights.  Hanukkiah should be placed in a window where it can be seen from the street. It proclaims publicly the miracle of the lights. Two Brachot (blessings) are traditionally said before lighting the candles. Then, on the last night of Hanukkah, a third blessing is added.  A prayer is recited, declaring the miracles YHVH performed “in those days at this season” through the brave priestly family of the Maccabees. There are various songs and a popular game like the “dreidle.”

May Elohim (God) help us never to abandon the law (Torah) and its commands; especially the Sabbath. The Sabbath starts Friday at sunset ends Saturday at sunset. Ex:20:8

 Conclusion

We as believers are the temple of the Elohim of Israel. Our bodies are blessed with the honor of the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) living inside us. So as we prepare to celebrate Hanukkah (rededication of second temple), let’s rededicate our Temple. And, if you are still worshiping YHVH the way Pagans worshiped their sun-gods. STOP! Repent! Rededicate your temple! May Yeshua, The Light of the World, be a light in you this Hanukkah. (John 8:12)  Again Yeshua (Jesus) spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”