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Who will you serve by Fran Regan
12/05/2010
At this time, many are celebrating what is called the Festival of Lights, the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah -- a festival not commanded by Adoni but which, nevertheless, has some very good lessons for us today.
Do I believe the ‘miracle of the oil’? No. But should we let that obscure the truth that can be conveyed at this time? Be discerning, as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16) John 10:22-23 tells us, “And the Feast of Dedication occurred in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Y’shua was walking in the Set-apart Place, in the porch of Solomon.” This verse does not say that Y’shua celebrated this feast, also known as Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights; but neither does it say He condemned it. This would have been the perfect opportunity to do so had He so desired. Y’shua does tell us in Matthew 5:14 that we are “the light of the world” and in verse 16 to “Let your light so shine before men, so that they see your good works and praise your Father who is in the heavens.” John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:5 “And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:9 “He was the true Light, which enlightens every man, coming into the world.” John 8:12 “Y’shua spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but possess the light of life.” John 3:19 “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked.” John 3:21 “But the one doing the truth (Torah) comes to the light…” John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 12:35 “Y’shua, therefore, said to them, ‘Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. And he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.” John 12:36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you become sons of light.” John 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” Isaiah 51:4 “Listen to Me, My people, and give ear to Me, O My nation, for the Torah (Light) goes forth from Me, and My right-ruling I set as a light to peoples.” Psalms 36:9b “In Your Light, we see Light.” Proverbs 6:23 “For the command is a lamp, and the Torah a light.” Also called the Feast of Dedication, which brings to mind the dedication of an altar -- or ourselves. It takes 7 days to dedicate or cleanse an altar. This IS in the Torah. “And so you shall do for Aaron and his sons, according to all I have commanded you. Seven days you shall ordain them, and prepare a bull each day as a sin offering for atonement. And you shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, (who made atonement for us? (Romans 5:11) Who cleanses us from all unrighteousness? (1John 1:9) and you shall anoint it to set it apart. (Who anointed us and set us apart?) For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and set it apart. And the altar shall be most set-apart – whatever touches the altar is to be set-apart.” Exodus 29:35-37 What is the purpose of all this? “… I shall meet with you to speak with you. And there I shall meet with the children of Israel, and it shall be set apart by My esteem. ….And I shall dwell in the midst of the children of Israel and shall be their Elohim. And they shall know that I am Yah their Elohim, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, to dwell in their midst. I am Yah their Elohim.” Exodus 29:42b-43, 45-46 The altar is dedicated and cleansed so Yah will meet with us and speak with us and dwell within us. What is the altar today? How is it made clean? “Do you not know that you are a Dwelling Place of Elohim and that the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you?” If anyone destroys the Dwelling Place of Elohim, Elohim shall destroy him. For the Dwelling Place of Elohim is set-apart, which you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Or do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Set-apart Spirit who is in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore esteem Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are of Elohim.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 The altar today, is within us. How do we make it set-apart? 2Corinthians 6:14 - 7:1 “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness? And what agreement has Messiah with Beliya’al? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what union has the Dwelling Place of Elohim with idols? For you are a Dwelling Place of the living Elohim, as Elohim has said, ‘I shall dwell in them and walk among them, and I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate says Yah, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. And I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says Yah the Almighty. Having then, these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting set-apartness in the fear of Elohim.” “And now if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine – and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation. Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:5-6 “And Yah has caused you to proclaim today to be His people. A treasured possession, as He has spoken to you, and to guard all His commands, so as to set you high above all nations which He has made, for a praise, and for a name, and for esteem, and for you to be a set-apart people to Yah your Elohim, as He has spoken.” Deuteronomy 26:18-19 To be set-apart, we must separate from all the uncleaness around us by guarding His Commands and being dedicated to Yah. We, as the sanctuary, must be set-apart. As such, Hanukkah is a beautiful time for Yah’s people to come together to rededicate themselves as living sanctuaries to Yah, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, set-apart for His purpose, relighting His Menorah within us so we can be a light to the nations dwelling in darkness (without Torah). In the story of the Maccabees, we are given a greater understanding of what Yah expects and desires of us, His people. Again, a time to be discerning. Antiochus Epiphanes, the pagan ruler – what did he require? That we all should be one people, giving up our particular customs [New World Order? One World Religion?] forbade offerings and sacrifices These represent our redemption in Messiah and how to draw near to Elohim. Antiochus Epiphanes forbade this, demanding that all obey his commands, rather than Yah’s. to profane the Sabbath and Festivals of Adoni Christianity (Ephrayim or renegade Israel) has substituted Sunday (a day originally set aside for worshipping the sun) for the Sabbath (Yah’s day). They profane the Sabbath by going their own ways and doing their own pleasures, and not setting this day apart (Isaiah 58:13-14) – thereby rejecting Yah’s Covenant, as the Sabbath is the sign of the covenant. (Ezekiel 20:20) The Covenant is a walk, a path, an action, a doing – not a mental ascent to a set of doctrines. The Festivals of Adoni have been discarded for the festivals of Christmas, Easter, etc. These festivals were never ordained by Yah and in fact, are prohibited. Why? Because they are what the nations did. Look at their origins. Their roots are in idol worship. Yah told us not to learn the ways of the nations around us and do it unto Him – it is an abomination. (Deuteronomy 12:28-32) to defile the Sanctuary and the priests We have just seen that we are Yah’s Dwelling Place and a kingdom of priests. By rejecting His Torah, by being disobedient and rebellious, we are defiled. to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals To not know or make a difference between the clean and the unclean – Leviticus 11:46-47, Leviticus 20:25, Ezekiel 22:26, Ezekiel 44:23) Leave their sons uncircumcised Circumcision is a sign of the Covenant. (Genesis 17:9-14) To leave our sons uncircumcised would be tantamount to rejecting the Covenant. make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane It does matter to Yah what we eat. Today our bodies are the Temple. We defile the Temple by bringing into it anything unclean. If our sacrifices today are the praises of our lips, which spring from the heart, which is the altar, it must be set-apart; it must be clean. How we maintain our bodies/our sanctuaries is of utmost importance if our sacrifices are to be accepted by Yah. And why did Antiochus Epiphanes require this? “so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinance.” . 1Maccabees 1:41-50 How many of Antiochus Epiphanes’s requirements is Christianity, a.k.a Ephrayim or renegade Israel, guilty of today? Is Yah’s law and ordinances honored and obeyed or set aside, changed or forgotten? Are you one of those who have gone over to the enemy, abandoning Yah’s Covenant to save your life, or more probably, for convenience, or tradition or whatever other reason? Maybe just to be more like those around you. “In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, “Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.” This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles.” 1Maccabees 1:11 Or, are you of those who state, “Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his (Antiochus’s) commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors (Yah’s covenant), I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king’s words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.” 1Maccabbes 2:19-22 Just as Joshua spoke to the people: “And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve Elohim, choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve, whether the mighty ones which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my house, we serve Elohim.” Joshua 24:15 Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: “Let everyone one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town.” 1Maccabees 2:27-28 Are you willing to leave all that you have to be faithful to Yah and His Covenant? Are you willing to be His Covenant people? It is not without cost. But, as Mattathias told his sons as he was dying, “And so observe, from generation to generation, that none of those who put their trust in Him will lack strength. Do not fear the words of sinners, for their splendor will turn into dung and worms. Today they will be exalted, but tomorrow they will not be found, because thy will have returned to the dust, and their plans will have perished. My children be courageous and grow strong in the law, for by it you will gain honor.” 1Maccabees 2:61-64 For by it, we will be set-apart and gain access to Yah, our Elohim! Yah’s covenant is eternal. It is what makes us eternal when it is written on our hearts and minds. “And I know that His command is everlasting life.” (Y’shua speaking of the Father) John 12:50a “But if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands.” (Y’shua speaking – Matthew 19:17b ) You must ultimately decide. Who will you serve? Happy Hanukkah!
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