Chanukah 2021

 Chanukah is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a season of rejoicing, a season of thanksgiving, a season of praising the LORD. Chanukah begins at sundown on November 28.

Fast facts about Chanukah:
It occurs on the 25th of Kislev (the ninth month on the Jewish calendar)
It lasts eight days and eight nights
It is called the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication
Chanukah means in Hebrew "dedication"
Chanukah spelled in Hebrew is chet-nun-vav-caf-hey
The root word of Chanukah is chet-nun-vav-caf (pronounced "Enoch" in English). Enoch was in the seventh generation from Adam. He lived 365 years before God took Enoch. "And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him" (Genesis 5:24).
Although many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical holiday, this is simply not true.
Chanukah has happened in the past and is prophesied to happen again in the future.

(Side note: In Judaism, everything happens in cycles. Things which have happened in the past will repeat themselves. This can be seen in the Torah reading in which the Torah is read through in a single year and then is rolled up to the beginning and started all over again. Additionally, this concept can been observed in Scripture: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9. Chanukah has happened in the past; thus, the events of Chanukah will repeat themselves and happen in the future.)


The Number Eight
In the Bible, the number eight often signifies dedication and new beginnings. This seems apropos since Chanukah lasts for eight days and eight nights.

2 Peter 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

God saves Noah and eight people when God brings a flood to destroy the world. After the world has been washed cleaned, eight people are the start of a new beginning to the world's population.


Exodus 22:29-30 You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits, and of your liquors: the firstborn of your sons shall you give unto me. Likewise shall you do with your oxen, and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eight day you shall give it to me.

For seven days a person may keep his firstborn sons and animals and first fruits of his produce, but on the eighth day, the items are to be dedicated to God.


Leviticus 9:1, 23, 24 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

It was on the eighth day after Aaron and his sons were consecrated to become priests to the LORD that the glory of the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in the wilderness.


Chanukah in the Bible
Many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical event and does not appear in the Bible. This is quite erroneous. The word Chanukah appears multiple times in the Tanakh (Old Testament). The word "Chanukah" does not appear in our English translations because like most Hebrew words in our Bible, it is translated into English. Chanukah is translated into the English word "dedication".

1500 BC: Moses Tabernacle: Moses chanukah (dedicates) the tabernacle to the LORD
Numbers 7:1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had appointed them, and sanctified them;

Numbers 7:88 And all the animals for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty lambs of the first year. The was the dedication (chanukah) of the altar after it was anointed.


1000 BC: Solomon's Temple: On the eighth day Israel chanukah (dedicates) the altar to the LORD
2 Chronicles 7:1-2 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.

2 Chronicles 7:8-9 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication (chanukah) of the altar.


500 BC: Rebuilt Temple
Ezra 6:3a, 5a, 16 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication (chanukah) of this house of God with joy.


In short, Moses chanukah the tabernacle to the LORD in the wilderness, then Solomon's temple is chanukah to the LORD and when the temple is rebuilt in 500 BC it is chanukah to the LORD. Again and again, Israel has celebrated chanukah (dedication) of God's place of worship. When the future temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, there is no doubt there will be another chanukah (dedication) celebration to the LORD.


Additionally, many Christians will protest Chanukah is not a biblical holiday because Jesus did not celebrate it. However, again, this is a fallacy. In John 10:22-24 we read, "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (chanukah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly"


Chanukah has happened in the past, and it will happen again in the future.

In the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24, Jesus and His disciples sit on the Mount of Olives. Jesus' disciples ask about signs which are to come about Messiah's second coming. What most Christians do not understand is that Jesus is describing a future chanukah. By exploring texts about a previous chanukah which happened around 168 BC, we can understand Jesus' warning about the chanukah that is yet to come.

God's Special Name: The Tetragrammaton

 LORD
In our English Bible, the Hebrew four letters yud-heh-vav-heh are often recorded as LORD. Yud-hey-vav-hey is noted in Hebrew as God’s own name or the separated, social name secular to God. It is also called the tetragrammaton. It is a name so sacred, when reading the Bible in Hebrew, the reader does not utter it. When the four letters appear in the text, the reader will usually say “Adonai” (which translates as “Lord”) if the text is read in the synagogue. If the text is read in schools, the word hashem (which translates as “the name”) is used.

 
Tradition states this special name for God was only known by the high priest. The people did not know how to pronounce the four letters. (Remember there are no vowels in Hebrew. So the four letters can be pronounced in a variety of different ways.) This protected the people from uttering the LORD’S name carelessly.

When the Tabernacle and Temple existed, God’s special name was most likely uttered when the priest pronounced a special blessing over the people:
 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘In this way you shall bless the sons of Israel. You are to say to them:
24
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
25
The Lord cause His face to shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26
The Lord lift up His face to you,
And give you peace.’
27 So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and then I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:23-27)
The high priest also used the tetragrammaton during special occasions such as the Yom Kippur service.
The tetragrammaton used in Scripture 
The first time the tetragrammaton is used in Genesis 2:4
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens

When looking up the tetragrammaton in concordances, it states the four letters are the proper name of the one true God. It is used 6,521 times in the Old Testament. In Genesis chapters 2 and 3, the tetragrammaton is accompanied with the word God.

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:7-9)

Starting in Genesis chapter 4, the word “God” is dropped and the text starts referring  to the Almighty using only the tetragrammaton.

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering; 5 but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his face was gloomy. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why is your face gloomy? 7 If you do well, will your face not be cheerful? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:3-7)

As the population of the world grew, man’s ability to profane (or make common) God’s name occurred.

In Genesis 4:26, “the people begin to call on the name of the LORD.” This is a mistranslation. The real wording says the people began to to call in a negative way (profane) the LORD’S name. We are not directly told how the people began to profane the LORD’S name, but skipping ahead to chapter 6 where God talks about the people who inhabited the earth, we find the following:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

We get the idea from the text, to profane the LORD’S name is not just to utter it carelessly; it is to be evil and wicked. I think we can be safe to say the people were not simply uttering exclamations of “oh my Lord” or “gosh darn it”. It appears there was a deep root of wickedness which was causing vast sin on the earth. The sin was so severe, the only way for the LORD to cleanse the earth was to destroy everything except Noah, his family and limited numbers of creatures of the earth and sky.

The LORD’S name expands for clarification
In Genesis 24, Abraham’s servant goes to Abraham’s relatives. Abraham’s servant cries out to the LORD and gives a specific title:

And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. (Genesis 24:12).

From this time forth, the tetragrammaton is often accompanied by additional words for clarification. This makes sense because the world at this time was rich with pagan religions. Even using the sacred tetragrammaton, extra words needed to be added to clarify which god the person was referencing.

When Jacob flees from Paddam-aran to escape Laban, Jacob makes it all the way to Gilead before Laban overtakes him. Jacob and Laban make a covenant to promise neither one of them will not pass beyond the pile of stones to do each other harm.

Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my grandchildren, the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth? 44 So now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it shall be a witness between you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this memorial stone to me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place. (Genesis 31:43-55)

We see from the text, Laban swears by the God of his fathers—Abraham, Nahor and their fathers. Jacob swears by the fear of his father Isaac. It was a common practice in ancient cultures to swear by the god(s) of one’s family. Each family had its own god. Laban probably does not understand the “God” he is swearing by is a different god than what Jacob is swearing by.

It is tradition that Abraham’s family were idolators. His father owned an idol shop in Ur of the Chaldees. Abraham knew the one true God. One day, Terah left the shop in the care of Abraham. Abraham decided to show his father how false idols were. He took a bat and broke all the idols except the largest idol. He then placed the bat in the largest idols hands. When his father returned, his father exclaimed, “Abraham! What happened? Why did you break all the idols?” Abraham replied, “I did not break them. It was the idol with the bat. A dispute broke out between the idols about who was the greatest. The largest idol took a bat and broke all the other idols.” Abraham’s father said, “You know that is not true. Idols cannot do anything.” Abraham said, “Then why do you worship them?”

It is also tradition that Abraham’s brother Haran (the father of Lot) was killed for trying to follow Abraham’s faith. Abraham was thrown into a fiery furnace for his believe in God. Abraham was not injured. Abraham came out of the fire without being burned. When Abraham’s brother, Haran, saw this, he also starting saying he believed in the God of Abraham. Haran was thrown into the furnace. He died.

Scripture gives a hint of this happening in Genesis 11:27-28
Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

*Please note, the actual Hebrew to English translation is “Haran died before the eyes of his father”. This phrase means Haran died while his father watched.

I give all this background to explain why Isaac does not agree to Laban and swear by the god of his fathers. We cannot be 100% sure, but it seems to imply from the text Nahor (Laban’s father) was an idolator. Laban has household idols (Genesis 31:30). This suggests that Laban and his family did not worship the One True God, but instead still clung to the idolatry of their father Terah. In short, it seems Laban’s fathers were idolators. Jacob’s fathers—Isaac and Abraham—were not idolators. This is one reason as history continues, the LORD’S name becomes longer to clarify which LORD or which God the person is referencing.

The Third Commandment: God & Elohim

 Hebrew
The Hebrew word for God is Elohim. Elohim is a non-specific word. It is used 2,600 times in the Old Testament. Elohim means the following: rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, gods, god, goddess, works or special possessions or the true God. The word “God” is first used in Genesis 1:1. All of chapter one of Genesis uses only God to describe the Creator of the universe. In Genesis 2:4, it changes to LORD God. From Genesis 2:4 onward, the word “God” begins to take on many forms and is used for many gods.

When Jacob, Leah, Rachel and their families flee from Laban, Rachel steals her father’s idols. We see in the text below, the word translated as “gods” in English is the Hebrew word “elohim”.

 And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with tambourine and with lyre; 28 and did not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’ 30 Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?” 31 Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. (Genesis 31:25-32)

In fact, since there is no differentiation between a pagan god and the God who Created the universe, the word elohim (which can mean God or gods) is sometimes mistranslated in our Bibles.

During the Golden Calf incident, most Bibles read as follows:
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ (Exodus 32:1-8)
 

There is an issue with the text. Translating the word elohim as “gods” means there would be multiple idols. However, we clearly see in the text, there is only one idol. The translators messed up. The word elohim in the Hebrew text is referring to God, the Creator of the universe. The children of Israel where trying to make a physical representation of the LORD God. There were not trying to make a pagan god. Since they did not know what God looked like, they created Him as an ox, which is derived from the ancient Hebrew. Ancient Hebrew used pictures. One of the pictures used to write God’s name in Ancient Hebrew was an ox head.

A repeat of the text is seen in Nehemiah chapter 9. In the Book of Nehemiah, the text is correctly translated:


“You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:13-18)

If you were God, would you have a name which is common and can be confused with man-made deities?


The answer would be no. We do this even in our culture today. Names we give to children are combined with surnames to avoid confusion. If we only called people by a first name, the person’s identity would be lost. I know about 20 people called Michelle. If someone refers to “Michelle” I often have no idea which Michelle the person is referencing. Using a surname helps clarify the person identity. However, even with using last names, many people have the same name. Growing up, I had two Mike Millers in my class. Their identities were sometimes mixed up. To help keep track of who was who, they used a middle initial to differentiate between the two boys.

Today, the trend in baby names is to have something unique. People spell common names using extra letters (Ashley is spelled Asheleigh) or unique names are used such as Soleil and Kauai. Parents do not want their child’s name to be confused with anyone else’s.

God is the same way. He does not want His name to be confused with any other deity. He has a special name which only applies to Him.

The Third Commandment: What is God’s name?

 When studying the ten commandments, one of the commandments which is often misconstrued is the third commandment. Many people have told me a person is to not take God’s name in vain. When asked what God’s name is, I will receive the response, “God.” If you look at the actual commandment, the wording does not say: “Do not take God’s name in vain” rather it states “not to take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)

When reading the text, a few questions should jump out. What is the name of the LORD? Furthermore, what does the word LORD mean? Scripture says the LORD will not leave him guiltless. Is the LORD God or is God God? Through this study, I hope to answer these questions.


God vs. LORD. What is the difference?
When reading through Scripture, it can be easy to gloss over terminology such as God and LORD. Was it God who created the earth or was it the LORD or was it the LORD God? Many people feel these word variations do not matter, but to actually understand the text, words are essential.

God
The word God is first mentioned in Genesis 1:1.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

For the rest of Genesis chapter 1, the word God alone is used to describe the creation story. The word God is used 28 times from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3. When reading the text, the entire creation story is given in these verses. Oddly, starting in Genesis 2:4. the creation story is told again for a second time. However, now, the creation story states it was the LORD God who created everything.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. (Genesis 2:4)

Examining the words, one could wonder why did the phrasing change from God creating everything to the LORD God creating everything? One theory is that starting in Genesis 2:4, we have more details about the creation story. Adam is given the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A more intimate relationship seems to be given between Adam and his Creator. As we will see later in the study, the word LORD is God’s more personal name.

Meaning of the word God
God is a formal and informal name. In English, God can be capitalized to indicate a specific god or lower case to indicate god as non-specific or multiple gods.

Each monotheistic religion refers to its god using different names, some referring to cultural ideas about the god's identity and attributes. In ancient Egyptian Atenism, this deity was called Aten and proclaimed to be the one "true" Supreme Being and creator of the universe. When referencing the God of the Egyptians, the “g” in god is capitalized.

In the Hebrew Bible, the titles of God include Elohim (God), Adonai (Lord) and others, and the name YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה).

In Islam, the title God ("Allah" in the Arabic language) is often used as a name, while Muslims also use a multitude of other titles for God. Allāh (Arabic: الله) is the Arabic term with no plural used by Muslims and Arabic speaking Christians and Jews meaning "The God”.

In Hinduism, Brahman is often considered a monistic concept of God.

In Chinese religion, Shangdi is conceived as the progenitor (first ancestor) of the universe, intrinsic to it and constantly bringing order to it.

Other names for God include Baha in the Baháʼí Faith, Waheguru in Sikhism, and Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in Balinese Hinduism.

Some gods have made their way into the English language. Have you heard of the car brand called Mazda? Mazda is the shortened form of Ahura Mazda “Mazda” the main God in Zoroastrianism.

In the English language, capitalization is used when the word is used as a proper noun, as well as for other names by which a god is known. For example, the God of Sikhism is Waheguru. This name is proper and is capitalized.

Consequently, the capitalized form of god is not used for multiple gods or when used to refer to the generic idea of a deity. The English word God and its counterparts in other languages are normally used for any and all conceptions and, in spite of significant differences between religions, the term remains an English translation common to all.
The generic English word “god” or “God” has little meaning in the language as it can refer to any number of gods.
As in most religions, the word god is not specific to any one deity. Instead, like its counterpart in Hebrew El (god) or elohim (gods), the term can be used for any multitude of thoughts or ideas.


Below is a breakdown of the religions in the USA.
Religion in the USA
  Protestant (42%)
  Catholic (21%)
  Mormon (2%)
  Unaffiliated (18%)
  Atheist (5%)
  Agnostic (6%)
  Jewish (2%)
  Muslim (1%)
  Hindu (1%)
  Buddhist (1%)
  Other religion (2%)
  Unanswered (1%)

You can see, a large percentage of the USA does not believe in any Supreme Being, and many do not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For these people, using the word “god” can have any connotation including none at all.

Religions of the World:
Atheism/Agnosticism
Bahá’í-Persian/Iran; teaches the value of all religions
Buddhism-reaching nirvana; zen practices-self control & meditation
Christianity
Confucianism-Ancient China
Druze-Descendants from Jetrho. N Syria
Gnosticism
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism-India: non-attachment, absence of pleasure
Judaism
Rastafarianism-Caribbean
Shinto-Japan; spirits & public shrines; Mulan
Sikhism-Punjabi region: E Pakistan & N India; monotheist
Zoroastrianism-Daniel & Babylon
Traditional African Religions
African Diaspora Religions
Indigenous American Religions

Atheists do not believe in the existence of a god.
An atheist does not believe in God. Not just the capital G god but any gods at all. Atheists do not believe in the concept of God, and they reject the proposition that a god exists in our universe or any other.
 

Agnostics do not make a conclusive statement on the existence of a god.
Agnostics are generally not committed to the existence or non-existence of a god due to the lack of conclusive knowledge available to them.

Some agnostics are genuinely on the fence, or indifferent. Some agnostics do believe that a god may exist, but they do not have the observational knowledge available to them to make an accurate statement or to inform an unwavering belief.