What Does Hanukkah have to do with Israel Today?

The Miracles, Mysteries and Histories of Hanukkah | Part 7

What Does Hanukkah have to do with Israel Today?

Welcome back for Part 7 of The Miracles, Mysteries and Histories of Hanukkah!

So far, we’ve spent considerable time looking into the history of Hanukkah,  as well as some of the holiday’s mystery and miracles.  Today, we will focus in on one of the greatest miracles of all, and one of the strongest validations of the reality of God and the trustworthiness of His Word. 

One thing that we at Galilee of the Nations hold near and dear to our hearts is the miraculous existence of Israel today, and we praise God for His faithfulness and power in preserving His Covenant People of Old in the face of perpetual threats to their survival.  

Antiochus IV was only one in a series of wicked rulers throughout history who’ve purposed to destroy the Jewish Nation.  Among those would-be annihilators of Israel have been Haman, Hitler, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, only to name a few.  Satan has devised plot after plot, attempting to wipe Israel off of the face of the earth, but has never succeeded, and never will. 

John Parson rightly asks,

What other nation has survived over the millennia as have the Jewish people? Sadly, it is a continuing sin of many of today’s ‘church leaders’ to disregard the miraculous existence of Israel--including the modern State of Israel--by refusing to give the LORD God of Israel glory for His faithfulness…if God isn’t faithful to the promises made to ethnic Israel, what makes these people think He won’t change His mind regarding the Church?

This Hanukkah, let us keep before us these words of our forefathers, and remember the hope to which they clung concerning God’s faithfulness to Israel, even in the midst of dire circumstances.  May we also imitate the resolve they kept in holding God to His promises: 

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
- Psalm 137:5-6 

But now the Lord Who made you, O Jacob, and He Who made you, O Israel, says, “Do not be afraid. For I have bought you and made you free. I have called you by name. You are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not flow over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The fire will not destroy you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, Who saves you. - Isaiah 43:1-3a

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.
The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you.
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,
“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies;
Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”
But those who garner it will eat it and praise the Lord;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.
- Isaiah 62:1-9

In keeping with these words of the Prophet and the Psalmist, let us commit to God this very day the nation of Israel, holding out His promises in faith that He will indeed save, secure, and shine forth His light in the Land and People of Israel!

The miracle of Hanukkah is the preservation of Israel’s people and the continuation of the covenant promises that God will heal and deliver Israel. The One who heals the people of Israel is Yeshua, the man who said at Hanukkah He was one with the Father, the one who said He is the good shepherd of Israel who leads His people to circumcised hearts and eternal life. (Leman)

Join us for Part 8 - the conclusion of The Miracles, Mysteries and Histories of Hanukkah entitled, "Hanukkah and the End Times."