12.19.24 ~ Let Your Light Shine

Good morning!

Yesterday, we went a little deeper into the topic of Hanukkah. What if there is more to it than the current modern Jewish celebration?

I introduced you to Micah 5:4, with the 7 shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David) and the 8 princes (Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah, the Messiah, and Elijah). Who are these individuals? They are Patriarchs and Prophets who were instrumental in shepherding God's people with timeless words and actions. They are called the “seven shepherds,” for they shepherd Israel as a shepherd leads his flock.  These leaders are above history because they have continued to lead God's people to this day. 

Just as there are 7 days of Sukkot and the 8th great day, each day of Hanukkah has an opportunity to connect with these 'beyond history' figures. The “seven shepherds” are leaders of God's People, who guide the people and show them the way they are to go; they nourish our lives with God's instructions/Torah and commandments/mitzvot and with insight into a properly attired bride (Rev. 19:7,8). And as Yahsome as this provision is, there's more...the “shepherds” have an additional significance as well.  In Psalm 122:8 God refers to the community of Israel, His people, as “My brothers and friends/rei'ay” and as “My sister, My love/ra'ayati in Song of Songs 5:2. Did you catch that? We are spoken of to God as His friend/rei'ay, in the sense that they are His shepherd. In other words, we have a reciprocating relationship with God where we shepherd and nourish God. WOW!  Huh?

Let me explain beyond a Reader's Digest condensed statement: When we think of nourishing God we need to think about what sustains someone. Sustenance means nourishment; to feed in order to keep our body and soul together. When a person does not eat (spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally, and financially), the soul is gradually separated from the body...lifeless. First there is impairment of the soul’s ability to think, walk and act, until finally there is complete separation...death. Conversely, when a person eats, he strengthens the connection between his body and soul; when a person nourishes and provides sustenance to someone else, he keeps that person’s soul in his body.

Over a year ago I shared with you some thoughts on Isaiah 43:12. Let's review this for our memory. God says... "...and there was no more foreign gods among you. Therefore you are My witnesses . . . and I am God/v'ani El". In other words, as long as you are My witnesses (how we nourish God), I am God; but if you do not attest to Me (nourish me with your behavior)  then I, as it were, am not God.

By definition, a witness is not simply someone who saw something, but someone who can also recount it, someone who by virtue of his testimony has attained a new awareness and is able to express it.  Our task as followers of the shepherd's instructions, as witnesses, is to maintain God’s presence in the world.  Without our worship, without our efforts and self-devotion, God is, as it were, not present in the world.

The shepherds’ guidance penetrates and becomes an intrinsic part of our daily lives. The princes act as a protection for our lives by operating on the outside...being doers of the Word.

All of the “princes” were prophets sent by God to direct Israel, with the exception of Jesse. Because they exist, the world in which they live is no longer the same. Perhaps nothing specific has changed, but, rather, the world as a whole is a different world because of their presence.  Using a scientific principle: we have the effects of electromagnetic forces (the shepherds) and the force of gravity (the princes). While heat and electricity create effects by sending waves out to an object, gravity affects the object simply because of its very existence.  Because gravity exists, it has an effect; nothing can escape it. So it is with these princes and so it it with us!

Did you notice among the eight princes we have listed the Messiah? Even though the Messiah hasn't manifest Himself fully in the world (part 2 is coming soon :-), the very belief in the coming of the Messiah is a motivating force, our world looks different because we expect him. Hence, the Messiah is not a prince of the present, but the final prince of the future; our Prince of Peace!

With Micah 5:4, we see both the internal and external workings of God's ways through the people in our lives and we can see that we are to witness of these truths and individuals with our lives for the reality of God's presence on this earth.

This is the essence of the 8 days of Hanukkah! When we invite the seven shepherds and the eight princes (one to come) into our feast of dedication/Hanukkah,  we join their inner influence with the surrounding influence of the Clouds of Glory. May it be true of us this season of dedication. Let your light shine!

More to come, tomorrow.

Shalom!
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