A psalm for the dedication of the temple. Of David.
I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
— Psalm 30:1
Today is the first day of Chanukah, also known as the
Festival of Lights, a celebration of two miracles: the victory of the Jews over
the Greeks and the single flask of oil that kept the Temple menorah burning for
eight days.
The Jews commemorate the Jewish victory over the Greeks more than 2,000 years ago. Let’s
take a moment to understand what the word Chanukah means and what it tells us about the
holiday we are celebrating.
If we divide the word in half, we get two
Hebrew words:
Chanu, which means “they rested,” and
kah, which is composed of the Hebrew
letters that correspond to the number 25.
Based on that,
the meaning of the word becomes “they rested on the 25th.” Indeed, the fighting
with the Greeks came to a stop on the 25th of
the Hebrew month Kislev
(the Gentile months of November and December). It was on that day
that a major battle was won and the people rested.
It was also on the 25th that the Jews joyfully marched to the
newly re-captured Temple, ready to begin the Temple service again. We can
imagine their disappointment as they opened the Temple doors and discovered
that the House of God was in shambles. The place of utmost purity was utterly
defiled. They realized that the Temple needed more than some cleaning; it
needed a complete renewal – a rededication.
On the 25th of Kislev, the Jewish people decided to
rise up from the ruins and renew all that had been destroyed. They decided to
recommit to their ideals and realign themselves with God. The literal meaning
of the word Chanukah is “dedication”; however,
the Temple had already been dedicated. On this day, the word Chanukah meant “re-dedication.” It signified a complete renewal.
Psalm 30, which we read on Chanukah, begins, “A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of
David.” The word used in the verse for “dedication” is Chanukah. However, David never
dedicated a Temple. It was his son Solomon who built the Temple and dedicated
it. David wrote this this psalm prophetically foreshadowing future Temple
dedications and David also meant this psalm for himself. David had just healed
from an acute illness when he penned this psalm. The “temple” in the psalm is David’s body,
the home of his godly soul. In this psalm David re-dedicated his body to God.
David rose from his devastating illness and recommitted to living a Godly life.
He renewed his dedication to serving God.
Chanukah is a wonderful time to recommit
ourselves to our ideals and values. No matter what may have happened in our
lives during recent months, we can start fresh today. We can rededicate
ourselves to serving God, even among the shambles of our lives. We can give
ourselves to Him anew, and through Him, become renewed.
Shalom
Your Watchman on
the Wall
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