Miketz
Genesis 44:1-44:17
Chanukah<=
/o:p>
C=
hanukah is
the holiday when Jewish people around the world remember the victory of the=
Maccabees over the Syrians in 165BCE (before the commen era). Their fight=
was
for the right to worship and live in a distinctly Jewish way. The goal of t=
he
opposing forces was for the Jewish people to conform to the culture of the =
day
known as Hellenism. The Syrians had captured the Temple and desecrated it with the sacri=
fice
of pigs and the erection of statues of Greek gods. The Hellenists wanted the
Jewish people to assimilate not only in the Temple worship but also in everyday lif=
e. The
victory of the Maccabees was a victory for the
uniqueness of the Jewish people. All the way back in the Torah we read that=
the
Jewish people were never to identify with the people of the lands in which =
they
lived. (Leviticus 18:3) You shall not do what is done in the <=
st1:PlaceType
w:st=3D"on">land of Egypt
where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan
where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <=
/i>
=
L=
ong
before the Jewish people were redeemed out of Egypt,
Joseph was living in Egypt.
While there may have been a level of assimilation (his wife, his name), God
revealed Himself to the Egyptians through Joseph. In our Torah portion this
week we see the uniqueness of Joseph in his ability to interpret the dreams=
of
the Pharoah. In doing so, he testifies that it =
is the
God of Israel who reveals these things. This is very similar to the situati=
on
of Daniel – being able to interpret the dreams of the king because of=
his relationshi=
p
with God. The reason why Jose=
ph as
well as the rest of the
Jewish people are called to be a separated people is because =
the
basis of this uniqueness is found in the covenant relationship that Israel
has with God. The Bible, when referring to this unique relationship, calls =
Israel a
“peculiar” people (KJV). The Hebrew word for “peculiar=
221;
is “segulah” meaning a treasured
possession. As a “segulah”, the lif=
e of Israel =
is to be
unique – not like the other nations. Joseph serves as a good example =
of
this uniqueness. When confronted with a proposition from the wife of Potifar, Joseph says, “How
then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" When Joseph =
is
called before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, Joseph says, (Genesis 41:16<=
span
class=3DGramE>) "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh=
a
favorable answer." (Genesis 41:25)
God has told to Pharaoh w=
hat He
is about to do. Joseph testifies that the God of Israel is the revealer of
secrets. He is more powerful than the seers and magicians in Egypt.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> In this way, Joseph stood out as d=
ifferent
from the rest of the people.
<=
o:p>
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> This Torah portion is appropriate f=
or
Chanukah because Chanukah is the reminder of this calling to be unique. But there are other important less=
ons
that the Torah portion and Chanukah teach us. Besides the uniqueness of the
calling is the value of the cal=
ling.
Joseph paid a price for remaining faithful to God. As a result of withstanding the wi=
fe of Potifar, Joseph is taken to prison. For Joseph, his
accountability to God was more important than what any man could do to him.
When the Maccabees revolted against the Syrians=
, it
took several years for the victory to be won. Many people died in this batt=
le.
Evidently some things are worth dying for. In 2Maccabees 7 we read the stor=
y of
Hannah and her seven sons. Each of her sons was martyred because they would=
not
worship a false god. Finally the mother died as well. The story is told in
order to illustrate the courage to die for what is right.
<=
o:p>
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> As messianic
believers, we need to be reminded of the faithfulness of Joseph as well as =
the
faithfulness of the Maccabees to be different; =
to
value what is right; to bear whatever consequences come our way when we tak=
e a
stand for the God of Israel. =
Yeshua
said that we would be persecuted like the prophets: Matt.5:11-12 "Blessed
are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds =
of
evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12 "Rejoice, and be
glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who
were before you. Paul sai=
d to
young Timothy (2 Timothy 3:12) And indeed, all who desire t=
o live
godly in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted.
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The question may=
be
raised, “what is so unique about standing up for one’s beliefs?=
”. Throughout history, many groups of people hav=
e died
for a cause.” However, =
there
is a difference. In the traditional Chanukah Haftorah<=
/span>
portion we read in Zech. 4:6 “… 6 Then he answered=
and
said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zeru=
bbabel
saying, n=
ot
by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. The cont=
ext
of the statement is that the T=
emple
will indeed be rebuilt by the power of God. The “odds” were aga=
inst
them but the prophet encouraged them by telling them that the power of God
coupled with their obedience would bring about the rebuilding of the Temple. The reason that this portion of
Scripture is read on Chanukah is to remind us that the Maccabees
were victorious because of the power of God working through their obedience
– not their own might. As messianic believers, the Holy Spirit is at =
work
– even when we are persecuted. The power of God is at work in everyth=
ing
that we do. When we are obedient to God, He will accomplish much through our
testimony of loyalty and courage. There is nothing we do as believers that =
the
Holy Spirit does not empower. This was not true only of the past and it is =
not
only true today but it also speaks of the future. In Zech. 12:8-10 we read Zechariah<=
/span>
12:8-10 "In that da=
y the
LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the
house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 9 "And it will come
about in that day that I will set about to destroy all the nations that come
against Jerusalem<=
/st1:City>. 10 "And I will pou=
r out
on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of gr=
ace
and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; a=
nd
they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep
bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. In verse =
8 we
read that Israel
will become very powerful as the Lord returns. The victory at Armageddon wi=
ll
be “not by might nor by power but by My spirit says the Lord =
of
Hosts.
<=
o:p>
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Finally as Rabbi=
Beryl
Wine said in a d’rash for Chanukah, ̶=
0;For Chanuka not only commemorates our past, it is meant to
illustrate our future… For Chanuka declar=
es
clearly that there is a God in the world, that there are basic principles of
faith and godly behavior that are worth great sacrifices, that a little lig=
ht
can overcome a sea of darkness and that God demands a certain greatness from
the Jewish people and He will perform miracles to guarantee human realizati=
on of
His presence in world events.
<=
o:p>
W=
hat
Rabbi Wine declares about the Jewish people is true of all who believe in t=
he
Messiah of Israel. May this
Chanukah be the beginning of a dedicated and devoted life to God.
In this new year may we experience the power of God working through our
obedience accomplish much.
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Shabbat Shalom!
<=
o:p>
<=
o:p>
<=
o:p>