As I look out my window, with the leaves falling, temps a bit cooler, I’m aware that the Gregorian calendric month of November is now upon us. This past Sunday, November 3, Daylight Savings Time ended here in the United States. It’s a time of change so to speak.

Having just returned from God’s appointed Feast of Tabernacles and Eighth Day are we focused on being dedicated to continuing to change and become more like our Father and His Son Jesus Christ?

On November 27, the month Kislev (or Keslev) will begin at sunset. The daylight portion takes place on November 28 on the Gregorian calendar. Kislev is the ninth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, corresponding to parts of November and December.

The 24th day of Kislev is significant in history. In 167 BCE – Keslev 24 – Antiochus Epiphanes offered swine’s blood and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. In 164 BCE – Keslev 24 – the Temple was cleansed and rededicated under Maccabees.

Although not commanded to observe certain days kept by the Jews, when we speak of “dedication” the following may be of interest.

[The following is from the 2000 World Book (electronic version)]

“Hanukkah, is the Jewish Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication.  The Hebrew word hanukkah (also written Hannuka or Chanukah) means dedication.  The Hanukkah holiday begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and lasts eight days. On the first evening, one candle is lighted in a special eight-branched candelabrum called a menorah or hanukkiyah.  Beginning on the second night, one candle is added every night until the total reaches eight on the last night.  The candles are lighted by a separate candle called a shamash. The two books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha tell the story of Hanukkah.

“According to the Talmud, written many centuries after the event, when the Jews cleaned the Temple of Syrian idols, they found only one small cruse of oil with which to light their holy lamps.  But miraculously, the cruse provided them with oil for eight days.  Other sources tell of a torchlight parade in the Temple, which may also have contributed to the tradition of lighting candles on Hanukkah.”

J.R. Church in his Prophecy in the News, November, 2000, brought out that approximately 2500 years elapsed from the events in Haggai 2 (Keslev 24, 520 BCE) to Keslev 24, 2000 when Gershon Salomon of the Temple Mount Faithful made plans to lay a symbolic Temple cornerstone during Feast of Lights. He also mentioned that John 10 records that Jesus announced that He was Deity on Keslev 24 at Feast of Lights. Also, on December 9, 1917 General Allenby took Jerusalem and the Turks surrendered on Keslev 24.

Whether the above events were historical happenstance or part of guided events, we can’t be completely sure. My point is simply to point out that repentance and dedication of one’s life has always been a part of human history as I’ll comment below.

There are some significant events recorded in Scripture that took place at that time of the Kislev, the ninth month. Ezra 10 records the repentance of the men assembled at the encouragement of Ezra. They had wrongly married pagan wives. Between the 20th day of the ninth month (v.9) and the first day of the tenth month (v.16) they made plans to come together to consider how to deal with the situation. This was a time of confession, repentance and change.

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet. (Hag 2:10) The Lord directs Haggai to consider the curses that have been present for some time and that had been imposed because they had neglected the work of rebuilding the temple. God states that from that day forward He would bless them (v.19) because they were now committed to do His work. The word of the Lord came to Haggai again on Kislev 24 and this message is just as important for you and me today.

God is deeply concerned about you and me rebuilding His Spiritual Temple! That spiritual temple involves you and me repenting and yielding ourselves to Him, His Word, and His Spirit. It’s a critical time in human history to be rededicating and building our Father’s House, not our own.

…as I close this letter, as I do every Friday evening…as we enter His Sabbath…reflect on this with me, will you?

And again, may God continue to richly bless you. Our prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Please do pray for us as well.