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Channukah begins at sundown on Sunday November 28th, and will be observed for eight days – concluding on Monday December 6th.
If you are not familiar with Channukah and why it’s celebrated each year by Jews the world over, you really should take the time to read the articles Chanukah – חנוכה – Part One and Chanukah – חנוכה – Part Two. The history behind this festival is truly prolific and worthy of remembrance and honor by every believer regardless of their biological lineage.
I have, on several occasions, pointed to the pages of scripture and identified those I call “biblical bad-asses“. It should surprise no one that I personally count Judah Maccabee among those bad-assess. Like those who had gone before him, Judah did not shrink from a fight, but instead stood against wickedness, upheld righteousness, defended the persecuted and freed the oppressed. If you can’t read the story of the Maccabees and see the hand of God almighty directing the steps of Judah at every turn… well then I’ve got nothing for you, because you’d have to be blind.
Buckle up.
I find it interesting that, as I sit writing this article, well in advance of the celebration of Channukah, I find my nation and society in a form of parallel situation to that of the Jewish people prior to the Maccabean revolt. I would remind you, the reader, that coincidence is not a ‘kosher’ word.
For some, this is a battle over religious liberty – and I most certainly understand their perspective – however, the fact stands that if we are having to battle over the freedom of religious observance and expression, then our personal liberties have already largely been taken away. To clarify; if personal freedom is acknowledged and honored, then aside from those belief systems which condone or require inflicting harm, freedom of religion would never even be challenged in the first place.
There are those within the larger church, who in the face of lock-downs, mask-mandates and now a – mandatory medical procedure – that would actively or passively decry disobedience. They do so, most often citing various passages of scripture which either instruct us to obey those in positions of authority, or at the very least, to simply trust that God is on the throne… and therein take little to no action.
Now, I could go about the arduous task of dredging up the various scriptures and addressing the theological arguments being put forth, but I honestly shouldn’t need to. You’re likely familiar with one or more of these and the general principles behind them – and they are true – but allow me to offer a different perspective…
God Appoints Rulers
… and He certainly does so, but let me ask you; do you not know what the definition of a usurper is? Am I beholden to obey an obviously wicked and godless ruler or should I obey the Word of the Living God and stand in defiance of unjust decrees?
- Was Adonijah not a son of David? Did he not, in the sight of men at least, have a claim to the throne? See 1 Kings chapter 1 for more on how that turned out.
- Was Ahab not King when the worship of Baal was instituted in Israel? Did Elijah not confront the King? Did he not refuse to follow wicked decrees and ultimately put 450 prophets of Baal to the sword? See 1 Kings chapter 18.
- Was Jezebel not a queen in the land when Jehu called to the eunuchs and had her thrown over the wall to her death? See 2 Kings chapter 9.
- Was Nebuchadnezzar not king when Hananyah, Azaryah and Mishael – otherwise know as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – refused to bow before the idol? See Daniel chapter 3.
- Were the priests not the spiritual authority in Israel when the apostles were told to stop preaching? Did Peter not respond to them that they “must obey God rather than people“? See Acts 5.
Folks, what we are seeing play out before us is unbridled wickedness and, in the process, those who call themselves by the name of the Messiah are being divided… sheep from goats. If you don’t see this, I suggest some self-reflection because you are sorely lacking in vision and discernment.
God Is On The Throne
… and He most certainly is, however that is not an excuse for His servants, His people to sit back and do nothing while wickedness abounds.
- Was God not on the throne when Haman set about the destruction of every Jew throughout the Persian Empire? Did Mordecai do nothing about this? Did Esther not risk her life to avert this? See the book of Esther.
- Was God not on the throne when the Seleucid Empire conquered Judeah? When Antiochus defiled the Holy Templed and proclaimed Zeus (and himself) to be God? Was His hand not upon Judah the Maccabee winning victory after victory? See the book of 1 Maccabees.
- Was God not on the throne during the Holocaust? Was it His will that six-million of His chosen people die horrifically? Do we not – to this very day – venerate voices like that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was executed for speaking out against the wickedness and injustice?
- Has God not been on the throne throughout the wholesale slaughter of sixty-million innocent children within their mother’s wombs just since Roe v. Wade and in the United States alone?
My point here is that if you, well-meaning though you may be, believe that we as the body of Messiah on the Earth, are just supposed to sit-back in silence and essentially do nothing and say nothing about the things that are taking place, even now… then I’m not sure we’re serving the same God?
No – really.
Spine Transplants… Again
I released a word, nearly twelve months ago called ‘Spine Transplants‘. In it, I addressed the fact that, within the body of believers, God was going about the work of strengthening men specifically and it is a work that continues to this day. See, there is a God-ordained order to things that the ‘world’ doesn’t like and, quite frankly, it’s time to tell the world to “suck rope and pound sand”. Enough is enough.
Yeshua, or Jesus if you prefer, is the head of the man – the man in turn is head of the wife and the wife is likewise head of the children and the household. That’s not some antiquated ideology, it’s a simple order that has served as the bedrock of moral society for thousands of years… yet I am supposed to believe that the vilification of all things masculine and the veritable worship of the almighty vagina are good things. This from a generation who can’t even seem to distinguish between male and female in the first place?
To be certain, you can dislike the biblical model of male and female, husband and wife, or the structure which scripture clearly indicates is the bedrock of family… but you cannot do this and claim that we worship the same God. We most assuredly do not. You likewise cannot sit back in silence while such ideology utterly decimates all reason and morality in your culture and claim that we worship the same God – once again, not even ‘kind of’. In fact, I’ll go so far as to tell you – straight-faced; if you are in either of the prior categories, you are bowing before the spirit of this age. Moreover, you’re doing it in direct defiance of the order of the King. It’s called commandment two. Have a look.
I had stated in the linked article (Spine Transplants) that Yeshua was the single most masculine figure to have ever existed – and that is no less true today than it has ever been. Folks, the fact is that the Godless have defiled the “altar” of family and now seek to further corrupt every other bit of our thinking and being. It’s not a stretch to compare this with the defilement of the Temple – in the court of gentiles no less – that brought about Yeshua’s response.
What I’m saying is, it’s time to braid whips and flip tables.
To clarify, this isn’t a call to violence; we don’t do that – but it’s a call to stand unabashedly for the truth in ALL things. It’s time for mighty men of God to INSIST upon morality and sanity. Like it or not, the fact is that God put the authority and the RESPONSIBILITY over the sanctity of family and, by extension, community on MEN. We cannot abdicate this and we can no longer shrink or abstain from the fight. We can no longer afford to remain silent or to simply wish to be “left alone”. I was that guy – once – so I get it, but our silence has come at great corporate and personal cost.
The once vaunted halls of learning and academia have become indoctrination centers for Godlessness, racism and tyranny. Our otherwise sane, moral, God-fearing children go off to Universities and come back hardly recognizable – having rejected their own beliefs wholesale or having had them mangled beyond recognition at a minimum. Racism is being taught openly while denying that it’s racism, or that it’s even being taught. Homosexuality, something God forbids and which scripture labels as an abomination, are actively promoted, marketed and foisted upon our children. Daughters have been raped in school bathrooms, while the schools attempt to hide it. Personal Liberty is being denied not only to us, but to future generations who will never know true freedom if this stands.
I could go on, but should I need to? Ready to flip any tables yet? This is what happens when we, God-fearing men abdicate our roles and responsibilities… the adversary is always happy to step up and fill the void. Precisely how bad does it have to get before we’ve all had enough? What has to happen for Godly, masculine men to rise up and say “enough is enough”? I mean – what’s holding us back? Are they going to put out mean tweets about us? Are they going to villainize us? Black-list us? Call us racists? Misogynists? Backwards? Rednecks? Ignorant? Stupid? Aren’t they already doing all of these things anyway?!
The Call
So what do we do? How exactly do we respond to the call that is so clearly ringing out throughout the men of the assembly?
“Hineni”, which means “Here I am”.
Everything we do, from the smallest to the biggest, has much farther reaching impact that we tend to grasp. Even a simple statement of truth in the face of an obvious falsehood makes a difference. Heck, just questioning the narrative can get others to actually think… a discipline I find sorely lacking these days.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who leverage considerable platforms in order to challenge the false-narratives being pushed on us, and they are many. If you, like myself, find yourself without a considerable platform you can still leverage what you do have – speaking up in local politics and school boards. Being willing to engage your coworkers on important matters and most importantly – being willing to speak the truth even when you know you will be castigated for it. Jesus didn’t tell you that following Him would make you popular.
It comes down to this y’all; either you care about what GOD thinks, or you care what the world thinks. You cannot have it both ways.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Matthew 6:24
Let them laugh.
Let them sneer.
Let them call you names; in doing so, they’ll only be speaking judgement over themselves.
The truth is, they think these things about you anyway. They already know you don’t agree, they just want you to shut up and be silent in your disagreement… and we’ve done that for decades ~ how’s that working?
I’ve said many times before “There’s ONE opinion in the entire universe that actually matters, and suck it up buttercup, it ain’t yours” – you get this right? You get that God’s is the one and only opinion that stands, right?
So, with that said, let me clue you in on what HE thinks about you… man of God:
God calls you faithful.
God calls you just.
God calls you true.
God calls you mighty.
God calls you His.
… If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
It’s time gentlemen – it’s time to rise up like Chanukite Warriors. It’s time to take back our families. It’s time to take back our communities. It’s time to take back our cultures and stand for the truth of Almighty God among our peoples. I promise you – if you step out in faith, God will meet you in it and nothing in Heaven or on Earth can stand against Him.
Be bold. Be Brave.
חזק ואמץ – Chazak V’Ematz – Be Strong and of Good Courage!
One last thought; chanukah, is ultimately a festival of restoration. We are being called to restore… right now. Still believe in coincidence?
Until next time,
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You