Messiah in Chanukkah Chapter 7
- Kislev Scripture Lesson #7: Appointed of GOD
- Now is the time for lifting up GOD
- “GOD is My Portion”
Kislev Scripture Lesson #7: Appointed of GOD:
ויהי בשנה החמשית ליהויקים בן־יאשיהו מלך־יהודה בחדש התשעי קראו צום לפני ה’ כל־העם בירושלם וכל־העם הבאים מערי יהודה בירושלם׃
וַיְהִ֣י בַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַ֠חֲמִשִׁית לִיהֹויָקִ֨ים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּ֤הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִ֔י קָרְא֨וּ צֹ֜ום לִפְנֵ֧י ה’ כָּל־הָעָ֖ם בִּירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְכָל־הָעָ֗ם הַבָּאִ֛ים מֵעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
Jeremiah 36:9: “Now in the fifth year of Yehoyakim, the son of Yoshiyahoo, king of Yehuda, in the ninth month (Kislev), all the people in Yerushalayim and all the people who came from the cities of Yehuda to Yerushalayim proclaimed a fast before Adonai.”
Now is the time for lifting up GOD:
In this Kislev event the prophecy of Yirmeyahoo (ירמיהו), Jeremiah, is rebelled against by the wicked King Yehoyakim, Jehoiakim, the son of Yoshiyaho, Josiah, the last king of Judah. The word of God was recorded by Baruch ben Neriyah (ברוך בן־נריה-“Blessed, Lamp of Adonai“) and on a day of fasting was proclaimed before the House of God to all the people of Judah. Thereafter, Baruch read the prophecy of Jeremiah to the king’s royal advisors who in turn convinced the king that he should get the scroll and have it read to him.
This is the time appointed for the men f Israel to lift up and set on high our God.
Jeremiah’s name (ירמיהו) means “Appointed of GOD.” The root word for appointed is “ruwm.” This word means to “lift up,” and to be “set on high.” Jeremiah’s hometown was *Anatoth (meaning below) in the territory of Benjamin; about three miles from Jerusalem. It was a city allocated by Joshua to the priests. In addition to being a prophet Jeremiah was a priest, the son of Hilkiah.
*The Hebrew root word of the term is anatot (ענתות). Ana (ענה) means to answer or respond or even to testify. This Hebrew term in total means answer to prayer. Kislev is the ninth month when the solution, answer (עַנָת-anat) to our prayers arrived—when our Messiah was conceived in the womb of the royal descendant of King David ben Judah—the Jewess Miryam.
Son of Hilkiah means “GOD is My Portion:”
God had delivered His Word to afford His people Israel an opportunity to hear about the disasters we would face if we did not turn from our wicked ways. However, if we the people of Israel did repent, then God promised to forgive us our wickedness.
Tragically the king of Judah refused to heed the warning!
Unfortunately for all Israel, the King of Judah, Jehoiakim (יהויקים-He whom Adonai Set-Up), refused to heed the warning and consequently no blood descendant of his ever sat on the throne of David for more than three months. Jehoiakim’s son *Jeconiah attempted to defy the curse but after only three months he was deposed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
*Jeconiah, also called Jehoiachin and “Coniah” (Jeremiah 22:24) was deported as part of the Babylonian captivity (Esther 2:6; 1 Chronicles 3:17).