30 Kislev — Who Will You Serve?
Today is the last day of Kislev and the sixth day of Hanukkah. We’ve been addressing the story of Hanukkah because it is a microcosm of a greater message we see consistently throughout the Scriptures. Specifically, it is a story describing the struggle between two...
Daily Bread — Tuesday, December 31, 2024
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28) In most rabbinical writings, commentators go to great lengths to...
29 Kislev — Those Who Endure Will Overcome
It was on this day in 1496 that King Manuel I of Portugal ordered the expulsion of all Jews from his country. If you remember your history, this was just a few short years after Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain had done the same thing. Manuel’s queen was also named...
Daily Bread — Monday, December 30, 2024
I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! (Psalm 22:22-23) Whether this psalm is to be viewed from...
28 Kislev — Abomination of Desolation
Today is the fourth day of Hanukkah. When Antiochus IV ordered the erection of an idol in the court of the Temple of God followed by pagan sacrifices upon the altar, many in that era and beyond believed it to be a fulfillment of a prophecy from the book of Daniel. ...
Daily Bread — Sunday, December 29, 2024
For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22:16-18) In previous...
27 Kislev — Who’s Going To Say, “That’s Enough”?
Today is the third day of Hanukkah. As we have already shared, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple after it had been defiled by the Greeks under Antiochus IV, also known as Epiphanes. It was in the year 168 B.C. that the first pagan sacrifice was...
Daily Bread — Saturday, December 28, 2024
I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. (Psalm 22:14-15) The Bible says that “a...
26 Kislev — Should We or Shouldn’t We?
Today let’s address the issue of whether or not believers in Messiah should keep Hanukkah. Some would say that we shouldn’t because, it’s a Jewish holiday and is not biblically mandated. It is true that is not a holiday that is commanded in Scripture but was...
Daily Bread — Friday, December 27, 2024
Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. (Psalm 22:11-13) The area known as Bashan, located in the...
25 Kislev — Rededicating the Temple
Today is the 25th day of Kislev, the first day of Hanukkah, and it was on this day according to tradition, that construction of the Tabernacle of Moses was completed. It is also believed that on this day the first pagan sacrifice was offered on the altar of Zeus in...
Daily Bread — Thursday, December 26, 2024
But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. (Psalm 22:9-10) Many rabbinical commentators interpret these verses to speak primarily of Israel as...