The only winter celebration mentioned in the Gospels is the festival of Dedication, or Chanukah. Yeshua was at the Temple during that eight-day celebration and stated boldly, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). This caps a string of clashes between Yeshua and certain religious leaders — recorded in John 7-10 and covering a two-month period from Sukkot, or the festival of Tabernacles, to Chanukah — over whether Yeshua was the Messiah.
The seemingly strange account of Abram and Sarai faking out Pharaoh is a microcosm of the later Exodus account. Abram and the descendants of Israel initially were welcomed and exalted, but then they were seen as a curse and told to leave, sent away with many gifts and riches.
Continuing the 1st Kings 7 exploration of the lessons of the design of the temple Solomon built for God, we see a division of copper and gold items. The lesson of copper in the outer temple area and gold in the inner temple area is God wants to clean us by moving us from the world of the Snake to God’s world.
Just as Nimrod tried to unite people into one nation whose evil inclinations are propelled by endless innovation, people will try to unite again. Just as God confounded Nimrod’s confederation, God will confound the Babylonian confederation again. This is one of the lessons of the book of Revelation.
Many ask something like, “Why do the good die young and the evil seem to live forever?” Yeshua answered two questions about whether sin brought on two tragedies at that time by saying those weren’t punishment for sin, but all need to take notice that a big disaster for Israel — Rome’s destruction of Yerushalayim — was coming and need turn back to God.
Like with the names of the descendants of Noach’s son Yafet, those of his son Ham are testimonies of what God has done, is doing and will do to prepare for the coming of God’s Kingdom. That kingdom clashed with the first human kingdom, that of Nimrod.
Continuing the lessons from the items in the temple Solomon built for God, we look at the washing basins and see a parallel between the design elements and the role of God’s Spirit in cleaning the lives of believers and our role in that.