Certainly at the end of my life I will carry with me a
name that carries with it retribution or mercy...I hope for the latter. I must
admit as I grow older these verses certainly do carry with it my life and what I
have done and what kind of name I will carry to my grave. And that I must be
held accountable for. How do my own children view me and of course others who
have known me through the years.
Birthdays of course are to be avoided
especially as I grow older.(ha) They of couse remind me of things I have not
done; things I wish I would have done and things I have done, especially things
that I have done to cause hurt.May God have mercy on me.
Birthdays to others are
a celebration. Of what? Well of life. Of remembrance of that special day when a
miracle happened you were born. A oneness of two into one. A miracle. That being
said; how do I view the celebration of birthdays and more importantly how does
God view the celebration of one's birth?
Well, our advocate the Christ as far as
I know did not celebrate his birthday nor did he ascribe others to do so not in
command nor in the narrative of his life. Nor in the immediate historical
evidence of his followers. So how should I feel about my own birthday and those
of my children and my grandchildren. I will leave that with others to examine on
there own. But here is some additional information to help to see our way on
this matter of birthdays and the celebration of birthdays. Let it be said that
others may disagree. And I give them that. Out of respect. But here goes....
The
day or anniversary of one’s birth; in Hebrew, yohm hul•leʹdheth (gen.40.20)and
in Greek, ge•neʹsi•a (Matt.14.6, mk 6.21) The Hebrews kept records of the year
one was born, as the Bible’s genealogical and chronological data reveal.
(Num.1.2,3;Josh. 14.10, 2Chron. 31.16,17)) The ages of Levites, priests, and
kings were not left to guesswork. (Num. 4.3;8.23-25; 2Ki. 11-21; 15.2; 18.2))
This was also true in the case of Jesus.—Lk. 2.21,22,42;3.23
According to the
Scriptures, the day the baby was born was usually one of rejoicing and
thanksgiving on the part of the parents, and rightly so, for “look! Sons are an
inheritance from Jehovah; the fruitage of the belly is a reward.” (Ps. 127.3;
Jer.20.15; Lk1.57,58) However, there is no indication in the Scriptures that
faithful worshipers of Jehovah ever indulged in the pagan practice of annually
celebrating birthdays. The Bible makes direct reference to only two birthday
celebrations, those of Pharaoh of Egypt (18th century B.C.E.) and Herod Antipas
(1st century C.E.). These two accounts are similar in that both occasions were
marked with great feasting and granting of favors; both are remembered for
executions, the beheading of Pharaoh’s chief baker in the first instance, the
beheading of John the Baptizer in the latter.—Gen.40.18-22; 41.13; Mt14.6-11;
Mk6.21-28.
With the introduction of Christianity the viewpoint toward birthday
celebrations did not change. Jesus inaugurated a binding Memorial, not of his
birth, but of his death, saying: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Lk.
22.19)
If early Christians did not celebrate or memorialize the birthday of
their Savior, much less would they celebrate their own day of birth.
Historian
Augustus Neander writes: “The notion of a birthday festival was far from the
ideas of the Christians of this period.” (The History of the Christian Religion
and Church, During the Three First Centuries, translated by H. J. Rose, 1848, p.
190)
“Origen [a writer of the third century C.E.] . . . insists that ‘of all the
holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a
great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who
make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world
below.’”—The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913, Vol. X, p. 709.
Clearly, then, the
festive celebration of birthdays does not find its origin in either the Hebrew
or the Greek Scriptures.
Additionally, M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia (1882,
Vol. I, p. 817) says the Jews “regarded birthday celebrations as parts of
idolatrous worship . . . , and this probably on account of the idolatrous rites
with which they were observed in honor of those who were regarded as the patron
gods of the day on which the party was born.”
"The later Hebrews looked on the
celebration of birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be
abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with
these days."—The Imperial Bible-Dictionary (London, 1874), edited by Patrick
Fairbairn, Vol. I, p. 225
“Early Christians [from time of Christ until the 4th
century] frowned on [celebrating anyone’s birthday], which was too closely
linked with pagan customs to be given the approval of the church.” - How It
Started, Garrison, copyright 1972 by Abingdon Press, p. 213 The Christian Book
of Why, by Dr. John C. McCollister
(Lutheran minister and university professor,
graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary), Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1983,
tells us on p. 205: "Christians of the first century did not celebrate the
festival honoring the birth of Jesus - for the same reason they honored no other
birthday anniversary. It was the feeling at that time by ALL Christians that the
celebration of all birthdays (even the Lords) was a custom of the PAGANS.
In an
effort to divorce themselves from ALL pagan practices, the early Christians
refused to set aside a date marking Jesus' birth. As a result, the first
celebration of Christmas by Christians did not take place until the fourth
century."
The Jews themselves never celebrated birthdays until long after the
death of Jesus. They considered it a purely pagan custom and detestable to the
God they worshiped. Jesus and his Apostles continued this belief and so did
their followers for centuries.
Likewise, just as the early Christians, Jehovah's
Witnesses today view these things seriously because they are aware that Jehovah
God views these things very seriously. (Lev. 19:2)
God Himself said: "You must
not have any other gods against my face. Because I Jehovah your God am a God
exacting exclusive devotion." (Ex. 20:1-5) NWT
If pagan ceremonies, customs, god
names, etc. are really mixed in with ceremonies, customs, etc. that we use
today, they are not merely unacceptable - - - they are detestable to God. We
must completely get away from these unclean things and not even "touch" them:
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean
thing, and I will receive you." - 2 Cor. 6:17.
Notice how exclusive the worship
of God must be: "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke
the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." - Exodus 23:13,
NIVSB.
