Did you know that there are holidays in the Bible? This post will delve into what those holidays are, which we are told by the Creator to keep, which are manmade, and where we see those in Scripture. We will also examine how the Biblical holidays tell of the work of the Messiah and the Gospel story.
Are there holidays in the Bible? I grew up in a Christian community and I had a vague notion that the holidays our world was centered around were somewhere in the Bible. Easter, Christmas, Lent, Advent...they were all in there somewhere, right? It took me a long time to realize that while there are holidays in the Bible, the ones I was used to were manmade.
What holidays are in the Bible?
There are many holidays in Scripture. They are special times that God created and expressly told his people to celebrate for all generations. YHWH made these holidays to be gifts for us that we would benefit from.
These holidays are:
-The weekly Sabbath.
-Passover.
-The Feast of Unleavened Bread (one week)
-First Fruits (which is during Unleavened Bread)
-Shavuot/Pentecost
-The Feast of Trumpets
-The Day of Cleansing
-The Feast of Tabernacles (eight days)
We should also note that while the Bible commands the above holidays to be kept and remembered, other holidays are mentioned anecdotally, without any such directive.
What other holidays are mentioned in the Bible?
-Purim. The book of Esther talks about the events of the story being commemorated as an annual holiday.
-Hanukkah. There is some debate if what is called the "Feast of Dedication" in John 10 actually meant Hanukkah or if that indicated the final day of Tabernacles. If John 10 is about Hanukkah, it is the only reference to it we see in Scripture.
Again, it's important to distinguish that holidays like Passover were first described to the Israelites by YHWH himself. He expressly told people to take part in them, and keeping Sabbath days is one of the ten commandments. Whereas Purim, Hanukkah, and so forth came along years and years later, as man's way of remembering special events.
Are birthdays in the Bible?
The Bible does mention a couple of birthday celebrations...rather ominously. In Genesis 40:20, Pharaoh hosts a birthday feast for himself and he ends up executing the chief baker - just as Joseph had interpreted from a dream while in prison.
The next birthday party we see in Scripture is for King Herod in Matthew 14:6, and Mark 6:21. This time it was John the Baptist who was beheaded, as requested by Herodias, the stepdaughter of Herod.
It's also possible that when Job's children were killed they had been gathered together to celebrate a birthday. (Job 1:4, 1:18-19)
What does the Bible say about celebrating holidays?
Scripture talks repeatedly about taking part in the feasts and remembering the holidays the Creator gave us. Moreover, it records YHWH himself as commanding his people to keep celebrating them throughout their generations. Notably, the Bible refers to the Creator's holidays as times of joy.
When it comes to other holidays, ones that are manmade or part of our culture, Scripture does not record a blanket ban or acceptance of them. Before taking in part in a holiday, even when our intent is to honor YHWH, we should examine if the customs and origins of that celebration fit with what the Bible tells us about how we behave and specifically, that we shouldn't mix in cultural customs into our worship of God.
Here's an easy example:
In our culture, it's common have bachelor/bachelorette parties before someone gets married. While there is nothing unbiblical about celebrating a bride or groom to be, will the events of that party be godly or not? If a group of friends wants to go out to dinner, catch a baseball game, hang out on the beach, take a cooking class or so forth...there's nothing inherently wrong with doing so to celebrate their friend. But obviously, there are plenty parties where drunkenness and other poor choices run rampant and there's nothing godly or Biblical about those sorts of actions.
Here's a less easy example:
There is nothing in the Bible that says we can't remember the birth of Jesus and be thankful that it happened. There's nothing in the Bible against gathering with loved ones, having a festive meal, and giving gifts. But there is a problem if our festivities turn into an excuse for greed and gluttony, or involve customs that Scripture warns against (in the case of Christmas, decorating trees indoors, the traditional Christmas ham, or lying about things like Santa Claus or when the Messiah was actually born).
There are plenty of things worth celebrating that don't violate the commandments we are given in Scripture. But we need to be careful that it's not just our intentions that honor God - but that our actions do so as well.
What's special about the Bible holidays?
Each Bible holiday has a purpose behind it! Every single one has a deep amount of spiritual depth...and the most significant events that the Bible records are connected to these holidays in some way. Want proof?
Jesus was resurrected on First Fruits, during Unleavened Bread.
Jesus was crucified on Passover.
The Holy Spirit was poured out on believers on Shavuot.
The Jubilee years were announced on the Day of Cleansing.
The Red Sea was parted during Unleavened Bread.
The Israelites were freed from slavery on Passover.
It goes on.
When you celebrate these holidays, you are remembering the amazing things that God did on these days. And in these holidays we can see the Gospel story...that Jesus died for our freedom, rose again, that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, and one day he will return and dwell among his people! The holidays are opportunities to praise YHWH and worship him for the miracles he has done.
Want to learn more about the Bible holidays?
Check out these posts:
The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays
Why You Should Keep the Biblical Holidays
The Beginner's Guide to Passover
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment