Why does Jeremiah 10 discuss the current practice easily identified as Christmas as the way of the heathen?
Firstly it may be helpful to have the relevant verses:
1Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of
Israel: 2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and
be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are
dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one
cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the
workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold;
they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They
are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be
borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they
cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 6Forasmuch
as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy
name is great in might. 7Who would not fear thee, O King of
nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the
wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none
like unto thee. 8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the
stock is a doctrine of vanities. 9Silver spread into plates is
brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the
workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their
clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. 10But the LORD is
the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his
wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to
abide his indignation. 11Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that
have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish
from the earth, and from under these heavens. 12He hath made the
earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom,
and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13When he
uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he
maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his
treasures. 14Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder
is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is
falsehood, and there is no breath in them. 15They are vanity, and
the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall
perish. 16The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the
former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The
LORD of hosts is his name.
All are probably agreed that in its immediate context it applies
directly to idolatrous practices then prevalent in Israel. These
were viewed as a departure from the faith in the one true God who
is the almighty creator who is thus portrayed in various ways in
this passage. The contrast is between the almighty creator who is a
living God and the powerless works of men - the idols of wood which
people worshiped. Secondly it probably needs to be understood that
there are two main views on the above verses. One view would see
them as applying only to the time in which they were written and
thus having no relevance whatsoever to the practice of Christmas.
The other view would see them as being relevant. The second view is
primarily the one being spoken of in the question and so we need to
inquire as to why people see these practices as heathen and why
they related them to Christmas. Put simply, without going into
great detail, these practices were part of heathen idolatry which
worshiped what was created (things such as trees) and what man had
made (idols) rather than the one almighty God who had made them all
- or in man's case had given him the ability to make things. One
particular custom in the verses in Jeremiah which bears a
resemblance to the modern Christmas tree custom was the worship of
heathen idols in groves of trees, which apparently were adorned
with silver as part of the idolatrous worship. If the Christmas
tree customs are directly related to this heathen idol-worship then
basically such a view would hold that such modern Christmas customs
as decorating Christmas trees with silver tinsel are akin to
following pagan idols.
The main problem with this view is demonstrating that the two
are directly related. There are those who hold that having a
Christmas tree is a harmless custom and that to own one is not the
same as worshiping it. Others hold that, although the pagan rituals
may not be present directly, they are there by association, and so
such should be avoided.
In the end each person must make up his or her mind for
themselves. Christians of course realize that Jesus was not born on
December 25th anyway and so the whole materialistic idolatry and
gift giving of the modern western Christmas obscures the wonder of
the incarnation which it is supposed to commemorate. This is, in
the view of this poster, a far greater idolatry to be avoided. In
this sense the modern idolatry of worshiping the 'creature' or
material things rather than the maker of all is the temptation
faced by the current people of God and is no less a threat,
particularly in lands which have plenty.
