Birthdays and the Bible

[Not David]

Yep, that’s a no.

Hope you don't want me to get in trouble. I don't like to get reported for petty stuff.

 

[prodromos]

Yep, that’s a no.

He told you where to look. If you can't be bothered, that's on you.

 

[Mountainmike]

Related but not the same:
Our Jewish roots have always celebrated coming of age in such as bar mitzvah. You can only do that if you keep a good track of it!

 

[Kostas]

People try to go too deep with simple stuff imho, the celebration is a fun way to smile that you are one year older, that's all.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Hope you don't want me to get in trouble. I don't like to get reported for petty stuff.

Like bearing false witness?

He told you where to look. If you can't be bothered, that's on you.

I read the thread. No one there did what he stated. That’s on him.

 

[Not David]

Like bearing false witness?

I read the thread. No one there did what he stated. That’s on him.

Is that supposed to be your own interpretation?

 

[Phil 1:21]

Is that supposed to be your own interpretation?

No, a fact.

 

[All4Christ]

Related but not the same:
Our Jewish roots have always celebrated coming of age in such as bar mitzvah. You can only do that if you keep a good track of it!

Actually, that’s a more modern tradition. The Bar Mitzvah is from the Talmudic tradition. That said, there still was a coming of age time when they turned 20 for wars, etc.

 

[Blade]

For me...I could carless what someone or some group did be it any holidays. My Father made ALL.. He made the days. SO what some MAN or fallen angel said did on some day month.. does not have more power over the one that made all.

What Israel did and didn't do before Christ or after.. so what? The word makes it clear about letting others try to tell you what to do think what ever about Holidays. So.. ask your FATHER what HE thinks .. He LOVES TO GIVE...and He does even on your birthday. He LOVES YOU

 

[Rick Otto]

This is a question for those who believe everything has to come from the Bible: Why do you celebrate birthdays if those are also celebrated by pagan cultures and the few references to a birthday celebration are about heathens?

I DON'T!
They always felt like a ginned up ego trip to me.
Then I noticed the opening paragraph in Job, Herod's birthday gift to Salome,... nothing good about birthday celebrations in The Book.

 

[Rick Otto]

For the same reason that I defecate, despite the fact that the only Biblical references indicate heathens doing such things.

Judges 3:24

...because I feel like it.

Sounds like "Do what thou will".

 

[Rick Otto]

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke seem to put a lot of emphasis on the birth of Jesus Christ.

The birth is not the party.

 

[Rick Otto]

In the Orthodox Church it is actually traditional not to celebrate birthdays, but rather Name days. When children are baptised in the Church, they are usually given the name of a Saint (which is also often the name of one of their grandparents), and they celebrate every year on the feast day of the Saint they are named after. The celebrant provides some food and refreshment to well wishers who visit on the day. Rather than receiving gifts, they instead offer small gifts, usually of hospitality, in honour of their name Saint. It is not egocentric but rather God-centric, because it celebrates the life of someone who has "put on Christ" to a large degree.

Forgive me, but it just sounds celebration centric.

And yet some want to stumble others into not celebrating the birth of Christ.

As was commanded. Somewhere in scripture.

 

[Not David]

Forgive me, but it just sounds celebration centric.

As was commanded. Somewhere in scripture.

The Orthodox like to celebrate each other's accomplishment because they take the communion of saints really seriously.
God doesn't want us to be sorrow forever.

 

[Rick Otto]

The Orthodox like to celebrate each other's accomplishment because they take the communion of saints really seriously.
God doesn't want us to be sorrow forever.

Forgive me again, but "seriously" just sounds like "religiously".

 

[Not David]

Forgive me again, but "seriously" just sounds like "religiously".

Nothing wrong with that. Orthodox is part of Eastern Christianity which was always based on community, a great contrast with Western Christianity which relies on individualism.

 

[Rick Otto]

Nothing wrong with that. Orthodox is part of Eastern Christianity which was always based on community, a great contrast with Western Christianity which relies on individualism.

Mhm.
I always found respect for individuality to be what makes community trustworthy.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Related but not the same:
Our Jewish roots have always celebrated coming of age in such as bar mitzvah. You can only do that if you keep a good track of it!

Mark 5:23
begging Him to heal his daughter. Jairus: My daughter is dying, and she’s only 12 years old. Please come to my house. Just place Your hands on her. I know that if You do, she will live.

Luke 3:23
At this, the launch of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus was about 30 years old. He was assumed to be the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

Acts 4:21-22
The council threatened them again, but finally let them go because public opinion strongly supported Peter and John and this man who had received this miraculous sign. He was over 40 years old, so his situation was known to many people, and they couldn’t help but glorify God for his healing.

1 Timothy 5:9
Now only these should be put on the widow registry: a woman who is at least 60 years old, was a faithful wife to one husband,

Genesis 5 The Voice (VOICE)
5 Here now is the account of Adam’s descendants. You remember, when God created humans, He made them in His own likeness. 2 He created them male and female; and after creating them, God put a special blessing on them and named them “humanity.”

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son who looked just like him. He was Adam’s spitting image, and so resembled God too. Adam named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters as well. 5 So Adam was 930 years old when he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered a son named Enosh. 7 After Enosh was born, Seth lived another 807 years, and he also had other sons and daughters. 8 He was 912 years old when he died.

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered a son named Kenan. 10 After Kenan was born, Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters too. 11 He was 905 years old when he died.

12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered a son named Mahalalel. 13 After Mahalalel was born, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 14 He was 910 years old when he died.

15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered a son named Jared. 16 After Jared was born, Mahalalel lived another 830 years, and he, too, had other sons and daughters. 17 He was 895 years old when he died.

18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered a son named Enoch. 19 After Enoch was born, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 He was 962 years old when he died.

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered a son named Methuselah. 22 After Methuselah was born, Enoch lived in a close relationship with God for 300 more years; he also had other sons and daughters. 23 He lived to be 365 years old, 24 but Enoch had such a close and intimate relationship with God that one day he just vanished—God took him.

Enoch leaves this world in an unusual way. He is taken without experiencing death. But he is not the last.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered a son named Lamech. 26 After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he also had other sons and daughters. 27 He was 969 years old when he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 named Noah. He named him this because he predicted, “From out of the ground the Eternal cursed will now come someone who will bring relief from our work and painful toil.” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived another 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 31 He was 777 years old when he died.

32 Now by the time Noah was 500 years old, he had fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Exodus 6:18
Kohath’s sons—Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be 133 yearsold.

Numbers 1:3
Furthermore, those who are 20 years old or older shall be considered potential soldiers. Aaron can help you organize them into groups and record them as armies.

Joshua 14:7
I was 40 years old when Moses, the Eternal’s servant, sent me out from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I brought back an honest report.

Jeremiah 52:1
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. His reign in Jerusalem lasted for a total of 11 years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah

 

[Daniel Marsh]

The Orthodox like to celebrate each other's accomplishment because they take the communion of saints really seriously.
God doesn't want us to be sorrow forever.

Hi David, my whole point is, We celebrate and recognize each others accomplishments.

Hebrews 11 The Voice (VOICE)
11 Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. 2 It was by faith that our forebears were approved. 3 Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.

Faith begins as hope and indeed is unseen; so many doubt that it is real. What follows is the proof that faith is a reality that can be trusted.

4 By faith Abel presented to God a sacrifice more acceptable than his brotherCain’s. By faith Abel learned he was righteous, as God Himself testified by approving his offering. And by faith he still speaks, although his voice was silenced by death.

5 By faith Enoch was carried up into heaven so that he did not see death; no one could find him because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, it was said of him that he had pleased God. 6 Without faith no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.

7 By faith Noah respected God’s warning regarding the flood—the likes ofwhich no one had ever seen—and built an ark that saved his family. In this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham heard God’s call to travel to a place he would one day receive as an inheritance; and he obeyed, not knowing where God’s call would take him. 9 By faith he journeyed to the land of the promise as a foreigner; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, his fellow heirs to the promise 10 because Abraham looked ahead to a city with foundations, a city laid out and built by God.

11 By faith Abraham’s wife Sarah became fertile long after menopause because she believed God would be faithful to His promise. 12 So from this man, who was almost at death’s door, God brought forth descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as impossible to count as the sands of the shore.

13 All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth 14 because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. 15 If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. 16 But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he endured God’s testing, offered his beloved sonIsaac as a sacrifice. The one who had received God’s promise was willing to offer his only son; 18 God had told him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will bear your name,” 19 and he concluded that God was capable of raising him from the dead, which, figuratively, is indeed what happened.

20 By faith Isaac spoke blessings upon his sons, Jacob and Esau, concerning things yet to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed the sons of his son Joseph, bowing in worship as he leaned upon his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, at his life’s end, predicted that the children of Israel would make an exodus from Egypt; and he gave instructions that his bones be buried in the land they would someday reach.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw that he was handsome; and they did not fear Pharaoh’s directive that all male Hebrew children were to be slain.

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be identified solely as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose instead to share the sufferings of the people of God, not just living in sin and ease for a time. 26 He considered the abuse that he and the people of God had suffered in anticipation of the Anointed One more valuable than all the riches of Egypt because he looked ahead to the coming reward.

27 By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of Pharaoh’s wrath and moving forward as though he could see the invisible God. 28 Through faith, he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts among the Hebrews so that the destroyer of the firstborn would pass over their homes without harming them. 29 By faith the people crossed through the Red Sea as if they were walking on dry land, although the pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned when they tried to follow.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho toppled after the people had circled them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed the Hebrew spies into her home so that she did not perish with the unbelievers.

32 I could speak more of faith; I could talk until time itself ran out. If I continued, I could speak of the examples of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and all the prophets. 33 I could give accounts of people alive with faith who conquered kingdoms, brought justice, obtained promises, and closed the mouths of hungry lions. 34 I could tell you how people of faith doused raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword, made the weak strong, and—stoking great valor among the champions of God—sent opposing armies into panicked flight.

35 I could speak of faith bringing women their loved ones back from death and how the faithful accepted torture instead of earthly deliverance because they believed they would obtain a better life in the resurrection. 36 Others suffered mockery and whippings; they were placed in chains and in prisons. 37 The faithful were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, clothed only in sheepskins and goatskins; they were penniless, afflicted, and tormented. 38 The world was not worthy of these saints. They wandered across deserts, crossed mountains, and lived in the caves, cracks, and crevasses of the earth.

Stories of faith and faithfulness are central to the First Testament. The writer of Hebrews recalls some of the most memorable examples of how people of faith lived their lives. But what is faith? Faith is more than belief; it is trust, assurance, and firm conviction. Ironically most of those who lived by faith never fully realized the promises God had made. Like us they journeyed as strangers and exiles, longing for another country. We should remember their patient faith when we face prolonged hardships and allow the trials we face to strengthen our faith rather than destroy it. If we are comfortable here and don’t face suffering for our faith, perhaps we aren’t fully living by faith and looking forward to a future hope.

39 These, though commended by God for their great faith, did not receive what was promised. 40 That promise has awaited us, who receive the better thing that God has provided in these last days, so that with us, our forebears might finally see the promise completed.

 

[Not David]

Hi David, my whole point is, We celebrate and recognize each others accomplishments.

Hebrews 11 The Voice (VOICE)
11 Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. 2 It was by faith that our forebears were approved. 3 Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.

Faith begins as hope and indeed is unseen; so many doubt that it is real. What follows is the proof that faith is a reality that can be trusted.

4 By faith Abel presented to God a sacrifice more acceptable than his brotherCain’s. By faith Abel learned he was righteous, as God Himself testified by approving his offering. And by faith he still speaks, although his voice was silenced by death.

5 By faith Enoch was carried up into heaven so that he did not see death; no one could find him because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, it was said of him that he had pleased God. 6 Without faith no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.

7 By faith Noah respected God’s warning regarding the flood—the likes ofwhich no one had ever seen—and built an ark that saved his family. In this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham heard God’s call to travel to a place he would one day receive as an inheritance; and he obeyed, not knowing where God’s call would take him. 9 By faith he journeyed to the land of the promise as a foreigner; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, his fellow heirs to the promise 10 because Abraham looked ahead to a city with foundations, a city laid out and built by God.

11 By faith Abraham’s wife Sarah became fertile long after menopause because she believed God would be faithful to His promise. 12 So from this man, who was almost at death’s door, God brought forth descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as impossible to count as the sands of the shore.

13 All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth 14 because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. 15 If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. 16 But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he endured God’s testing, offered his beloved sonIsaac as a sacrifice. The one who had received God’s promise was willing to offer his only son; 18 God had told him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will bear your name,” 19 and he concluded that God was capable of raising him from the dead, which, figuratively, is indeed what happened.

20 By faith Isaac spoke blessings upon his sons, Jacob and Esau, concerning things yet to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed the sons of his son Joseph, bowing in worship as he leaned upon his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, at his life’s end, predicted that the children of Israel would make an exodus from Egypt; and he gave instructions that his bones be buried in the land they would someday reach.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw that he was handsome; and they did not fear Pharaoh’s directive that all male Hebrew children were to be slain.

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be identified solely as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose instead to share the sufferings of the people of God, not just living in sin and ease for a time. 26 He considered the abuse that he and the people of God had suffered in anticipation of the Anointed One more valuable than all the riches of Egypt because he looked ahead to the coming reward.

27 By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of Pharaoh’s wrath and moving forward as though he could see the invisible God. 28 Through faith, he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts among the Hebrews so that the destroyer of the firstborn would pass over their homes without harming them. 29 By faith the people crossed through the Red Sea as if they were walking on dry land, although the pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned when they tried to follow.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho toppled after the people had circled them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed the Hebrew spies into her home so that she did not perish with the unbelievers.

32 I could speak more of faith; I could talk until time itself ran out. If I continued, I could speak of the examples of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and all the prophets. 33 I could give accounts of people alive with faith who conquered kingdoms, brought justice, obtained promises, and closed the mouths of hungry lions. 34 I could tell you how people of faith doused raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword, made the weak strong, and—stoking great valor among the champions of God—sent opposing armies into panicked flight.

35 I could speak of faith bringing women their loved ones back from death and how the faithful accepted torture instead of earthly deliverance because they believed they would obtain a better life in the resurrection. 36 Others suffered mockery and whippings; they were placed in chains and in prisons. 37 The faithful were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, clothed only in sheepskins and goatskins; they were penniless, afflicted, and tormented. 38 The world was not worthy of these saints. They wandered across deserts, crossed mountains, and lived in the caves, cracks, and crevasses of the earth.

Stories of faith and faithfulness are central to the First Testament. The writer of Hebrews recalls some of the most memorable examples of how people of faith lived their lives. But what is faith? Faith is more than belief; it is trust, assurance, and firm conviction. Ironically most of those who lived by faith never fully realized the promises God had made. Like us they journeyed as strangers and exiles, longing for another country. We should remember their patient faith when we face prolonged hardships and allow the trials we face to strengthen our faith rather than destroy it. If we are comfortable here and don’t face suffering for our faith, perhaps we aren’t fully living by faith and looking forward to a future hope.

39 These, though commended by God for their great faith, did not receive what was promised. 40 That promise has awaited us, who receive the better thing that God has provided in these last days, so that with us, our forebears might finally see the promise completed.

Giving me a bunch of verses doesn't tell me anything. What are you trying to say?