Jeremiah 10 and the Christmas Tree

There are those who interpret Jeremiah 10 as an injunction against using Christmas trees as we celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Verses 8 and 9 speak of "worthless wooden idols" on which workmen place hammered silver and gold, and rich apparel. When we consider that these verses condemn idolatry, we can understand what Jeremiah meant when he said "the customs of the peoples are worthless" in verse 3. No wonder he tells us not to "learn the way of the nations" in verse 2.

Jeremiah is not condemning Christmas trees. He is condemning idolatry. The trees in Jeremiah 10 are cut down to carve them into worthless idols that will later be decorated with gold and silver. Jeremiah says nothing about Christmas trees. That custom originated in northern Europe, not in ancient Judea.

Below are the first 10 verses of Jeremiah Chapter 10.

Jeremiah 10:1-10

King James Version (KJV)

"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus 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. For 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They 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.  Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who 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. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.  Silver 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.  But 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."

Arsenokoitai

During a Facebook discussion on whether or not homosexual acts are a sin condemned by the Bible or not Eric Blanks · Friends with Christopher Lee Crowell Had this to say which invoked my longer response.

“Sorry Rexx, got to jump on in on this one. Just for reference, I'm friends with Christopher Lee Crowell. Your point on the passage that he quoted is all out of context. If you look to the original texts, the original word. arsenokoitai is used. Arsenokoitai is a combination of arsēn, “male,” and koitē, which is a word that stems from “bed,” but comes to refer to sleeping with someone or having sex with someone. It is believed by many scholars that arsenokoitai did not refer to “homosexuals” or “homosexuality,” but to male prostitutes or “concubines”. It is even more likely that it was refering to the practice of the time that adult males would pay young male protitute (which was common at the time)”

Eric I have read a lot about the debate over the meaning of 'arsenokoitai ".  It is the one who wish for homosexuality to be accepted as normal that put forth the argument you mention.  For example Theologian Mel White while agrees that the Greek word arsenokoitai, used for “homosexual” in 1Corinthians6:9, seems to refer to same-sex behavior. He argues that Greek scholars don’t know exactly what it means, however, and that this simple detail is a big part of this tragic debate.  He explains, “Some scholars believe Paul was coining a name to refer to customers of ‘the effeminate call boys.’ We might call them ‘dirty old men.’ Others translate the word as ‘sodomites,’ but never explain what that means.”  But he does not, that I could find go on the name the scholars, just like you did not.

Arseno is the Greek word for man and koite is the Greek word for bed, so it is a made-up word that roughly translates as a 'male bedder'.  How this can mean an ‘the effeminate call boys.’ Is beyond me.  

The King James Version Bible translates verse 9 and 10 as: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine."

Arsenokoitai is the word that was that was translated to mean, “for them that defile themselves with mankind”  How with the grouped condemned, murderers, whoremongers, liars, etc., how would you translate 'male bedder'?  Some say that this is not the meaning that Paul wanted to convey, since the idea of a homosexual sexual orientation only surfaced in the 19th century after the start of the scientific study of human sexuality.  This, imo, is hogwash.  As the Greek knew that there were plenty of men who had sex with men.  The Spartans in particular always paired with their lover cohorts, and only had sex with their wives to procreate.   Until they picked their lover Spartans were paired with an older man to learn the was of war and male sex.

Clinical psychologist and theologian Stanton L. Jones admits that White effectively invokes “the mystery of arsenokoitai,” the unusual word Paul uses in 1Corinthians6:9 and 1Timothy 1:10 that is commonly translated “homosexual sin.” This, however, is not such a mystery, he argues, and its unraveling reveals a more complex picture of Paul’s use of Leviticus.

Leviticus18:22and 20:13 forbid a man lying with another man as one would with a woman. Leviticus was originally written in Hebrew, but Paul was a Greek-educated Jew writing to Gentiles in Greek, the common language of the day, and probably was using the Greek translation of the Old Testament available in that day, the Septuagint, or LXX, for his Scripture quotations.

So to claim that arsenokoitai means a male prostitute and does not condemn loving men from having sex with one another one has to believe that Paul disagreed with Leviticus18:22 and 20:13.  Not to argue from ignorance, but is there any evidence that Saul of Tarsus the Pharisee who on his way to persecute the followers of Jesus did not know the Book of Moses by heart?

Jones believes, then, that the most credible translation of what Paul is condemning in 1Corinthians6:9 is a person doing exactly what Leviticus condemns: engaging in homosexual sex (a man being a “man-lier”). Far from dismissing the relevance of Leviticus, Paul is implicitly invoking its enduring validity for our understanding of sexual sin, and drawing on it as the foundation of his teaching on homosexual conduct. He is saying, “Remember what it said not to do in Leviticus18:22and 20:13? Don’t do that!”

And for those who say that the Bible does not ay anything about women have sex with one another I would suggest that they read what Paul said in Romans 24-27, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:   And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

May God guide our understanding.

Homosexuality in the Hebrew Scriptures Old Testament Leviticus 20:13

Do Not Judge

Tonight, 12/20/13, I started watching Bill O’Raley and he started talking about the Duck Density brouhaha. I only got into it as far the point where he said that Christians are prohibited from judging others by Luke 6:37. Well that was just plain Bull Shit. Number one Phil was not judging anyone, he was saying certain acts were sinful. Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”

Many nonChristians try to beat Christians into silence with that verse, but that is not what Jesus is saying. In both Luke and Matthew the significant question is regarding  “and ye shall not be judged.” And “Judge not, that you be not judged” is judged by whom?  Are they talking about being judged by God for having judged others, but it reads as it is talking about not judging others so that they will not be judgmental of you. When Luke and Matthew have Jesus saying, “You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother’s eye.” Does it not make more sense if Jesus is talking about how people are relating with one another and not having God judge them one way or the other?

Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” And in Luke 6:37-38 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Again this cannot be read as a probation against calling a sin a sin when you see it. In Romans 2 Paul elaborates upon this further. Verses 1-5 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance andlongsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

This is clearly talking about being a hypocrite, condemning others for something you do yourself. This is not what Phil did. Phil pointed out in response to a question how he regarded homosexuality. This was not passing judgement upon any individual, rather he was expressing his belief that God finds that sinful and leads to damnation.

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus is telling us to judge, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” This is what Phil is doing, judging a tree by its fruit, men and women by their acts.

Jesus is not contradicting Himself, he is not telling us not to judge sinful behavior in Luke 6:37, he is telling us to treat others as we would be treated, and to behave civilly among one another.

I have copied the pertinent parts of Luke and Matthew as well as Romans 2 and put them below so you can read them in context if you so desire.

Luke 6
Do Not Judge

37Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven: 38Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete with it shall be measured to you again. 39And he spoke a parable to them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye? 42Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you yourself behold not the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7
Do Not Judge

1Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? 4Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye. 6Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

◄ Romans 2 ►

God’s Righteous Judgment

1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance andlongsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11For there is no respect of persons with God.

12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

The Jews and the Law

17Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, 18And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; 19And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. 21Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thouthat abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

25For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.