Times Of Swaziland: WHY WORSHIP TREE INSTEAD OF GOD?

WHY WORSHIP TREE INSTEAD OF GOD?
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Editor on 05/12/2022 06:45:00


Sir,
“Hear ye the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel: Thus saith
the Lord, learn not the ways of the heathen. For the customs of the people are
vain: for one cuts 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 hammers, that it moves not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak
not: they must be borne, because they cannot go.” (Jeremiah 10:1-5) In the
aforementioned verses we have a perfect description of the Christmas tree and
God is referring to it as the way of the heathen, the customs of the people.
Verse five shows that these trees are upright like the palm tree, they cannot
speak, cannot walk and must be carried.
Sacrificed
During the festive seasons one is met everywhere with these dead evergreen trees
arrayed in their glitter and tinsel. Annually millions of young trees are
sacrificed and with the advancement in technology artificial green Christmas
trees are found in Christian homes, shops and churches. But have we ever
considered the origin of this custom? The early Christians forbade the custom.
It was among the pagans that a certain reverence was attached to what we know
today as the Christmas tree. The tree was considered as a symbol of fertility
among the ancient pagan nations, since these evergreen trees never lost their
leaves or turned brown (symbolising death) through the winter season as did the
other trees.
Custom
Dear reader, make no mistake, the current custom of cutting down a perfectly
good, healthy tree, propping it up in our homes, and decorating it with tinsel
and globes certainly does not spring from any Christian tradition! It was an
idolatrous practice of the ancient pagans, that has been passed down through the
centuries. As the festive season passes, the remains of the Christmas trees are
thrown into the junk pile. Yet thousands of untaught people will gladly go
hungry and willingly deprive their families of necessary things in order to buy
and decorate this same Christmas tree.
I am not saying that people who today place Christmas trees in their homes,
shops and churches are WORSHIPING the tree. What we are saying is that today’s
use of the tree is plainly a carry over from paganism. Though you may insist
that you do not worship the Christmas tree, you cannot deny that the whole
concept is pagan! It is my prayer that as Christians we may obey God’s command
to, “Learn not the way of the heathen … for the customs of the people are
vain.” The new testament refers to another tree, 1 Peter 2:24 says .. “He
himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and
live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed”.
Paul wrote in Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on
a tree.” Therefore, in some biblical texts the cross is referred to as a tree.
If there is a tree that we need in our lives, it is the cross of Jesus. Thank
God for we don’t need to buy it, decorate it and place it in our homes. We
just need to never lose sight of the cross. We must always remember that in the
path of Christ, loomed a tree that brought salvation to many. Can I ask you this
question, have you taken Jesus into your life? Have you come to the cross? Have
you come to Jesus and asked forgiveness for your sins?