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Jehovah's Witnesses - BirthdaysReason for not celebrating birthdays. Taken out of context.
Galations 4:10 - 11
- 10You are observing special days and months
and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that
somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
From Matthew Henry's Unabridged Commentary: (Note sections
in Green)
- III. Hence he infers the unreasonableness and madness of
their suffering themselves to be brought again into a
state of bondage. He speaks of it with surprise and deep
concern of mind that such as they should do so: How
turn you again, etc., says he, v. 9. "How is it
that you, who have been taught to worship God in the
gospel way, should not be persuaded to comply with the
ceremonial way of worship? that you, who have been
acquainted with a dispensation of light, liberty, and
love, as that of the gospel is, should now submit to a
dispensation of darkness, and bondage, and terror, as
that of the law is?'' This they had the less reason for,
since they had never been under the law of Moses, as the
Jews had been; and therefore on this account they were
more inexcusable than the Jews themselves, who might be
supposed to have some fondness for that which had been of
such long standing among them. Besides, what they
suffered themselves to be brought into bondage to were
but weak and beggarly elements, such things as had
no power in them to cleanse the soul, nor to afford any
solid satisfaction to the mind, and which were only
designed for that state of pupillage under which the
church had been, but which had now come to a period; and therefore their weakness and folly
were the more aggravated, in submitting to them, and in
symbolizing with the Jews in observing their various
festivals, here signified by days, and months, and
times, and years. Here note, 1. It is possible
for those who have made great professions of religion to
be afterwards drawn into very great defections from the
purity and simplicity of it, for this was the case of
these Christians. And, 2. The more mercy God has shown to
any, in bringing them into an acquaintance with the
gospel, and the liberties and privileges of it, the
greater are their sin and folly in suffering themselves
to be deprived of them; for this the apostle lays a
special stress upon, that after
they had known God, or rather were known of him, they
desired to be in bondage under the weak and beggarly
elements of the law.
The Elements of the Law that dictate
observance of specific festivals including Passover. Jews in
biblical time thought that just by observing these they would
be worshipping God. When in fact, they just provide examples
of times and methods to worship God.
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