Halloween

This coming Saturday, 31 October, marks the annual celebration of Halloween. The name Halloween is the shortened form of All-Hallow-Even. This day is the eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day, which is observed on 1 November. The first day of November was set aside by the Roman Catholic Church as All Saints’ Day to commemorate all the saints who have no other special day of commemoration. Of course, the New Testament knows nothing of All Saint’s Day. Like Christmas and Easter, this is another attempt by the Roman Catholic Church to mix paganism with Christianity.

During the celebration of Halloween houses, schools, and businesses are decorated with images of ghosts, skeletons, witches, black cats, and jack-o-lanterns with monstrous faces carved in them. Haunted houses and horror films are a popular attraction at this time. Children go trick-or-treating through neighbourhoods often in costumes designed to depict death, horror, witches, or even Satan himself. Adults dressed in costumes also participate in Halloween parties. Why are images of death and the occult so prevalent in connection with this day?

The following quotation taken from Encyclopedia Brittanica regarding the origin of Halloween gives us some insight:

“It (Halloween) long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Hallowe’en were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander abroad. History shows that the main celebrations of Hallowe’en were purely Druidical, and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland Oct. 31 is still known as Oidhche Shamhna, ‘Vigil of Saman.’ This is directly connected with the Druidic belief in the calling together of certain wicked souls on Hallowe’en by Saman, lord of death.”

In addition, we cite this quotation taken from The World Book Encyclopedia:

“The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been human beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these Druidic beliefs comes the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities.”

It was believed that wearing costumes and masks of harmful spirits was a way to prevent them from inflicting harm. It was also believed that to free oneself from these evil spirits it was necessary to give them a treat. Otherwise, the spirit would cast a spell, a trick. This is the origin of trick or treat. Also on this night animal bones were burned in large fires called bonfires (bone fires) in order to ward off evil spirits. I have also read that there is reason to believe that in ancient times human sacrifices were made in these bonfires.

For practitioners of witchcraft and worshippers of Satan, 31 October is a high and holy day even to this present time. There are documented accounts of animal and human sacrifices offered on this day. Although many people view this as a time of fun and games, it is taken quite seriously by those who are in league with the powers of darkness.

God Almighty also takes the practices of the occult very seriously and gives stern warnings against it. The following passage speaks clearly:

Deuteronomy 18:9  When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (might this have been a bonfire?), or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13  Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

The world of the occult is very real. There are evil spirits who seek to do us harm and we must have no fellowship with them.

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1 Corinthians 10:20  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Satan would like nothing more than for us not to take his world seriously. He would have us think of witches and incantations as play things rather than harsh and destructive realities. Rather than celebrating the world of the occult in fun and games, the Christian should rather resist and reprove such things.

Ephesians 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

And as for all the images of death so prevalent at this time, recall that Satan has the power of death. In that sense he is Saman, the lord of the dead. But our Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from the fear of death by destroying Satan.

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Shall we then celebrate the fear of death as is done at Halloween? Ought we not rather to celebrate our Lord’s triumph over Satan and the destruction of his power of death?

From the foregoing it should be obvious that Christians have no business participating in Halloween celebrations. On Halloween night we turn off the porch light to discourage any trick-or-treaters from coming to our door. Do not let your children trick-or-treat or attend Halloween parties. If you have adults living in your home who do not share your convictions and want to attend Halloween parties, do not let them don their costumes in your home. That is your house and you have the responsibility to ban from your home anything that makes light of the kingdom of darkness. I close with this exhortation:

1 Corinthians 16:13  Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

On Reading Many Books, Part 2

We continue our meditation this week regarding the reading of many books. Last week we saw that it is better to read fewer books, digest them well, and retain their information than to overload the brain with more books than it can process. Today I want to impress upon my readers the importance of thought. As you read a book, take time to think about what you are reading. Allow yourself to sit back and reflect on what you read so that you may absorb the information. Here is another excellent quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon taken again from his work entitled Lectures to My Students:

I would impress upon you the truth, that a man who is short of apparatus can make up for it by much thought. Thinking is better than possessing books. Thinking is an exercise of the soul which both develops its powers and educates them....Without thinking, reading cannot benefit the mind, but it may delude the man into the idea that he is growing wise. Books are a sort of idol to some men. As the image with the Roman Catholic is intended to make him think of Christ, and in effect keeps him from Christ, so books are intended to make men think, but are often a hindrance to thought.

That paragraph is profound in its implications. There is no benefit in reading just for the sake of reading or to convince yourself or others that you are intelligent, because you read a lot. In my profession one comes across a great deal to read. It is easy to fall into the practice of reading through things just to say that one has read them. But this is a waste of time if the information is simply run through the brain without any retention. It is better to be selective in what you read. Sometimes you may be able to skim something and discern whether it is worth your time or not. With limited time and energy I need to be selective with respect to what I read. Reading should be done with a view to personal growth, not pacifying everyone who gives you something to read.

Mr. Spurgeon went on to point out that a man who does not have a lot of books can make up for that lack by being a man of thought. If a man is thoughtfully observant of nature, of men, and of himself, he can learn a great deal. The heavens are an open book that declares the glory of God and much can be learned by thinking about them (Psalm 19:1-3). It is worthwhile noting the many lessons Solomon, the wisest man, drew from the study of nature. When reading the book of Proverbs, notice how many times Solomon makes a point by referencing something in nature. When speaking of Solomon's wisdom, Scripture has this to say:

1 Kings 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

In addition to Mr. Spurgeon's words, I found this interesting passage in a book I possess entitled Lord Chesterfield's Letters. Lord Chesterfield wrote:

It signifies nothing to read a thing once, if one does not mind and remember it. It is a sure sign of a little mind to be doing one thing, and at the same time to be either thinking of another, or not thinking at all. One should always think of what one is about; when one is learning, one should not think of play; and when one is at play, one should not think of one's learning. Besides that, if you do not mind your book while you are at it, it will be a double trouble to you, for you must learn it all over again.

Lord Chesterfield's words remind me of a quotation I cited to you in the series of meditations I did on listening. The quote came from an article entitled Improving your Memory.

You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and you can’t learn something — that is, encode it into your brain — if you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intent focus to process a piece of information through your hippocampus and into the appropriate memory center. So, no multitasking when you need to concentrate! If you distract easily, try to receive information in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.

Reading must be accompanied with thought to be profitable. And this brings us to that very important word in Scripture, the word meditate.

Meditate - To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder.

It is obvious that meditation requires thought, focusing the mind upon a given subject. When Paul instructed Timothy to "give attendance to reading," he also instructed him to meditate in order to profit from his reading.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

No amount of reading is a substitute for meditation, for careful thought. Recall that last time we pointed out the importance of mastering one book above all other books, that book being the Holy Bible. Today's point about combining thought with reading applies here as well. It is not enough to simply read the Bible. You must also think about what you read; you need to meditate upon it. It is by this means that you will derive the greatest benefit from the time you spend in the Scriptures. The following passage powerfully drives this point home.

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I for one am not a fan of programs for reading through the entire Bible in a year. I find it better to read less and think about what you read, than to consume more chapters just to satisfy a deadline. Granted, one should strive to read the whole Bible. But one should also strive to understand what is being read. And that understanding comes from careful thought or meditation.

Psalms 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

So read something in the Bible each day. Then think about it throughout the rest of your waking hours and your life will become more prosperous in the ways that count.

And as for mastering this one book, the Holy Bible, I can do no better than to close with the advise of Solomon, the wisest of men:

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

On Reading Many Books, Part 1

Benjamin Franklin said: "Read much, but not many books." I consider this very sage advice and I would like to expand upon it.

In this series of meditations I will cite several quotes from a book by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled Lectures to My Students. These quotes will be taken from the chapter entitled To Workers With Slender Apparatus. This lecture was addressed to ministers who do not have a large library of books. The essence of Mr. Spurgeon's advice to such men is that a man can read too many books, that it is better to have fewer books that are well-read and well-digested, and that reading is no substitute for thought. My experience confirms the truth of Mr. Spurgeon's words. Consider this first quote:

Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading. Books may be piled on the brain till it cannot work. Some men are disabled from thinking by putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. They gorge themselves with book-matter, and become mentally dyspeptic. Books on the brain cause disease. Get the book into the brain, and you will grow.

By the way, the word dyspeptic means indigestion. Just as one cannot well digest too much food, neither can one generally well digest too many books. It is better to read less, to think about what you read, and to absorb and retain it or, as Mr. Spurgeon said, get it into the brain; than to read more than the mind can process. This advice is especially relevant in our day when we are bombarded with so much to read. We are hit with the information highway of the internet, blogs, emails, postal mailings, handouts at meetings, magazines, and books ad infinitum.

I love this next quote about a single book well-read:

There is very much sound sense in the remark of a writer in the Quarterly Review many years back. "Give us the one dear book, cheaply picked from the stall by the price of the dinner, thumbed and dog-eared, cracked in the back and broken in the corner, noted on the fly-leaf and scrawled on the margin, sullied and scorched, torn and worn, smoothed in the pocket and grimed on the hearth, damped by the grass and dusted among the cinders, over which you have dreamed in the grove and dozed before the embers, but read again, again, and again, from cover to cover. It is by this one book, and its three or four single successors, that more real cultivation has been imparted than by all the myriads which bear down the mile-long, bulging, bending shelves of the Bodleian."

The Bodleian is the research library of the University of Oxford, which is surely a mammoth collection of books. More will be gotten from that one well-worn, well-read book than from volume after volume that has been read, but not retained. I know from my experience that I have a few books that I have referred to again and again, whereas most of the rest are much less opened. I also find that rereading a valuable book is extremely profitable. I pick up so much the second time around that I missed the first time.

Of course all of this most especially applies to the one book that it is most important for us to absorb and retain, that is, the Book of Books, the Holy Bible. Of all the books in your collection, this one should be read, marked, prayed over, thought about, and read again and again. The pages should be wrinkled, worn, and soiled from much turning. In time the cover should be frayed from being handled. Thoroughly acquainting yourself with that one book above any other and applying its teaching in your life will make you spiritually mighty, like Apollos, of whom it is written that he "was mighty in the scriptures" (Acts 18:24). Mr. Spurgeon put it this way:

You know the old proverb, "Cave ab homine unius libri - Beware of the man of one book. He is a terrible antagonist. A man who has his Bible at his fingers' ends and in his heart's core is a champion in our Israel; you cannot compete with him: you may have an armoury of weapons, but his scriptural knowledge will overcome you; for it is a sword like that of Goliath, of which David said, "There is none like it."

To which I can but say, "Amen and amen!" More about this next time, if the Lord will.