The Root of Thanksgiving (Plus, Updates on TSOL)

People all over America rejoiced this past Thursday (and maybe Friday) as they took off from work to commemorate a national holiday. Thanksgiving, they no doubt know, is a celebration of our first communion with the Native Americans. It is a day where fragile alliances were formed. It was a day where the building blocks of our nation were laid.

It is also a lie.

Well, in the sense that our nationally recognized day can be traced back to that one-time occurrence, it is true and historically sound (if embellished). But that is not the real origin of Thanksgiving. Nor is it the understanding we should take from the day itself.

Thanksgiving is not a pagan harvest festival. It is not only a memorial for our one-time peace and community with the native peoples of America. Thanksgiving is one of the oldest holidays (holy days) and is both originally Jewish and undoubtedly biblical.

Do me a favor. Open up your copy of the Word. Search the Old Testament. Look, for example, at Leviticus 7:11-15.

“Now this is the law of the fellowship sacrifice that someone may present to the Lord: if he presents it for thanksgiving, in addition to the thanksgiving sacrifice, he is to present unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. He is to present as his offering cakes of leavened bread with his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship. From the cakes he must present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his. The meat of his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship must be eaten on the day he offers it; he may not leave any of it until morning.”*

Now, for those of you have leftovers, be thankful you’re under the New Covenant and not the Old. Otherwise, you’d be committing a sin by not eating that turkey in one sitting! Of course, one must remember how vastly different technology is in the current era. The Israelites didn’t have microwaves and refrigerators, so it’s likely this rule was to keep His people healthy as much as anything else.

Back to the point, what is the root of Thanksgiving? The Jewish holiday known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) is the celebration from where the Puritans drew their inspiration. As part of their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites were commanded to hold three large feasts over the course of the year. The third and final of these took place in the fall, around October. It was a time of harvest and giving humble thanks to the Lord for what He provided.

The Israelites utilized this week-long celebration of joy and peace as a remembrance of their time in the wilderness. They lived in temporary dwellings during this holiday (called tabernacles or booths) in much the way they occupied tents during their sojourn.

“You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.” (Leviticus 23:42-44)

It is easy to see why the Puritans, a devout people like no other, would view the aid of the Native Americans as a sort of divine providence. Grateful for their lives in a harsh wilderness, they would have turned to the Word for guidance. Firm in the Old Testament, they found the perfect means of celebration. Thus, the first American Thanksgiving was born. Centuries later, Abraham Lincoln would cement the day as an American tradition rooted in Christianity.

So amongst the football games, shopping aftermath, and full bellies, I hope many of us remembered the reason we gather around this time every year. Even if we didn’t say grace, I pray that we were thankful to the right person. The right being. The true and living Christian God. May His name be honored with thanks. Amen.

*For other references to thanksgiving, see – Nehemiah 11:17, 12:27, 12:38, 12:40, and 12:46 as well as various Psalms such as Psalm 100:4 and Psalm 107:22. More can be found throughout the Old Testament as well as the New.

Turning off-topic, I’ll give you guys a few updates on the status of The Shadow Over Lone Oak Kindle Scout Campaign as we approach the half-way mark.

I am proud (and thankful) to say that we are now at 25+ hours in the Hot and Trending category. We are at 1,100+ views. I could not have asked for a better turnaround following the holiday droop. Thanks to all my friends, family, and fans who supported me so far. Thanks to kboards, Reddit, and Facebook for helping get this far. Thanks to Scout Boost for getting me over the hump I was stuck in and putting a plethora of new eyes on the book. Thanks to God for this and every day of my life.

On another side-note, you can now read a few more character profiles under The Shadow Over Lone Oak tab. In addition, this Wednesday should see another newspaper article go up. Friday is home to the final two videos in the #evilisawhisper promotion. So, if you’re interested, keep an out for those.

Thanks again. God bless.