Should
We "Keep Thanksgiving"?
C. E. Coover and family
How Did The
The New Standard Encyclopedia informs us that: "In the autumn of 1621, the
Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony held a festival to celebrate the harvest. This
thanksgiving celebration, doubtless suggested by the harvest festivals that the
Pilgrim settlers had known in Europe, is generally considered the origin of
Thanksgiving Day in
"Another Pilgrim thanksgiving was held in 1623. This thanksgiving, in
celebration of relief from a long drought and the expected arrival of a ship
bearing supplies, was marked by religious services as well as by feasting."
(New Standard Encyclopedia, Volume 13, page T-212)
Originally, then, the celebration was not a nationally organized holiday. The
Pilgrims had had many difficulties in their new environment, and several times
when providential relief or blessing seemed abundantly bestowed upon them, their
hearts swelled with gratefulness. It could be likened to when the prodigal son
returned home, and immediately a feast was made.
Something to stop and think about, though, is that American history, as it is
told to us, causes us to think that "Thanksgiving" originates with the
early European settlers' harvest festival described above. However, it is
interesting to note that when you look up the holiday in the New Standard
Encyclopedia, there is not one word mentioned about the Pilgrims calling the
celebration, "Thanksgiving Day". The encyclopedia simply says:
"In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony held a festival to
celebrate the harvest." It continues: "This thanksgiving
celebration..... is generally considered the origin of Thanksgiving Day in
How And Why Did "Thanksgiving" Become A National
New Standard Encyclopedia: "An annual thanksgiving festival became
customary in New England and, after the American Revolution, in many parts of
the newly formed
"By the middle of the 19th century, many states celebrated thanksgiving
days. Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the influential magazine Godey's Lady's
Book, wrote several articles advocating a national day of thanksgiving. In 1863
President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November of that year as
Thanksgiving Day. His successors continued to proclaim Thanksgiving and usually
chose the last Thursday of November." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Volume
13, pages T-212, T-213)
Let us stop and think about this for a little while. It is understandable that
when the Pilgrims were in distress and Yahweh's aid pulled them through in a
marvelous way, that they should desire to feast and rejoice. But how and why did
"Thanksgiving" become a national holiday?
How?
Due to the influence of a female author and the proclamation of
Why?
In the human heart, there is a craving for times of joint celebration and
feasting. Yahweh knew that, and commanded times like this. One such commanded
festival is Tabernacles. Leviticus 23:39 ~ "Also the fifteenth day of the
seventh month when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a
Feast unto Yahweh for a week. On the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the
eighth day shall be a Sabbath." Deuteronomy 16:13-14 ~ "Thou shalt
keep the Feast of Tabernacles for a week, after that thou hast gathered in from
thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress: and thou shalt rejoice in thy Feast,
thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant,
and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are
within thy gates."
What happens when we don't keep Yahweh's days? 1 Kings 12:28-33 ~
"Whereupon [King Jeroboam] took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and
said unto [the people], ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: Behold
thy elohim, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.' And he
set the one in
When man does not keep Yahweh's instructions, he devises days and practices of
his own heart. Readers may find it interesting to note that this year, the ninth
visible new moon was spotted on November 22nd. This means that this year
"Thanksgiving Day" falls on the day immediately following the eighth
month of Yahweh's calendar, placing it very close in timing to Jeroboam's
counterfeit harvest festival. Mark 7:6-9 ~ "This people honoreth Me with
their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Howbeit, in vain do they worship Me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment
of Elohim, ye hold the tradition of men.... Full well ye reject the commandment
of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition."
What Ever Happened To The Indians?
Referring back to the encyclopedia we find that: "The colonists invited the
friendly Indian chief Masssasoit to join them. He and his 90 braves came with
venison. Feasting lasted for three days." (New Standard Encyclopedia,
Volume 13, page T-212) After that first gathering, there is no more mention of
the Indians. History, however, tells us what happened to them. They were lied to
by the government. They were cheated. Their land was stolen from them. They were
enslaved and killed. And they were herded onto little tiny areas of land where
they could no longer retain their lifestyle and self-sufficiency.
How do you think the Indians feel about "Thanksgiving Day"? It's
easier not to think. It's easier just to tell about how the Indians participated
in a fall harvest festival once, the white man patting themselves on the back
for inviting them, and then forget about them. But it won't do to forget about
them. Let's read a letter written by Chief Seattle.
"The Great Chief in
"We know that white man does not understand our ways. One portion of the
land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night
and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother but his
enemy and when he has conquered it he moves on. He leaves his fathers' graves
and his children's birthright is forgotten.
"There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the
leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings. But perhaps because I am a
savage and do not understand - the clatter only seems to insult the ears. And
what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whippoorwill or
the arguments of the frog around the pond at night?
"The Whites too shall pass - perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to
contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When
the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners
of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills
blotted by talking wires. Where is the eagle? Gone. Where is the buffalo? Gone.
And what is it to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt, the end of living and
the beginning of survival?" (Chief Seattle to President Franklin Pierce,
1855)
Thus we see that Thanksgiving is a patriotic day. It is a day to rejoice in the
abundance that we have, the abundance that is ours as a result of taking it away
from another. It is a day to feast on the blessings that have become ours, and
to forget him whom our fathers have shortchanged and abused, and whom this
nation continues to oppress. We can be thankful for what Yahweh has given us,
but do we want to be thankful for what this country has done? If you or I were
Indians, we would not be keeping Thanksgiving. If we lived in any country other
than
What Is The Purpose Of Thanksgiving Today?
We would do well to consider what the true purpose was of the Pilgrims'
festival, what the true purpose is of Thanksgiving, and whether or not the two
separate occasions even compare.
New Standard Encyclopedia: "In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth
Colony held a festival to celebrate the harvest." (New Standard
Encyclopedia, Volume 13, page T-212) The Pilgrims' festival was celebrated at
the completion of the crop ingathering (perhaps even Tabernacles time). New
Standard Encyclopedia: "After the crops were gathered, Governor Bradford
proclaimed a feast day." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Volume 13, page T-212)
Deuteronomy 16:13 ~ "Thou shalt keep the Feast of Tabernacles for a week,
after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy
winepress." Has the commercialized Thanksgiving that this nation knows
really been placed in the harvest season though? The only thing that people
might be harvesting at this time of year is soybeans or livestock corn. One
cornucopia display showed a pumpkin (which would have been harvested in early
Fall), grapes and apples (which are harvested in late Summer or early Fall), and
cucumbers (which are gathered all Summer long). When Yahweh commands a harvest
festival, He places it in harvest time. When man develops his own counterfeit
festivals, such as Jeroboam did, it appears that he gets quite off schedule.
If
Thanksgiving Day is really not a harvest feast, what is its purpose? New
Standard Encyclopedia: "In 1939, 1940, and 1941 President Franklin
Roosevelt proclaimed as Thanksgiving Day the next-to-last Thursday in November.
His reason for this break with custom was to stimulate business by lengthening
the shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But many states observed
the last Thursday of November, and in 1941 Congress passed a joint
resolution—signed by
Colossians 2:6-8 ~ "As ye have therefore received Messiah Yahshua the
Master, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest
any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Messiah" Tradition -
We would do well to stop and think about that word a little. Where do we get our
traditions? Is "Thanksgiving Day" what we have therefore received of
Messiah Yahshua, or would it be better classified as "the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world"?
Who Keeps The
The New Standard Encyclopedia tells us that: "[Thanksgiving] is a day set
aside to give thanks for the blessings of the year. Thanksgiving Day is usually
observed with religious services and with family celebrations." (New
Standard Encyclopedia, Volume 13, page T-212) However, we are all aware of the
fact that, while "Thanksgiving" is a religious day for some, for many
many others it is simply a day to get together and have a big meal. Why? Because
the holiday is not only kept by religious people. Mark 7:6 ~ "This people
honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." Every year,
on the last "Thursday" of November, atheists have their turkey dinner.
So do those who aren't sure if Yahweh exists or not. So do Catholics. So do
Christians ~ both devout ones and non-committal ones. What about Israelite
believers (Messianics / Nazarenes)? For most, the answer is yes. It appears as
though the turkey has become a yearly household "animal sacrifice"
which is embraced by Americans of many different religions and walks. Isaiah
8:11 ~ "Yahweh spake unto me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I
should not walk in the way of this people..."
Re-Evaluating "Thanksgiving Day"
The simple fact that someone uses the word "Thanksgiving" (honoring
Him with their lips?) does not necessarily mean that they are thankful. In this
day and age, "thanksgiving" has come to be a noun rather than an
action word. While true thanksgiving is something that we are to DO, for many
the word has merely become a synonym with "turkey dinner". This year,
and in years past, different people asked us if we keep Thanksgiving. When we
replied "No", they responded, "You mean you won't be having
turkey?" The question was not: "You mean you aren't thankful?"
People have forgotten what thanksgiving really means.
Thanksgiving Day, as a national holiday, is celebrated by a hodge podge of all
kinds of people. Let's stop and think: Do we want to be a part of that hodge
podge? Yahshua said regarding His disciples (which should include us),
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Set them apart
through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth." (John 17:16-17) Is
"Thanksgiving Day" something which we have received from Yahweh's
Word? Is it something which sets us apart?
Does Elohim honor substitute days which replace the set-apart days that He has
commanded? Do we? Are the celebrations which
Conclusion: What Is Real Thanksgiving?
Just because we don't "KEEP Thanksgiving" doesn't mean that we aren't
thankful. The Scriptures teach that we are to DO thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 ~
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:
be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name." Psalm 147:7 ~ "Sing unto
Yahweh with thanksgiving: sing praise upon the harp unto our Elohim."
Philippians 4:6 ~ "In everything, by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto Elohim." Psalm 30:11-12 ~
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my
sackcloth, and girded me with gladness: to the end that my esteem may sing
praise to Thee, and not be silent: O Yahweh my Elohim, I will give thanks unto
Thee forever." Psalm 95:2 ~ "Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms." Colossians 4:2
~ "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving."
Revelations 7:11-12 ~ "And all the messengers stood round about the Throne,
and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the Throne on their
faces, and worshiped Elohim, saying, ‘Halleluyah. Blessing and esteem and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our Elohim for
ever and ever. So be it.' " Scripture says nothing about keeping
"Thanksgiving Day". It does say however that we will be thanking
Yahweh forever and ever, throughout all eternity. May our heart cry be:
"Thy will be done, as it is in heaven, so on earth."