'TWas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap--
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his courses they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:
"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,
"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys--and St. Nicholas too:
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:
He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:
His eyes--how they twinkled! his dimples how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jirk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight--
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

-- ACCOUNT OF A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS (from The Troy Sentinel, December 23, 1823, p. 3; repro. Troy, NY: Troy Public Library, 1998)

Exactly 186 years ago today the above poem was first published anonymously. It is completely fictional, of course; but its popularity boomed, and it quickly spread across the nation. It was one of the most influential shapers of contemporary Christmas celebrations in the United States along with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol first published on December 19, 1843 and other fictional works of the era.

On the surface the poem bears so many similarities with today's Christmas celebration that we often overlook the significant changes. For instance, in the poem St. Nicholas traveled along the ground between houses, but today we visualize Santa traveling more or less entirely by flight perhaps because of the advent of aircraft in the twentieth century. Other differences include the miniature stature of St. Nick, his rein-deer, and his sleigh in the poem. Today we tend to view Santa and his company as full-sized, which makes explaining his journey through chimneys much more difficult than it once was. Although in the poem St. Nick is described as dressed in fur, his clothes are soiled with ashes and soot and are nowhere referred to as being red as is commonly held today. Also, in the poem he is described as smoking a pipe; whereas today Santa is usually represented tobacco-free and often with glasses.

Despite the changes to Christmas celebrations since ACCOUNT OF A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS was published, it is still recognizable as Christmas by today's standards. Historically speaking, Christmas has gone through much more dramatic overhauls than the relatively minor differences noted above. For many years it resembled Mardis Gras more than anything else, which is why it was in jeopardy of being completely discarded in early America. Frankly, if Dickens, Irving, and other authors of their day had not remade Christmas as a family holiday, then it is likely that we would not celebrate it at all today.

So although I would like to express my gratitude to those who rescued Christmas from the trash-heap of history, I also would like to point out that all these fairy tales have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is at its roots a religious holiday -- hence Christ's Mass. It was begun, no doubt with some errors, to remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. What are we coming to when we deny the true account of Jesus Christ and yet propagate the lie to our own children that a fairy-tale figure is true? And even worse we feel good about it and find it a reason to celebrate. Perhaps we really are trapped in a horrible pit. God help us. May you enjoy a Merry Christmas with the true joy of the season: the fulfillment of God's prophesy made in Genesis 3:15 to save humanity from our sin through His incarnation.

Yahovah

Well, Adam & Eve were in quite a fix. They had sinned against God and found themselves expelled from His presence and out of the Garden of Eden. However, although they had betrayed God to their own ruin, God had not abandoned them. Along side the many consequences of their sin listed in Genesis 3, God reveals three important truths.

He revealed Himself as Yahovah or LORD, which literally means "the existing One." No doubt Adam & Eve took comfort, as should we, in knowing that the LORD God's existence is not eclipsed by their or our failures -- no matter how cataclysmic they be. And this was rather a whopper on Adam & Eve's part. They would pass on the consequences and nature of their sin to their children, which includes you, me, and the rest of humanity. Not only were they mired in a horrible pit, but their descendants would be born into that very same pit. Their and our only hope rested in the completely untainted and self-existing God. But would He help? Since He is self-existing He could just let the world go to hell in a hand-basket as the saying goes.

The first indication that Yahovah was still in control is recorded in Genesis 3:14-15 during His address to the serpent immediately after Adam & Eve's fall:

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

It is the first recorded prophesy in the scriptures, and Yahovah foretells a seemingly impossible victory. Even though Adam & Eve's descendants are corrupted by sin, it will be through Eve's "seed" that the serpent's head will be crushed. Although Yahovah does not go into much detail at this point, here He first promises His incarnation and victory over the serpent.

The last truth Yahovah reveals is the cost of His intervention to save humanity from our sin. Genesis 3:21 foreshadows, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

This is the first recorded sacrifice of an animal because of a person's sin. This practice would continue for millennia until the Lamb of God would come as was just promised. It also reveals that Adam & Eve's sin affected all of nature and not just humanity. But most importantly it uncovers the truth that the sin-debt of humanity can be paid for only by the life-blood of the Sacrifice.

Now I know this was rather alot of information to digest, but I think it does explain how I ended up mired in that horrible pit of sin. And, perhaps more to the point, it explains how you wound up there as well. And though recognizing the truth of one's predicament when one is stuck in quicksand is admirable, the absolutely salient question is how does one leave the pit?

'elohiym

Perhaps you are asking how I became mired in a pit in the first place. Unfortunately, the short answer to that question raises more questions than it answers; but if you would like to know anyway, then the short answer is that I was born there -- and I was not the only one. But, alas, I am getting ahead of myself.

Let's take a journey together back through time before you, your parents, or even your grandparents were born; before the industrial revolution, the birth of the United States of America, or even the "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus; before the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance, or even the Middle Ages; before the Roman Empire and Republic, the "worldwide" conquest of Alexander the Great, or even the golden years of Greek civilization; and before the empires of the Persians, the Babylonians, or even the Egyptians. We have covered thousands of years of time, and yet we have thousands of more to go before we reach our destination. But once we arrive we will find something truly amazing:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
-- Genesis 1:27-31

This is my very good Friend. Obviously, He is much more than that. Here He is named 'elohiym or, simply, God. You see, He created the very first man and woman and, like the rest of His handiwork, they were very good. In some ways they were like us today: they looked much like us in appearance, they were blessed with the ability to bear and raise children, they ate food, and they craved and enjoyed fellowship with each other. In some ways they were quite different from us today: they walked with God in unrestrained fellowship, they knew no sin, they were immortal, they were vegetarians, and they were granted rule over the entire animal kingdom.

How long the first couple enjoyed this state of perfect bliss is difficult to say beyond that it was less than 130 years. But what is certain is that it did end. According to Genesis 2:16-17, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

The tragic sequence of events is recorded in Genesis 3:

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Now you may notice that Adam, the man whom God was addressing in Genesis 2:16-17, is patently not dead in the conventional sense. In fact, according to Genesis 5 he lives on at least another 800 years to the ripe old age of 930. So what's the deal? Didn't God tell Adam that he would die the day he ate the forbidden fruit? We need to remember Genesis 1:27 which states, "...God created man in his own image...."

Man, like God, is more than just a body: he is a spirit, too. Adam's spirit and his unrestrained fellowship with God died the very day that Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit as evidenced by Genesis 3:22-24.

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

This passage also points out that Adam's body began to die the day he sinned. Although it appears that Adam lived a supernaturally long life, we must remember that he was created to be immortal. However, the most tragic part of Adam's sin was his immediate separation from 'elohiym, his Creator.

Welcome!

Welcome to Sheep Dog's Place! Please come in and make yourself at home. I would like to introduce you to a very good Friend. He is the One who brought me up out of a horrible pit in which I had been mired. But He didn't stop there! He also set my feet upon the Rock and established my goings. So please sit back and relax while I tell you about my very good Friend. And if you have questions or comments along the way, then please feel free to make them here.