“Now the whole family has come against me, your servant; they’re saying, ‘Hand over the one who hit his brother, so that we can put him to death for killing his brother.’ They want to destroy the heir as well and thus quench my one remaining coal; then my husband will have neither name nor survivor anywhere on earth.”-2 Samuel 14:7
The make-believe story the clever woman of Tekoa told David reveals a lot about ancient Hebrew beliefs in the Biblical era.
For instance, why was the woman so concerned about her husband not having a name or a survivor anywhere on earth?
The answer to that question is simple.
Ancient Middle Eastern beliefs didn’t hold to the idea of going to heaven after death.
They believed that after your death and burial…
If the gods willed it…
Your life essence would live on in some netherworld.
In many cultures, a family member would even bring food and drink to the burial site.
They would pour the meal down a hole or leave it there for the deceased relative to feast on later.
In reality, it probably just got eaten up by crows.
Another common belief was the idea that one’s life force lived on through one’s sons (not daughters).
So if a man died without children, he was to be especially pitied.
Why?
Because his life force, essence, or whatever you wanna call it, would come to an end.
On top of that, a man’s name was believed to contain spiritual power.
So if a man didn’t have any sons to carry on his legacy, his name would no longer be spoken out loud during certain family ceremonies.
That was seen as especially tragic, something reserved for only the most wicked.
So here’s the takeaway.
I’ve been talking about the pagan beliefs of pretty much the entire Middle Eastern world during this time.
But here’s the thing.
Just like the Christian churches today that celebrate Easter and Christmas…
Often without questioning where those customs come from…
Ancient Israel also adopted the unscriptural ideas and practices of the nations around them.
They didn’t stop claiming to worship the Lord…
But they mixed His name with foreign traditions.
And every time they did, it led to judgment.
Lemme break it down for you nice and simple:
Easter gets its name from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of fertility.
Its most familiar symbols of eggs and rabbits come straight from ancient pagan fertility rites.
The timing of Easter isn’t based on Scripture either.
It’s linked to the spring equinox and full moon, just like the nature-based festivals of the surrounding nations.
Christmas, celebrated on December 25, isn’t based on the actual birth date of the Messiah.
That date was chosen to overlap with Saturnalia and the birthday of the sun god Mithras.
Customs like decorating trees, burning Yule logs, and exchanging gifts all have roots in Norse and Roman paganism.
These holidays weren’t handed down by the God of Israel.
They were borrowed from idol-worshipping nations and then given a Christian spin.
And that’s the problem.
“You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way…”
— Deuteronomy 12:31
Israel made this same mistake by blending truth with tradition…
And they paid the price for it.
So why would we repeat it?
God already told us how to worship Him.
He gave us His appointed times.
They are Passover, Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles.
They are NOT Easter or Christmas.
If we truly want to honor Him, we don’t need to dress up pagan customs with Biblical language.
We need to go back to the Scriptures.
Let’s stop letting the world shape our worship.
Let’s start letting God’s Word lead the way.
Ya feel me?
I know some won’t.
But I don’t care.
The law will go out from Zion,
The Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
-Isaiah 2:3
Dueteronomy 26:14 supports what you said about prohibiting the practice of bringing food for the dead. Thank you for your teachings
Thanks for reading!