THE REAL MEANING OF THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9

INTRODUCTION

According to one estimate, to purchase the items in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas it cost you a whopping total of approximately $35,000.

Further, without a proper context, this song makes no sense to us. It sounds like a bunch of disjointed jibberish. The first thing we must do is set the context.

Beginning in the year 1558 it became illegal for parents, pastors and all others outside the blessing of the Church of England to educate their children and also adults. The Church of England was declared the state church and any group outside of this officially recognized church was strictly forbidden from teaching. For almost 300 years, the free expression of the Christian faith was not allowed.

It was during this same time, and because of what was going on in England, that people left England for America because of religious persecution. Our concern this morning is not with those who chose to leave (Pilgrims). Our focus will be with those who chose to stay in an effort to “purify” the church (Puritans).

What do you do when the government says it is now illegal for you to teach your children the tenets of your Christian faith? More currently, what do you do when the government says it is now illegal to meet together because of a virus that is basically an excuse to violate your constitutional rights? You do it anyway. That is exactly what happened.

The result of their desire to teach their children was the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. This was not a children’s nonsense song. It was a clever way of teaching biblical truth despite being told not to.

As we consider the symbols of The Twelve Days of Christmas we will reserve the purposeful biblical teachings of this song in reverse order.

DAY 12-TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING

This is a reference to the 12 points of the Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of the heavens and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.

On the third day He was raised from the dead.

He ascended into the heavens and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

from where He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

In the communion of the saints.

The forgiveness of sin,

The resurrection of the body,

and everlasting life.

DAY 11- ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING

This is a reference to the eleven faithful apostles.

“Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who is called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor (Luke 6:14-16).”

DAY 10-TEN LORDS A LEAPING

This is a reference to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

The commandment against polytheism-there is only one God.

The commandment against raising up idols-spiritual idolatry.

The command against speaking God’s name in an irreverent manner-treating God’s name and thus His character as unholy.

The command to keep the Sabbath holy-remember the God of the Sabbath.

The command to honor parents- for children to revere God and His authority they must be taught to respect their parents and their authority.

The command against murder-affirms the sanctity of human life.

The command against adultery-the sacredness and purity of the marriage relationship is to be protected and the bed undefiled.

The command against stealing- affirms the right of people to possess personal property and the prohibition against those who try to take from others by dishonest means.

The command against lying/bearing false witness-affirms the principle of truthful testimony and the prohibition of deceitfulness in conversation.

The command against coveting- affirms the rightness of being content with such things as you have, and the wrongness of desiring what others have. This is the internal origin of the external act

DAY 9-NINE LADIES DANCING

This is a reference to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)

DAY 8- EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING

This is a reference to the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

DAY 7- SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING (ROMANS 12:6-8; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:8-11)

Although I don’t believe these lists are exhaustive, this was a great teaching aid to help children learn the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of prophecy.

The gift of ministry.

The gift of teaching.

The gift of exhortation.

The gift of giving.

The gift of administration.

The gift of showing mercy.

DAY 6- SIX GEESE A LAYING

This is a reference to the six days of Creation (Genesis 1).

Creation of light (3-5).

Creation of air and water (6-8).

Creation of land and plants (9-13).

Creation of light-bearers: sun, moon, stars (14-19).

Creation of birds and fish (20-23).

Creation of animals and then humanity (24-31).

NOTE: Day 1 pairs with day 4; day 2 pairs with day 5; day 3 pairs with day 6

DAY 5- FIVE GOLD RINGS

This is a reference to the first five books of the Old Testament-the Pentateuch. These books give the history of man’s sinful failure and God’s response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

DAY 4- FOUR CALLING BIRDS

These were black birds which were common in England known as Colly birds. These four birds represent the four gospels of the New Testament- These first four books of the New Testament proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ concerning God’s reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

DAY 3- THREE FRENCH HENS

This is a reference to the faith, hope, and love found in the great love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

DAY 2- TWO TURTLE DOVES

This is a reference to the Old and New testaments which make up God’s self-revelation of Himself in history and the creation of a people to tell the story of God (His Story) to the world.

DAY 1- A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE

The partridge in a pear tree is none other than Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and the King of glory. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge who feigns an injury or even death in order to protect her own.

CONCLUSION

This song in reverse order begins with the doctrine of God. It ends with the doctrine of salvation made available through the person and work of Jesus Christ according to the Good News of His gospel. Jesus Christ came to this earth because He loved us. Jesus Christ went to the cross because of His love for us. He died on our behalf because He loved us. He rose from the dead because He loved us. Christmas is all about Christ’s love for us. Now go out and share that love with others.