A popular custom in English speaking countries during New Year’s is the singing of the song Auld Ange Syne. Auld Ange Syne means olden times, literally ‘old long since.’ This is a traditional folk song written by James Watson in 1711 and was passed from Scotland to the rest of Britain and then to America.
Following are part of the lyrics to the English version:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness* yet,
for auld lang syne.
*the Hebrew word for kindness is חסד ‘chesed’ and will be discussed in more detail below in regards to ‘baby New Year’ and the stork.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
The original version by James Watson goes like this, as I read it I couldn’t help but notice a striking resemblance to the Biblical book of ‘Song of Songs’ and the thoughts of the bride where the bridegroom was once with her but is now gone and only thoughts of the past, and hope of the future is what keeps her going…
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished, (Song of Songs 8:6)
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine; (Song of Songs 1:13; 4:5; 7:3)
That thou canst never once reflect
on Old long syne.
CHORUS:
On Old long syne my Jo,
in Old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
on Old long syne.
My Heart is ravisht with delight, (Song of Songs 4:9)
when thee I think upon;
All Grief and Sorrow takes the flight,
and speedily is gone;
The bright resemblance of thy Face, (Matthew 17:2; Revelation 1:16)
so fills this, Heart of mine;
That Force nor Fate can me displease,
for Old long syne.
CHORUS
Since thoughts of thee doth banish grief, (Titus 2:13)
when from thee I am gone;
will not thy presence yield relief, (Philippians 3:21)
to this sad Heart of mine: (Revelation 21:4)
Why doth thy presence me defeat,
with excellence divine? (Titus 2:13)
Especially when I reflect
on Old long syne
This song is a good reminder that we are to remember the old days and walk in the old paths:
Jer 6:16 So says YHWH, Stand by the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it. (Malachi 4:4; Isaiah 8:20; 2:5; 30:21; 58:12)
Yet, living in the past is not the will of the Father.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Notice that in Colossians 3, Paul links the death of the old self with being born again from aboveclick here. Is it any wonder then that the custom of New Year’s resolutions are done at this time of year.
The English word ‘resolution’ traces back to two different Hebrew words which represent two different paths. One is the path of the flesh and relying on our own power. The other is the narrow path of the Spirit where we put our trust in the Lord in order to stand.
The first word is חלט ‘chalat’ which means to make a judgment based upon what is comprehended in the mind. חלט comes from the root חט ‘chet’ which literally means a cord that is knotted and used for measurement. The cord is stretched between two points and the knots are counted for measurement. This is also the word for sin as in the shooting of an arrow at a target which is missed. The distance one misses is then measured with a cord. This represents man’s attempt to make resolutions to improve themselves. They will always miss and sin in the process. Sometimes the cord is short, sometimes very long…
Pro 3:5 Trust in YHWH with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
The next word associated with the concept of resolutions is נצב ‘natsav’ which literally means a standing pillar and is used for the concept of steadfastness and resoluteness in Hebrew. Messiah is the pillar (Isaiah 6:13; Romans 11:16-29) that we must be grafted into in order to stand (Psalm 119:28).
New Years (the Calends of old) is a picture of the death of the old self and being born again. This is a counterfeit version of course, but there is still that glimmer of truth that was placed within this holiday for the sake of men who would be called to the Most High in due time (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4; 4:10; Ephesians 3:4-6; 1:9-10, 18).
The Catholic Church saw this connection and ‘baptized’ this pagan holiday as the annual remembrance of the circumcision of Christ. Circumcision is a picture of being born again. It is performed on the 8th day (Leviticus 12:3). 8 is the number of renewal and rebirth. Evidence shows Christ was indeed born on December 25th and circumcised on January 1st. This is the essence of the war of the seeds. Satan counterfeits, Christ takes dominion and reveals the truth.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Circumcison is the way back to Eden
Gen 3:24 And He drove the man out. And He lodged the cherubs at the east of the Garden of Eden, and the flaming sword whirling around to guard the way of the Tree of Life.
The Kerubim held flaming swords to protect the way back to Eden. The only way to get through would be to get cut and die. The only way to the Kingdom of Heaven is for us to die to our old selves and be cut/circumcised in our hearts. The word for swords in Genesis 3:24 is חרב which is the same word used for the knives used in circumcision (Joshua 5:3).
Interestingly, Janus, the two-headed ‘god’ who is the namesake of the month of January, means door back to ‘Eden.’ Janus held the keys to the kingdom. This is a counterfeit of the Messiah.
Rev 1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet, as dead. And He put His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not fear. I am the First and the Last,
Rev 1:18 and the Living One; and I became dead; and, behold, I am living forever and ever. Amen. And I have the keys to hell, and of death.
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, the One having “the key of David,” “the One opening, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens:” Isa. 22:22
Who circumcises our hearts?
Jos 5:13 And it happened, when Joshua was beside Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked. And, behold! A Man stood in front of him, and His drawn sword was in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us, or for our foes?
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Deu 30:6 And YHWH your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.
Circumcision of Christ
Luk 2:21 And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child His name was called Jesus, the name called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
In the pagan cultures, the baby new year is portrayed on this day who will grow throughout the year into old man winter or Father Time (Saturn) whose time would culminate at the winter equinox celebration of Saturnaliaclick here. This custom of Father Time ‘dying’ and being born again is a shadow picture for the heathen to see the path of salvation for mankind. Man in the Garden was pure and innocent as a new born babe, yet throughout time has corrupted worse and worse and can only be saved through the death of the old man and being born again in the Spirit.
The Biblical definition of saintsclick here are those who are born againclick here.
The word for saint in Hebrew is חסיד ‘chasiyd’ which literally means a kind one. The feminine form of this word is חסידה ‘chasiydah’ which means a stork due to its kindness and long bowed neck as חסד literally means the bowing of the neck as a sign of respect and kindness to another. Perhaps this is the origin of the stork who carries babies to its parents and the imagery of the stork carrying ‘baby new year’…
Yet another aspect of New Year’s points to Messiah Jesus. The world calculates time based upon the birth of Messiah. B.C. stands for before Christ and A.D. stands for Anno Domini which is Latin for ‘in the year of the Lord.’ It is generally accepted that the date of Messiah’s birth came before 1 A.D. as was calculated Dionysius Exiuss but the important thing is that all the earth declares that Jesus is the Lord when they go by this manner of time calculation.
Civil time being based upon the year of the Lord has passed into all the world through the Gregorian calendar, which is also, less commonly, called the Christian calendar. This is interesting to note as Gregory (from whence comes Gregorian) means ‘watchman’ and Christians were originally called Nazarenes (Netsarim) which also means watchman (Jeremiah 31:6).
‘Netsar’ is also translated as Branch, an appellation of Messiah.
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch {נצר ‘nêtser’} shall grow out of his roots:
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