Passover Story

History:

Over 430 years before the first Passover, the Patriarch Jacob,(also known as Israel), moved his family of 70 children and grandchildren from his homeland of Canaan to Egypt, where his son, Joseph resided. Joseph was a high ranking official in the Egyptian government, and , at a time when most of the then known world was going through the stress of a famine, Joseph moved his father and brothers into a secure and fertile valley of Egypt called Goshen. 400 years later, with the name of the once highly honored Joseph now a dim memory; Israel's family now numbered over 3 million. The current reigning Pharoah now regarded the Jews as a potential threat to his country's security. They seemed as a nation within a nation to him, and his fear was of internal strife, possibly rebellion, or aiding an outside adversary. In order to weaken any strengths the Israelites might be tempted to use against Egypt, the ruler stripped them of power, position, education and rights, and reduced them down to a labor task force, treating them as slaves. They were coerced into a life of labor and servitude, forced to build roads, buildings, and cities for the Egyptians, under cruel taskmasters. They cried out to God for deliverance, knowing from their ancestors that God had promised their forefather, Abraham, the land of Canaan, from where they came 400 years earler. Now seemed like a good time to return to their homeland!. The book of Exodus records that at this time, God raised up a savior for their dilemma, a man named Moses, who together with his brother Aaron, would be instruments of deliverance for the Israelites. In Exodus 12, God gave Moses exact instructions for their deliverance, which included killing a certain type of lamb, at a particular time, and applying it in a special place, to be done on a specified day and time. The lamb had to 1 year old, without blemish; It had to be observed for 4 days, and killed in the evening; and the blood ofthe lamb had to be applied to the door posts of their homes on Nisan 14. ( Exodus 12:1-7 ) God was, and IS, very specific, which demands of His followers obedience, without excuse. He left nothing for man to contribute to the plan of deliverance, but only to obey it. There was no guesswork or haphazzardness to this plan!.The Exodus deliverance was ascarefully planned as was the creation of the world! Every detail had its importance in the overall scheme. All details together, they would provide a plan that would give the Jews escape from a nation that would very soon experience God's wrath and judgment...andgive them deliverance from their bondage. God has a similar plan today that will enable all people to escape His soon to come wrath and judgment on this world, and give deliverance and protection to those who obey. This plan is based on the same principles and concepts:..a LAMB; the BLOOD; where and how it is applied; and when...all found within the Passover types and shadows! In reading the events recorded in Exodus 12, we see howthe LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt, after they took from their Egyptian neighbors all kinds of provisions for their journey such as gold, silver, jewels, clothing, and anything else they asked for. (Ex 12: 35,36 ) The Israelites left laden down with merchandise, leaving behind them grieving and desperate Egyptians, who had just suffered the loss of their firstborn children as a result of God's 10th and final plague against the Pharaoh. This was a total fulfillment of a prophecy that God had given Abraham 430 years earlier, much before Israel was even born! Genesis 15:13,14: "and He said unto Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed,(Israelites), shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,(Egypt), and shall serve them; they shall afflict them 400 years; also, that nationwhom they shall serve, will I judge.( God killed all their firstborn ),and afterward, they shall come out with great substance."( The Israelites left with great abundance). (words added in parenthesis are added by author.) With such precise clarity, can anyone doubt it was God Who predicted this event 400 years before it happened? Or to doubt His reason and plan? Moses was instructed to keep the Passover in our* generations FOREVER,( Ex 12:14), and so we do, for (1) a memorial of how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt's bondage through their obedience, and ,(2) that we never forget what the LORD did for them, or doubt what He is still able to do for us today! Moses was no superman...he wasn't a spiritual giant or guru of his day..He was a man given to human faults and frailties as we are, but he made himself available to God and His direction, and it became the source of his deliverance, and also for the nation of Israel. We have the same opportunity to seek the same God, and enjoy spiritual deliverance! The Israelites were instructed to start observing the Passover after they entered the land of Canaan, so that they would never forget what their God had done for them. After Jerusalem was devastated in 70 A.D., history tells us the Jews were scattered worldwide, not to return until Israel became a nation in 1948. For over 1800 years, they were dispersed to the 4 corners of the world, struggling for their existence. Through the centuries, having assimilated into the various cultures, the Passover took on variations in its presentation, but always retained the essential Biblical requirements to remind them of the Exodus deliverance for the bound and enslaved. Passover was an actual historical event, but it pointed to a spiritual principle...a deliverance for the spirit of man, who is in bondage. Because he is made in the image of God, man, too, is spirit, and until there is spiritual deliverance, he is bound and dominated by self rule. As Moses was raised up in that hour for Israel's physical redemption, God has raised up the Messiah in this hour for our spiritual redemption! The Rabbi Saul, of Tarsus, saw in the lamb of Passover a type and shadow of another Lamb. He pointed to Him in 1 Corinthians 5:7 and called Y'shua "...Christ,( Messiah),our Passover is sacrificed for us..". John, the Baptist, and prophet of God, recognized Y'shua's fulfillment of the Exodus lamb when he proclaimed Him as "..behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world."( John 1:29). As we progress through the Seder, these types and shadows will become very obvious portrayal of the Messiah, Y'shua.

Preparation for the Passover

Cleaning Prior to the actual Passover meal, there is a time of preparation during which tradition teaches us that the entirehouse was cleansed.(Rabbi Saul made a reference to this practice by making an analogy to spiritual cleansing, found in his statement in 1 Corinthian 5:7 in "cleaning out the old leaven.") Many went to the extremes of re-painting the walls, tearing off the old wall paper; taking the everyday dishes and pots out of the house and using only new utensils, etc. One such extreme tradition had the children dusting the floors with a feather and a spoon, which has soon became a game, with rewards for finding dust. This is not Biblical, but a tradition picked up and incorporated into the Passover through various cultural practices. It speaks of a thorough cleansing of the house before the blood of the lamb was shed at Passover..a good example for spiritual application; A cleansing of man's spiritual house so that the blood of God's Lamb can be applied. This is called repentance, a time of godly sorrow and inner cleansing. Now the house is clean! Passover is here, and the Seder is about to begin. The table is set..the wine has been poured and the family is gathered. There are several accessories for this feast that are used only at this time, and each have their particular use and purpose, which I will attempt to explain.

Explanation of articles used at the Seder:

The tallith is a long prayer shawl worn by Jewish men.Its Biblical reference goes back to the veil Moses wore over his head and face when he had been in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai. The shawl has a band of blue stipes,on both ends, against a background of white on white linen with a total of 613 fringes at both ends. The fringes are symbolic of the 613 oral laws that were given to Moses to guide the nation of Israel covering moral,dietary, civil and ceremonial instructions. They were instructed to meditate with these fringes to remember God's law. ( Exodus 34:30-33; Numbers 15: 37-41; Matthew 23:5 makes a reference to the enlarged borders of the Rabbi's tallith.) The color white is always symbolic of purity and righousness and blue is symbolic of things heavenly, or Divinity. To spiritually wrap oneself in a garment of righteousness is impossible by human standards, for the Bible tells us that no man is righteous. ( Romans 3:10) Jeremiah 23:6 tells us the Lord is our Righteousness and the only way we can wear a shawl of Righteousness is to be wrapped in His Holy Divine Presence...Y'shua, our Messiah,, becomes our Tallith!

Yalmalka ( yal ma ka ) a small beanie-like hat, worn by Jewish boys and men. The origin of this practice can be found in the story of King David's ascent of Mt. Olivet to worship God, and he covered his head in humility.( 11 Samuel 15:30 )Conservative Jewish men still wear this head covering today in synagogue and in home services, while Orthodox Jews wear it all the time, indoors and outdoors in respect to the ever present God.

Pillows: In the 14th chapter of Exodus, we read the instructions to "eat in haste",( vs:11 ),because the Israelites had to be prepared to vacate quickly to flee from their adversary, the Egyptians. However, once safe in Canaan, they demonstrated their feeling of security by leaning on pillows in a posture of ease around the Passover table. God had given them rest. There is a rest that God has for each one of us, and that "rest" is found in Him! He provided physical rest from the bondage of the Egyptians for the Israelites, and through one of their own prophets, Isaiah, (28:9-12),He gave them a promise of a SPIRITUAL "rest" and restoration.."..with stammering lips and another tongue..this is the rest.." This was a reference a a future spiritual manifestation God would give His people .Another prophet, Joel, referred to this experience as God's Spirit being "poured out" on flesh.( Joel2:28). Jewish history relates that when Aaron became the first priest, Moses poured out oil on him, symbolic of God's Spiritual anointing on the ministry. Every priest, likewise, receives the "pouring out" of oil as the anointing. In the N.T., In Revelation 1:6. John tells us that Y'shua, by virtue of Calvary, has made the believer "kings and and priests unto God".Since Aaron was a type of the spiritual priesthood all believers can be, therefore, as priests, we must have the anointing of the Spirit "poured out" on us, which is exactly what Joel prophesied,"...and afterward, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.." This particular prophecy was fulfilled in conjunction with another prophecy by Jeremiah 31:31.."behold, the days cometh, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant, ( other than the old covenant He made with Moses), with the house of Israel and the house of Judah...I will put My law in their inward parts,( no more on stone, but IN them physically and Spiritually..the INNER man),...and write in their hearts and will be their God, and they shall be My people". God was talking of a future time when He would have a one-on-one relationship with man! 800 years after Joel's prophecy; 600 years after Jeremiah's prophecy and 775 years after Isaiah's prophecy, the reality and fulfillment of these predictions came to pass at the Temple in Jerusalem, in approx 30 A.D.. Combined, these 3 prophecies pictured a time when God would shift the emphasis of His law from mental and physical application to Spiritual experience...from cold ritualistic observance to personal intimate heart/mind relationship...a time when God would "pour out" His Spirit to anoint them in a new relationship with Him. This would be evidenced by a Spiritual rest and refreshing when they would not only feel, but hear a physical manifestation: stammering lips and another tongue language). On a particular day in Jerusalem, on the 50th day after Passover, Jews come to the Temple to observe Shavuous, which was the day to commemorate when Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai. While they were gathered in the Temple praying ,in another upper room, Messianic Jews , also, were waiting and worshiping the Lord, as Y'shua had instructed them to do..He had told them, just before He ascended, to "wait for the promise of the Father". ( Acts 1:4 ) Upon this group of Messianic Jews, God fulfilled His prophet's predictions, and they began to manifest the anointing that God was"pouring out" by stammering lips and speaking in other tongues by the Spirit that was now in them! ( Acts 2:1-47 for a record of that entire event.) God had now become a personal experience! He used the day on which He had once given His law on stone as the very day He would now shift the emphasis to giving the Spirit of His law in hearts. This was, indeed, a new Shavuous for the Jewish people! This event could be summarized by another prophecy of Ezekiel 11:19: "..and I will give them one heart..and I will put a new Spirit within you, and I will take the stoney heart out of their flesh that they may walk in my statues and keep mine ordinances" The reality of that prophecy and that experience is available today...God, no longer in stone, but experienced in the heart, a refreshing rest from all our self efforts to obtain peace, and joy. The pillows are indeed symbolic of a rest and security through God's promises, but the reality comes through Y'shua, Jesus!


Next: Passover Symbols


Back to Home Page

























Canaan The land of Canaan was promised to Abram by God, but there was a prophecy made concerning the possession of the land by his children. In Genesis 15:13, in a vision, Abram was told " your descendants will be oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and at the end they will come away with great wealth." This nation is known today as Israel, because the descendants of Abraham came from the 12 sons of Jacob,(also known as Israel, when re-named by God), who was one of the grandsons of Abraham.

Back to Text

























Rabbi Saul Saul was a Pharisaic rabbi, trained under Gamaliel, who persecuted the Jewish believers in the Messiah Y'shua. He felt this "way" was a threat to Judaism, and was the believer's greatest adversary. His credentials can be found in Acts 22, as well as his story concerning his call by God.

Back to Text

























Taketh Away John, the baptizer, saw Y'shua as the fulfillment of the lamb from Exodus. The blood of the Pasach ,(Passover), lamb was applied over the doors of the Jew's homes, providing protection by covering them and sparing the Jews protection form judgment. John now sees Y'shua in a greater role, providing protection not for the Jews, only, but by His provision, coverage and protection for the entire world. Ultimately, the Messiah's sacrificial blood would not only cover in a temporary sense, but take away the world's iniquity and sin.

Back to Text

























Seder The order of the Passover meal and service.

Back to Text

























Preparation (Of the Passover) This time of preparation was used for a period of ritualistic cleansing for the person, as well as the home. This was a period of time where one abstained from certain activities so that they might be considered "clean", as opposed to being "defiled", and then not allowed to partake of Passover.In it's root form, the word "preparation", PARASKEUE, indicates an extended period of time. History indicates that religious Jews spent days cleansing their homes, stripping walls, and making mikvahs, ( water purification's i.e. baptisms), in preparation for holy days. John 18:28 records that the Jews would not enter the place of Pilate, because he was a Gentile, and they feared defilement which would have prevented them from partaking in Passover.

Back to Text

























Repentance from the Greek word, METANOEO-to change the mind; a turning about from sin and turning to God; a Godly sorrow.

Back to Text

























Shavuous This is a traditional holy day set aside to commemorate the day Jehovah, (God), gave the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Jews would gather together at the Temple in Jerusalem to worship and praise God for the Law.

Back to Text

























Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4) "...commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith He, ye have heard of me." Notice the precise wording. Y'shua did not say "wait for the promise from the Father", which would have put a distinction between the Giftor and the gift. The "gift" was not from the Father...it WAS the Father! To paraphrase that verse, they were to wait in Jerusalem, in preparation to receive the Father, for it was promised, by Him, that He would one day put His Spirit IN them. Y'shua was telling them THAT day of His promised coming was at hand...to go and wait for the promise of the Father, and when they did, and the Father kept His promise, Acts 2:1-4 records how they were all filled with His Spirit to an overflowing capacity. " Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus' death and resurrection, and the day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the believers met together that day, suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm...then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they didn't know, for the Holy Spirit gave them this ability."

Back to Text

























Prophet's Predictions Joel, in the Old Testament, chapter 2:28 , predicted the promise from the Father of His Spirit: "......I will pour out My Spirit upon all of you...even on your slaves, men and women alike.." Isaiah was another prophet God used to prophecy this promised infilling: Isaiah 28:11: " for with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people."

Back to Text