Bo (Go)

Exodus 10:1-13:16
Jeremiah 46:13–28

“A Perpetual Feast Forever”

POSTED 11 JANUARY, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance” (Exodus 12:12-14).

In Bo, the final three judgments upon Egypt are executed, and the people of Israel are finally released to begin their journey to the Promised Land. The portion gives great detail about the Spring festivals of the Lord and how His people are commanded to observe these feasts on an annual basis in all future generations.

Each year when this portion is considered, the reference to a “permanent ordinance” or “eternal decree” (ATS) always creates some interesting recollections that you might be able to identify with. For years, prior to becoming Messianic, every time I read this text I paused and thought about the words “you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.”

Reading Recollections

Many times while reading through these passages, I remember going back and rereading the statements made two or three times, and thinking about what the text actually meant. After all, the words “you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance” are fairly easy and direct to understand. The problem I had was not in understanding the plain English text. Rather, the problem was in obeying the words spoken. I was confused because the commandment to honor the festival was very clear. Like most who have been confronted by the simple text, I first turned to my teachers for an explanation. Of course, that is where my problems were compounded.

Many years ago in the 1980s, I was still pursuing truth in the evangelical Christian community, and was at the mercy of Christian pastors and Bible teachers who were only repeating what they had been taught at Bible college or seminary. Because of their training, my teachers told me that the Passover celebration was something that the Jewish people did, but it was something that Christians were not required to do, because there was a much more meaningful celebration that I could participate in called Easter. To a relatively young and naïve Believer, their argument was very persuasive. As I recall, the logic went something like this:

“Remember that Jesus was our Passover lamb. He came and was sacrificed for us. Should we not be thankful for that ultimate sacrifice and come together on the day that celebrates the resurrection of Christ?”

Of course, all of the justification for the Easter services made good sense. Further questions elicited further reasons to go along with this practice, as I was also told:

“You need to understand that this has been going on for centuries, and certainly the ecclesiastical authorities that instituted these events knew what they were doing. The Jews will continue to do the Passover and the Christians will continue to do the Easter celebration. Just celebrate Easter and do not worry about what the Jews are doing.”

But regardless of these explanations, inevitably, whenever I read these verses, the same nagging question arose in my spirit. What does the Word mean when it says “forever” or “eternal”?

Maturing Messianic

Sometimes, it is funny how you remember certain things that prompted you to dig more into the Word of God for greater explanation. For example, the word “forever” seems to really stand out. As I was maturing in my study and pursuit of the truth, the Lord was continuing to reveal more about Himself too. This seeker was definitely finding Him through the asking and seeking process just as Jeremiah promises:

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

In the course of maturing in my walk with the Messiah, I started to think for myself while studying various passages of Scripture. I began relying more upon the Holy Spirit for instruction, rather than various teachers. During the course of different Bible studies, I had managed to memorize some verses of Scripture. This can be illuminating, because all of a sudden you are starting to inculcate your mind with the truth. Soon you begin to have the mind of the Messiah working in conjunction with the Spirit as you read the ancient texts. At another reading of those very same verses something dramatic occurred. One night while reading this passage, the concept of “forever” repeated itself in my spirit. All of a sudden, another thought came immediately to mind:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, he was referring to the Scriptures as they knew them in the First Century, the Hebrew Tanakh (Genesis-2 Chronicles [or Malachi]).[1] Paul told the Romans a similar thing regarding the Scriptures:

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

While thinking through this text on Passover one year, a radical thought came to my mind: Was it possible that the very concept of obeying this commandment “forever” was perhaps something that would be profitable for teaching and training in righteousness? Oftentimes when you have these types of internal debates, you are actually being taught by the Holy Spirit. Remember that according to Yeshua, it is the Holy Spirit who has been sent to teach one all things:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).

This train of thought was really stretching me away from the doctrines that had been taught over the decades. When I considered this, without any significant change with regard to the word “forever,” I simply pondered these thoughts in my heart, waiting for further instruction. Obviously, I was not quite ready for the transition to a Messianic understanding at that time, nor would I have been led to pursue the issue further. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it is clear that I was definitely set up for the next stage in my walk.

The Seder Experience

In the early 1990s, just like what has happened to thousands of other Believers in recent years, I was asked to attend a seder to celebrate the Passover. This seder happened to be held at the Messianic Jewish congregation that we were attending. For the first time in my life, I was going to keep the commandment to remember the deliverance from Egypt.

The very Torah portion that we are looking at was being discussed in the context of a Passover remembrance. The whole seder experience was something to behold. As the leader of the seder went through a written presentation or haggadah, the details of the deliverance from Egypt were thoroughly discussed. Of course, the parallels between the blood of the lamb and the Messiah Yeshua being the ultimate blood sacrifice were mentioned in great detail. Even the Jewish traditions with the unleavened bread and how it was handled, all seemed to point to the work of the Messiah at Golgotha (Calvary).

Throughout the evening I thought about the commandment to remember the Passover forever. I considered the history of the Jewish people and how they had faithfully honored this commandment for millennia. It was apparent that this, and other celebrations of the Biblical festivals, had kept them a unified and a separated people. And now here I was, a non-Jew participating in the very same celebration that was given not necessarily to the Jewish people, but to all who serve the God of Israel.

Some of my questions from decades earlier started to resurface in my thoughts. Now, however, I was in a Messianic environment that would consider some of the historical realities, that for some reason had been overlooked by those in the earlier evangelical settings. I was finally exposed to the decisions made by ecclesiastical councils from the Fourth and Fifth Centuries that forbade the Christian Church from observing the appointed times. These revelations, coupled with other information that was being assimilated daily, substantially altered the direction of my pursuit of God.

We as a family consider it an honor and responsibility to remember the Passover, just as these passages remind us. We believe we are some of the “generations” that this commandment was directed to. Of course as we have discovered via experience, you do not get to the point where you believe that remembering the Passover is for you until you have moved toward a Messianic lifestyle that seeks to obey the Torah and its commandments.

Who Do You Serve?

How do you figure into all of this? Have you ever celebrated Passover? Do you remember your first time at a Passover seder? Did you sense that you were obeying one of God commands for all His people for all time? Do you think it would be beneficial to follow this command, and to teach your children about the deliverance from Egypt?

By keeping Passover you will certainly be establishing a good example of obedience. You could also use this celebration as a backdrop for additional instruction about the future deliverance of God’s people from the Egyptian world system. We live in interesting days that challenge our beliefs and convictions. We need to be convinced about who we are serving. By honoring and following the Lord’s instructions, we are sending clear signals that we are worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and not someone or something else.

The Joshua generation that was allowed to enter into the Promised Land faced some of the same challenges that we face today. They had the words of Moses to contend with, as well as fresh memories of their parents and grandparents who were denied entrance because they did not believe and obey the Lord. At the end of Joshua’s life, he reminded the people of Israel about all the things that God had done for His people over the centuries:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15).

For us today, these same words need to be considered. We need to ask ourselves which gods we serve. Will we serve the Holy One of Israel, or will we follow some other god?

Hopefully, the answer will echo Joshua’s admonition to his fellow countrymen to serve the Lord. Today, we can visibly display our allegiance to the Lord by continuing to make the Passover celebration a perpetual feast forever!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.

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