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VIRTUAL PASSOVER
POSTED 25 APRIL, 2008

Passover: A Sign to Remember

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“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 12:13-14).

When we consider the Spring feasts of the Lord that begin with the remembrance of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded that one of the reasons that we observe these holidays is because it is a sign of our obedience to God’s commandments. In the Book of Exodus, we are introduced to the “sign” depicted in the appointed time that has been called Pesach or Passover, and is to be celebrated “as an institution for all time” (NJPS).

Amazingly, in spite of the clear language stated in this passage about the concept of “forever,” or perhaps “perpetual” (NRSV), and many more later in the Torah, a significant number of those who declare that their God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob unfortunately do not follow the prescription to remember the Passover. This tragedy is one that is quite perplexing. Thankfully in recent years the reintroduction of Passover sedars is being used by the Ruach HaKodesh or Holy Spirit to ignite an insatiable blaze for truth inside the hearts of many.

What is it about this particular sign that in and of itself is so life changing? Is it possible that the Holy One really does want His children to remember the trauma of the Ancient Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt and what it required in terms of human life, in order to get our undivided attention? Certainly, there are few things as moving as the mental image of requiring the bloody sacrifice of an unblemished, innocent lamb to be slaughtered in order to prevent the angel of death from visiting your home. To have this lamb’s blood painted on the doorposts and lintels of your home as an act of obedience and a sign that this home has been protected is extremely thought provoking. It is an extremely powerful image of the work accomplished by the Messiah at Golgotha (Calvary).

One should clearly see that God in His infinite wisdom knew that the repetitive nature of the annual Feast of Unleavened Bread, preceded by the celebration of Pesach, would for generations be a wonderful illustration pointing directly to the required work of Yeshua, our Passover Lamb. Each year as the families of Israel would gather to remember the deliverance from their bondage as slaves in Egypt, these observances would focus their attention on the Lord’s hand of salvation and the various initial steps taken to receive His loving protection. As the cyclical rebirth of vegetation and the days begin to lengthen with increasing warmth, the images of redeemed life begin to be seen. The timing of this sign of remembrance is coordinated with the physical reality of the renaissance that takes place each Spring. When you read about the Exodus and the details of what the Israelites did as they prepared to depart Egypt, you can glean the steps that are often included in various Jewish haggadahs that have been compiled to follow during the order of service, or sedar, that commemorates these events.

Lamentably, not all followers of the God of Israel over the centuries have been faithfully following the command to remember this event. Even though it has been an absolute instruction from the heart of our Heavenly Father, the enemy of our souls, Satan, knowing the power of the repetitive celebrations with all of this imagery, has worked diligently to rob many of the blessings from observing Passover. HaSatan knows that if the community of faith discontinues this permanent sign of God’s faithfulness, the possibility of destroying the true works of the Holy One of Israel is increased dramatically. He also knows that to the Jewish people, “signs” have always meant something, as Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 1:22: “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom” (NIV).

It is signs like Passover, circumcision (Genesis 17:11), the Shabbat rest (Exodus 31:13), the virgin birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14), and a multitude of others that declare that the Lord God is the Creator of the Universe. This is one of the reasons why the enemy does not want us to remember Passover. Exodus 12:14 admonishes us, “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.”

Passover Hiatus

When we go back and analyze some of the history of remembering Passover, we discover that the people of Israel neglected this celebration for long periods of time. This is perhaps understandable because one of the last references to the Passover that is recorded in the Torah comes when Moses is giving some more specific instructions about where it is to be celebrated. Two times in this passage, Moses clearly states that the Passover sacrifice should be done in the place of the Lord’s choosing:

“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the Lord your God is giving you; but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:1-6).

Do you think that the Ancient Israelites were somewhat confused about the celebration of the Passover in any other place than where God had established Himself? Does that mean that the only place we can celebrate the Passover is in Jerusalem, where the Temple once stood before the Lord? I do not think so.

Surely, over the centuries, these verses have been used by some to justify eliminating the celebration of Passover unless you can physically be in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount conducting the prescribed sacrifice of an unblemished lamb in order to comply with all of the stated requirements. But as we know, that would take away from the imperative for Israel to remember the events of the Exodus as a memorial throughout its generations forever. The practical need and benefits of having a Passover meal, in one’s home or with one’s fellowship or congregation as a permanent ordinance would be eliminated from the community of Israel scattered abroad.

As we search a little further into the Biblical record, we discover that in the days of Joshua, the Israelites observed the Passover on the plains of Jericho. Initially, as they were first conquering the Promised Land, the memorial was honored:

“While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain” (Joshua 5:10-11).

We do not see a reference to the Passover in the Scriptures until the reign of King Hezekiah, who ruled the Southern Kingdom of Judah from approximately 727-696 B.C.E. But that does not mean that the celebration of the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread did not re-occur until the reign of King Hezekiah. Two references from the time of King Hezekiah, and his great-grandson King Josiah, seem to indicate that the observance of Passover continued until the time that Israel was transitioning from a nation served by judges, to one ruled by a physical king:

“Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah” (2 Kings 23:22).

“There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 35:18).

If you will recall the history of Ancient Israel, the Prophet Samuel was essentially the bridge between the period of the judges of Israel and the kings of Israel. During his lifetime, he anointed King Saul and King David. He was raised in the house of Eli, the high priest of Israel, and was the last “judge” of Israel. When you read the two verses that were reflections of what had happened before the Passover celebrations during the reigns of Kings Hezekiah and Josiah, you might conclude that the last times of celebrating Passover could have been in the era of Saul, David, or perhaps even Solomon. But whatever you conclude, Passover memorials were definitely stopped for a number of generations between the time of those kings and Hezekiah.

Hezekiah Reinstates Passover

As we continue our history lesson, we find that King Hezekiah is responsible for reinstating the Passover. Here are some opening words recorded in 2 Chronicles 29:1-11:

“Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east. Then he said to them, ‘Listen to me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him and turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have turned their backs. They have also shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”

Here we are told about the righteousness that Hezekiah brought back to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This ultimately leads to the reinstatement of Passover during his reign:

“Now Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month, since they could not celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. Thus the thing was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly. So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was prescribed” (2 Chronicles 30:1-5).

Interestingly, if you take into consideration the timing of these events and what is being said, you realize that King Hezekiah was actually making the first concerted attempt to reunite all Israel. The text states that Hezekiah sent couriers throughout the land, from Beersheba to Dan, not only proclaiming that Passover was to be celebrated, but he invites those of the conquered Northern Kingdom who had not been captured by the Assyrians:

“The couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, ‘O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror, as you see. Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.’ So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very large assembly. They arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 30:6-15).

Even though the feast was being remembered on the fourteenth day of the second month due to the unclean status of many (v. 17), the Scripture states that some survivors from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem for the Passover. It must be noted that, “The hand of God was on Judah, too, making them of a single mind to carry out the command of the king and officers concerning the ordinance of the Lord” (v. 12, NJPS). Judah initiated the reinstitution of the celebration and they sincerely wanted the Northern Kingdom survivors, recently devastated by Assyria, to come back into fellowship over the tables of Passover. In some respects, this is almost a foreshadowing of what is taking place today around the world as more and more Messianic Jews are being asked to perform Passover sedars for many Christians.

In fact, when you read a little further, you discover that the celebration was so well received by those gathered from Judah, Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun, that they extended the celebration for an additional seven days so that the festival lasted fourteen days:

“Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests consecrated themselves. All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven” (2 Chronicles 30:22-27).

This extended celebration is referred to as bringing great joy and exultation to all who participated in it: “There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel nothing like it had happened in Jerusalem” (v. 26, NJPS). This statement indicates that there were probably Passover celebrations in the time of Solomon, but none are recorded in the Bible itself. We do, however, have some descriptions of the Temple dedication and other times when Solomon presided over great feasts. Hezekiah was able, for a short season, to bring all Israel together to celebrate the Passover, and as a result all those who participated in it were blessed.

Josiah’s Renaissance

The next time that we discover Passover being celebrated is during the reign of another king, Josiah, who reigned over the Southern Kingdom of Judah from approximately 640-609 B.C.E. Between the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah ruled two evil kings, Manasseh (697-642 B.C.E.) and Amon (642-640 B.C.E.). During their reigns, the return to idolatry was unchecked. They, being evil, personified what the Southern Kingdom became during their lifetimes. The next significant Passover celebration occurred during the eighteenth year of the reign of King Josiah:

“So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. Thus the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign this Passover was celebrated” (2 Chronicles 35:16-19).

Here we read how during the reign of King Josiah that the celebration of Passover had taken a hiatus since the days of the judges of Israel. But previously, we read the testimony of the fourteen-day Passover celebration during the days of King Hezekiah some 80-100 years earlier. The Chronicler may not consider the celebration of Passover during the reign of Hezekiah to be a legitimate celebration, as it was late, or he may be working on different traditions being compiled into Biblical history. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Passover was reinstated for a season:

“Then the king commanded all the people saying, ‘Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God as it is written in this book of the covenant.’ Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the Lord in Jerusalem” (2 Kings 23:21-23).

Earlier in his life, when King Josiah heard the words of the Torah, it so pierced him that he tore his clothes in anguish:

“It happened that when the king heard the words of the Scroll of the Torah, he rent his garments” (2 Kings 22:11, ATS).

Josiah was so moved by hearing the word that he began to clean up much of the idolatry that had crept into the Southern Kingdom. Then, when he heard all of the words of the Torah (probably from the Book of Deuteronomy) read to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he vowed to keep them with all his heart and soul:

“The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant” (2 Kings 23:2-3).

These events eventually led to the reinstatement of Passover that was referred to earlier. Are you beginning to see that the observance of Passover is something that the enemy wants to stop? This is the annual sign that reminds us as God’s people of His deliverance via the blood of the Lamb. There is no more important theme for us as Believers to understand.

Ezra’s Generation

Following the return of the Southern Kingdom of Judah from Babylon, we find righteous men and women of God returning to the celebration. In the Book of Ezra, we are told that the Jewish exiles began to celebrate the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread:

“The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover. And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel” (Ezra 6:19-22).

Here, we see that during the Festival of Unleavened Bread the people rejoiced because the king of Assyria had actually encouraged them to work on the house of God.

This is the last reference in the Tanakh of the Passover celebrations. As you can read, Israel’s obedience to the commandment to keep Passover is definitely challenged by its own disobedience, but at times by the external authorities in place. We read in the Book of 1 Maccabees in the Apocrypha that the ordinances and commandments to observe the Sabbath and feasts were definitely forbidden during the Syrian-Greek invasion:

“And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die” (1 Maccabees 1:44-50).

The Jewish people were absolutely forbidden on the threat of death if they disobeyed the king’s orders. But we know that from our knowledge of the time between the return of Judah from exile and the coming of Messiah Yeshua, the Maccabees were able to rise up against the Seleucids and return to the adherence of these commandments.

Yeshua: The Passover Lamb

During the time of Yeshua, we see the celebration of Passover spoken of throughout the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), notably by how Yeshua’s family was following the commandment to make the Passover a memorial feast:

“Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast” (Luke 2:41-42).

Yeshua not only celebrated Passover, but He actually became the Lamb of God that was sacrificed for the redemption of all mankind. As John the Immerser declared when he encountered Yeshua at the waters of the Jordan, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Later in His life, Yeshua observed Passover as He prepared to be the sacrificial Lamb Himself, instructing two of His Disciples to prepare the Passover meal for all of them:

“Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Yeshua sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it’” (Luke 22:7-8).

Throughout His life, the Messiah observed and remembered the commandment to participate in the Passover celebrations. As the sacrificial Lamb of God, He fulfilled His statement to Nicodemus where He said that He Himself must be lifted up on the cross to die, which would, in and of itself, be a “sign” to all those who had eyes to see and ears to hear:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 14:15).

Remember that Moses lifted up a brazen serpent in the desert to bring salvation to those who looked upon it. Those who followed the command to look upon this standard lived. This was a “sign” that, when complied with, avoided the death from the bite of the snakes:

“And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).

As you can see, “signs” and adherence to them, can mean the difference between life and death.

The “Signs” We See Today

Believers today are once again considering the Ancient Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and what it means to us who have been delivered from the power of sin. Keep in mind that the born again Believers, ten days after Yeshua’s ascension to the right hand of the Father, were then endowed with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit or Ruach HaKodesh. Getting these Spirit-filled followers of the Messiah of Israel to stop remembering the “sign” of the first major deliverance after His crucifixion and resurrection was going to be more difficult. Because the new Believers had the supernatural empowerment to obey God’s commandments and fulfill Yeshua’s Great Commission in the Earth, was there anyway to change the commandment and alter the command?

As the Apostles died off in the First Century, and new leadership came to the emerging Christian Church, the community of Believers steadily veered away from the Hebraic Roots of the faith. Substitute celebrations that recognize the resurrection of the Messiah, but replace Passover, began to be instituted. This was complicated by anti-Semitism in the Roman Empire and a strong hostility from the Jewish community to Believers in Yeshua. The replacement of Passover by “Easter” caused much of the Second and Third Century Church to discard the commandment to keep Passover, one that we are told is to be observed perpetually and for eternity. It is extremely sad that this tragic series of circumstances took place and took us away from blessings that come from obedience to our Heavenly Father.

In our generation, around the globe, the Lord is once again enlightening His people to the benefits of spending the time at His appointed times to observe and remember what He has accomplished for them. The Father is restoring forgotten truths to His people in the emerging Messianic community, who are being called to partake of the sedar meal that is once again becoming a “sign” to us all. The Lord is preparing a people who obey His commandments and have a salvation testimony in Yeshua (Revelation 12:17; 14:12). Are you going to be a part of that people? Will you take Passover seriously?

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