From Dan and Brenda Cathcart's Blog: Moedtorah.blogspot.com
Today, at local sunset, April 6th 2012 begins Nissan 15 on the Biblical calendar and the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread.
Exodus 12:17 NASB 17 'You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
God told the children of Israel that they were to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread because He brought them out of Egypt. What is the connection between unleavened bread and Egypt? Egypt is the land where Pharaoh held them in slavery and God had just delivered them from that slavery. They were now free to go into the wilderness and worship Him. From there, God promised to bring them into the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Slavery in Egypt represents our slavery to sin. Paul tells us that leaven also represents sin in our lives. So fleeing from Egypt and eating unleavened bread both remind us of Yeshua’s sacrifice as our Passover Lamb freeing us from our lives of sin.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 NASB 7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
When the children of Israel left Egypt, they did so in haste. They took their bread which hadn’t had time to leaven and traveled to Succoth and there they baked unleavened bread. The name Succoth means a tent or temporary dwelling place. When God redeems us, we are to quickly leave our lives of sin not waiting for sin to seep back into our lives. Here on this earth we are to dwell in the temporary dwelling places of our flesh and keep sin out of our lives. But we have the promise of an eternal body.
2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV 1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
When Yeshua died and they laid His body in the grave, it did not decay. Unleavened bread is a substance that does not decay. David wrote of the hope he had that his flesh would not remain in the grave because God would not allow His Holy One to decay.
Psalms 16:9-10 NKJV 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Peter writes of the hope we have in Yeshua.
1 Peter 1:3 NKJV 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
What does the Feast of Unleavened Bread mean to me? By eating unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, I remember that Yeshua died to take away my sins; that I am to live a life according to the Spirit not according to the sinful nature of the flesh. By removing the leaven from my house, I realize the enormous task of getting all the sin out of my life. Just when I think I have it licked, the Holy Spirit reveals one more thing I need to work on! I remember that every day anew, He delivers me from the imperfections of my life as I in turn flee from the desires of the flesh. Finally, I reflect on the hope I have through Yeshua of an eternal incorruptible body.
What does the Feast of Unleavened Bread Mean to you?
…for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and be blessed
Dan & Brenda Cathcart
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Reasons to Celebrate Passover
From Dan and Brenda Cathcart's blog: Moedtorah.blogspot.com
(I couldn't tell it better!)
This essay is an excerpt from our book titled “Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Biblical Feasts.” It is available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble .com, other book retailers as well as from our own web site at www.moedministries.com.
When we talk about celebrating Passover, we think of the Passover meal or Seder. The Passover meal is the time when the story of the Exodus is told. It is the story of God remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is the story of God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt. It is the story of God’s redemption. It is the story of the Patriarch Joseph’s empty grave. It is the story of crossing the Red Sea. The story of Passover began before the actual day of Passover and extended until they safely crossed the Red Sea.
Likewise the observance of Passover begins days before the actual Passover Seder. In fact, the Passover meal or Seder is the last thing that happens on the day of Passover. Jesus celebrated His final Passover with His disciples one day early, though. He knew that on the actual day of Passover, He would be the Passover lamb for the world. He celebrated the Passover Seder early to pass on instructions to the disciples about the changed but continued observance of the events of Passover. In fact, the observance of His last Passover Seder wasn’t the most important event of those days, but it pointed to those events. What are those events leading up to Passover?
Before Passover those observing the Passover chose a lamb. They examined the lamb carefully to be sure it was without blemish. The Hebrew word for the phrase without blemish is tamiym which also refers to a morally upright character. Jesus presented Himself to the temple on the fourth day before Passover. He submitted to the questions of the Pharisees, Sadduccess, Scribes and Herodians. They all questioned Him and could find no fault with Him.
Those observing they had to clean out their houses and make sure there was no leaven. Jesus cleaned His house as well. He went to the temple, the house of His Father, and cleaned house by driving out the crooked moneylenders and merchants that cheated the pilgrims who came up to Jerusalem for the Feast.
The Passover lambs had to be bound to a stake, taken before the altar and slain. The priests caught the blood and poured it out at the foot of the altar. This all began at 9:00 a.m. or the third hour. Jesus was bound to His stake at the third hour. The sacrifices went on all day long until the hour of the evening sacrifice the ninth hour or 3:00 p.m. At that time, the high priest slays the last Passover lamb and states, “It is finished.” On that Particular Passover, darkness covered the land from the sixth until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and yielded up His spirit.
At His last Passover meal, Jesus gave instructions to remember Him during this meal that is all about remembrance. Like the story of the Exodus, the telling doesn’t stop with the slaying of the Passover Lamb; it continues into the days following. It continues through His burial as the Feast of Unleavened bread begins. It continues three days later when He rose from the dead which just happened in that year to be the Feast of Firstfruits.
We can observe the Passover by telling this story. Telling the story of the Passover of Jesus’ death which just happened to parallel exactly the events at the temple. Telling the story of His burial as the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins. Telling the story of His resurrection on the Feast of Firstfruits. Telling the story of the Promise of our own glorified bodies represented by the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We can tell the story as we go through the Passover Seder telling the story of the first redemption and letting it add meaning and significance to the second redemption.
Let’s not diminish His sacrifice by failing to recognize all the prophecies fulfilled in those days. Our God is great and mighty doing marvelous works. Let’s proclaim them all!
Psalms 118:26-29 NKJV 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. 27 God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and be blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Visit Moedtorah.blogspot.com for other insightful and meaning reasons to celebrate Passover!
(I couldn't tell it better!)
This essay is an excerpt from our book titled “Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Biblical Feasts.” It is available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble .com, other book retailers as well as from our own web site at www.moedministries.com.
When we talk about celebrating Passover, we think of the Passover meal or Seder. The Passover meal is the time when the story of the Exodus is told. It is the story of God remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is the story of God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt. It is the story of God’s redemption. It is the story of the Patriarch Joseph’s empty grave. It is the story of crossing the Red Sea. The story of Passover began before the actual day of Passover and extended until they safely crossed the Red Sea.
Likewise the observance of Passover begins days before the actual Passover Seder. In fact, the Passover meal or Seder is the last thing that happens on the day of Passover. Jesus celebrated His final Passover with His disciples one day early, though. He knew that on the actual day of Passover, He would be the Passover lamb for the world. He celebrated the Passover Seder early to pass on instructions to the disciples about the changed but continued observance of the events of Passover. In fact, the observance of His last Passover Seder wasn’t the most important event of those days, but it pointed to those events. What are those events leading up to Passover?
Before Passover those observing the Passover chose a lamb. They examined the lamb carefully to be sure it was without blemish. The Hebrew word for the phrase without blemish is tamiym which also refers to a morally upright character. Jesus presented Himself to the temple on the fourth day before Passover. He submitted to the questions of the Pharisees, Sadduccess, Scribes and Herodians. They all questioned Him and could find no fault with Him.
Those observing they had to clean out their houses and make sure there was no leaven. Jesus cleaned His house as well. He went to the temple, the house of His Father, and cleaned house by driving out the crooked moneylenders and merchants that cheated the pilgrims who came up to Jerusalem for the Feast.
The Passover lambs had to be bound to a stake, taken before the altar and slain. The priests caught the blood and poured it out at the foot of the altar. This all began at 9:00 a.m. or the third hour. Jesus was bound to His stake at the third hour. The sacrifices went on all day long until the hour of the evening sacrifice the ninth hour or 3:00 p.m. At that time, the high priest slays the last Passover lamb and states, “It is finished.” On that Particular Passover, darkness covered the land from the sixth until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and yielded up His spirit.
At His last Passover meal, Jesus gave instructions to remember Him during this meal that is all about remembrance. Like the story of the Exodus, the telling doesn’t stop with the slaying of the Passover Lamb; it continues into the days following. It continues through His burial as the Feast of Unleavened bread begins. It continues three days later when He rose from the dead which just happened in that year to be the Feast of Firstfruits.
We can observe the Passover by telling this story. Telling the story of the Passover of Jesus’ death which just happened to parallel exactly the events at the temple. Telling the story of His burial as the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins. Telling the story of His resurrection on the Feast of Firstfruits. Telling the story of the Promise of our own glorified bodies represented by the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We can tell the story as we go through the Passover Seder telling the story of the first redemption and letting it add meaning and significance to the second redemption.
Let’s not diminish His sacrifice by failing to recognize all the prophecies fulfilled in those days. Our God is great and mighty doing marvelous works. Let’s proclaim them all!
Psalms 118:26-29 NKJV 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. 27 God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and be blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Visit Moedtorah.blogspot.com for other insightful and meaning reasons to celebrate Passover!
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