Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23
Exodus 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
(KJV)
Comments
The importance of the Passover ordinance here introduced in Israel is underscored by the fact that it changed Israel's reckoning of time. It was to mark the beginning of the year for them. Prior to this, the Hebrew year began with the autumnal equinox, the month Tisri (October). But from this point on, the year was to begin with Abib (April) [also known as Nisan].
God gave precise instructions for this ceremony which was to become a perpetual ordinance in Israel. Each provision had symbolic meaning, which related to God's plan of redemption. I am not going to cover the symbolic meaning in these messages because I am simply laying the groundwork for what would happen in the New Testament concerning Jesus.
The lamb must be of the "first year."
"According to the house of their fathers," literally, "for a father's house," or a family.
"Too little for a lamb," or "too few to eat the meal at a sitting." In this instance, the meal should be shared with a neighbor. The meal must be prepared with consideration for the number likely to eat.
"Without blemish," the lamb must not be lame, sick, or marred in any way. The Law later stated in Leviticus 22:20-25, expressly forbade any blemished animals for sacrifice. This provision typifies the Lamb of God, Who is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26), and Who is the "lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).
The lamb was to be penned up from the tenth day to the fourteenth, to give time to observe it carefully to determine that it had no blemish.
The "whole assembly," all Israel, was to partake of this rite.
The lamb was to be slain, its blood caught in a basin (v. 22), and then sprinkled on the "upper door post" (lintel) and the two side posts or door frames.
According to 2 Samuel 2:14, 15, the Hebrews commonly boiled the meat of sacrificial meals. The Paschal (Passover) meal was to be roasted, which was simpler and quicker than boiling. Since haste was essential, this was the best way to prepare the meat.
The Paschal meal was to be eaten with "bitter herbs" or vegetables, ‘a picture of the bitterness of Israel's servitude in Egypt.’ Jewish tradition says that chicory, endive, wild lettuce, and nettles were included in this.
The Paschal lamb was to be eaten in its entirety.
"Purtenances", denotes the intestines. Jewish tradition says the intestines were removed, washed, and cleansed, then replaced to be roasted and eaten.
The Lamb was to be totally consumed the night of the Paschal feast. Nothing was to be left until the morning.
The people were to eat the Paschal meal fully clothed and ready for traveling.
Their staff was to be in hand. They were to have their shoes on their feet. This was unusual, for shoes were normally not worn indoors.
Jehovah promised to "pass through" the Land of Egypt that night. When He saw the blood applied as instructed. He would "pass over" that house. But in that house where the blood was not applied, the firstborn would die.
This was a judgment upon Egypt and its gods. Many of these gods were represented by certain animals. A partial list of the animals and the gods to whom they were sacred: sheep to Kneph; goats to Khem; cows to Athor; cats to Pasht; dogs to Anubis; lions to Horus; crocodiles to Set; frogs to Heka. The Egyptians would consider the wholesale slaughter of animals as a blow to the gods they represented.
More importantly, Pharaoh was regarded as a deity, son of Ra. His firstborn son was his heir, and was regarded as a god. This would make his death the more significant, as a stroke of Jehovah against Egypt's gods.
The Passover was thus established to be an ordinance "forever" in all future generations of Israel. It was to be observed annually, at the stated time. It was a
"memorial ordinance," a constant reminder to future generations of Israel's deliverance from Egypt by the mighty power of Jehovah.
Additional conditions were added to this ordinance, for its future observance. It was to be the beginning of a week-long solemn festival. This week was to be a "holy convocation" or assembly. Because of their special use, they are sometimes called
“high sabbath.”
All leaven was forbidden throughout Israel during this week. Any violation would result in immediate expulsion from the congregation.
Leaven typifies sin, throughout the Scriptures.
The prohibition regarding leaven included not only bread, but also leaven of any kind. The time included in this was one week, from the fourteenth day to the twenty-first day of Abib or Nisan.
"Stranger" includes those who had become proselytes, Gentiles who accepted Israel's God, embraced Israel's law and worship, and thus became beneficiaries of Israel's covenants. It is significant that God did not exclude Gentiles from the benefits of His gracious covenants, see Genesis 12:3. There are many references in the Law to proselytes, see Exodus 20:10; 23:13; Leviticus 17:16; 24:16; Numbers 35:15; Deuteronomy 5:14; 14:17-19, et. al.
"Born in the land" refers to a native-born Israelite.
"Habitations" refers to the homes of the Israelites, in whatever country they dwelt.
This includes Egypt, Palestine, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, or wherever their journeyings might take them. Orthodox Jews observe the Passover today, wherever they live.
Moses relayed Jehovah's instructions regarding the Passover, to the elders of Israel. Two conditions are included in these instructions which are not in the record of God's message to Moses. They are: (1) The use of hyssop to apply the lamb's blood to the door; and (2) the provision that all the Israelites were to remain inside their houses on that night.
Moses is very precise in his demand that the significance of the Passover was to be communicated from one generation to the next. This shows the necessity of parental instruction to children, in order to perpetuate the true message of God.
It is significant that Truth is only one generation away from perishing from the earth!
The tenth and final "stroke" or plague fell as Moses had prophesied. It came "at midnight." It reached from Pharaoh's palace to the prisoner in the dungeon, and the "maidservant. . .behind the mill" (Exodus 11:5). And it included the firstborn of even the "cattle," the domestic animals of the Egyptians.
This "stroke" awakened the Egyptians, and the entire land was filled with mourning.
The Passover "plague" accomplished what the other nine had not. That same night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and ordered them to leave Egypt, along with all Israel, and all their possessions. Thus was the Divine prophecy fulfilled.
The Egyptians were terrified. They insisted that Israel leave Egypt at once, before the entire land was destroyed, and all its people slain.
Israel's departure from Egypt was exactly as God had promised. They "borrowed"
everything they desired, and the Egyptians refused them nothing. Thus did Israel
"spoil" Egypt. The land was devastated by the plagues. There was national mourning over the death of the firstborn. Then, the Israelites stripped the Egyptians of their valuables. It was a blow from which Egypt never fully recovered.
Egypt is still a “third-world” country today.
Jehovah placed four certain restrictions upon the annual observance of the Passover. These included: (1) No foreigner could partake of the ordinance, unless he first became a proselyte and submit to circumcision; (2) the ordinance must be observed by family units, see verses 3-10; (3) no bone of the paschal lamb could be broken; (4) the restrictions were the same for native born Israelis as for Gentile proselytes.
Leviticus 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
(KJV)
"Feasts," simply means "an appointment meeting." The common concept of a
"feast" is a bountiful, festive meal. This is not always the meaning of the term in Scripture. A meal may be served, but the primary meaning is that of an appointed time of meeting.
"Convocation," means "a calling together," an assembly, in this instance for religious purposes.
All told, there were seven "holy convocations" annually, in addition to the weekly Sabbath: the first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread; Pentecost; Yom Kippur; the Feast of Trumpets; and the first and last days of the Feast of Tabernacles.
"Sabbath," means "cessation, rest." The context determines if the "sabbath" is the seventh day of the week, or if it is some other special holy day. In this text, it is the seventh day, or weekly Sabbath. It began at sunset on Friday, and ended at sunset on Saturday. All work was forbidden. This was Israel's most holy day. Its purpose: to commemorate the Person and work of Israel's God (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 16:23-29; 20:8-11); to afford needed rest and refreshment; and to afford opportunity to reflect on His Person and Law.
The first and last days of this observance were days of holy convocation. No servile work might be done on these days.
Jesus was crucified on Nisan 15, the day after the Paschal meal. The note in John 18:28 regarding the Pharisees' reluctance to enter the judgment hall because of the Passover, does not refer to the Paschal lamb, but to the Peace Offering which must be offered and eaten on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Numbers 28:19-24 lists the public sacrifices to be offered on each of the days of this week's festival. Deuteronomy 16:17 prescribes the Peace Offerings which might be offered at an individual's discretion.
Nisan became the first month of the religious year, because this was the month of the first Passover in Egypt, Exodus 12:2-15. Originally, the head of each
household was responsible for the Passover rites. But with the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, the priestly rights for the nation were vested in Aaron's sons, and sacrifices apart from the Temple were forbidden, see Deuteronomy 16:5,6.
The head of each household must bring his Passover lamb to the tabernacle, where the priest would offer the blood on the altar. The lamb was then taken away, to be cooked in preparation for the Paschal meal.
"Feast"(verse 4) is moed, the term used in verse 2. But in verse 6 it is chaq, meaning
"festival," or festive occasion.
The Passover itself was one day only, the fourteenth of Nisan. The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted seven days, from Nisan 15 through 21. During this week, only unleavened bread was allowed to be eaten, Exodus 12:34. The two festivals were not the same, but they were observed together, and were called indiscriminately the "Feast of the Passover" or the "Feast of Unleavened Bread."
According to traditional ritual, three men entered the barley field, with basket and sickle, immediately following sunset on Nisan 14. They harvested ears of the grain equal to about three pecks and three pints, and brought them to the altar at the tabernacle (or later to the Temple). The priest offered these ears of grain as a wave offering, in token of the consecration of the entire barley harvest to Jehovah.
Along with the wave offering of grain, a Burnt Offering of a Lamb, and a Meat (food) Offering of double the usual quantity was offered, and a drink offering of wine (Leviticus 1:10-13; 2:1-16).
This was to be a perpetual ordinance for all Israel, no matter where they might live.
Prior to the waving of the sheaf of barley, no bread made from the new flour, no parched grain, nor fresh grain was to be eaten. The lesson from this is that the first and the best belongs to God, as a token of His ownership and man's stewardship.
Conclusion
This lays the foundation for what was to come in the New Testament. The pattern was especially important because it would determine when and how Jesus would be crucified.