We are convinced that after the Winter season we shall be able to look at Spring. After the darker days some Sunshine may lighten more the day. People with Winter depression find new hope. Others do think it is getting time to get rid of the old stories and older things still in the house.
Winter (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
In Wintertime we did have lots of time to think about matters from the past. It sometimes even did look like our memories did not want us alone. They, for some people did follow them, as in a nightmare. The good memories going with us would not be to bad, but having bad memories trying to haunt us every day is not so nice.
We all have memories; bad things we try to shut out of our memory, good things we try to retain and bring to the fore.
In today’s reading of the Bible we read how Moses told the people to look back on
“all the days of your life (that) you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:3).
Second Seder at 92YTribeca, 4/19/11 (Photo credit: 92YTribeca)
The Passover Feast was set up to aid that memory, to cement it into their consciousness. Most of the generation that had experienced the miraculous deliverance had failed to do that and had died in the wilderness because of their faithlessness. Now Moses is delivering the message to the next generation; whose leaders had been teenagers and children at that time.
Today’s chapter details the feasts they are to keep when they start living in the promised land. As well as remembering the actual deliverance, through the Passover feast, there are 3 other feasts associated with farming the land and the reward of harvesting. This they would experience for the first time in their lives. The key lesson is they are not to “appear before the LORD empty handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD” (verses 16,17).
Deuteronomy 16:15-17 The Scriptures 1998+ (15) “For seven days you shall observe a festival to יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim in the place which יהוה {Jehovah} chooses, because יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing! (16) “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה {Jehovah} empty-handed, (17) but each one with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim which He has given you.
Verse 20 has another blunt ‘punch line’ message,
Deuteronomy 16:20 The Scriptures 1998+ (20) “Follow righteousness, righteousness alone, so that you live and inherit the land which יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim is giving you.
In this world, when we look around us we see a lot of injustice. In the Wintertime many people stay more in their own home and do not so much go out to see and meet people, except for the Christmas and New Year period. Facing the New Religious Year many may make new promises and look forward to see more “Justice, and only justice,” others to follow and they wanting to follow. For Christians this is much important because they too want to belong to the people which may live and inherit the land that the Most High God is giving the world.
Now we consider our own journey in life, how close are we to the climax of all that God has prepared for all those who truly believe in and love Him? Is the crossing of the Jordan close at hand for us?
Passover, 1724, from Juedisches Ceremoniel (Photo credit: Center for Jewish History, NYC)
We must face up to today’s challenges and make sure we “escape all the things that are going to take place” (Luke 21:36) as the Almighty prepares to cleanse the earth of its’ evil. Let us “remember the day” when we made the commitment to join the Lord’s side and accepted his “deliverance” by being baptised. If you have not yet experienced such a day – ask yourself – very seriously – why? Don’t let “that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” (Luke 21:34) so that you fail to enter a far greater “promised land”.
Several people may have celebrated the end of the Winter with the Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread), remembered how the People of God was liberated, and remember how those who were not looking for God also did get salvation onto them, by the Ransom offer of the Nazarene Jeshua, Jesus Christ, who died at the wooden stake. Several people all over the world looked at the amazing thing which happened some two thousand years ago. The world had been for a long time in darkness, and now a man had brought light into the world.
John 9:29-41 The Scriptures 1998+ (29) “We know that Elohim has spoken to Mosheh, but this One, we do not know where He is from.” (30) The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a wonder! You do not know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! (31) “And we know that Elohim does not hear sinners. But if anyone fears Elohim and does His desire, He hears him. (32) “From of old it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (33) “If this One were not from Elohim, He could have done none at all.” (34) They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins – and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out. (35) יהושע {Jeshua} heard that they had cast him out, and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Elohim?” (36) He answered and said, “Who is He, Master, that I might believe in Him?” (37) And יהושע {Jeshua} said to him, “You have both seen Him and He who speaks with you is He.” (38) And he said, “Master, I believe,” and bowed before Him. (39) And יהושע {Jeshua} said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those not seeing might see, and those seeing might become blind.” (40) And those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind, too?” (41) יהושע {Jeshua} said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin, but now you say, ‘We see,’ therefore your sin remains.
From old times we should remember this Jeshua who asked the blind man “Believest thou on the Son of Alaha?” (Murdock; John 9:35) The blind man who was healed believed. He listened to the preacher who told him that he had come for the judgement of this world, “that they who see not, might see; and that they who see, might become blind.”
Many do know things, have learned a lot of things, have enough brains to think, and should know certain things. The Pharisees who were with Jesus and the blind man, heard the things Jesus said. It did not keep them for asking questions, like many people ask similar questions to Christians. Those asking questions should not worry when they would not know better and if they were really (figuratively?) blind. Many of them are not blind, and do as if they can not see certain matters. Their brains present them with a lot of ideas, but to many they do not want to adhere. In such a way it comes to what is called sin in the Holy Scriptures, which becomes established.
It is never too late to put away sin, to get rid of old, wrong and adverse ideas. Like many start Spring-cleaning, now it is a time we all can do some Spring cleaning in our mind. when we take the brush and soap, scrubbing the deck of our habitat, we should muse or contemplate on those last days of that Nazarene man, who celebrated the Passover and presented himself as a new Passover Lamb.
When we remember how God helped His Chosen People and guided them to their new country, we shall come to understand that He has given the world a fresh new guide to replace, or better, to follow up, Moses, to become a guide for all of the world, not only for Israel. This guide also assures us that al that his (heavenly) Father has given him, will come to him; and him, that cometh to him, Jesus will not cast out.
John 6:37-40 The Scriptures 1998+ (37) “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out. (38) “Because I have come down out of the heaven, not to do My own desire, but the desire of Him who sent Me. (39) “This is the desire of the Father who sent Me, that all He has given Me I should not lose of it, but should raise it in the last day. (40) “And this is the desire of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should possess everlasting life. And I shall raise him up in the last day.”
Jesus has come figuratively, as bread, the manna of life, and all people are invited to come and eat of it. They may ignore Jesus or they take him for any other man or for the one who is sent by God, his Holy Father. He never wanted to do his own will, though mostly that is one of the characteristics of most people. He was a man who managed to keep faithful to the Will and to the Law of God.
We should remember the day God had given His People, Israel, the opportunity to get out of slavery, but later how he gave all people the opportunity to liberate themselves from the curse of death, by accepting Jesus Christ his Ransom offering.
By God taking His son out of death a New Time had started, a New Spring had come into the world. That Spring of the New Creation we should never forget.
Are you also now and then look back on the days when you came out of the darkness and did find the light? Are you sharing that experience with others?
Did you express your hope that you might maybe liberate yourself this Passover? Where you depressed this Winter or did you feel fine. You should be feeling fine and you should be pleased you have something positive to look forward to. How many people do not see the light which can bring them better times? Those who can see that light should also show it to others, and should bring the Good Tidings also to other people around them and far in the world.
Those having ‘Faith‘ should know there is an ocean because you have seen a brook and be encouragers bringing Good News to the world and showing to others it is worthwile to do everything by this hope. They should know they can help to move mountains. All those who have the hope in the return of Christ, should tell others which good things could come over the world and how we shall be able to live together in peace. We all should work to come to that world of peace, sharing the same hope.
Lets work on it, always remembering the works God has done in the past and the works He still shall accomplish!
+
Preceding articles:
Shabbat Pesach service reading 1/2
Shabbat Pesach service reading 2/2
3 Reasons the Resurrection Matters
++
Read also:
- Hope
- Hope for the future
- The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
- Commemorating the escape from slavery
- Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
- A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
- Seven days of Passover
- Passover and Liberation Theology
- High Holidays not only for Israel
- 14-15 Nisan and Easter
- Easter: Origins in a pagan Christ
- Festival of Freedom and persecutions
- Being sure of their deliverance
- Deliverance and establishment of a theocracy
- A Single Seder, and Around the World
- Observance of a day to Remember
- A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
- Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
- About a man who changed history of humankind
- Jesus memorial
- A Messiah to die
- On the first day for matzah
- Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
- An unblemished and spotless lamb foreknown
- Servant of his Father
- Servant for the truth of God
- For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
- Bread and Wine
- This Passover maybe we can liberate ourselves
- Heed of the Saviour
- Faithful to the listening ear
- God is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him
- Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
- Not making a runner
- Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
- Ember and light the ransomed of Jehovah
- God’s Light
- Not all Christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- From Winterdarkness into light of Spring
- Darkness, light, burning fire, Truth and people in it
- Getting out of the dark corners of this world
- Not holding back and getting out of darkness
- Words in the world
- Bible a guide – Bijbel als gids
- We should use the Bible every day
- Written to recognise the Promised One
- People Seeking for God 5 Bread of life
- The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
- What is life?
- The business of this life
- A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
- A Living Faith #8 Change
- A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
- Being religious has benefits even in this life
- Power in the life of certain
- Created to live in relation with God
- Life and attitude of a Christian
- Your life the sum total of all your choices
- The high calling of God in Christ Jesus
- Everything that is done in the world is done by hope
+++
Related articles
- Why I Don’t Celebrate Easter (and still love God… and still believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah) (christinachronicles.com)
Often, talking about the origins of anything can be a very touchy subject …
but it is one that should not be so easily avoided, ignored, rationalized or even spiritualized…
particularly, when it pertains to worshiping and having a relationship with The One True God. - Our Plans for Passover 5850 (2014) (segulah.wordpress.com)
The people who are walking in covenant with Yahuah Elohim (the LORD God) are awaiting the declaration of the New Year still, as it is Yahuah and Yahuah alone who declares the days, weeks, months, and years.
+
The main important thing is to prove to Yahuah that we listen to Him and follow Him – regardless of what everyone else is doing.
+
last Passover, some things began to become a little clearer as we listened to God’s counsel and had removed many of the confusing voices coming from all the different directions. That is when it occurred to me what was going on in the unseen realm concerning these matters. By removing all the “voices” I began wondering if perhaps “the voices” were the leaven. Hmmm, perhaps God was doing for us what we were unable at the time to understand to do for ourselves. He does know the deep desires of our hearts and even knows what we need before we ask. - His name… (mylife4yah.wordpress.com)
I went through life comfortable calling Yahweh the titles that replace His name in the Bible. I found out that His name is Yahweh through the dictionary in the back of my Bible. Once I knew His name I decided to use it and I have been blessed ever since. The choice is yours but I feel closer to Him when I use His name. Here are some scriptures that prove His name is: … - The Atonement and the Passover: Exodus 12 by Matt Capps (christianitytoday.com)
The Pharaoh-god refused to let Israel go free from slavery despite the Living God’s demands through Moses. Pharaoh wanted to keep Israel under his power. God’s response to Pharaoh’s obstinate defiance in Exodus 7-10 is breathtaking. The one true God of the universe unleashes His power in acts of un-doing creation throughout Pharaoh’s land. Order turns into chaos. Light is consumed by darkness. The water becomes a source of death rather than life. The beasts swarm the people and their crops rather than serve them. Finally, just as Pharaoh attempted to destroy God’s firstborn son (Ex. 4:22), God now destroys Egypt’s with a final plague.
+
The movement of the Israelites from slaves of Pharaoh to servants of the Lord involves divine redemption; it also involves the obedient response of God’s people to His word. The Passover is both bloody and beautiful. God’s judgment and salvation are clearly displayed in God’s actions and in the symbolism of the Passover ritual.
+
The Passover is an event both meaningful to the Israelites in its immediate context and for Christians in its canonical context. The New Testament writers make the connection between Jesus’ crucifixion and the Passover explicit in order to highlight the redemptive nature of His atonement. In the New Testament we see that Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29,36; 1 Cor. 5:7) whose ‘once for all’ sacrifice sanctifies God’s people (Heb. 10:12-14). Jesus’ death atones for the sins of the people (1 John 2:2), His blood purifies and cleanses (Rev. 7:14), and partaking of His body sanctifies (John 6:53-56). Because the Last Supper is overtly linked to the Passover (Matt. 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20), we understand that Christ’s death and resurrection inaugurate a new exodus. - Mark 14: Maundy Thursday (t2pneuma.net)
Holy Week as we know it is often celebrated at the same time as the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread (Festival of Matzos) often called Passover. Dates differ because of differences in the calendar rules. In Jesus’ time, Passover was one of three festivals that required the faithful to travel to Jerusalem. The other festival familiar to Christians is the Feast of Weeks commonly known as Pentecost. The Feast of Booths is a harvest festival in the fall.
+
The word, covenant, found in v. 24 appears nowhere else in Mark’s Gospel and alludes to the covenant meal that Moses and the Elders of Israel shared with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11). The grim symbolism of the wine as the blood of Christ is an allusion to the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:7) which alerted the angel of death to pass over households displaying the blood. In this sense, as Christians we are (like the door posts) covered by the blood of Christ. By Jesus’ blood our sins are forgiven (Hebrews 9:11-28). - Interpretations of Passover: Judaism and Christianity (russiarobinson.wordpress.com)
Although Jesus himself celebrated Passover, he encouraged his followers to observe this holiday through the bread that represents his body and the wine that represents his blood. By feasting on these things, Jesus lives within the person making them whole and remembrance of his life and his death. Aside from Jesus, Apostle Paul also encouraged others to observe Passover through Christ. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (Corinthians 11:26). Jesus and Paul encourage Christians to celebrate the Passover in his remembrance. By celebrating his resurrection, they are also celebrating the life, belief, and teachings of Jesus Christ. They believe that he was the living Son of God. By believing this, they believe in his life. It brings us to John and also Luke where it tells us that Jesus is to represent the Passover, passing over the sins of the people for their faith and belief in him. Passover is a symbol of this as he and the disciples eat the bread of his body and wine of his blood at the specific hour that has come (Luke 22:14; John 13:1-2). - Passover Blessings – April 15th through 22nd, 2014 (jscotthusted.wordpress.com)
At this season God promises in His word to pour out seven specific and very powerful blessings. When we honor and observe God’s ways, we also reap God’s blessings. This specifically applies in scripture to the observance of God’s calendar. We don’t follow God or His ways out of blind obedience, or religious devotion to a set of regulations. We follow the ways of God as New Creatures out of love for Jesus, and joyful devotion to “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” — the words that God has given us for our benefit!
+
Jesus lived and died as God’s perfect Passover sacrifice: as the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world once and for all! But did you know that Jesus observed the Passover? Did you know that the Apostles observed it year by year, and taught every Christian to observe it? Paul encourages it in his letters, and God commands it. God commands His people to live in His ways because He wants His people to live in abundant blessings! In Exodus 23 God promises seven blessings that we are to be heir to as His people through the observance of Passover:1. God will assign an angel to prepare the way for you. “Behold I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared” (v. 20) and “For My Angel will go before you” (v. 23). — the Blessing of Divine guidance! - Lord’s Feasts # 3 Passover (cfcspn.com)
The feasts are to be proclaimed in their seasons, the clue to their importance, because in each season God has planned to fulfill his word, and to bring completeness to his work. The Passover was the first feasts to be declared representing salvation, it was also the mark of the first day of the year.As commanded by God, these feasts are to be a memorial, the Passover is a look back at what God had done for us in Egypt. But although it seems as if it was an accomplish mission, it was not complete, for the first mission of the Passover was to deliver the flesh creating a symbol of its purpose. The second mission; however, was to give it power delivering the soul.
+A close look at the death of the lamb and that of Jesus Christ, has revealed he was the fulfillment of the Passover. A look back at the Passover ritual and its symbolism should have strike a chord with the nation. But because of stubbornness, the nation crucify Christ, and rejecting him they are left with the rituals of the Passover, yet lost in the forest of sin.Jesus came not to destroy the law or the prophets, his mission was and is to fulfill the law and the prophets, and according to the stories of scripture, he has and will yet fulfill those to be accomplished. “
+
Now that Christ has died according to the law, and according to the instructions of God revealed through the rituals of the Passover, we can clearly see that he came not to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law. - 4 Things to Get Liberated From This Passover (pjmedia.com)
Passover coincides this year with a dramatic political event—the crisis and possible demise of yet another Israeli-Palestinian “peace process,” this one shepherded earnestly, passionately, and futilely by U.S. secretary of state John Kerry. We are now at a juncture that offers two options: to remain enslaved to the same flawed assumptions that lead again and again to failure; or to finally get liberated from them and reach a Promised Land of understanding and rational policy.
+
It is important to note that Jesus Himself observed and kept the Passover. Whenever we partake in Holy Communion, we are acknowledging Jesus’ blood sacrifice – in fact, communion is an act of ‘remembrance’ requested by Jesus of His disciples during the Passover feast that we now call the Last Supper - Passover: Why We Should Be Celebrating It As Christians (worldeventsandthebible.com)
Many Christians are not aware, but the Highest Holy Day in Christianity is Passover. Not the pagan festival of Easter. The word Passover comes from the time of Moses and the last plague that consumed Egypt. When Christ died on the cross He became our Passover. In order to reveal this fact, we must search the scriptures where we can find light and remove the darkness that has clouded this topic for so man.
Stepping Toes 