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Our Redemption Story
"Seven
days you must eat unleavened bread." Leviticus (The book
of the Levites) 23:6
In regard to Jewish
Holidays, SEVEN seems to be a "special" number. Passover is seven days, then we count seven
weeks to Shavuot, (Feast of weeks). Then in the seventh month we celebrate several holidays including the
seven day holiday of SUCCOT! Why all these sevens? In the celebration of PASSOVER we recall
the exodus, and the miracle of the spliting of the Red Sea, which took place seven days after the children
of Israel left Egypy . On SHAVUOT (seven weeks after Passover) we remember the giving of the Torah, and on
SUCCOT, we live in a succah (booth) for seven days, we remember Israel's forty year journey through the desert
and celebrate their entrance into their promised land. "Seven days you shall eat
Matza" UNLEAVENED BREAD also correspond to the seven days that each plague lasted in Egypt,
according to our sages. The wording (in the Hebrew) in the book of Deuteronomy (16:8) which describe the last (seventh)
day of the Feast Of Unleavend bread is almost identical to the wording in the Sabbath commandment in the book of exodus (Ex
20:8-10) "Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there
shall be a solemn assembley (holy gathering) for YHVH your ELOHIM. You shall not do any work".
Compare it with the Sabbath commandment in the book of Exodus, "Six days shall you labor and do all
your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YHVH your ELOHIM. In it you shall not do any work." (Ex
20:9-10) The next verse connects us with the first ocurrance of the number seven in scripture, the 'seven'
in the book of Genesis (Gen 2:2-3). "Because in six days YHVH made heaven and earth... and rested
the seventh day. That's why YHVH blessed the Shabbat Day and made it holy." Exodus 20:11 The
Passover and The Sabbath have another strong connection. In addition to both being tied to that special number SEVEN
we are also commanded to "REMEMBER" and to "KEEP" both Holidays. In the book of Exodus YHVH commands us to "REMEMBER the Sabbath day to KEEP it holy" (Ex 20:8) and in Deuteronomy YHVH again uses the same words: "KEEP the Sabbath Day ... and REMEMBER that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that YHVH your
ELOHIM brought you out of there... therefor YHVH your Elohim commanded you to KEEP the Sabbath Day". Deuteronomy 5:12,
15
REMMEMBER and KEEP
/ KEEP and REMEMBER. Such important words, to remember and to keep all that YHVH tells us. So simple yet so difficult...
And what exactly is it that we are commanded to REMEMBER at Passover? The Exodus, not
the resurrection. Passover is NOT the same as Easter and Easter is NOT Passover with a Christian flavor, you see. Easter can
never be a substitute for Passover in the Church. Passover does not need a substitute. It is just as valid today as it was
long ago, and always will be. There's no need to re-interpret it's story in order to "fit it nicely" with other events and
traditions. Likewise, The Last Supper is not to be confused with Passover either. It took place one day BEFORE the Passover
Festival and it comemorates the death of Messiah and not the exodus from Egypt, you see. The pictorial parallel between the
Passover lamb and YASHUA THE LAMB should not confuse us. The LAMB OF YHVH was killed the day before the Passover lamb, and
for a different purpose. The Passover lamb was killed and the blood applied to the door posts of each home "a lamb for a house",
to protect the first born male of the Israelites from the death angel. The LAMB OF YHVH was killed and His blood spilled,
to protect "whosoever will" from eternal death. So, what are we supposed to remember at Passover? We are to remember the deliverance
of children of Israel from Egyptian slavery. To help us remember the Passover as well as other important milestones in Israel's
history, YHVH instituted seven festivals, also known as The Feasts Of YHVH or Holy Convocations. (Lev 23:2-44)
These were meant to be our yearly reminders ( or weekly reminders in the case of the Sabbath Day) that we might not sin against
Him. (teaching us through repetition) In addition to that, YHVH commands us to assemble ourselves together at least three
times a year for the mandatory festivals. These assemblies were to take place in the place of His choosing, and so Jerusalem
became that chosen place, the City of YHVH, for those mandatory festivals - The Feasts Of YHVH - Passover / Unleavened Bread
in the spring time, the Feast of Weeks / Pentecost in the summer, and the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall. Gathering together
in one place and in one accord (purpose) helps us stay united and spiritually strong, and together we can resist the ever
present pressures all around us,to conform to the world, rather than to remain faithful to our high callings. "Be not conformed to this world but rather, be transformed into the image of Yahveh" tells us Romans 12:2 and
again, in reference to these Holy Assemblies, it is written for our admonition to remember to keep these Holy Meetings with
Yahveh, "Not forsaking the assembling together, as the manner of some is... and even more so, as
you see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25 We hear this verse quoted in the church quite frequently but done
less often, I'm sad to say...
Yahveh is ready to
do a new thing in the earth today. He promised to once again bring His people out of their bondage and into their pleasant
place, away from their exile and into their promised land. And the scripture tells us, in the book of Jeremiah, that this
"new thing" will be an even greater event than the exodus from Egypt. Listen to this: "Behold, the
days come, says Yahveh, that they shall no more say, YHVH LIVETH, which brought up the children
of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but YHVH LIVETH, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of
the north country, and from all countries where I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land." Jeremiah
23:7-8
For now Yahveh desires
to be remembered as the YHVH WHICH BROUGHT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT. By celebrating the Passover each year we remember
Him this way. But some day, and hopefully soon, the observace of Passover will not be necessary any longer, because YHVH will
be remebered as the YHVH WHICH BROUGHT THEM OUT OF ALL THE COUNTRIES (not just one country - same miracle multiplied many
times over! Hallelu Yah!). This is the season of "new beginnings".
Let us remember the words of Moses: "Have no fear... for in the MANNER which you view Egypt today,
you will no longer see them in this way ever again... " Exodus 14:10-14
Just as the the Israelites
deliverance from Egyptian bondage, told so beautifully in the Passover story, marked a new beginning for them, so can it mark
a new beginning for us this Passover season. We can have our very own "deliverance and exodus" from whatever our "Egypt"
may be today. All we have to do is to apply the blood of the Passover Lamb, YASHUA THE MESSIAH, to the doorposts of our heart,
remove the leaven (sin) far from us, and take the seven day journey (in reference to our spiritual walk) with our Good Shepherd.
And when, suppernaturally, through faith, we cross over our "Red Sea" we can leave all our troubles behind us. We can walk
into freedom and never look back, lest we become as Lot's wife, unable to complete the journey. Potentially we are no longer
slaves to sin and circumstances, we are no longer under fear, knowing that through the help of YASHUA our MESSIAH we will
never have to see "those Egyptians" again. We gain a completely new perspective on life, we have a new view from the other
side of the sea. We can walk away from the pain of the past and into a brand new future, prepared especially for us by YHVH
our ELOHIM.
"For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, Saith YHVH,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end... And I will turn away your captivity...
" Jeremiah 29:11-14
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