Category Archives: Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Traditions / Holidays

Spirit Ignited: Embracing Pentecost and the Feast of Weeks

Many Christians have heard of Pentecost and remember it as the time to celebrate and remember when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the early church believers after the death and resurrection of Christ. This truly is a holy day worth celebrating. Our Father sent a Helper to dwell among us… to teach us and lead us as His people. The Spirit dwells among believers today, though many have been taught to dismiss the Spirit as an active part of experiencing relationship with our Father in our daily lives. Others, in their enthusiasm to experience the Spirit attribute much to the Spirit, even when it is only their own insight or instinct. We don’t, as a culture, know how to relate to and experience the Spirit in our lives anymore.

Pentecost is a wonderful event that followers of Christ should want to remember given that we are promised the Holy Spirit dwells in all of us. What a great reminder that we have that Helper from our Creator to guide and teach us… to comfort and counsel us. We are not alone in trying to live our lives obedient and pleasing to the Lord as we face hardship in this world.

Acts 2

The Day of Pentecost

 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

5Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8“And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

14But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15“For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

18EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.

19‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

20‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,
BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

21‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

22“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

25“For David says of Him,
‘I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE;
FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.

26‘THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED;
MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;

27BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES,
NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.

28‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE;
YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’

29“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30“And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 32“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

34“For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

35UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’
36“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The Ingathering

37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Reading through Acts 2, we are reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit in us. What an inspiring event! Look at how Peter was transformed from the man who denied Christ three times as he followed to see what would become of Him on the way to crucifixion into now a powerful man of God addressing large crowds and bringing many to the Lord.

If we dig a bit deeper, note that the very beginning of this scripture identifies that the day of Pentecost was drawing near, and many had gathered for it… before the Holy Spirit showed up. This day already had significance. It is often referred to as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot by Jewish people.

As an important side note, we see that Yeshua’s disciples were still following the law even after He had died and risen. The law is still our guide, but we must understand it properly and what has changed with the death of Christ. Spoiler alert: most of it has not changed. (Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?)

Pentecost is simply Greek for “50 days”. It was applied to this day because the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, was a festival to be observed seven weeks from the second day of the Passover. Since seven weeks times seven days per week is 49 days… the day after would be 50.

The Feast of Weeks is the second of three major Jewish festivals with the others being Passover and Feast of Tabernacles. This celebration corresponds to when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord. Many also traditionally associate it with commemorating the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, though that is not clear from scripture.

Leviticus 34:22-24

22“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24“For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23:15-21

15‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. 17‘You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 18‘Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 19‘You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20‘The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21‘On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

Numbers 28:26-31

26‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the LORD in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. 27‘You shall offer a burnt offering for a soothing aroma to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs one year old; 28and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 29a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 30also one male goat to make atonement for you. 31‘Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall present them with their drink offerings. They shall be without defect.

I am still personally coming up to speed on some of historical context and rich meaning behind the feasts of the Lord as He instructed in the Old Testament. There is much to be studied and appreciated there. Our Father makes a habit of tying together the Old and New Testament events. Often one is a foreshadowing of another, not one a replacement of the other. For example, Jesus was crucified at Passover. This was not coincidence. As Passover celebrates God’s people being set free from slavery in Egypt by the mighty power of God, so too Jesus death and resurrection on the cross should be celebrated as setting His people free from slavery to sin.

Consider also, then that the Holy Spirit being sent to the believers after the death of Christ on Pentecost. This is not coincidence. God intended the two to be linked. We must then explore the Old Testament to fully understand what God is telling us in the New. Tradition holds that the law was given at Mt Sinai on Shavuot. If this is true, then once again God has linked the giving of the law with the giving of the Holy Spirit. One does not replace the other, but rather they foreshadow and complement one another.

Consider a homework assignment… a challenge for each of you who are hungry to seek the Lord. Put some time aside for additional study of Pentecost and how the Old Testament feast foreshadows the coming of the Holy Spirit to our lives.

As a start, I am beginning with my family to set aside the day of Pentecost as a Sabbath day of rest as God instructed. We will discuss the significance of both the Feast of Weeks and Pentecost. Both are worthy to be remembered and celebrated.

You can study more about the creators calendar using sites like Hebrew4Christians.com or Psalm119Ministries (select Time: Our Creators Calendar to see collection of videos available). You can learn about what the scripture says about these holy days, when they occur, why God told us to celebrate Shavuot, and traditions.

There is some debate amongst different sources as to the date of the Passover and thus Shavuot/Pentecost each year. Don’t let this discourage you from getting started celebrating and studying God’s holy days.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Unveiling the Truth: Understanding Galatians and the Law of God

Galatians is often misunderstood by Christians to say that the Law of God is obsolete. What God provided to His people to guide them as a light unto their path has somehow now become a burden and they are slaves to it. I believe this is not so at all. Paul was clearly making a point that obeying the law as a path to salvation is wrong, but He was not saying that obeying the law is wrong. I encourage those interested and willing to invest some time to watch the video teaching on Galatians at TestEverything.net.

Let us take heed to recognize that we are not to revile the law as burdensome and enslaving and also not to put the law on such a high place as to replace our proper understanding of salvation through Christ and Christ alone. We need no longer be slave to sin and death. We need not be slave to the things of the world. In Christ we have sonship. He offers us salvation from sin and self, from wickedness. Where the law points us on the way to Christ and also shows us how to love God and love one another, the death of Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit bring us power to overcome the slavery to sin, self, and wickedness. We need not strive on our own power to live the way God instructs us but with His power as our Helper.

Galatians 4

Sonship in Christ

     1Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

      8However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

      12I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; 14and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. 18But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you. 19My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Bond and Free

     21Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.

27For it is written,
“REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR;
BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR;
FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE
THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.”

28And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.

30But what does the Scripture say?
“CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON,
FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.”

31So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.

We can make ourselves slaves to the law if we consider that we must execute all it contains flawlessly as our means of salvation, but that is a wrong view of the law and a trap often referred to as legalism. Likewise, we can sin and separate ourselves from God by totally disregarding the law as a guide for our behavior and doing things our own way. Do not forget, Jesus was judged righteous and sinless by living fully according to the law.  He is our example for how we should live.

Let us each pray for the Spirit to enlighten us on the truth of scripture. Ask Him to help us test everything we have been taught against the full truth of scripture. Ask for the humility and courage needed to accept that our current understanding (and that of most Christians around us) may be wrong and the courage to redirect our lives accordingly as He continues to reveal the truth to us.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Righteous, Salvation

Faith Brings Righteousness

Faith brings righteousness. Many will agree quickly and point to how it is new with the new covenant and death of Christ… that before that people were judged by perfect compliance with the law. Galatians 3 is a passionate passage from Paul on this topic.

As we read, consider a few things.  The Mosaic law was not around when Abraham was deemed faithful by Yahweh. Abraham was deemed righteous by his faith.

Genesis 15:6

6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Abram did not live a perfect life according to the law which was not yet given. Abram was righteous through faith.

The Mosaic law was provided by God to His people to guide them. They were coming out of slavery in Egypt and being trained and prepared to obey and follow the Lord and prepared to take the promised land. It is good and perfect. Let us not take to lightly throwing it away, but it can not save us. Only faith in Christ can do that.  The law remains a good guide for us and a source of validation on what is right and what is not. It helps us better understand our Lord and Father and how to show love to Him and to others.

Psalm 19:7-8

   7The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

      8The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Matthew 22:37-40

37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

We can also understand from the context of Paul’s other letters that he did not consider the law to be a curse or a bad thing. The context of his passionate commentary on the law and faith in Galatians 3 is based on what appears to be a group of believers sliding away from the truth and into false teaching. The Galatians appear to be struggling in regards to putting their faith in Christ, relying more and more on the law instead. With this in mind, Paul rebukes them firmly. As you read, consider that the curse of the law is not the law itself, properly used, but rather the curse is that those who try to be saved by the law will be held to account to live it out perfectly… which none of us can.

Galatians 3

Faith Brings Righteousness

     1You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

      6Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” 9So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

      10For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.” 11Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” 12However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.” 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”— 14in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The law is good and can be very helpful as a guide and validation. It can help us learn how to love God and love others. However, put not your faith in the law but in Christ and His death for our sins. Invite the Spirit to dwell inside you and guide you. Where the law shows us the standard and our failure to reach it, it brings no power to help us. The Spirit, however, brings power to help us live in such a way as to glorify our Father. Praise Him for both Savior and Spirit! He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, forgiven of our sins, and also provided a Helper for us to live in such a way as to glorify Him and honor Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Study the Word, Teachable, Traditions / Holidays

Why No Leaven at Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Most Christians are taught to celebrate Easter rather than Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a way to observe and remember the death of Christ for our sins. You will not find any mention of Christ or His disciples celebrating Easter or hiding eggs. There is not biblical record of chicks and bunnies to this accord.

If we study the biblical origins of this celebration, we will find plenty of instruction about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is even record of Yeshua preparing to observe Passover with His disciples shortly before He was crucified.

I find it interesting to study and learn more about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and consider what it may symbolize. I found an article I wanted to share, by Tim O’Hearn. It is not authoritative like the Bible, but it is interesting to help guide us to thinking more deeply about the symbolism of unleavened bread in the Biblical record.

Passover: No Leaven

by Tim O’Hearn

In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover. 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. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 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. (Lev. 23:5-8)

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. (Ex. 12:15)

Even many non-observant Jews observe Pesach (Passover). The Pesach Seder (the meal and the order of observance that goes with it) is central to Judaism. At least one aspect of it has even become a cliché in Gentile homes: spring-cleaning.

While there are many customs and laws associated with Pesach, the defining law is that there is to be no leavened bread in the household. This law governs the preparation of food, the discussion at the Seder, and even dictates the aforementioned spring-cleaning.

Because of the requirement to rid oneself of chametz (leaven), many have equated leaven with sin. Chametz, they argue, is something we need to get rid of in our lives; sin is something we need to get rid of in our lives. Therefore, leaven symbolizes sin. Sounds like a good argument. There is only one thing wrong with it.

Look at the passages above. How many days out of the year is leaven to be removed? Three hundred sixty five? No. Only seven. If leaven is bad, in and of itself, why must we only be without it for one week? If leaven is sin, are we allowed to sin all year, except for the week of Passover? I think not!

What is leaven?

The Jewish definition of leaven, dating from long before the first century, is any of the five biblical grains (and some include rice and corn) which has been exposed to moisture followed by the lapse of a certain period of time before baking in which the introduction of an agent of change may occur. Many rabbis set this time at eighteen minutes. By this definition, a bread made from wheat flour with no yeast added is considered leavened if the dough was mixed and the cook waited, for whatever reason, before baking it. It may even look exactly like unleavened bread, but it is considered leavened. This is also why wine, which is fermented, is able to be used at Passover. It is not made from a grain, so it does not fall under the prohibition against leaven. (Grain alcohols like beer and whiskey, on the other hand, would be prohibited.)

How does this definition help us to understand what leaven represents at Passover, and why it is acceptable at other times? It has to do with what bread represents.

Throughout Jewish history, and particularly since the destruction of the Second Temple, bread has represented the Torah, the word of God (Deut 8:3; Isa 55:1-4). Leaven, then, is grain that has had the opportunity for an outside element to be added and to work to change the grain. It has had time to ferment, if a fermenting agent is nearby. Does the fermenting agent make the grain unfit for consumption? No. Does it change the nature of the grain? Yes. And that is why a time is set aside each year for unleavened bread. Over time it would be easy for the teaching of God’s word, His Torah, to be fermented, changed, adulterated. Once a year God says, “Remember how it was at first. You received my pure law. Go back to the purity of your teaching. Go back to the unleavened bread of My Torah.”

Just as God gave his pure word at Sinai but in the passage of time men added agents of change to that word, so once a year God demands that we return to our roots. Is it because change is bad? No. It is just that we occasionally need a reminder that God brought Israel out with a mighty hand. In doing so, he communicated his word. That is also a part of the Passover.

The reason for the prohibition

Why was leaven originally prohibited? Perhaps if we understand that, we will understand the role leaven plays in our lives.

Years after the event commemorated by Passover, Moses explained, “Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. (Deut 16:3)” The expressed reason is that they came out of Egypt in haste. How in haste? God told them four days in advance that they were to eat unleavened bread. Why does Moses say it is because it was in haste, if they had four days in which they could have made leavened bread? The answer is found in Ex. 12:34. “And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.” Although they had four days to prepare, they immediately packed their kneading troughs. Of all the household goods they packed for the journey, the kneading trough was important enough not to pack last. As a result they had to bake unleavened loaves for four days. Actually, it turned out to be forty years before they needed the kneading troughs, but they could not know that yet.

The “haste” of Israel was not a blind rushing out of Egypt. Instead it was a planned and long awaited exodus. When the time came, the people were so eager to make haste that they packed in advance, and had to do without some things as a result. One of those things was leavened bread. A modern analogy, though imperfect, might be the wife who, preparing for a trip, reminds the family after having done the laundry not to wear anything they plan on taking with them. Other clothes, equally good, have to be worn. For the Israelites, other bread, equally good, had to be eaten.

Every year the Passover is a reminder that God will take His people out of bondage and give them a better land. The unleavened bread does not represent the bondage to sin. Instead it represents the eagerness of the people to leave that bondage. So in prohibiting leavened bread for seven days out of the year, perhaps God is reminding us that we need to set priorities. We need to be packed and ready for our trip to the world to come.

Leaven in the Christian scriptures

I think that if we look at the ways Jesus and Paul, themselves rabbis, used leaven, we will find that even in the first century of the Christian Era leaven did not represent sin, but something entirely different. Jesus even likened the kingdom of heaven to leaven (Matt 13:33; Lk 13:21), which hardly sounds like the totally negative thing many have tried to make it.

Perhaps the best known discourses of Jesus concerning leaven, though, are the times he warns his disciples against “the leaven of the Pharisees,” Sadducees, and Herod (Matt 16:6-12; Mk 8:15-21; Lk 12:1). In the Luke passage he calls it “hypocrisy.” In the Matthew passage, the writer says he was speaking of the “doctrine” of the Pharisees. By doctrine, however, he is not speaking of all the teachings of these holy men. In Matt 22:2-3, Jesus even commands his disciples to follow the teachings of the Pharisees, because the teachings are from Moses. Instead, the leaven of the Pharisees must be those things they do that don’t accord with their teachings. This accords with the idea, previously expressed, that once a year (at least) we need to examine our teachings and bring them back to the unfermented grain of God’s word.

When Paul spoke of leaven, it was always in the context of the Passover. Even in Galatians 5:9, where Pesach is not mentioned, it is the concept that even the minutest amount of leaven makes a loaf unfit for Passover that is expressed.

The other passage where Paul speaks of leaven is 1 Cor 5:1-8. The context is a discussion of the church glorying in one of their own who was living incestuously. In verse 6 he uses the same phrase as in Galatians 5, and in the same way. He continues by saying that Christians should consider every day as Passover, because our lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, we need to constantly clean house lest any leaven be found. He does talk of the “leaven of malice and wickedness,” but he also speaks of the “old leaven” in a way that implies not that it is sin but any change from the pure word of God.

Why is leaven only prohibited for seven days out of the year? It is obviously not that leaven is in itself sinful. Instead we might as easily ask why Passover was designated to be observed once a year. God knows that man is a forgetful being. So at varying times throughout the year, but especially at Passover, God is telling us in varying ways to remember. Passover, with its unleavened bread and its ceremonies, is but one of God’s reminders that we are not in control.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please encourage me to seek to study and better understand Your ways. Help me to be passionate and curious to test what I have been taught and what is broadly accepted against Your written word in the Bible. Increase my curiosity to seek Your truth. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Hope, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Traditions / Holidays

Resurrection and First Fruits

When we devote time to prayer and study of YHWH’s word and ask him to show us the full depth of his word, the Spirit often does just that. We must be willing to let go of traditions of men that we have learned and seek out the traditions of YHWH. I have previously written about my transition away from celebrating Easter in the tradition of the church and culture of today, which includes a number of pagan influences, towards celebrating Passover, which aligns with reinforcing our relationship with YHWH as he previously instructed his people to celebrate. To state the obvious, Yeshua celebrated Passover and I will follow Him.

Without getting into full study here, I do not take this to mean that we perform animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10), but rather seek to celebrate or memorialize Passover by remembering how YHWH led his people out of slavery in Egypt by his might and power. Now, we also have more reason to celebrate Passover as Yeshua was sacrificed during Passover as our Passover lamb, setting us free from slavery to sin and death. We have much reason to celebrate indeed!

As we look to his resurrection, study indicates that it actually took place during the Biblical celebration of first fruits. Once again, YHWH shows that he will use his holy appointed days to reinforce and amplify the meaning of his relationship with his people.

I have included a brief article from Ligonier Ministries about First Fruits and resurrection below.

“You shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statue forever throughout your generations” (v. 14). – Leviticus 23:9–22

Passover was not the only spring festival celebrated under the covenant, for the Israelites also commemorated the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. The Feast of Firstfruits actually took place during the week-long Passover celebration (Lev. 23:4–8), on the first day after the Sabbath that occurred in the midst of the week (vv. 9–11). Pentecost occurred fifty days after that Sabbath (vv. 15–16) and marked the culmination of what started at the Feast of Firstfruits.

As its name indicates, the Feast of Firstfruits marked thanksgiving to God for the firstfruits of the harvest — in this case, the grain and cereal harvested in the spring in ancient Palestine. At this festival, the Israelites offered the very first sheaf of the harvest and were not allowed to eat anything from the crop until they gave its initial portion to the Lord (vv. 9–14). This required a great deal of faith on the part of the Israelites, as they would be giving the offering of firstfruits at a time when not much was ready to be harvested. They had to trust God that He would indeed provide the fullness of grain that had yet to come forth, something that from a human perspective was far from certain given the people’s utter dependence on the right amount of rainfall and so forth to give the best crop.

Somewhere around AD 30, the firstfruits of an even greater harvest issued forth, for it was on the first day after the Sabbath that occurred in the midst of the Passover celebration that Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:1–10). Lest there be any doubt that His resurrection fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits, Paul tells us explicitly that Christ is the firstfruits of those who will be raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Just as the firstfruits offered to God under the old covenant anticipated the fuller harvest to come, the resurrection of Jesus anticipates the bodily resurrection of His people first promised under the old covenant (Job 19:25–27).

Fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits was the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost (from the Greek term pentekostos, or fiftieth), which was the grand celebration at the end of the grain harvest. On this occasion, the offerings of food and animals to the Lord were more lavish (Lev. 23:15–22), an appropriate way to thank Him for the tremendous bounty He had provided. Tomorrow we will look at Pentecost in more detail.

Coram Deo

Paul says Jesus was raised for our justification (Rom. 4:25), and so we often celebrate Jesus’ resurrection as proof that our sins have been fully atoned for and that we are now declared righteous in God’s sight. This is entirely appropriate, but we should also remember that our Lord’s resurrection is proof positive that we who trust in Him will be raised in like manner at the last day and dwell with Him bodily in a new heaven and earth.

Passages for Further Study

Numbers 28:26–31
Proverbs 3:9–10
Acts 2:1–4
2 Thessalonians 2:13

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to the wonderful ways of Your law and instruction. Help me to fully experience Your ways in celebrating and honoring You. Thank You that You provide for Your people. Thank You for raising up Christ as first fruits of the promised resurrection. Thank You for the hope this brings to those of us who believe, even when times may be difficult. There are none like You. You are truly worthy of praise and honor.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Study the Word, Teachable, Traditions / Holidays

In Yeshua, We Have More Reason to Celebrate Passover

It is important to remember what YHWH has done for us. He is our Creator and Lord. He is all powerful, all knowing, and present at all times in all places. Still, He takes time to know each one of us and He loves each one of us as a father.

Sometimes He dwells on a certain instruction to emphasize it so that we pay attention and do not miss it. Celebrating Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of those. As we read through Exodus 12, we experience God’s instruction about celebrating these as remembrance of God setting His people free from bondage in Egypt. Given how much the Christian church today distances itself from these appointed times of God, we may be tempted to think… “Ok, glad I am done with Exodus 12 and can get on with the story.” God however, is not done commanding and emphasizing to us that we should celebrate Passover and Feast of Unleavened bread in remembrance of His actions on behalf of His people. He comes back to it in Exodus 13 and again in Exodus 23. Spoiler alert… he comes back to it again and again… especially in Leviticus 23.

Exodus 13:1-16

Consecration of the Firstborn

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”

3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. 4“On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. 5“It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. 6“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7“Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. 8“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10“Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

11“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. 13“But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16“So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

You may find yourself asking, “Why is this so important to God? The church has not taught me to celebrate it.” God tells us why it is important to Him.

8“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10“Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

and again…

14“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16“So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

When our Father repeats something over and over again, we should recognize it is important. Our heavenly Father wants us to remember His love and power in setting His people free from bondage in Egypt. As followers of Messiah we can also recognize that in Messiah we now have yet another reason to celebrate Passover. Yeshua served as our Passover lamb, killed for our sin. The unleavened bread can remind us of getting sin out of our lives… making vivid a reminder that a little sin affects us a lot, like a little yeast affects the whole loaf of bread. We need to get all the sin out of our lives.

Passover is not just for Jewish people who don’t believe in Christ as Messiah. Passover has rich meaning and can help us draw nearer to the Lord. We could have a longer discussion on how to celebrate today, but for today I am really focused on encouraging you to read and study more, to embrace God’s holy days and learn more about them. God said we should, and he has great ideas. Once we make the decision to do it, then we take the next step and begin to study how… that is the journey my family and I are on today. We find great joy in seeking to better understand our relationship with YHWH through studying and celebrating his appointed times.

Do take care that we don’t have to celebrate Passover because it is “required” but rather so we can grow in our relationship with our Creator and delight in him. As the temple and the priests are not available, we can not celebrate in a fully Biblical manner, and that should not be our goal as Yeshua has already served as our Passover lamb, once and for all. Let us use this as an opportunity simply to glorify YHWH and what he has done for his people in setting them free from slavery in Egypt and more importantly in setting us free from slavery from sin through Yeshua.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to Your celebrations and help me to embrace joyfully the opportunity to celebrate Your holy days in Your way! Help me to focus on celebrating Yeshua in the Moedim. Amen. 

To study more on Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread, visit our teaching on Celebrating God’s Holy Days (Moedim) and review our category of posts relating to Holidays/Traditions (scroll down to move from one post to another).

Here are a few additional resources where you can learn more about the Moedim, the Creator’s calendar (often called the “Jewish” calendar).

I encourage you to invest time studying this topic and do not dismiss it. I have found it to be powerful in transforming the focus of our celebrations off of ourselves and rightly focused toward our Creator and Savior!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Lying / Deceiving, Murder, Submitted / Servant, Thankfulness, Traditions / Holidays

A Tale of Two Responses to Christ, How Will You Respond?

Passover and Unleavened Bread are important celebrations to Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) and His disciples. Yeshua participated in these holy celebrations and so did his disciples. Our opportunity to observe them this year is coming up very soon. We see that it was important from the fact that Mark includes this explicitly in the timeline of events leading up to Yeshua’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. This event was an important part of the timeline for us to understand.

We also get insight in Mark 14 into two very different responses to Yeshua. The chief priests, who present themselves to the people as if they are holy and set apart for YHWH’s purposes, are plotting to kill Yeshua… God Himself walking among them. Meanwhile, a humble woman, a “sinner”, comes to anoint him and honor him with very expensive perfume and her own personal time and effort.

This provides a stark contrast that reminds us to use careful discernment in clearly identifying who is following YHWH and honoring him with their lives and who is just playing a part to look holy before the people. To be sure, we should start by looking in the mirror and making sure we have the right attitude toward our Creator.

Mark 14:1-11

Death Plot and Anointing

1Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”

3While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5“For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8“She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

10Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11They were glad when they heard this and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

Discern carefully who truly follows after Yeshua and learns from him, changing their lives to be more like him, and who uses Yeshua and the scriptures only to manipulate the message to their own gain and the appearance of holiness. In some cases, they genuinely fool even themselves. Do not be so foolish as to assume everyone in “church” leadership is holy and a true disciple of Yeshua, or that others who are not in those positions are not true disciples. A disciple does not mean you have all the answers, but rather that you are a “learner” after that person you follow. Your heart is toward them, and you are pursuing them.

We all have a choice in how we will respond to Yeshua. Will we reject him entirely, will we pretend to serve him but let wickedness and selfishness reign in us, or will we humbly and faithfully serve him even when others will mock us for it?

How will you choose to respond to the Father’s offer of love and personal relationship in your life?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to the fullness of who You are and the truth of Your ways. Let me not be deceived by religious traditions of men. Help me not to be content projecting holiness outwardly, when I am not rightfully submitted to You inwardly. Help me not to even fool myself to pridefully assume I have all the answers and then miss who You really are or how You want to work in my life. Help me to be a faithful servant, fully submitted to you, with a thankful and joyful heart. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

To study more on Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread, visit our teaching on Celebrating God’s Holy Days (Moedim) and review our category of posts relating to Holidays/Traditions (scroll down to move from one post to another).

Here are a few additional resources where you can learn more about the Moedim, the Creator’s calendar (often called the “Jewish” calendar).

I encourage you to invest time studying this topic and do not dismiss it. I have found it to be powerful in transforming the focus of our celebrations off of ourselves and rightly focused toward our Creator and Savior!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Creation, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Psalms

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect, Restoring the Soul

Psalm 19 declares the glory of God through His creation as well as  praises God for His perfect law and for His judgments, which are righteous. Finally, David concludes by praising God with thanksgiving that He is our rock and Redeemer.

Psalm 19

1The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
            And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

      2Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.

      3There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

      4Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

      5Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

      6Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

      7The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

      8The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;            The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the   eyes.

      9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

      10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

      11Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.

      12Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.

      13Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

      14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

David praises God for His creation in the first six verses. Truly as we reflect on what God has created we, too, should be almost overwhelmed by the glory of it. How sad that many are deceived to thinking it is all the result of random events. How blind are those who believe the deception of Satan!

Verses 7-11 are focused on praising God’s “perfect” commandments, precepts, and judgment! Read them again, carefully. David is referring to the law God gave His people through Moses. The same law that most Christians are taught is harsh and not meaningful. How can it be? It is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The judgments of the Lord (based on the law) are true and righteous all together. More desirable than gold, sweeter than honey… by them your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward!

Contrary to what many Christians are taught, the law is not bondage! Jesus did not come to “set us free from the law”, but rather to receive our judgment for our failure to execute the law perfectly… to redeem us. He sets us free from sin and the judgment we are due, if we accept Jesus as lord.

David closes by recognizing that the law helps him discern his errors and find his hidden faults. It helps him to recognize and avoid sin! Recognizing that he still fails, he looks to God and praises Him for acquitting him of great transgression.  David praises God for being both rock and Redeemer. The rock refers to God’s unchanging nature. What God said was good and right and true will always be good and right and true.  Through God’s grace we are redeemed through the word of God… through Jesus Christ.

For more about what the law means today, refer to our teaching Understanding The Law – What Does It Mean For Us Today?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Traditions / Holidays

Do Not Pass Over Passover

God instructed His people to celebrate certain holy days as part of our relationship with Him. Unfortunately, most of us who grew up as Christians do not recognize or truly understand the Biblical “holy” days, such as Passover, which He instructed us to observe.

Christians turned away from His appointed times to follow their own traditions. As an example, Passover and Easter are quite different. Easter has been blended with many pagan traditions. There was a clear intention by man to separate from the Hebrew roots of our faith. We must now each ask ourselves if that was good and decide what we will do personally in our pursuit of God.

Exodus 12 provides a clear example where God places emphasis on celebrating according to His instruction… Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Yet many Christians ignore this celebration because the traditions of men have taught them to consider this a “Jewish” holiday. The Bible says it is God’s holy day, not a Jewish holiday.

Remember, that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order that he would not let God’s people go easily. He did so in order that He would demonstrate more signs and wonders so that His people would remember how He set them free from slavery in Egypt. God did not want His people to soon forget the momentous event. So much so that He even commands his people to celebrate it multiple times in scripture.

If it was that important to celebrate in order to look back on how God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, how much more so now that we can also look back and celebrate remembering how Yeshua died as our Passover lamb, setting us free from slavery to sin once and for all. When we celebrate it, the focus is on our relationship with our Father and his power and what he has done for us as his people… unlike common holidays of today in which the focus is on a magical man in red who brings gifts or a mythical bunny that brings candy and lays eggs.

Exodus 12:42-51

Ordinance of the Passover

42It is a night to be observed for the LORD for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the LORD, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

43The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner is to eat of it; 44but every man’s slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. 45“A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. 46“It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. 47“All the congregation of Israel are to celebrate this. 48“But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. 49“The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you.”

50Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51And on that same day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

We should remember as well, that God used Passover as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice Jesus was to make on our behalf. God even arranged it so that Jesus was crucified at Passover because He wanted to emphasize the two events together… God setting His people free from slavery in Egypt and God setting His people free from slavery to sin.

For those of us who wish to draw nearer to our Father, prayerfully consider studying and observing Passover, even though it feels strange at first and contradicts what most Christian churches teach.

Considering this change personally can seem very overwhelming to many. Many Christian’s have adopted such a strong tradition of celebrating according to man made pagan traditions that it is hard to turn away from them. It often creates difficulty and stress within a family. Jesus warned us about this type of conflict when we choose to follow Him, even within our own families.

Matthew 10:32-39

32“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Ask yourself… do you wish to please man or God? I encourage you to pray for God to enlighten you and study the scriptures. Amazingly enough, even common encyclopedias identify the pagan traditions in Easter quite readily and consistently. The knowledge is not hidden… but we each have to make a choice about whom we serve and whom we follow.

To say we can only “have fun” by celebrating Easter with eggs and bunnies is not true. My family and I find it can be quite fun to celebrate Passover. It clearly reminds us of God setting us free. We enjoy a Passover seder which is rather informal and observe the Sabbath days of rest to celebrate God and family as we rest. We dress up as if we were Israelites on the original Passover, eating the seder prepared to leave Egypt. We then take up our livestock (ok… a dog and plush farm animals) and march out of Egypt and across the Red Sea (ok… around the house with imagination). We have recently expanded that to include bringing a horse and real dogs with us. The sheep are still plush! We even celebrate the days of Unleavened Bread. Of course it felt unusual at first when we started, but we have found that if we just apply a bit of imagination and creativity toward how we celebrate according to God’s instruction, we can do so in a joyful and fun way. We also celebrate Messiah’s sacrifice and his resurrection as part of this appointed time, which is clearly intentional timing from our Creator.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please draw me near to You in all Your ways. Help me to celebrate Your ways joyfully and without reservation. Grant me courage to step out of traditions that are not what You want and to jump into traditions that are in line with Your word! Amen. 

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Traditions / Holidays

Celebrate Yahweh’s Holy Days

YHWH set forth some instructions for celebrating holy days. These are not largely taught or truly practiced in our culture today. We seem to have unlimited appetite for declaring a celebration or recognition day for almost anything under the sun, but we often fail to focus on celebrating what God instructs us to do. Many may point to Easter or Christmas, but in truth neither was instructed as celebration by our Father and both are steeped in deep pagan roots in much of how they are celebrated. Other’s include Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Ground Hog Day, Read Across America Day… and we could go on. Some of these may be fine and worthwhile, but we should start first with the celebrations our Father has instructed us to recognize.

The first in Leviticus 23 is familiar… the Sabbath day of rest. Many of us are familiar with it, but most do not actually recognize it anymore. It has become just another busy day for most. They may have a day off their normal job (though many do not), but the day then becomes a busy day for chores and responsibilities at home.  I can tell you though, as one who was there and has now embraced Sabbath with my family, God has some really good ideas! A day of rest to focus on God and family rather than just another day to work is fabulous and has opened up time for me with God and with my family and just to pause and reflect from a busy week.

Celebrating Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are great ways of ensuring we take time to reflect on and give thanks for our Passover lamb, Jesus, and to better understand how the Old Testament (Passover in Egypt) foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus we are familiar with in the New Testament. Once again we see God’s focus for additional Sabbath rest days. It is an important concept for Him. We are called to rest at times, rather than run busily here and there during holidays as many do…often getting distracted in busyness from the intent of the holiday.

Counting 50 days… Pentecost.  We can again see the foreshadowing of the New Testament in the Old. We can give thanks to God for His provision as with harvest and again for providing us the Helper in the Holy Spirit, who came on Pentecost to the gathered believers in a powerful way as documented in Acts, after Christ returned to heaven. Our Father also reminds us that His provision is bountiful enough to share with others… hence the reminder not to harvest everything in verse 22.

We are called again to a Sabbath day of rest for Feast of Trumpets, and as we continue further in Leviticus we will come next to the Feast of Atonement as the subject of an article another day.

Leviticus 23:1-25

     1The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:

      3‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

      4‘These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 5‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover. 6‘Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7‘On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8‘But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.’”

      9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11‘He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12‘Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. 13‘Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. 14‘Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

      15‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. 17‘You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 18‘Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 19‘You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20‘The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21‘On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

      22‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’”

      23Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25‘You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.’”

There is so much to study and celebrate laid out in this scripture, but to truly understand it and appreciate it, we each need to take time in prayer and study to seek to learn more about these festivals our Lord has instructed us to participate in. I encourage each of you to begin on this journey, as I have over the past few years. Do not try to get it all in one step. Pray, seek, study, and try to implement in steps. I have found this to greatly enrich my relationship with the Lord as I submit to and seek His instruction rather than just “going along with what everyone else expects you to do with the broad spectrum of holidays defined by man.

To study more on this topic, please review our category of posts relating to Holidays/Traditions (scroll down to move from one post to another) and consider the following.

Here are a few resources where you can learn more about the Moedim, the Creator’s calendar (often called the “Jewish” calendar).

I encourage you to invest time studying this topic and do not dismiss it. I have found it to be powerful in transforming the focus of our celebrations off of ourselves and rightly focused toward our Creator and Savior!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to Your wonderful ways. Give me discernment and courage to transform my life to follow Your instructions over the traditions of men or even more specifically my family. Lead Your people in the restoration of Your ways. Help us find joy and peace as we live more and more according to Your instruction. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John, in service to Christ

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