A Passover Perspective (part 2)

Let there be Light!

 The concept of 'get(ting) ourselves back to the Garden', is one embraced by both Christianity and Judaism (not to mention Joni Mitchell or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).
But have you ever considered by what means this 'return' was to occur? Would it surprise you to learn that it would be by legal means?

*Gasp!* Do you mean that nasty old Law hasn't really been done away with? Do you mean it has more than one purpose?

Yes Virginia, there really is a covenant with our Heavenly Father. It was your debt under the Law that was 'done away with', not the Law. Without the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses, and without Messiah Y'shua, the keeper of covenants, there would be no return to the Garden of Eden. Paradise really would be lost to us.

Allow me a brief summary of the first article, A Passover Perspective; it links this concept of a return to Paradise, with the Covenants and with the Moedim. It reveals the consistency with which our loving Father reprimands those who break His covenant and restores them when they embrace sincere t'shuvah (turning back to Him and His Covenant). It shows the relationship between the curses spoken in the Garden over Adam and Havah (Eve) for breaking covenant, with the events of the first Passover where the first steps are taken toward the reversal of those curses.

This is the means by which His children will be able to be returned to the Garden of Eden. Our Messiah is also our mediator before the Throne of the Father; His ministry in part, is to bring His witness for our benefit. It is His purpose to intercede on our behalf and argue this case for redemption and return. If you haven't read the first article in this series, you should do so.

So what's with the title, 'Let there be Light'? We were following the analogy of a tapestry. The first of the golden threads or themes that binds all these concepts together are found in the 'Days of Creation'. Light is what was created on the 'first' day. The reason that first is in quotes is because we are looking at a number of 'firsts' and the themes that link them all.

1. The first day of Creation, the day Light was separated from the Darkness.
2. The first recipient of Covenant of His children on earth, Adam.
3. The first of the moedim (appointed time), Passover.
4. The first furnishing of the Mishkan (Temple), the Altar of Sacrifice.
5. The first blood sacrifice, Messiah Y'shua, the paschal Lamb.
6. The first Seal of the Revelation, the judgement for breaking covenant.

Let's take these in order. What does scripture say about number 1 on our list, Light? It says that the instruction of the Father, thy Word (Torah), is a '...light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet.' It is a beacon unto the nations. There is a link between His Light and His knowledge, just as there is a link between the knowledge of Evil and Darkness. There is a separation between Light and Darkness, just as there is a separation between Good and Evil. But are there other characterizations of His knowledge that might help us better understand this theme of Light? Here are but a few:

• Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
• Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
• Psa 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
• Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
• Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
• Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
• Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
• Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
• Pro 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
• Pro 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
• Pro 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
• Pro 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
• Pro 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
• Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
• Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
• Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
• Pro 23:17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
• Isa 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

Many times, His Word reinforces the link between Light (Torah, Tanakh, Brith Chadashah, Messiah; 'The Light of the World') and 'Fear of the Lord'. There is nothing random going on here. This is deliberate context made available to those that would only look.

So let's take a look at the 2nd item on our list; the covenant with Adam. We don't know a lot from scripture. But we know enough.

Genesis 2:15-17

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

15 Adonai, God, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it. 16 Adonai, God, gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die.”

Basically, this covenant was that Adam would have dominion over everything in the Garden, just obey the Father and don't eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Why? Because it included the knowledge of Evil. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge. The first couple were afraid. God said that if they ate of the tree they would die. But the Father did not kill them. Instead He instituted the precedent of atoning sacrifice by the blood of animals, to give the 1st couple skins to cover their nakedness and blood to cover their sin. For the wages of sin is death and there is life in the blood. But to insure His Word, the Father set them out from the garden and prevented them from eating of the tree of Life - for now.

So it seems that there is a prophetic link between three of our 'firsts' starting with the first Day of Creation. But there is one curious facet of this Covenant relationship with Adam that is not addressed. It is one that I would like to briefly touch on before we go on: the Covenant with the land. This is not something usually done, but there seems to have been an aspect of the agreement that was made with the land; one that was broken. One might presume that there is an agreement made with the entirety of Creation, but let me stick with this one aspect for now.

You will recall that the Father created the Garden, in the land. Judging from the text, conditions in the Garden were significantly different than those outside the garden, in the land. When Adam sinned, they were put out of the Garden into the land. Now let us consider a strange parallel. Many years later, the descendants of Israel had a covenant - with the Father and with the land. When the land did not get it's Sabbath rest in violation of covenant (among many other things), the children of Israel were put out of the land and were not allowed to return until the land had it's promised rest, again according to the terms of covenant. My question for your consideration is threefold;

1. Which covenant initiated the Sabbath rest?
2. Is the land of Eden, the same land as Israel?
3. Are these covenant provisions that are found in Torah, such as Sabbath rest, brought forward from the covenant of Adam?

The children of Israel were taught to observe Sabbath even before Sinai and a study of the rivers of Eden roughly coincides with the land of Promise. Concerning the provisions of the covenants, perhaps this is something we should come back to later. But hold onto this thought, OK?

Now let's move on to item 3 on our list; the first of the Moedim - the Passover. But I should mention that items 3, 4, and 5 are so interrelated that they will be covered together.

We have already covered the high points of the Passover in the first article. Here I am only drawing a link based on a theme between the items listed above. But there is one thing I would add to this overview:

Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 
Exo 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post (tree) of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 
Exo 12:9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 
Exo 12:10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 
Exo 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.

I want you to take a very 'human' look at the process. The children of Israel had been instructed to take an unblemished, one year old baby lamb or goat into their home and let it live with them. This seems curiously similar to the adoption of a perfect little pet.

After they had bonded with this innocent little creature, they were to kill it, roast it, eat it and burn what they could not eat. They were to take it's blood and put it on the lentil and door posts of their dwelling, remain inside throughout the time of darkness, so that the Death Angel would pass over their house and not take their firstborn child. So don't think that this process wasn't painless or that it was an empty object lesson for these people. I think the substitution sacrifice was intended to make a point. The sacrifice had value far and above that of an impersonal sacrifice of property. I think the sacrifice was meant to be much more personal in nature, but I digress.

Themes have attributes. They are the characteristics that define the theme. The attributes of:

• Land,
• Blessings,
• Curses,
• Eating,
• Trees,
• Blood,
• Sacrifice

to name a few, are common to the story of Adam and Havah and are present in other ‘firsts’ too. The symbolism of each of these attributes are defined in scripture. They are all present at the first moed, the Passover, as well as the first furnishing of the Mishkan, the Altar of Sacrifice. Interestingly, these attributes are present in every covenant, as if they were carried forward from the very first one. But this too might be best left for another time.

I don't think it a leap to conclude that the Moedim are meant as a prophetic picture of the ministry of Messiah Y'shua. He is the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. Messiah was the Lamb slain at the same time the Passover lambs were being slain in the Mishkan. But what else does scripture reveal about His prophetic fulfillment of these events?

The Spring Feasts

The Passover begins the week long observance of Unleavened Bread in remembrance of the events of the first Passover in Egypt. In that story, the children of Israel and all the nations that came out of Egypt with them, did not have time for their bread dough to rise, so they ate unleavened bread. But there is also a contrast drawn in scripture between pride and humility, respectively linking them to good and evil, darkness and light. The proud are describe as being 'puffed up', just as leaven puffs up bread dough. Messiah was described as not 'puffed up' because He humbling Himself, even unto death. Because He humbled Himself at the Passover sacrifice, because He died and was buried for Hag HaMatzah (Unleavened Bread), He is considered to have fulfilled the prophetic implications of that event.

During the Passover week, there is also a day called First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim) in which a 'wave sheaf' offering is made. It is when the first fruits of the winter crops are waved before the heavens in thanksgiving to the Father for the harvest and as a means of asking permission to use them. It is recorded that Messiah Y'shua was resurrected on the day of First Fruits. It is also written that He is the first fruits of the (promised) resurrection.

So these three events ties Messiah to the moedim in a very symbolic and prophetic way. It ties the first three of the moedim together by the same token. It also brings us to the next item on our list, the first furnishing in the Mishkan, the Altar of Sacrifice, another one of those items related to the attributes of first covenant with the first Adam. So let's expand on the 4th and 5th items on our list:

The First Furnishing of the Mishkan

What sets the furnishings of the Mishkan apart from the Moedim is that the furnishings are a picture of what is required of us as believers, that we may draw close to God, just as the Moedim are a picture Messiah's ministry that we may be received. Messiah came as a man. As a man, He too brought His sacrifice. But as Messiah, He fulfilled the prophetic nature of the Passover. All this must be accomplished that He might go forth and assume the role of Priest and King.

The first furnishing as you enter the enclosure is the Altar of Sacrifice.

Deuteronomy 16:16-17

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

16 “Three times a year all your men are to appear in the presence of Adonai your God in the place which he will choose — at the festival of matzah, at the festival of Shavu‘ot and at the festival of Sukkot. They are not to show up before Adonai empty-handed,17 but every man is to give what he can, in accordance with the blessing Adonai your God has given you.

There is an interesting dynamic that is not often explored. There are intermediaries that are used in this process. There are priests that bring the sacrifices of the children of Israel before the Creator. But those that bring the sacrifices to the priests are called to be priests also. They are called to minister to those nation without a covenant relationship with the Creator. So in Torah, there are two levels of priesthood. But this dynamic has existed from the beginning. Each successive generation had a Prophet/Priest that interceded for the entire clan, until the time of Israel. But that is another story.

Without the Mishkan and the Altar of Sacrifice, we are called to a sacrifice of prayer, worship, praise and intercession. We are called to teach, pastor, feed, clothe, succor and comfort those in need. But all of this falls under the same heading. We are to sacrifice of ourselves for the sake of others, just as Messiah sacrificed of Himself for our sake. We are to die to self, that we might do unto others even as He did for us.

In the Hebraic mindset, knowing is a function of doing. Doing is a function of knowing. Within the context of the theme of Light, knowing is the first step to doing. But understanding is the second step. We must lift our eyes up from the ground and take in the greater context, in order to more fully understand the effect of our doings. However, His wisdom that He gives to those that would ask, is paramount to doing correctly. Wisdom is about making good choices. You may know. You may do. You may understand. But unless your choices reflects His wisdom, your doings are worthless. That is why we must sacrifice self in order to please Him or to serve others.

Linking Creation Themes To the Theme of Covenant

Now we can include the 6th item on our list. We have so far, thematically linked the first day of creation, to the first covenant, to the first moed - the Passover, to the first furnishing in the Mishkan - the Altar of Sacrifice.  But what about the first Seal judgement of the Revelation? The key to understanding the Seal is that it is a judgement based on the first covenant with Adam. It is about obedience (as are all judgements) but in this case it is about the difference between Light and Darkness and Good and Evil.

This concept is brought forward to Torah and we can look to Torah and to Messiah to help us understand. We serve an orderly God and a loving Father. His dealing with Israel on this matter is consistent with His dealing with Adam - and the children of Adam. It is about knowing Good - and as Messiah taught, there is only One who is Good.

When the children of Israel turned to other gods, the Father turned them over to another king. When Adam's eyes were opened to the knowledge of Evil, he was separated from the garden and separated from a personal relationship with his King. This is what the first Seal judgement is about:

Revelation 6:1-2

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

6 Next I watched as the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living beings say in a thundering voice, “Go!” 2 I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse; its rider had a bow and was given a crown; and he rode off as a conqueror to conquer.

Written documents were understood in terms of scrolls. Covenants are contracts and they follow a specific format. The long and short of this explanation is simple. The contract is sealed and stored until it is violated. Then the Seal is broken and the remedy is read and applied.

Contracts have participating parties, terms and remedies when the terms are broken. The remedy here is clear. If you do not look to the Father or His Designate as your King, He will oblige you by turning you over to another King. If you do not choose to seek after Good, He will turn you over to Evil - until you see the error of your ways. But there comes a time when even His patience is exhausted.

Looking Forward

So now we have linked the first day of creation, to the first covenant, to the first moed - the Passover, to the first furnishing in the Mishkan - the Altar of Sacrifice and now, to the first Seal judgement. It all has to do with the blessings and curses given in the first covenant and the process of reversing those curses in order to bring us back to the Garden.

But if you will recall, we also linked the first three Moedim together. We can call them the Spring Feasts collectively. In my next post, I will show you the relationships of the first three days of Creation to the first three Moedim and the first three Covenants. We will also look at the thematic links to the first three furnishings in the Mishkan and how the first three Seal judgments are related to all of these things. We will also take a little closer look at the curses spoken in the Garden and see how all these things are related to the path back to the Garden.

Two new golden threads will be revealed. Two new themes will be discussed. So stay tuned for part 3 of 'A Passover Perspective', The Parting of the Waters and the Journey Home.

I pray that this blesses you as this Passover season approaches,

Phillip

Freely you have received, freely give.  This work is licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.