The Parting of the Waters…
In the first installment‚ I introduced a link between the Passover story and the covenant with Adam.
The tenth plague in Egypt provided an opportunity for an exception to the curse of the death of the firstborn through the shedding of the blood of a substitutionary sacrifice. I continued in that vein through the second portion of this story. In this‚ the third installment I want to show you how the pieces fit together.
The tenth plague in Egypt provided an opportunity for an exception to the curse of the death of the firstborn through the shedding of the blood of a substitutionary sacrifice. I continued in that vein through the second portion of this story. In this‚ the third installment I want to show you how the pieces fit together.
I am going to more closely illustrate the first theme through scripture. I am going to show you how this defined the parameters of the first covenant in terms of blessings and curses. I am going to tell you how this prophetically set the stage for the ministry of the Redeemer. Then I am going to tie this information to the next few themes‚ covenants and moedim (Appointed Times) that Messiah fulfilled during the Passover week.
The Father told us that He declares the end from the beginning. I think we already agree as to His end-game. It is to get His children back to a right relationship with Him‚ so that He can restore them to the Garden. Keeping that in mind helps us picture the process‚ because we have both the beginning and the end. Now all we need to do is fill in the space in the middle with what He has already revealed. But to accomplish this goal‚ we need to start at the beginning:
LET THERE BE LIGHT; DEFINING THE THEME OF PASSOVER
Remember that Messiah fulfilled the thematic‚ and therefore the prophetic significance of the three moedim that occur during the week long Passover observance. Utilizing our analogy of a tapestry we will re-examine and refine our definition of the first theme; the golden strand that runs from the first day of creation‚ through the covenant of Adam. Based on the events in the Garden‚ this same theme is used to shape the Passover events in Egypt. It goes on to link those events to the significance of the Altar of Sacrifice in the wilderness Tabernacle. All these events are ultimately tied together with the fulfillment of the Passover sacrifice by Messiah. But the thread does not stop there. It relates two more themes to the first‚ as Messiah fulfills the three Spring Feasts with His death‚ His humble obedience to His calling and His resurrection. Finally‚ this first theme‚ like the other six related to the Creation‚ are the keys to unlocking the meaning of the Seal Judgments in the Revelation by linking the seven Seals to the curses of the covenants.
One of the things I need to emphasize before going forward is the concept of separation; or put another way‚ being separated according to its kind. This is a concept that is established from before the foundation of the world as is found in every theme and every covenant known. It is the most important concept in understanding covenant and scripture as it is foundational to the plan and will of God. I will be mentioning this concept in every section we cover‚ so I want for you to be aware of where it shows up and how it applies.
So now‚ we will add three more themes to the first. Primarily‚ to associate and define the three moedim fulfilled by Messiah during the Passover week‚ but also to relate them to the fourth covenant in preparation for the next moed‚ Hag Shavuot (Pentecost). Here are the themes of the 1st 4 days of Creation demonstrated by what was created and under what circumstances:
- Light>established 1st day>
- separated from darkness>
- associated with His Spirit‚ His Word‚ His Son>
- equated to ‘Fear of the Lord’‚ an idiom for obedience.
- Waters>created 2nd day>
- separated above from below>
- associated with the the land and the heavens>
- equated with environment for souls and spirits.
- Seeds>created 3rd day>
- separated according to their kind>
- associated with the earth raised up out of the waters>
- equated with environment of physical life.
- Celestial bodies>created 4th day>
- separated according to day and night>
- associated ‘signs and moedim’ with ‘days and years’>
- equated with the environment for proper observance of the Sabbatot and Moedim and with the knowledge‚ wisdom and understanding of the Holy: that which is separated unto God.
Clear as mud? Let me see if I can help. I simply let scripture to define these terms. The breakdown of the theme of Light is as follows…
- We all agree that Light and Darkness are metaphors for Good and Evil‚ God‚ our Father in heaven and Satan‚ ‘the evil one‘.
- So Light by itself is a metaphor for God.
- There is ‘only One who is Good’ according to Messiah‚ so there is a direct scriptural link between Good and God.
- God’s instruction is the Torah‚ described as a ‘lamp unto my fee and a Light unto my path‘‚providing a link to Torah and Light.
- His Spirit ‘illuminates‘ His Word and Messiah is the ‘Light of the world‘ further linking the theme.
- Finally we have all the verses like Pro 9:10‚ “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.“; linking ‘The fear of the LORD‘ (obedience) to both Light and the ‘knowledge of the holy‘.
So lets take another baby step and change the subject to ‘covenant’ in terms of blessings and curses. Here we have the covenantal boundary of partaking in the ‘Knowledge of Evil.” We know this because; 1) Adam and Havah already had an intimate relationship with He who is Good‚ so knowing Good is not prohibited and 2) His instruction not to eat of ‘the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil‘ define this boundary as a term of covenant:
- Adam>Blessings:
- Life
- Spiritual Awareness
- Immunity
- Immortality
- Total Dominion of the Physical Realm
- Companionship
- A Partner at One with Adam
- Complementary Natures
- Equality in Desires
- Garden
- Complete Harmony‚ Each according to its Kind
- Complete Dominion
- Perfect Environment
- Unlimited Resources
- Relationship with God
- Perfect Intimate Relationship with God
- Life
- Adam>Curses:
- Changes to Life Blessings
- Diminished Spiritual Awareness (Confusion)
- Disease
- Decrepitude (aging)
- Physical Death
- Changes in Companionship
- Companion Given Pain in Child Birth
- His Desire is For Dominance over Her
- Her Desire is for Equality with Him
- Changes to the Garden Blessings
- Put Out of the Garden into a World in Chaos
- No Dominion in the Land
- Dangerous Environment (they must work to survive)
- Limited Resources
- Changes to Relationship with God
- Separated from God
- Loss of Intimacy with God
- Changes to Life Blessings
This is hardly a comprehensive list‚ but you get the idea. On the side of the blessings‚ the rewards of the knowledge of Good is easily discerned. But when you add the knowledge of Evil‚ something God cannot abide in His children‚ you see the curses that are manifested. The personification of Evil is the ‘author of confusion‘‚ hence the diminished spiritual awareness. Their ‘eyes were opened‘ (surely something more that physical sight is implied here) when they ate of the fruit of the ‘Knowledge of Evil‘. So we establish the relationship between Light and Darkness‚ Blessings and Curses and Good and Evil as they apply to the Covenant of Adam.
Please keep in mind that this covenantal relationship with bene Adam‚ the children of Adam‚ carries forward throughout the entire redemptive process. The covenant of Adam is still in full force today and is foundational to every covenant for the Redemption and Salvation of man that cam after it. Compare these blessing and curses with those in Deuteronomy for context. Only by reversing these curses can Adam be returned to the Garden. Thus we establish the ministry of the Redeemer; to bring the entire house of Adam back to the Garden.
Still with me? I know that this is complex‚ so I am still taking baby steps. In truth‚ all we are doing is laying the foundation for what is next:
THE PARTING OF THE WATERS; AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PASSOVER STORY.
Each step in this journey relies on the foundation laid in the previous step. All we did was establish how the theme of the first day of creation defined the blessings and curses of the first covenant within the perfect environment God provided for man. So let’s take a look at the second theme‚ the Separation of the Waters‚ and see if we can put a little finer point on it:
SECOND DAY‚ SECOND THEME…
- Waters
- Separated above from below (separation according to kind‚ earthly and heavenly).
- Associated with the land below and the heavens above (mayim mean ‘waters’ in Hebrew whereas shamayim means ‘heavens’.)
- Equated with earthly souls and heavenly spirits‚ per Gen 1:20-2’.
The last of these bullet points requires some explanation‚ especially for my p’shat oriented friends out there. From http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm we have borrowed B’reshyt (Genesis) 1:20-2’‚ so you can see the original Hebrew:
Much of what we know about scripture‚ comes from listening to people’s religious opinions that are formed from traditions born of cultural‚ political and social influences. Equally intelligent and sincere scholars can read the same text and come away with conflicting messages. All I ask is that you set that aside as much of your personal training and bias as you are able‚ and keep an open mind to what the text actually conveys in it’s most basic form.
The translation from Hebrew to English is a task fraught with assumptions‚ simply because of the nature of the Hebrew language. Most times the translation is based on the context applied by the reader and/or translator. While this is a perfectly valid translation for a modern bilingual English and Hebrew speaker‚ the term for ‘creatures‘ or ‘swarms of living creatures‘ here‚ depending on the translation‚ can otherwise give us swarms of souls‚ fish‚ serpents or reptiles. The word ‘fowl‘presents the same problem‚ where the original Hebrew simply implies ‘winged‘ or ‘covering with wings‘. Add to this the word translated as ‘fly‘ also has the meaning of ‘to cover with wings or obscurity (in terms of dimness)’. Picture a spiritual being that can alternatively appear or fade from view. Sound familiar?
This application of personal bias that influences a conclusion is not anything sinister mind you; we all interpret scripture from within our own frame of reference. But if we set some of these prejudices aside‚ there is plenty of room for perfectly valid alternative perspectives. Agreement with a majority opinion does not insure accuracy. Only by choosing the correct context can we do that‚ no matter how widely agreeable.
If the reader or translator is expecting to find physical creatures instead of spirits‚ the Hebrew in this case is perfectly accommodating to that perspective. But it just as easily will accommodate the view that these are souls intended of earthly creatures and the spirits of the heavenly beings‚ created to minister in both the physical and spiritual realms. If you object that large sea creatures are represented here also‚ please recall that there are different representations of spiritual beings as they manifest in the physical realm‚ that are described as everything from flying flaming serpents to simply ‘men’. Take a look at the book of Ezekiel for instance.
The progression of the creation account give us just cause to believe that the environment for a living being is created before the being itself is created. Likewise it is conceivable that the souls of men were created before their respective bodies‚ as God speaks of knowing us even before we are born. All I ask is that you consider the characteristics of beings that we glean from Torah‚ the Prophets and the witness of Messiah to see for yourself if they fit the descriptions given here in the Hebrew.
SECOND COVENANT; THE CONTEXT OF NOAH…
This openness of mind is needed in understanding the next section too‚ as we explore the environment that Noah lived in. According to scripture‚ the ‘sons of God‘ took the ‘daughters of men‘to wife and produced offspring. To say that these verses are steeped in controversy is vastly understating the matter. Still‚ it doesn’t say ‘sons of man’ as you might expect; so I must presume that there is a valid reason for contrasting this point.
Many presume that these ‘sons of God‘ (bene Elohim) came with the express intent of polluting the seed of man for the purpose of thwarting the ministry of the Messiah. Heavenly beings have no part in the resurrection according to scripture; only the sons of man. Whatever the case‚ I find it noteworthy that the Creator‚ throughout the entirety of scripture‚ only destroyed those peoples genealogically associated with these ‘giants’‚ these nephilim‚ these offspring of the Nephal or ‘fallen‘. Scriptural accounts leave us with the impression that these creatures were infamous‚ fiercely violent and proud.
Noah‚ a humble and obedient man‚ is described as the only one ‘perfect in his generation‘; using the same Hebrew word that is used to describe creatures that are physically acceptable to present for sacrifice to God; creatures described as ‘without spot or blemish‘ in Leviticus. So Noah was humble‚obedient and genetically ‘perfect‘. Notice too the contrast between the humbly obedient and the proudly rebellious as it relates to who is blessed and who is cursed. This will come up again later.
Evidently the seed of the nephilim had spread throughout the entirety of mankind. The law of ‘each according to its kind‘ had been broken by beings too proud to be obedient. They would all face God’s wrath – except for Noah‚ his household and the animals he was instructed to save. The Nephal‚ ‘the Fallen‘ would be ‘bound in chains under darkness‘; their half-breed offspring the nephilim‚ would die like the children of Adam‚ but their spirits would be be bound to the earth until judgement.
The waters that had been separated on the 2nd day‚ would be joined back together under the curse of a broken covenant; coming up from below and falling down from above‚ drowning every unrighteous creature and leaving Noah a world completely cleansed of unrighteousness; the fallen‚the proud and the rebellious being dispatched. Even all the animals saved in the ark obeyed Noah‚leaving nothing behind the flood but a world completely at peace.
HAG HAMATZAH; THE SECOND MOED…
On the second day the waters were separated‚ above from below. They are separated according to their kind; the waters below associated with earth and the waters above associated with heaven‚ just as light as separated from darkness according to its kind and seed bearing plants are separated according to their kinds. Separation is key to understanding the nature of covenants and will be demonstrated later.
The separation from leaven is commanded during the week of Passover. In 1 Timothy 3:6‚ it states‚“He must not be a new believer‚ because he might become puffed up with pride and thus fall under the same judgment as did the Adversary.” This is a spot-on illustration of the association between leaven and the sin of pride; being ‘puffed up‘. So I know you will be able to see the fulfillment of Hag HaMatzah by Messiah‚ just as Shu’al did when he wrote to the Philippians (Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)) in chapter 2 verse 8‚ “He humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death — death on a stake as a criminal!”
What does this have to do with waters? Quite a bit actually. Do you remember that the next event after the Passover sacrifice had to do with the separation of waters? The waters upstream were separated from the waters downstream; the Red Sea was parted. How does this tie in with leaven‚you might ask?
Imagine for a moment that you’re standing in front of a great body of water. It parts in front of you‚creating great walls of water on either side and a narrow path between. Now imagine your are to be executed on a stake. The promise in both cases is that you will live if you ’cross over’ to the other side. What kind of faith would it take for you to proceed into that deadly breach? If your answer was humble obedience to the Lord‚ then you’re right. Can you see the link now?
In the first theme‚ you must choose God or be turned over to another king. In Adam’s case‚ we know who the god of this world is. Adam and Havah chose to believe the serpent and that is where the need for Salvation and Redemption started. In the second theme‚ you must cleanse yourself of pride.
THE SECOND FURNISHING: THE BRAZEN LAVER…
…that His priests May cleanse themselves before entering the Holy Place. What? Another separation of waters above and below? Yes. There was two parts to the Laver. An upper part‚ to cleanse the hands (a symbol for your spiritual doings) and a lower part‚ to cleanse the feet (a symbol of your earthly walk).
I hope you are getting the picture that there is much more to the Passover week than is traditionally observed. This post has gone on long enough‚ so we will save the rest for next time when we examine the third moed‚ Yon HaBikkurim; the Day of First Fruit‚ as it integrates into the Passover story. Hopefully‚ I will be able to move to a more technical summary that emulates the tapestry analogy a little more closely. One where you will be able to zoom out and see the overall picture and zoom in to examine each strand‚ one by one. Stay tuned for “the Journey Home“. Until then…
HAG SAMECH PESACH!
Freely you have received, freely give. 
This work is licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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