The Passover and Feast of Unleavened bread are among the observances that were commanded throughout the book of Exodus and other books in the Torah (Law) of Yahweh. Unlike the so-called ‘holidays’ of the mainstream, these are true holy days, are found in the pages of scripture, and powerfully glorify Yahushua (Yeshua) the Messiah.
For this reason, I so love this feast! It is so symbolic of what Yahushua the Messiah has done for us and it applies very much to Yahweh’s plan of Salvation. Observing it will bless and enrich your walk with Messiah and amaze you at how our own personal plan of salvation is written in the history of Israel.
INTRODUCTION
One of the greatest testimonies to the greatness of Yahweh is how His plan for salvation is in the literal history of Israel. Within each of the following events of Passover, we will explore its symbolic meaning.
First, scripture teaches us that we, as believers, are spiritually Israel:
John 8:39 [Restored Name King James Version - RSKJ] 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father." Yahushua said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham".
Galatians 3:7 [NKJV]
7 Therefore know that [only] those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
Galatians 3:29
29 And if you [are] the Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The children of Israel (Jacob) were dwelling in Egypt and were increasing in number and size. In fact, there were so many of them that the Pharaoh of Egypt began to fear what might take place if they had gotten too large in number:
Exodus 1:7-10 [NKJV]
7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel [are] more and mightier than we;
10 "come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and [so] go up out of the land."
Egypt represents the sin-laden world and all its glory. We were in bondage, in slavery to satan while in our sins. Satan is the ruler and god of this world:
John 16:8-11 [NKJV]
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 12:31 [NKJV]
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
1 John 3:8 [RSKJ]
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of Yahweh was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 [NKJV]
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of Elohim, should shine on them.
Pharaoh is symbolically satan because Pharaoh ruled Egypt (symbolic of the world). Satan also tries to destroy the predestined children of Israel (us) lest we be large in number:
1 Peter 5:8 [NKJV]
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
So the Pharaoh devised a plan:
Exodus 1:11-22 [NKJV]
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage--in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve [was] with rigor.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one [was] Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;
16 and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see [them] on the birthstools, if it [is] a son, then you shall kill him; but if it [is] a daughter, then she shall live."
17 But the midwives feared Elohim, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?"
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women [are] not like the Egyptian women; for they [are] lively and give birth before the midwives come to them."
20 Therefore Elohim dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
21 And so it was, because the midwives feared Elohim, that He provided households for them.
22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."
And so the children of Israel were oppressed and in the bondage of slavery to the Egyptians. The taskmasters, perhaps symbolic of demons, afflicted those in bondage. The Israelites were forced to throw all their newborn sons into the river. Yahweh despises the shedding of innocent blood.
Proverbs 6:16 [NKJV]
16 These six [things] Yahweh hates, Yes, seven [are] an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
If you read the first part of the book of Exodus you will see that Yahweh allowed one of the sons to remain alive and grow up in the household of Pharaoh. This son was Moshe (Moses ). Yahweh called out Moshe to lead the children of Israel out of the land of bondage and slavery and promised to lead them into a beautiful land ‘flowing with milk and honey’. Moses‘ purpose was to show them the way. This way is the way of righteousness through the keeping of Yahweh’s commandments!
The land flowing with milk and honey is symbolic of the “promised land”, the eternal kingdom of Yahweh.
Hebrews 3:14-19; 4:1 [NKJV] 14 For we have become partakers of the Messiah if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, [was] [it] not all who came out of Egypt, [led] by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? [Was] [it] not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
Yahweh heard the cry of the children of Israel who wanted to be delivered from their bondage.
Exodus 3:7 [NKJV]
7 And Yahweh said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
We also knew the bondage that sin had brought upon us. We too, cried out to Yahweh. As we shall see, Yahweh delivered us in the same manner as He delivered Israel from their bondage.
Yahweh told Moshe to go to the Pharaoh and petition him to let the children of Israel go into the wilderness to worship Yahweh.
Moshe was Yahweh’s spokesman. Yahushua was a man ‘like Moshe’ but the mediator of the new covenant.
Pharaoh did not want to let them go out of Egypt. The same is true of satan who does not want us to serve Yahweh but wants us to remain in sin and in bondage. Pharaoh/Satan tries to prevent people from worshipping Yahweh.
So Yahweh sent plagues upon the Egyptians who worshipped idols. Yahweh showed His superiority over dumb idols by sending 10 plagues. With the first plague, the water coming from the Nile river turned into blood for seven days. But the Pharaoh would not heed them, as Yahweh had predicted.
In the same way, Yahweh has revealed to us His superiority over the gods of this world whether they be lusts, pride, drugs, money or whatever sins might come between us and Yahweh.
The following plagues were Frogs, Lice, Flies, Disease on their animals, Boils on man and animals, hail, locusts, and darkness. In each of the plagues, Yahweh spared the area in Egypt that the Israelites dwelt in. The last plague, however, was an important one. Yahweh told Pharaoh through Moshe:
Exodus 11:4-7 [NKJV]
4 Then Moses said, Thus says Yahweh: `About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;
5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who [is] behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it [before], nor shall be like it again.
7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that Yahweh does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
And so Yahweh planned on making a difference between the Egyptians and Israel who desired to serve Yahweh. The Israelites, who had cried out to Yahweh would be saved from death if they heeded Moshe’s instructions. The following chapter is crucial to understanding the feast of Passover and unleavened bread:
Exodus 12:1-2 [NKJV]
1 Now Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 "This month [shall] [be] your beginning of months; it [shall] [be] the first month of the year to you.
Yahweh had to teach the children of Israel His calendar. He taught them that this month (which began with the new moon, see Yahweh’s Calendar) began the month would begin Yahweh’s calendar year.
3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: `On the tenth [day] of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of [his] father, a lamb for a household.
4 `And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take [it] according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.
5 `Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take [it] from the sheep or from the goats.
It is no secret that in many scriptures, Yahushua the Messiah is referred to as the “Lamb of Yahweh”. Even before His ministry, He was spiritually called the Lamb of Yahweh.
John 1:29 [NKJV]
29 The next day John saw Yahushua coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of Yahweh who takes away the sin of the world!
Other times in scripture, Yahushua is referred to as “The Lamb”. Here is one of them:
Revelaion 5:11-12 [NKJV]
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
Furthermore, Yahushua is called the “Passover”:
1 Corinthians 5:7 [NKJV] Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed the Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Now, let’s examine the text in the book of Exodus once more:
Exodus 12:3-4 [NKJV]
3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: `On the tenth [day] of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of [his] father, a lamb for a household.
4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next to his house take [it] according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.
So we see that on the tenth day of the month of «Abib», the lamb was to be set aside from Abib 10 to Abib 14. They would inspect the lamb until Abib 14, making sure it was without blemish or disease.
Yahushua the Messiah made a journey from Jericho to Bethany on Aviv 10 where he was anointed for his burial by Mary (Lamb selection). The next three days he was tried and examined by many, and it was clearly evident that He was a perfectly spotless Lamb, without blemish.
If one would understand that one day could be equal to 1000 years in prophetic terms:
2 Peter 3:8 [NKJV]
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with Yahweh one day [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Then one could easily conclude that Yahushua was also hidden from the sight of man for 4000 years until He became the Lamb of Yahweh.
Continuing in Exodus 12:
Exodus 12:5-6 [NKJV]
5`Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take [it] from the sheep or from the goats.
6 `Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
The Lamb of Yahweh must be without blemish and without spot. Yahushua, our lamb was totally without sin:
1 Peter 1:18-19 [NKJV]
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, [like] silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [received] by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of the Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
The Lamb of Yahweh was examined many times by the chief priests and elders, as well as Pilate. When we examine Yahushua, we can see that He was without spot and without blemish!
So on the tenth day of Yahweh’s first month, the households of Israel were to take for themselves an unblemished male lamb of the first year and set it aside and keep it separated from the others. Now it is helpful if we understand that in those days, a person’s prosperity was primarily based on their livestock. To take a male lamb of the first year out of their flock would be a hefty monetary sacrifice. Today, we think of sacrifices as something different. But it truly was a ‘sacrifice’ for the children of Israel to give up one of their male lambs. In fact, not all households had it. Ultimately, it was Yahweh who provided the lambs for the children of Israel. And ultimately, it is Yahweh who has provided for us a Lamb to save us from death. Consider the example of Abraham who was told to offer His own son, Isaac on the altar:
Genesis 22:6-8 [NKJV]
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid [it] on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father! And he said,Here I am, my son. Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 And Abraham said, My son, Elohim will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
Indeed, Yahweh HAS provided a Lamb to be offered for us.
I once talked to a farmer who raised sheep. He said that he never had any problems slaughtering one of his cows or chickens. But when he had to slaughter one of his lambs…it was extremely difficult because when a lamb is in pain it literally sounds like a new-born baby crying. Perhaps we can imagine why darkness and earth trembling were present at the slaying of the Lamb of Yahweh.
6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
There is some controversy as to when “twilight” (literally the Hebrew reads “between the evenings”) occurs. It isn’t at twilight. If you want to go in-depth on this, you can read the study found here.
7 And they shall take [some] of the blood and put [it] on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.
9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
11 And thus you shall eat it: [with] a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It [is] Yahweh's Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I [am] Yahweh.
13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [are]. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy [you] when I strike the land of Egypt.
So the whole assembly was to kill the lamb and place the blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes.
We, through our own sins, have caused the death of Yahushua the Messiah. He died for all sinners. If it were not for our sins, Yahushua would have no need to die. Therefore the whole assembly has killed the lamb. We read that the blood of the lamb must be placed on the doorposts of their homes. We are all the household of Yahweh. The only way into the household of Yahweh is through the Door. Yahushua said:
John 10:9 [NKJV]
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
We must partake in the body and blood of the Lamb. In fact, one of the clearest evidences in scripture that we should be observing the feasts today is in the commanded observance of the memorial supper that Yahushua instituted. Many churches today practice this every Sunday. Most of them do not have the realization of what they are even doing. But when one observes the Passover as instituted by Yahushua the Messiah, we know exactly what the significance of it all truly is. Let’s examine what Yahushua instituted:
Luke 22:15-19 [NKJV]
15 Then He said to them, With [fervent] desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of Yahweh.
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this and divide [it] among yourselves;
18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of Yahweh comes.
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke [it], and gave [it] to them, saying, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
This is unleavened bread, for the Passover in Exodus 12 was to be eaten with unleavened bread. This was Yahushua’s commandment. We are to do this in remembrance of Him. Remember that Yahushua died at the time of Passover. Therefore, when we partake of the bread we are breaking it to remember that it was us who caused Yahushua’s broken body. It was for our sins that He had to come into the world and die. And it was at this time of Yahweh’s year that He died for us.
20 Likewise He also [took] the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
The cup represents a New Covenant. He is the bread of life. Bread is also known to represent His word in scripture so it all ties in together beautifully. The word of Yahweh convicts us of our sin and shows us our sin. Therefore we need redemption. This is why we drink from the cup. It is the blood of Yahushua that covers and cleanses us from all sin. When Yahushua returns, the new covenant will be fully instituted and we will reign with Him forever. The blood of Yahushua is what cleanses us from all sin. When we partake of Yahushua’s body, we are a part of Him:
John 6:47-50 [NKJV]
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
We should know that bread is symbolic of the word of Yahweh:
Isaiah 55:1-3 [NKJV]
1Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for [what] [is] not bread, And your wages for [what] does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat [what] [is] good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you--The sure mercies of David.
And again:
Ezekiel 3:1-3 [NKJV]
1 Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."
2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
And again:
Revelation 10:8-11 [NKJV]
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth."
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
Continuing on…
John 6:51-63 51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this [Man] give us [His] flesh to eat?" The Jews among Him did not understand what He meant. 53 Then Yahushua said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 "This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Even many of His disciples were offended at this. 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard [this], said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" 61 When Yahushua knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 "[What] then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.
So Yahushua explains to them the meaning of this parable. But many still do not understand for later in verse 66 even some of his other followers walked away from Him. Blessed is He who is not offended because of Yahushua!
Knowing that bread represents the word and the word is Yahushua the Messiah, we should know that His word is what manifests our sins. His word itself is not sin, but His word reveals to us what sin is:
Romans 7:7
7 What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."
Knowing that the law reveals our sins, we need redemption! This is why we partake of Yahushua’s blood because now that His word convicted us, it pointed us to the need of Yahushua’s blood to cover the sins that His word revealed to us!
Galatians 3:24 [NKJV]
24 Therefore the law was our tutor [to] [bring] [us] to The Messiah, that we might be justified by faith.
HalleluYah, our faith in Yahushua the Messiah brings us justification!
Getting back to Exodus 12, we see that they were commanded not to break any of the lamb’s bones.
Exodus 12:46 [NKJV]
46 "In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.
Yahushua’s bones also were never broken:
John 19:32-33 [NKJV]
32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
33 But when they came to Yahushua and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
They were also to eat it quickly because they would begin departing from Egypt that night. We too, must be quick to leave Egypt (the world) and trust in the blood of the Lamb for deliverance!
When Yahweh passed over the children of Israel, he would spare them from the death that would be brought upon the firstborn of the Egyptians. The memorial observance of this event was to be celebrated from year to year for ever:
Exodus 12:14 [NKJV]
14 `So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
15 `Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 `On the first day [there] [shall] [be] a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but [that] which everyone must eat--that only may be prepared by you.
17 `So you shall observe [the] [Feast] [of] Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
And so the feast of Unleavened bread was instituted. It begins on the 15th day of Yahweh’s first month («Abib») and the last day was to be on the 21st of Abib. The 15th and 21st were to be Sabbath days unto Yahweh. No work would be done on these days except to prepare the food that everyone must eat.
18 `In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. Yahweh's days begin at evening. Therefore the feast of Unleavened bread actually began when it became evening on the 14th day of the month of Abib and ended when it was evening on the 21st day of the month of Abib. During this time, no leaven (yeast) was to be found in their homes. 19 `For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether [he] [is] a stranger or a native of the land. 20 `You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.'
So these commandments were not only for the children of Israel but also for anyone who decided to join themselves unto Yahweh and be part of His congregation of Israel. So it finally came time for the day of Passover:
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover [lamb].
22 "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that [is] in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.
23 "For Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, Yahweh will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike [you].
24 "And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.
25 "It will come to pass when you come to the land which Yahweh will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service.
26 "And it shall be, when your children say to you, `What do you mean by this service?'
27 "that you shall say, `It [is] the Passover sacrifice of Yahweh, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' " So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
So again, this feast was to be observed forever! Forever is a long time, I don’t think we have reached the end of forever.
28 Then the children of Israel went away and did [so]; just as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
29 And it came to pass at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who [was] in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.
30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for [there] [was] not a house where [there] [was] not one dead.
31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve Yahweh as you have said.
32 "Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also."
33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We [shall] all [be] dead."
34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.
So we can see that the children of Israel did not leaven the bread that they took with them. Remember this for later…
35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.
36 And Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them [what] [they] [requested]. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.
38 A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds--a great deal of livestock.
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt [was] four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years--on that very same day--it came to pass that all the armies of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt.
42 It [is] a night of solemn observance to Yahweh for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This [is] that night of Yahweh, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
43 And Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "This [is] the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
46 "In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.
47 "All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 "And when a stranger dwells with you [and] [wants] to keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."
Now, it is very clear that Yahweh does not have a double standard. His law is for all mankind. But if any foreigner wanted to observe the Passover festival, it was necessary that they first join themselves unto Yahweh’s congregation of Israel by becoming circumcised.
50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
So this is the feast of Passover and unleavened bread according to the word of Almighty Yahweh. What is so beautiful about this feast is that it casts a shadow. It is symbolic of our walk with Yahweh. The bondage, the leaven, the mercy of Yahweh with the lamb and its blood on the doorposts, the bitter herbs, the promised land all represent a powerful symbology of our own walk with Yahweh.
It is well established in scripture that Yahushua died on the day of Passover. Does scripture then say what hour He died?
Luke 23:44 [NKJV]
Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
46 And when Yahushua had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, `into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.
47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified Yahweh, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"
The ninth hour!
Matt 27:46 [NKJV]
46 And about the ninth hour Yahushua cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My El, My El, why have You forsaken Me?"
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard [that], said, "This Man is calling for EliYah!"
48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled [it] with sour wine and put [it] on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if EliYah will come to save Him."
50 And Yahushua cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
So, we see that Yahushua actually died at the ninth hour on the day of Passover. This is the exact time that the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in Jerusalem! It was prophesied in the book of Isaiah that Yahushua would indeed be spotless and as a slain lamb:
Isaiah 53:7 [NKJV]
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgement, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked--But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor [was] [any] deceit in His mouth.
Notice that this scripture says <For the transgressions of My people He was stricken>. As we continue on in Isaiah 53, we will see that this is because Yahushua, the perfect Lamb without sin and without blemish, was a sin offering:
Isaiah 53:10 [NKJV]
10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise Him; He has put [Him] to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, And the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in His hand.
Let’s sum it up. Yahushua the Messiah is called the Lamb because He redeems us from sin and death. We all know that sin is bondage. Sin leads to death but we are redeemed from death by the blood of Yahushua. Therefore what we have here with the feast of Passover and unleavened bread is a powerful symbol of our walk with Yahweh. We are spiritually Israel.
Galatians 3:29 [NKJV]
29 And if you [are] The Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We too were called out of the land of bondage:
Hebrews 2:14-15 [NKJV]
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
and again:
Galatians 4:3-5 [NKJV] 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, Yahweh sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, Yahweh has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
We left behind the leavening which represents sin and false doctrine:
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 [NKJV]
6 Your glorying [is] not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed The Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.
And again:
Luke 12:1 [NKJV]
1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first [of] [all], "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
And now we have been cleansed and washed of our sins by the blood of the Lamb:
Revelation 7:13-14 [NKJV]
13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"
14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Like Israel, we are saved from death:
Romans 6:23 [NKJV]
23 For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of Yahweh [is] eternal life in The Messiah Yahushua our Master.
But first, we must be baptized!
Acts 2:38 [NKJV]
38 Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua the Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Just as the children of Israel were baptized when they came out of Egypt (sin):
1 Corinthians 10:1 [NKJV] 1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, {And just as the children of Israel ate manna, we must find pasture on the word of Yahweh which feeds us with words of everlasting life:} 3 all ate the same spiritual food,
John 6:58 [NKJV]
58 "This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
But now we are in a time of learning the law of Yahweh. Just as the children of Israel learned the law during their time in the wilderness, now we are in the wilderness learning the will of Yahweh.
We are also in a time of temptation and of trial. But we are headed to the promised land, Yahweh’s Kingdom! Ultimately, it was not Moses but rather Yahushua (Joshua) the son of Nun who brought the children of Israel into the promised land. Moses can show us the way, but we need a man named Yahushua to take us there, HalleluYah!
Beautiful! Stunning! This all could not have happened by accident. This is certainly the hand of Yahweh in all of this.
As we have seen, the Passover is a very important time of year. We should not replace this beautiful feast which represents our eternal salvation with a holiday with idolatrous origins such as Easter!
See how far doctrine has strayed from scripture!! Why must some reject the commandments of Yahweh in favor of the traditions of men? We have much the same situation today that we see in Yahushua’s day:
Mark 7:5 [NKJV]
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with [their] lips, But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'
8 "For laying aside the commandment of Yahweh, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
We too must beware of ignoring the words and doctrine in the scriptures in favor of holding fast to traditions not commanded by Yahweh. Especially when those traditions have their roots in paganism! The very word “Easter” comes from the name of a heathen idol «Astarte». How abominable to throw out the beautiful feast of Passover that Yahweh ordained and instead take a day named after an idol and say its for Yahweh!
So, in summary, we can see that the bondage of the children of Israel represents the bondage to sin that we all were once in. The blood of the lamb on each home that saved the children of Israel from death is as the blood of Yahushua which is on us which covers and cleanses us from all sin. We also eat the Passover on the night the children of Israel ate the Passover when we partake of the memorial supper. The broken unleavened bread represents His sinless yet broken body that was given for us. Yahushua is the word:
John 1:14 [NKJV]
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
by Tom Martincic from eliyah.com