The Covenant Blessings of Passover
By Lemuel Baker, Ph.D
Introduction
Understanding the set festival of Passover or Pesach is important because in this
festival are covenant benefits that are both life changing and life preserving.
Adonai did instruct us to celebrate each festival yearly at the appointed time as a
mitzvah or command because of the essential benefits we would need in our
dispensation. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Passover as our Passover Lamb
and He Himself as we will discuss later on celebrated the Passover Festival.
Each of the set feasts recorded in the Tanak and the Talmud has significant
spiritual value and a partnership through faith in the Messiah’s relationship to
each festival is critical to a life abundantly. The Kesuviim portion of the Tanak
and the Christian Old Testament recorded in Hosea 4:6 says “My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will
also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the
law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
This is such a sad commentary and our failure to research and then to implement
our responsibility regarding our part of the covenant causes failure and
hardships. Messianic Jews celebrate the set festivals as part of their yearly
observances and some aspects of Protestantism are becoming familiar with the
terms concerning festivals. More education and research is necessary in order to
bring Christians to an intelligent decision concerning set festivals.
Pesach or Passover celebrated in the month of Nissan or Aviv is embodied with
spiritual values that energize our covenant with God and brings specific blessings
from the positional realm to the experiential realm. All of the set festivals have
unique blessings available to us and that are built into each festival. When we
celebrate each festival prayerfully and partner with what God intends for the
festival we release the specific spiritual value for each festival.
Thus Pesach has embodied in this 8 day festival supernatural deliverance by an
awesome, impressive God, a sacrificial lamb and a life free from pride and being
puffed up signified by the unleavened bread, and finally first fruits the barley
harvest followed by the wheat harvest was the literal first fruit signifying Jesus
Christ as the first fruit risen from the dead. In this application we can receive
literal deliverances, literal removal of hard to overcome compulsive habits and
begin living a life that matches those who are the first fruits delivered from sin.
Pesach is an awesome time and we will discuss in more detail.
The next yearly feast which occurs 50 days after Pesach is Shavuot or Pentecost
celebrated in the month of Sivan. Pentecost is a Greek word from the Septuagint
version of the Bible that means “count fifty.” It is on the second day of the 8 day
celebration of Pesach when the Heave Offering is waived that the 50 day count
begins and ends on the fiftieth day marking the beginning of Pentecost or
Shavuot. This festival is also known as the feast of Weeks because we count 7
weeks from Passover plus one day to get to this festival.
Shavuot was and is a set yearly celebration and was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit
was outpoured in Jerusalem upon those who waited in the upper room.
Prior to this manifested promise recorded by Joel 2, each year Shavuot was
celebrated to commemorate the out pouring of the Law and 10 Commandments
to Moses Moshe Rabienu on Mount Sanai.
Jesus referenced Shavuot clearly when He instructed the disciples not to depart
from Jerusalem but to wait until they receive power from God. Jesus was saying
to the disciples, I died to fulfill Pesach or Passover, now wait 50 days as you
normally do for Shavuot and celebrate Shavuot in Jerusalem because this
Shavuot or Pentecost will be the fulfillment of all previous Shavuot celebrations.
Thus today we still celebrate Shavuot but from the vantage point of fulfillment
whereby we celebrate the infilling of the Holy Spirit coupled with the Mighty God
who gave Moses the Law at Mount Sinai. Embedded in Shavuot is the fullness of
God as recorded in Ephesians 1:23 “the fullness of him that filleth all in all.”
The next set festival is Rosh Hashanah in the month of Tishrei which is also
known as Yom Teruah the Day of Trumpets. This festival is also known as the
Feast of Trumpets. The application today is waiting on the “final blast of Messiah”
called Tekia Gedolah when He comes in the rapture. This Feast will be fulfilled at
the rapture of the Church. For centuries Jews and Christians alike have
celebrated this feast to prepare, make ourselves ready and even practice,
understand what the final blast will be.
Also in the month of Tishrei there are “Ten days of Awe” that begin on Rosh
Hashanah and end on Yom Kippur which are the Holiest Days in Judaism.”
These ten days are spent in introspection, repentance, prayer and charity. In
Hebrew we would say Teshuva, Tefillah and Tzedaka, repentance, prayer and
kindness. This is a period to get right with God. See article entitled “The Jewish
high Holy Days” for more details concerning Rosh Hashanah, 10 days of Awe
and Yom Kippur, the Day of Covering or The Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur the holiest day of Judaism occurs in the month of Tishrei and all
focus is on teshuva-teffilah-tzedakah repentance, prayer and charity before Neila
the closing of the gates. See article entitled High Holy days for more details.
The month of Tishrei also has another set festival called Sukkot also known as
the Feast of Tabernacles. Sukkot or Succah means booths or tents
commemorating the primitive tents Israel lived in during their forty year journey in
the wilderness. Sukkot will be fulfilled in the Millennium reign of Christ as we
dwell with Him.
There is the celebration of Chanukah in the month of Kislev which celebrates the
miracle of the oil that did not run out for eight days and also the cleansing and
recapturing of the Jewish Temple. Today this 8 day festival is a time of cleansing
but also a time of miracles.
In the final month or twelfth month of Adar we celebrate Purim which means
“lots” where Ester was used to prevent catastrophe and misfortune in the lives of
the Jews and also Hayman who set a gallows for Mordecai was hanged on his
own gallows. Purim is a time to enforce all spiritual laws against the enemy of our
soul knowing that Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made an open
show of them.
It is a time of intense spiritual warfare enforced against the devil to stop his illegal
efforts against a Child of God. Purim is a time to enforce the word and anointing
of God against the devil to see satan’s yokes destroyed and burdens removed by
the miracle working power of Christ. Purim is a time of the mysteries of Christ.
There is spiritual power embedded in all set feasts and to ignore their annual
observances is to operate at a level below the abundant life Christ intended for
us to experience.
We will discuss the following:
1. Preparing for Passover-Hametz
2. The Three festivals within Passover-Understanding Passover
3. Jesus Celebrated the Passover-New Testament References to the Passover
4. Counting 50 days from Passover to Pentecost- Wait in Jerusalem until you
Receive power
Preparing for Passover-Cleaning Your Hametz
As Judaism approaches Pesach each year house cleaning is essential by
cleaning all Hametz or products with leaven or yeast. This particular house
cleaning is most thorough and must be inspected by a designated Jewish leader
to clear the home for the Passover Seder. The husband may be such a leader.
The house must pass inspection or there shall be no Seder in that dwelling.
Orthodox Jews are very strict concerning Hametz and the tiresome efforts to
accomplish this. Many Jews prefer to visit the home of someone else who has
accomplished Hametz cleaning instead of doing this detailed cleaning
themselves.
Thus all crumbs are located and cleaned from every crack and crevice but no
further products with leaven are purchased and eaten during Pesach. No Hametz
shall be in an Orthodox Jewish home during Pesach. During this preparation
period we as Christians can ask God to cleanse us from all pride which Hametz
is symbolic of because leaven makes bread “puffed up” or rise. Pride makes us
puffed up.
While we are house cleaning the most important spiritual value of Passover
preparation is being delivered of all pride even subtle pride. Hametz is also
representative of the baggage we carry from broken promises, broken dreams
and chronic disappointments. There is another opportunity to deal with
eliminating all leaven at the “Tashlich” celebration on the eve of Rosh Hashanah
in the month of Tishrei where we cast crumbs into the ocean symbolic of casting
our sins into the sea.
The Three Festivals within Passover- Understanding Passover
Passover is an eight day festival and there are three distinct foci for this set feast
each having its own significance. Thus Christians split this Pesach Festival into
three separate festivals. When Pesach begins at the new moon in the month of
Nissan the first focus of Pesach is to commemorate the actual passing over of
the death angel who did not kill the first born of all who had the blood of lambs
applied to the door posts of their residence. The term Passover originated from
the covenant promise, “when I see the blood I will pass over you.”
The second focus of this eight day feast is the Israelites prepared in haste to
leave Egypt after Pharaoh was brought to his knees by the final plague and did
not have time to prepare bread with leaven thus made cakes without leaven or
Matza thus we include the celebration of unleavened bread symbolic of Christ the
Bread of Life Who was born without any sin.
Thus when we pray at every meal including the weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) we
say “Baruch ata Adonai, Elohenu melech Ha O’Lam, Ha Motzi L chem Min Ha
eretz, Amen. Blessed are you Lord our God King of the universe who brought
forth bread from the earth, Amen. Today we celebrate the Passover Seder to
celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is all a part of this same Pesach
celebration.
The third focus of this eight day feast is the “heave offering.” Barley wheat is
offered to God as the first fruits of the agricultural harvest with the expectation
that the next agricultural harvest for the Israelites would be the wheat harvest.
Thus the barley harvest was waved before God as the first fruits for the Jewish
new year which began in the month of Nissan or Aviv. Christians usually term
this portion of the eight day feast the Feast of First fruits. In Judaism these three
aspects within Pesach are all celebrated within Pesach.
Bikkurim is the Hebrew term for “first fruits” and we can honor Christ as our first
fruit from the dead who rose from the dead so that we might be born again. The
waving of the heave offering is very important because on this day we start the
50 day count or counting 7 weeks to Pentecost or Shavuot.
Jesus Celebrated the Passover-New Testament References to the Passover
Jesus celebrated Passover with his family who also observed Passover. Jesus’
family made the trip to Jerusalem for this festival every year recorded in Luke
2:41. “Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of Passover.”
Jesus as an adult celebrated the Passover festival and ate the Passover Meal
before His crucifixion recorded Mathew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22. Jesus was
crucified in Jerusalem while the Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for Passover.
The New Testament gives us insight to Jesus’ heart feelings regarding the
Passover festival. According to Luke 22:15-16 Jesus celebrated the Passover
with great desire not out of legalistic obligation. Jesus said “With desire I desire
to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not anymore
eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
The Passover Meal or Seder that Jesus celebrated in the upper room with His
disciples depicted in the Leonardo Da Vinci “Last Supper” painting 1495-1498
has come to be known as Holy Communion by the modern Church. The origin of
Holy Communion is in the Passover Seder and Pesach. The Last Supper was an
authentic Passover Seder celebrated by Jesus and His disciples and was very
intimate as well as traditional to Judaism.
The Early Church celebrated the Passover. The Last Supper was not the final
Passover celebration for Jesus’ disciples. Acts 12:1-4 records “...then were the
days of Unleavened bread...intending after Passover to bring him forth to the
people.” This story mentioned the Passover as a distinct backdrop because the
Ecclesia of that time continued to celebrate the Passover as an everlasting set
feast.
The Apostle Paul celebrated all of the set festivals as an Apostle and convert. 1
Corinthians 16:8 records “But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.” Acts 20:2
records “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread,”
which is part of the 8 day Passover festival. As a Christian Acts 19 and 20
indicates Paul organized his life around the set festivals.
Counting 50 days from Passover to Pentecost- Wait in Jerusalem until you
receive power.
Vayikra or Leviticus 23:15-16 records the precedent for counting 50 days from
Pesach-Passover to Shavuot-Pentecost. It records “And ye shall count unto you
from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of
the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be complete. Even unto the morrow
after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days and ye shall offer a new
meat offering unto the Lord.”
Jesus who celebrated Pesach and Shavuot along with His disciples all knew
through custom and from the Torah Shavuot-Pentecost was coming 50 days
from Passover thus He said the following recorded in Luke 24:49 “And behold I
send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem
until ye be endued with power from on high.” Jesus was saying wait the standard
fifty days until Shavuot for the promise of God.
Traditionally Shavuot was celebrated annually as a memorial to the Law given to
Moses on Mount Sinai but on this Shavuot came the fulfillment of the promise of
the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not come to abolish the law only to fulfill it. Mathew 5:17
records Jesus speaking in His own words the following: “Do not think that I have
come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law
until everything is accomplished.”
It was understood by the disciples that Jesus was referring to Shavuot when
Jesus asked them to wait in Jerusalem for power.
THE PRINCIPAL BLESSING OF PESACH
This principal blessing of Passover should not be missed and is the mother
load of blessings released in this set festival. This blessing is the release of
peace, rest, ease, a merry heart, celebration and jubilant joy. This festival
ultimately celebrates a release from slavery and a death grip of bondage.
When Israel was released the burden of their slavery was removed so they
could breathe again, prosper again and experience heaven on earth again.
During this festival we receive a renewed regeneration of heart, soul, mind,
body finances, a breakthrough from satan’s resistance and especially our
dreams being fulfilled. We leap over stalls like calves. There is a very deep
settled peace that comes especially on the day of the Seder that is opened
unto all covenant people. We miss this essential blessing because we do
not know about it. Begin to celebrate Pesach, reach out to a Messianic
Jewish Congregation to partner with them during this celebration and
attend with full understanding.
Closing Comments
It is important to understand what God actually performed for Israel to establish a
Passover for them. In this understanding we can expect the same magnitude of
Blessings from God as we make Him applicable in our every day lives,
reinvigorated during Pesach.
God literally corrupted the ancient Egyptian machinery in order to release Israel
from the strong hold of bondage, a terminal grip of satan through a natural
system that would never release His chosen people unless overpowered by a
force infinitely greater.
It is important to realize that God corrupted the Egyptian political machinery, He
corrupted the Egyptian religious machinery, He corrupted the Egyptian
economic machinery and He corrupted the Egyptian military machinery.
If you compare the Egyptian machineries to the powerful political machineries we
encounter today, such as the powerful bureaucratic, judicial and legislative
machineries we encounter today, you get a glimpse of the power of God that
was at work to corrupt and dismantle satan’s hold on a people as well as on their
belongings.
In Passover we can expect God to display the same powerful work to root up and
destroy all cruel merciless powers of satan that seem invincible and permanent.
Jesus implemented full destruction one on one to Lucifer, to satan’s machinery,
to all of the fallen angels and demons consisting of the same magnitude Ha
Shem implemented against ancient Egypt. Jesus strategically died at Pesach or
at Passover for this purpose. John 19:14-16 records the following:
And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he
saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away
with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief
priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore
unto them to be crucified.
Mark 14:12 also records the following:
And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, his
disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest
eat the Passover?
Jesus literally extracted all ability (dunamis) all authority (Exuzia) and all false
miracle working power (Kratos) from the source center of satan leaving satan
limp and deformed. Passover is a season whereby we as Christians can receive
this revelation and walk in the finished victorious work of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:15 records the following:
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
Revelation 1:18 records the following:
I am the living one. I died, but look--I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the
keys of death and the grave.
There are very rich blessings in the set festivals of Judaism that were intended to
be celebrated as a believer and embedded in these set feasts are active spiritual
blessings that are part of our covenant with God. If we decide not to activate this
portion of our covenant here is what the Bible says.
Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou
hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:
seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
However if we research and then as a result embrace the blessings of the set
festivals, see Babylonian Talmud, Sedarim Moed, the section on Set Feasts, we
are on our way to a full life in Christ, Life abundantly to the full till it overflows.
Shalom my Friend and Peace to You and Your Household