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A Personal Passover
By Rabbi Dani'el Rendelman
ravemet@comcast.net
Emet Ministries
The Bnai Yahshua Synagogue of Prosperity, South Carolina
www.findemet.com www.emetministries.com
Passover is the celebration of the how the death angel executed judgment against the nation of Egypt and "passed over" the homes that had the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. It is also the exact time that Messiah Y'shua gave His life as a sacrifice for all mankind. Passover has been celebrated by Jews for thousands of years. The Bible commands all Bible believers to keep this feast in Leviticus 23. We know that the Messiah celebrated Passover. We are to follow His example and worship during this set apart time. The Passover events are traditionally remembered through a "seder" or memorial meal. The Seder includes dipping vegetables, singing, four cups of wine, and eating unleavened bread.
Whether or not you've ever celebrated the Biblical feast of Passover, the emotions of this time are contagious. And, the Passover message is applicable. With Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew) there is wonder, confusion, and excitement over the traditions and rituals. The Seder contains so many symbolic elements that it is easy to get lost in all the Matzah and bitter herbs, cups and questions. It is simply impossible to fully understand the full depth and meaning behind the search for leaven or counting the omer.
Yet as we learn to keep Pesach, we are to be on guard to just not "go through the motions." Passover should be more than just a religious ceremony. Our Passover service shouldn't be about yesteryear but about life today. We are reminded of this in the Haggadah, the booklet containing the order of service for Passover. The Haggadah says, "in every generation each person must look upon himself as though personally among those who came out of Egypt." This teaches, that when it comes to Passover, we aren't supposed to be just observers but participants. We are not to be an audience but involved. We aren't to just hear the Passover story but apply it. This year, make the effort to take Passover Personal. Let this festival of Freedom make a difference in your life so you don't just learn about Pesach but experience freedom; experience salvation; experience deliverance; experience the blood covering.
You see, the last thing we need is a history lesson about the freedom given to a bunch of Hebrew slaves. The exodus is old news. Passover should be about EXPERIENCING freedom today. Let's review the Biblical account of Pesach for insights into how to live Pesach in today's world of cell phones, political battles, and financial woes.
"Speak to all the congregation of Yisrael, saying you shall take a lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Yisrael shall kill it in between the evenings. And they shall take of the dahm (blood), and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of their batiym (houses), in which they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and matzah (unleavened bread); and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat none of it raw, nor cooked, or boiled at all with mayim (water), but roasted with fire; its head with its legs, with the inside parts. And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remains until the morning you shall burn with fire. And this is how you shall eat it; with your loins dressed, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a great hurry: it is YHWH's Pesach. For I will pass through the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt) this night, and will smite all the bachor (firstborn) in the land of Mitzrayim, both man and beast; and against all the elohim of Mitzrayim I will execute mishpat (judgement): I am YHWH.
"And the dahm (blood) shall be to you for an ot (sign) upon the batiym (houses) where you are: and when I see the dahm, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Mitzrayim. And this day shall be to you for a memorial; and you shall shomer (keep) it as a moed (feast) to YHWH throughout your generations; you shall shomer (keep) it as a moed by a mishpat (judgment) le-olam-va-ed (forever). Seven days shall you eat matzah; even the first day you shall put away chametz (leaven) out of your batiym (homes): for whoever eats lechem (bread) with chametz from the first day until the seventh day, that being shall be cut off from Yisrael; And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the dahm (blood) that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the dahm that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out the door of his bayit until the morning.
"For YHWH will pass through to smite the Mitzrim; and when He sees the dahm upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, YHWH will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your batiym to smite you. And you shall observe this word as a mishpat for you, and for your sons le-olam-va-ed. And it shall come to pass, when you have come to the land that YHWH will give you, according as He has promised, that you shall shomer this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' That you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of YHWH's Pesach, who passed over the batiym of the children of Yisrael in Mitzrayim, when He smote the Mitzrim (Egyptians), and delivered our batiym.' And the people bowed their heads and worshipped. And the children of Yisrael went away, and did as YHWH had commanded Moshe and Aharon, so they did. And it came to pass, that at midnight YHWH smote all the bachor (firstborn) in the land of Mitzrayim, from the bachor of Pharaoh that sat on his kesay (throne) to the bachor of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the bachor of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his avadim (servants), and all the Mitzrim; and there was a great cry in Mitzrayim, for there was not a bayit (house) where there was not one dead. And he called for Moshe and Aharon by night, and said, Rise and get out from among my people, both you and the children of Yisrael; and go, serve YHWH, as you have said," Shemot /Exodus 12:1-15; 22-31, Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition.
By recalling these events, we are to be reminded that the death angel "passed over" all of the homes that had blood on the doorposts. Through a special meal, believers are to remember the Exodus by tasting matzah, bitter herbs, and sharing the story with children and family. However, the Seder is only one way to reminse. Another way to remember the Passover is by realizing that we still need to apply the blood!
No, we don't need slaughter a lamb and paint our doorframes red. We are to apply the blood of the Passover Sacrifice Y'shua:
· "For Moshiach our Pesach was sacrificed for us," 1 Corinthians 5:7, RSTNE
· He is the "lamb slain from the foundation of the olam/world," Revelation 13:8, RSTNE
· "For He has appeared to abolish sin by the sacrifice of Himself," Hebrews 9:26, RSTNE
· "Without the shedding of dahm/blood there is no forgiveness," Hebrews 9:22, RSTNE
· "YHWH has sent forth (Y'shua) to be a substitute through faith in his blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins," Romans 3:25, NASB
Y'shua is the Pesach lamb whose blood redeems us from the curse of death. He gave His life during Passover so that we might experience chayim (life) eternal. Passover celebrations must not ignore the Messiah's sacrifice! Seders shouldn't just celebrate how YHWH saved the Israelites thousands of years ago. Passover should be a time to rejoice in how YHWH, through His son, continually saves us from bondage and slavery. With Passover this year, begin applying His blood to your gates, and experience true freedom from Pharaoh. Yes, we need to CONTINUALLY apply the blood of our Passover Lamb Y'shua.
His blood needs to be applied to our lives. But where? Read two verses from Exodus 12 and have your mind opened to a greater understanding of the blood covering:
· "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the dahm (blood) that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the dahm that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out the door of his bayit until the morning."
· "And the dahm (blood) shall be to you for an ot (sign) upon the batiym (houses) where you are: and when I see the dahm, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Mitzrayim."
According to these verses, the blood wasn't placed on the outside of the Hebrew homes! It was placed on the INSIDE! The Hebrews were to paint their doorposts and then lock the doors shut. The blood was a sign for the Israelites that no matter what happened outside their doors, they were safe inside. Now, a sign is something that is visible and seen. How could the blood be a sign if it was outside and they were inside? How could the blood remind them of YHWH's protection if they couldn't go outside to see it? We've always thought the blood was on the outside keeping the death angel out. BUT, it was on the INSIDE keeping the Israelites from going out into darkness. The blood was on the inside stopping them from opening the door to death. Sorry, but Cecil B. Demille got it wrong. The blood was applied to the inside door posts. Today, we are to apply the blood to the inside of our homes.
Apply the blood to the door posts of your home. Where do you live? Where is your true home? It is not your address but your body! "Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) who is in you, whom you have from YHWH, and that you are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19NASB. And the book of Hebrews says, we are the "house of YHWH." The blood is to cover the inside doors of the heart and mind.
And to experience spiritual deliverance one must apply the blood of Y'shua to the soul. Salvation is by chesed (grace) through emunah (faith) in His blood. We are "made righteous through his blood, and saved from wrath through Him," Romans / Romiyah 5:9 RSTNE. The blood covering is NOT a one-time event, but a process that begins with the heart and affects the whole person. The blood is to be spread over ALL the doorways of the body. What is a doorway or doorpost? It is an opening; an exit; a gate; a passage; and a place of action. Where are the doorposts of the body?
The Jewish rabbis teach that gates and doors are the openings of a person. This means your ears, your eyes, the mouth, and the sexual organs are all places that Y'shua's blood should be smeared. This makes perfect sense because these are the areas of sin. People sin the most with the mouth, with sexual organs, with hearing evil speech, and with seeing things they shouldn't. Sin is at the gates waiting to conquer the believer. "Sin lies at your door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it," said YHWH in Beresheet/ Genesis 4:7. Sin is at the doors of our body trying to overtake us. BUT we shall rule over it through the blood of the lamb! We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Understand that the adversary seeks just a "foothold." The enemy needs just a slight opening to bust the door down and conquer the Saint. However, we are to apply the blood to these openings so that the blood of Y'shua will be a sign for us NOT to open the door to sin. Y'shua died so we could keep the door closed to the adversary. We need to build awareness of His blood. We need to apply his blood to these sin areas in our life.
As we are tempted we should see the blood AND NOT OPEN THE DOOR! Sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but through the blood of Y'shua, you should rule over it!
The blood of Y'shua is to be put on our gates by guarding them and being watchful. This is a daily, concentrated effort that should include prayer and Bible study. "Guard the doors of your mouth," says Micah 7:5. Choose words carefully. Think before you speak. Try not to talk about others. Don't allow the gate of the mouth to lead into gossip and spread rumors. It is amazing that tongue is the only muscle in the body that is used all day, but never gets tired. Ask YHWH to help you guard this easily opened door.
One is also to control the sexual desires, "even as Sedom and Amora, and the cities around them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the mishpat of eternal fire," Jude 1:7. Don't allow the body to be controlled by sexual urges. Close the gates of sexual sin, post the blood of Y'shua, and keep this door shut tight!
The ears and eyes can also lead to sin: "hear now, o foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not," Yermiyahu / Jeremiah 5:21. A person who closes their ears to idle words and their eyes to risqué sights is guarding their gates. Our ears should be open to hear what the Spirit would say. Luke 8:18 says to "consider carefully how we listen."
Sin has a powerful, magnetic pull. The members of the body are prone to seek satisfaction. The gates of the mouth, ears, and eyes only want what feels good. "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey its lusts," Romans 6:12. What gates are easy for you to open? Where is your problem area? Pray for the blood covering. When you are tempted to sin, remember the power of the blood is on the inside. Let a nearby doorway in your home or work place be a reminder of the blood of Y'shua and take a stand.
The only way to conquer the sinful desires; the only way to lock the door shut to the adversary, is through the blood of the Lamb. Through his dahm one can overcome this world and all its trials. "And they overcame by the dahm of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives even to the death," Revelation 12:11, RSTNE.
His blood gives us victory, no matter how hard the temptation is. Through His dahm we can overcome a troubled childhood, loss of friends, confusion, doubt, money issues, sickness, cancer, trials, enemies, bill collectors, and even death. You can defeat the problem or pain that beats you down like a slave. Remember this verse, "And they overcame by the dahm of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives even to the death," Revelation 12:11, RSTNE.
Whatever is enslaving you will lead to your freedom though His blood AND your testimony. You can overcome your Pharaoh through guarding your gates and sharing your story. What is your testimony? It is the account of how YHWH saved you from religion, self, sin, and death. The word of your testimony is how the Lamb's blood gave you victory over darkness. Have you recently shared the faith with someone? Do you regularly witness to others about the Name of YHWH and His Son?
The power of the Gospel is vividly illustrated through a Hebrew word Y'shua often used. Messiah spoke on countless occasions about "eating His flesh." The word in Hebrew for flesh is "besar." During His last Passover meal, often called the Last Supper, Y'shua lifted the matzah and said, "this is my besar (body) that is broken for you." He said unless you "eat of my besar (flesh) and drink of my blood, you have no life in you," John/Yochannan 6:53. Even in Isaiah 9:19, the Hebrew word "besar" is translated "flesh."
What is interesting is that like most Hebrew words, "besar" has several meanings. The word besar not only means "flesh" but also "good news" or "gospel." Besar is translated "good news" in Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news - besar, who publishes peace, who brings good news - besar of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your Elohim reigns!"
The besar, the good news of Y'shua, is that YHWH has come in His flesh to offer salvation. So, to eat of His flesh is to eat of His besar. To eat Y'shua's besar is to believe His good news and experience life eternal! "If you shall confess with your mouth the Master Y'shua, and shall believe in your lev (heart) that YHWH has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved," Romans 10:9, RSTNE.
Remember too that one Passover Lamb was killed for an entire family. If a family was too small to eat the entire lamb, then they could share with another family. The besar - good news of YHWH isn't just for you alone! The besar is to be shared with our friends and family! This is how we overcome - by the blood of the Lamb and sharing our testimony of the Lamb.
The Passover Lamb saved the Hebrews from slavery and bondage thousands of years ago. The blood of the Passover Lamb Y'shua still saves today. Like the ancient Israelites we need take the dahm and apply it to our doorposts. And we need to share the Lamb. Passover is about more than a historical event or a special meal. Pesach recounts how Y'shua's blood protects us from sin and death.
In all the preparations for Passover, don't forget about the blood of Y'shua. Take this message of freedom and apply it. Share testimony with others. Forward this teaching to friends. This year during Pesach make it personal. Don't just learn about Hebrew roots. And don't just attend a Seder. Apply the blood of Y'shua. Experience freedom from the death angel and deliverance from sin. Recommit your life to YHWH and thank Him for the blood covering. Pray this:
"Abba YHWH, I come before you through the blood of Passover Lamb Y'shua. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Forgive me for allowing the gates of my body to be open to sin. Forgive me for not applying the blood to my problems and pain. Cover me in the blood of Y'shua. Wipe away the stain of sin and make me new. Help me to be reminded of the blood covering and power in my testimony. Give me opportunities to share my testimony with others. I pray that I would not forget what Y'shua did for me. I praise you this Passover and every Passover for the blood of Y'shua. I recommit my life to your will and your way. I can't do it alone though. I need your help. Give me your strength and your power. Open your word to me. Baruch HaShem YHWH. Baruch HaShem Y'shua. Amein."
