Why is Passover not listed as a public holy assembly, while YHWH marks seven following feasts as 24-hour holy convocations with no manner of work done on them? In the last blog, I showed that the history of the Passover sacrifice began in Eden when God clothed Adam and Eve. Sacrifice paved the way for Israel to approach the holy garden Tabernacle in observance of the seven Feasts, basking in the light of His Presence, celebrating who YHWH was, and strengthening their identity in Him. The domestic Passover sacrifice pictured each family unit as YHWH’s temple with its priest, making Israel a holy nation of priests. None of the Feasts were possible without Passover first being observed. Without Passover, there would be no exodus, no nation of Israel, no covenant at Mount Sinai, and no entering the land of covenant promise. Uniquely, Exodus 12’s Passover focuses on family involvement and identity protection.

Now YHWH gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron while they were still in the land of Egypt: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice. 5 This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects. 6 Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb. 7 They are to take some of the lamb’s blood and smear it on the top and sides of the doorframe of the house where the lamb will be eaten. 8 That evening everyone must eat roast lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. 9 The meat must never be eaten raw or boiled; roast it all, including the head, legs, and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next day. Whatever is not eaten that night must be burned before morning.

11 “Wear your traveling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is YHWH’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am YHWH! 13 The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to YHWH; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as an ordinance forever. Exo. 12:1-14

24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 And it will come about when you enter the land which YHWH will give you, as He has promised, that you shall observe this service. 26 And it will come about when your children will ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 that you will reply,’ It is the celebration of the Passover sacrifice of YHWH who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He killed the Egyptians, but spared our families and did not destroy us.’ Exo. 12:24-27 (italics mine).

Because the Passover blood protected the families of Israel, they were to behave in a peculiar way. Each family’s firstborn son was dedicated to YHWH as His, as well as the firstborn of animals (Exo. 13:1). Parents were to tell their children the ritual’s meaning, explaining, ‘With mighty power YHWH brought us out of Egypt from our slavery. Pharaoh refused to let us go, so YHWH killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why we now offer all the firstborn males to YHWH — except that the firstborn sons are always redeemed’ (Exo. 13:14-15). Redemption was first experienced in the family and involved YHWH’s claim on the firstborn. When the first was given to God, the family was saved and sanctified for His dwelling.

The Hebrew family was the place of teaching, worship, and administration of righteousness and justice. Parents explaining the meaning of the night of Passover (Abib 14) and the night Israel’s families left Egypt (Abib 15) meant each generation would maintain their identity by celebrating the events. These two annual festivals engraved in each family member’s mind and hands to remember YHWH’s instructions in all they thought and did so they might live and be a free nation. And by doing YHWH’s words, they would become a visible image of who they belonged to and worshiped. Because Passover freed Israel from Egyptian bondage, the nation left Egypt to worship God on His holy mountain.

Proclaiming the meaning of YHWH’s Passover to the children was integral to the Passover meal and cannot be accomplished in a public holy convocation. It, therefore, must remain forever a domestic event for all generations. YHWH became known as the God of the Exodus at Passover and the Night-to-be-Much-Observed. Because Israel experienced who He was, they knew who they were. And when they listened and did YHWH’s words day-by-day, habitually experiencing His righteousness and justice, they made visible to the nations who YHWH was, the Savior of the World.

At His last Passover, Yeshua proclaimed who He was (Master and Savior) and why He had to die (unbelief, betrayal). Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they must proclaim Yeshua’s death each year at Passover (1Co. 11:26). And Peter incorporated the Gentiles into the people of God as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Pe. 2:10). The traditional second Passover cup is the cup of proclaiming the God of the Exodus and declares the strength of His hand then and now in our personal exodus out of the bondage to sin and death. Each family celebrates at Passover their exodus out of exile back to Eden, returning to keep and tend the Word of God, serving as a visible testimony to the power of the God of the Exodus, the Passover Lamb of God. His strength in the family is truly the strength of the nation.

Takeaway:
Protected by a bloodied door, an Israelite house became a mini tabernacle with its serving priest teaching the knowledge of YHWH’s law. The Passover memorial remains a family event, highlighting the importance of proclaiming and teaching our children who the God of the Exodus is and why we belong to Him. Passover reveals and protects our identity. It is a yearly reminder to commit to making visible the Word of God, bringing every thought and action into captivity to the obedience of the Messiah that we might live (2Co. 10:5). For then it will come to pass as spoken by the prophet Isaiah that His name, the God of the Exodus, is known in all the world.