Exodus 34:18 – 20 “You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you. For in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt. The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep. You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.”
You are reading this on the Monday of 4th of July weekend 2021, one of the biggest celebrations of the year in America. But did you realize that God is the One who instituted celebrations for the Jews? In this passage, God is laying out for Moses the order of special times of worship marked by feasts and celebrations. The Feast of Unleavened Bread marks the night the Israelites left Egypt in the middle of the night, carrying everything they owned with them while their Egyptian neighbors urged them to move even faster! It was on that night that God killed every first born male animals and humans in Egypt. It was on that night that the Israelites saved their first born sons and male animals by smearing the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their houses. Because of the haste with which the Israelites had to leave, they didn’t have time for the bread to rise. The bread baked that night was probably similar to the pita bread we know today.
God is commanding the Israelites to perpetually remember their flight from Egypt by redeeming every firstborn males, both livestock and human, with a blood sacrifice. But at the same time, this celebration includes seven days of special meals. The seven days is to remind Israel that God created the earth in seven days and that He is the sovereign and only true God. Later in Jewish history, an extra day was added to assist in calculating dates for the festival; unfortunately, this change blunted the importance of the number of seven days with its reminder of creation and the Creator.
What’s the point of rituals and celebrations? Dennis Prager tells us, “These rituals are intended as a way for the Israelites to keep faith in God alive once the land has been conquered and God is no longer intervening with miracles on their behalf. This is one of the major reasons for rituals – to keep faith alive once regular and apparent divine intervention ends.
The following list of ritual commandments comes right after the prohibition against making molten gods. This suggests another important reason for religious rituals. One way people guard against the temptation to create idols and other false gods is by observing regular rituals that keep them focused on the One True God. One of the appeals of idols is they exist physically, whereas God does not. The practice of physical rituals helps keep people attuned to the reality of Gods’ presence, otherwise, God can become too abstract and difficult to connect to. Humans, being physical beings, need some physical connection to God.
Prager continues, “This helps explain why Christianity has many fewer ritual laws than Judaism. For Christians, God has taken on a physical form that provides them with a physical connection to God. But for Jews, since God is always non-physical, the way to have a physical connection to God is through ritual.”
APPLICATION: There is nothing wrong with rituals and special forms of worship, as long as we do not lose sight of the God whom we are supposed to be worshiping and serving. We brush our teeth at least twice a day to preserve them. Those of us who must take medicine for hypertension or diabetes or some other physical disorder do so on a regular basis to remain healthy and to avoid the complications of a stroke, loss of eyesight, etc. We maintain our vehicles on a regular basis so that they will run properly. All of these practices can be considered as rituals with a purpose. Here God is instituting rituals that also will have a purpose. Throughout Jewish history, when revival has come, one of the first acts of the Jews has been to celebrate Passover.
The 6th chapter of Ezra describes the celebration of Passover by the exiles who have returned from Persia at the command of King Cyrus. After great opposition, King Darius of Assyria gets his administrators to check the records and learns of the decree made by Cyrus. Darius orders enough assistance to the Jews in Jerusalem that they are able to rebuild the temple and to dedicate it. In the month of Abib, the “first month,” which is also in Springtime, the Jews in Jerusalem celebrate Passover. Ezra 6:22 tells us, “For seven days they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.”
This weekend as you celebrate, don’t forget to remember: Remember the God who holds your life in His hands. Remember the God who loves you and who cares more for you than you even care for yourself. And remember to thank and praise God for allowing you to celebrate.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are worthy to be praised and glorified! We magnify your Name and shout out our praises to you! You have given us life and light and breath. You have brought us to this day and have preserved our families and friends so that we can celebrate with them. Father, help us to be continually grateful for Your mighty works in our lives. We pray this in the precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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