Last Monday 14th April 2014 was also the
14th Nisan.
On this day in the year when the Almighty changed the month of Aviv (a stage in the ripening process of barley) to Nisan and declared in to now be the first month of the new year, on the 14th Nisan, the penultimate day before their walk to
freedom, the Hebrews in Egypt were obedient to YHVH and killed their lambs.
Having selected their household lamb, some 4 days earlier, it was near dusk at
the end of this day that they killed their lambs and placed the blood on the
entrances of their houses to demonstrate to the world their wish to escape the
slavery that they had endured in Egypt.
God took them ‘out of the house of bondage’, that is, he released them from slavery.
Ex 20:2 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
But note that God did not just say ‘Let my people go’ but "let My people go, and they will serve Me." (Ex 7:26).
So what were they free to do? They were freed to serve God!
As creatures
made in the image of God and with God as our ultimate Father, true freedom only comes when we invite Him
into our lives so that we may have a relationship with him.
“When we invite God into our lives, our lives become valuable.” - Rabbi Moshe New
“When we invite God into our lives, our lives become valuable.” - Rabbi Moshe New
The Passover story is not just a
message of the grace of the Almighty in bringing the Jewish people out of
slavery in Egypt; it is not just a message of freedom to be whatever we want to
be; but freedom to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Passover commemorates the end of Jewish slavery and suffering. It is a yearly reminder that God is aware of the suffering of innocents and desires to bring good news to the poor; heal the broken-hearted and give freedom to the oppressed.
But God’s grace; His offer of freedom is always in harmony with all his attributes such as his justice. Families and societies experience the truth that freedom without boundaries fails.
Freedom without boundaries, without consequences, without rules, leads to anarchy, to injustice and to suffering. Whether it is the pain and grief we feel when our children use their freedom to swear and speak disrespectfully to others, or where societal freedoms lead to risks to the security and well-being of others from bullying resulting in suicide, to the freedom of hate speech and incitement resulting in acts of terrorism.
Societies quickly learn that no one can be totally free at the expense of other people's rights. The misuse or abuse of freedom can often have very sad and tragic consequences.
So when we consider the Festival of Passover, we also recognize that the freedom experienced when the Israelites travelled for three days from slavery in Egypt and passed though the Red Sea, they were only a part of the way on their journey. This journey continued on to receiving the ‘divine instructions’ (Torah) at Mt Sinai that would give them the boundaries and principles for how to be properly free, that is, to be truly free by knowing the moral code that guides and empowers a responsible life of freedom.
The Jewish people were freed from physical slavery in order to voluntarily place themselves under the restrictions of moral integrity.
As Rabbi Benjamin Blech states in ‘Freedom without limits’: “Freedom without any restraints may very well be just as destructive as slavery. "No one can ever tell me what to do" – an idea not limited by ethical constraints – is potentially just as much a threat to the social order as slave masters…”.
This is what Abraham Lincoln understood so well in his famous words, "Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought."
Passover commemorates the end of Jewish slavery and suffering. It is a yearly reminder that God is aware of the suffering of innocents and desires to bring good news to the poor; heal the broken-hearted and give freedom to the oppressed.
But God’s grace; His offer of freedom is always in harmony with all his attributes such as his justice. Families and societies experience the truth that freedom without boundaries fails.
Freedom without boundaries, without consequences, without rules, leads to anarchy, to injustice and to suffering. Whether it is the pain and grief we feel when our children use their freedom to swear and speak disrespectfully to others, or where societal freedoms lead to risks to the security and well-being of others from bullying resulting in suicide, to the freedom of hate speech and incitement resulting in acts of terrorism.
Societies quickly learn that no one can be totally free at the expense of other people's rights. The misuse or abuse of freedom can often have very sad and tragic consequences.
So when we consider the Festival of Passover, we also recognize that the freedom experienced when the Israelites travelled for three days from slavery in Egypt and passed though the Red Sea, they were only a part of the way on their journey. This journey continued on to receiving the ‘divine instructions’ (Torah) at Mt Sinai that would give them the boundaries and principles for how to be properly free, that is, to be truly free by knowing the moral code that guides and empowers a responsible life of freedom.
The Jewish people were freed from physical slavery in order to voluntarily place themselves under the restrictions of moral integrity.
As Rabbi Benjamin Blech states in ‘Freedom without limits’: “Freedom without any restraints may very well be just as destructive as slavery. "No one can ever tell me what to do" – an idea not limited by ethical constraints – is potentially just as much a threat to the social order as slave masters…”.
This is what Abraham Lincoln understood so well in his famous words, "Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought."
The Passover Lamb was the sign of the
Jewish peoples step of faith and obedience. For Gentiles over the last 2000
years, Yeshua’s step of faith in demonstrating ultimate love in ‘laying down
his life for his friends’ (and his enemies), is our ‘Passover Lamb’.
He is our ensign (Isaiah 11); our flag bearer; our Door through which we too can enter into the freedom of living a life of true value and joy, a life lived in harmony with our Maker.
He is our ensign (Isaiah 11); our flag bearer; our Door through which we too can enter into the freedom of living a life of true value and joy, a life lived in harmony with our Maker.
Therefore all who profess to follow Yeshua as Messiah, should also participate with Israel in this very important festival that begins tonight.
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