As I mentioned yesterday, just prior to the final plague of Egypt, the Lord God gave Moses and Aaron the following command: “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family..."(Exodus 12:2-3) He further instucted, "Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast". (vs. 6-8)
It is important at this point to mention that the Israelites had an understanding that each "day" began at twilight. Just as the uncreated world had begun in darkness and man entered on the scene just prior to the "day of rest", these children of God understood that for them; each day would begin with the rest of night. This is important in establishing time frames. On the tenth day they would have rested and upon waking would have obeyed the Lord God's instruction and obtained the "sacrificial lamb". After keeping it in their possession and caring for it beginning at sundown on the 11th, 12th, 13th, the lamb was to be slaughtered on the 14th at twilight. So, that would be the very first thing that occured on the fourth day, which we'll talk more about on Passover. (Wednesday April 8th @ Sundown)
For now, I want to share another amazing thing that happened on the on the 10th day of the first month. In Joshua 4:19-24 the Bible reads, "On the tenth day of the first month (Nissan) the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
So another great provision and admonition to remember was provided on the 10th of Nissan. That leaves me wondering. In John 1:35-41 we see a very similar account to what I imagine that first mention of Nissan 10 may have looked like. It recounts, "The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. .....One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ)."
Could that event also have occured on the tenth day of the first month? Whether or not it did, today, in rememberance, I will celebrate as John the Baptist did and announce, "“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Will you?
Here's one final thought on the 10th day of the first month. I would like to propose to you what Messiah's final 10th of Nissan may have looked like in his earthly vessel. John 12:1-8 explains, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[ and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Now, six days before the Passover.....If you use our current calendar system and you count from Friday to Wednesday, how many fingers are you holding up? Six? Even though on paper it does not seem possible that the evening of Nissan 10 to the evening of Nissan 14 equal six, I wonder. That means that during the daytime on the tenth day of the first month, this is what would have followed:
John 12:12-15 further discribes, " The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt!”
Join with me this 10th day of the first month in declaring praises to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the One who says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8
It is important at this point to mention that the Israelites had an understanding that each "day" began at twilight. Just as the uncreated world had begun in darkness and man entered on the scene just prior to the "day of rest", these children of God understood that for them; each day would begin with the rest of night. This is important in establishing time frames. On the tenth day they would have rested and upon waking would have obeyed the Lord God's instruction and obtained the "sacrificial lamb". After keeping it in their possession and caring for it beginning at sundown on the 11th, 12th, 13th, the lamb was to be slaughtered on the 14th at twilight. So, that would be the very first thing that occured on the fourth day, which we'll talk more about on Passover. (Wednesday April 8th @ Sundown)
For now, I want to share another amazing thing that happened on the on the 10th day of the first month. In Joshua 4:19-24 the Bible reads, "On the tenth day of the first month (Nissan) the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
So another great provision and admonition to remember was provided on the 10th of Nissan. That leaves me wondering. In John 1:35-41 we see a very similar account to what I imagine that first mention of Nissan 10 may have looked like. It recounts, "The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. .....One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ)."
Could that event also have occured on the tenth day of the first month? Whether or not it did, today, in rememberance, I will celebrate as John the Baptist did and announce, "“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Will you?
Here's one final thought on the 10th day of the first month. I would like to propose to you what Messiah's final 10th of Nissan may have looked like in his earthly vessel. John 12:1-8 explains, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[ and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Now, six days before the Passover.....If you use our current calendar system and you count from Friday to Wednesday, how many fingers are you holding up? Six? Even though on paper it does not seem possible that the evening of Nissan 10 to the evening of Nissan 14 equal six, I wonder. That means that during the daytime on the tenth day of the first month, this is what would have followed:
John 12:12-15 further discribes, " The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt!”
Join with me this 10th day of the first month in declaring praises to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the One who says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8
Comments
Post a Comment