Three Very Special Festivals – Pt One - Passover (Deuteronomy 16: 1-8)

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Study Notes for "Three Very Special Festivals – Pt One: Passover"

Introduction to Festivals

• High Holy Days: Special days meant for celebration in Scripture.
• Seven Commanded Feasts: Known as festivals, included eating and were significant for Israelites.

Context in Deuteronomy

• Israelites’ Location: East side of the Jordan, preparing to enter the Promised Land.
• Moses’ Instructions: Detailed guidelines for observing three special festivals.

Passover (Deuteronomy 16:1-8)

• Timing and Command:
  • Month of Aviv (March/April) to celebrate Passover.
  • Commemorates deliverance from Egypt.
• Sacrifice: An animal from the flock or herd at the place chosen by God.
• Unleavened Bread:
  • Seven days of eating unleavened bread, symbolizing the haste of departure from Egypt.
  • Removal of yeast as a symbol of removing sin.
• Specific Instructions:
  • Sacrifices to be made in Jerusalem, not in individual homes.
  • Detailed timing and process for the Passover and subsequent week.

New Testament Connections

• Christ as Passover Lamb:
  • Jesus’ sacrifice as the ultimate Passover.
  • Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 5 connecting Passover and the call to eliminate sin.

Practical Applications

• Dependence on God: Emphasize reliance on God over material pursuits.
• Warnings from Jesus: Consequences of seeking material wealth and self-reliance.
• Spiritual Lessons: Prioritize spiritual purity and deliverance.

Conclusion

• Key Lessons: Reflect on God’s deliverance and the call to live a life of purity.
• Modern Application: Live a life of gratitude, purity, and commitment to God.
• Future Hope: Look forward to eternal gathering with God, living faithfully and joyfully until then.

Transcript

Three Very Special Festivals – Pt One Passover.  (Deuteronomy 16:1:8)

Full Transcript: 

My wife is very committed to celebrating birthdays and special occasions for the people she cares about. Whenever someone close to her has a birthday, she makes sure as many as possible celebrate it.

But in Scripture, there truly are high holy days that were really meant to be celebrated.

If you are familiar with the Old Testament, you know that there were seven feasts the Israelites were commanded to observe. A better term for these might be festivals, though there was eating involved in some of them. 

These were holy (special) days that the Israelites were to recognize and observe. 

Three of these festivals, were s special all the men were instructed to go to Jerusalem to celebrate.

Remember at this point in the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites had not yet entered the Promised Land. They were on the east side of the Jordan, and Moses was preaching a series of sermons to prepare them for their entry. 

When he reaches chapter 16, he talks about these three special times when the men were to go to a special place where the Lord suggested.

At this point, it’s not yet known that this place will be Jerusalem because that hadn’t happened until they entered the land.

Nevertheless, this chapter gives instructions for keeping these three special holy days.

Before we start, I want to mention something. We’ve been going through Deuteronomy for 20 days/episodes now, and I’ve been amazed at how often there are such pertinent and practical applications to what we’ve been studying.

When I first looked at this chapter, I worried, "Maybe people will think nothing in this chapter applies to us." 

Today it might seem odd to focus on these three festivals, holy days—that seem to have no direct relevance to us. We’re not under the Law or the Mosaic rituals according to Paul in the book of Galatians. So, what does this have to do with us?

While these rituals don’t apply to us directly, I believe there are principles we can glean from them....

Let’s begin with verse 1:

Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.

(Deuteronomy 16: 1-2)

I mentioned there were three holy days. This is the first one, identified in verse 2 as the Passover. 

Verse 1 gives us the timing, corresponding to the Hebrew month of Abib, which is roughly our March or April. This was a time of year when the Jews, according to Exodus, first observed the Passover. 

Gentiles could not observe this unless they had become converts to Israel. So, this was strictly for Israel.

The term "Passover" requires us to delve into some pretty deep theology. What is the meaning of Passover? 

Quite simply, it means "To retell or recall the story of when God passed over His people:

God told Pharaoh to let His people go out of Egypt, but Pharaoh refused. After nine plagues, Pharaoh still would not relent, so God declared a final plague. He would send death to pass-over the land, killing the firstborn in every house that did not have blood on the doorposts.

If the Israelites put blood on their doorposts, death would pass over their houses. 

This act of passing over became a tradition—a ritual God wanted the Israelites to practice every year around March or April to remind and teach their children about God’s deliverance from Egypt. That is the essence of the Passover: a commemoration of God's salvation.

Verse 2 mentions taking a sacrifice from the flock and the herd. We usually think of the Passover lamb, and traditionally, that's accurate. 

This verse probably indicates that originally, a lamb or a goat could be used. Regardless, there was to be a sacrifice commemorating the Passover.

The text continues.

Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.

(Deuteronomy 16: 3-4)

Alright, verse one told us when, verse two told us where: "wherever I choose to put My name." Now, it's giving us the details, not just for one day, but for the entire week.

The Passover technically is one day, but for the next week, they were not to eat leavened bread. Verse 4 says, "Let no leaven be found among you in the land." That's an interesting phrase—it’s one thing to say you can't eat it, but it's another thing to say you have to get rid of it completely. You can't even look at it; you have to get rid of it entirely.

Even today, Jews who observe the Passover, follow this practice

Now, look at verse 5:

" You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. Roast it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work.

(Deuteronomy 16: 5-8)

This is interesting—He not only gives the month but now the time of day, instructing them to do this at twilight.

Would this create a problem? Let's break it down.

They were not to do it within their gates, meaning not in their homes, but at the place where the Lord chose to put His name—Jerusalem. 

So, all the men in Israel, along with many families, were to gather in Jerusalem and make a sacrifice at sunset. 

By the way, there is a similar situation in the New Testament. Do you remember Pentecost? How many people were saved? Three thousand. And the text clearly states they were all baptized that day. 

On both occasion the answer likely lies in the number of people performing the baptisms. Although Judas was no longer an apostle, Matthias had replaced him before Pentecost, so there were twelve apostles, and perhaps more assisting in the baptisms.

Multiple priests would also be involved in managing these Old Testament sacrifices.

In the wilderness, or in the plains of Moab where this passage takes place on the east side of the Jordan.

From the Old Testament text, it is clear that this is about commemorating deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The primary purpose was to teach their children about God's deliverance, celebrating the fact that they were once slaves and the Lord delivered them by His power, parting the Red Sea.

The message is simple: the Lord has delivered us from slavery. That’s the core of it. 

But why this specific focus on leaven? Why the need to eliminate it completely from their homes and their lives for seven days?

Leaven, or yeast, often symbolizes sin and corruption in the Bible. Removing it symbolizes a cleansing, a fresh start. It is a powerful reminder of the need for purity and holiness in our lives, reflecting the spiritual deliverance that parallels their physical deliverance from Egypt.

The overarching message is this: prioritize your dependence on God and pursue righteousness. By doing so, you embrace the eternal rewards in His Kingdom rather than the temporary, material rewards of this world….

Interestingly, when Jesus addresses his followers in Lukes’s version of the Sermon on the mount, he warns potential followers of the consequences for those who seek material wealth and self-reliance are warned. 

The first "warning in Luke 6: 24 is directed at the rich, indicating that seeking consolation in material wealth leads to regret, suggesting a painful realization of having received all they sought in this life.

The second "warning in verse 25 addresses those who are self-satisfied. These individuals, having reached a state of fullness in the world will experience hunger in the Kingdom. 

The parallel to the corresponding blessing suggests that it is those who hunger and thirst for righteousness who will be rewarded in the Kingdom, while those who are self-satisfied miss out.

The third "warning in verse 25 speaks to those who laugh today, symbolizing those who seek pleasure, finding joy and satisfaction in worldly thing, will experience sadness and mourning in the Kingdom. 

The contrast with the corresponding blessings emphasizes the importance of seeking righteousness over self-indulgence.

The fourth "warning" in verse 26 addresses those who are spoken well of, indicating those who bask in hollow praise for their supposed good works are like false prophets of the past, for even the false prophets of old were spoken well of by the fathers.

This highlights the potential danger of seeking self-righteousness instead of hungering for true righteousness.

Jesus emphasizes the choice between dependence on the Lord, seeking righteousness, and enduring persecution for His sake—leading to blessings in the Kingdom—or the alternative of self-reliance, self-satisfaction, pleasure-seeking, and self-righteousness, resulting in regret and missed rewards in the Kingdom.

The lesson is clear: prioritize a life of dependence on God and a pursuit of His righteousness for an eternal reward. The key to receiving rewards in the Kingdom is to be dependent on the Lord, hunger for righteousness, weep over unrighteousness, and be willing to endure persecution for the sake of righteousness.

Those who miss out on these rewards are characterized by self-reliance, self-satisfaction, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness. 

Worldly believers are depicted as valuing wealth, pleasure, and self-righteousness, ultimately gaining these but later facing regret in the Kingdom.

The truth presented in all this is that seeking immediate gratification in wealth, fullness, laughter, and popularity may lead to success by worldly standards, but it comes with its own judgment.

The essence of the message is that chasing after and achieving wrong values in life may not lead to being disappointment in this life, indeed those goals may well be achieved, but warns that it can have unintended consequences.

As Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount, choosing the values of dependence on the Lord and righteous living is the path to the ultimate true reward in the Kingdom of God.

Another New Testament passage that throws light on this is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 

Before quoting it, let me explain what's going on in this passage. There was a man in the congregation at Corinth who was having a sexual relationship with his stepmother.

 Look at verse one:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?

(I Corinthians 5: 1))

What’s going on in the church that even unbelievers wouldn’t do that? What is this? So, then he goes on in this passage and says:

Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

A very interesting passage of scripture. But drop down to verse 7:

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed

(I Cor 5: 6b-8)

Alright, two applications here.

Number one: Christ is our Passover. What a beautiful picture that is. He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. As we trust Christ, using the imagery of the Old Testament Passover, His blood covers us, and eternal death passes over us. 

So, Christ is our Passover, meaning we are cleansed from sin. Simple enough.

Now what? Now get rid of the leaven. In this passage, it is obvious that the leaven is sin. Look at it: he says, “So that you may be a new batch” (verse 7) “since you truly are unleavened.” So, verse 8:

Therefore, we can keep the Festival, but not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

(I Cor 5: 8)

Interesting that the first thing you need to do is come to Christ. The second thing you need to do is get rid of the leaven—get rid of the old sins like malice and wickedness, and replace it with the good stuff, which is truth and sincerity. 

So, Paul dips into the Old Testament and applies the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread to us spiritually.

Now, let me pursue that one little notch further. There’s something in the Bible called "typology." Types are nothing more than an example, illustration, or a foreshadowing.

So, the Passover as applied by Paul is a type of the Lord. 

Paul uses this typology several times in the Bible. Adam is a type of Christ as used in Romans chapter 5, and there are a few other passages where types are mentioned. But God put them there first, Paul and others just refer to them. That’s the point I’m trying to make.

I don’t think at the time in the Old Testament many would have looked at the Passover and thought of the Messiah, but I’m sure I would have seen that leaven was an illustration of sin, and this was the way to deal with it.

I don’t doubt that’s the intent, but I’m also simply suggesting that God put that in the Old Testament years before it was fulfilled in the New Testament, so, this is a type.

The Passover is a type of Christ, a model, an illustration, a picture of salvation where later Christ as our sacrificial lamb, the blood of Christ would causing eternal death to pass over us.

In Deuteronomy 16:1-8, we see the heart of God’s command to the Israelites: to remember His mighty acts of deliverance and to celebrate His faithfulness. The Passover, as instituted by God, was more than just a ritual. It was a powerful reminder of how the Lord delivered His people from bondage in Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

It was meant to stand as a testament to His love, His power, and His unwavering commitment to His people.

Today, as we stand on this side of the cross, we have even greater reason to celebrate.

The Passover lamb that was slain in Egypt beginning 4000 years ago points us to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. His sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate act of deliverance. Through His death and resurrection, we are set free from the bondage of sin and death.

This is our ultimate Passover, where the blood of Jesus covers us, and eternal death passes over us.

In these moments, we are called to do more than remember; we are called to rejoice and to live out the implications of our redemption.

Just as the Israelites were to remove all leaven from their homes, we are to purge sin from our lives. We are to live as people who have been transformed by the power of the gospel, walking in sincerity and truth.

As we draw to a close today, let us take to heart the message of Deuteronomy 16:1-8

Let us remember the greatness of our God, who has delivered us through Christ.

Let us celebrate with joy, knowing that our redemption is secure and our future is bright.

And let us commit to living lives that reflect the holiness and love of our Savior.

May this be a time of renewal and recommitment. 

Let us rid ourselves of the old leaven of malice and wickedness and embrace the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Let us be a people marked by gratitude, continually giving thanks for the great things God has done.

In the same way that the Israelites looked forward to their future with hope, let us look forward to our future hope we will be gathered together with Him in glory.

Until that day, let us live faithfully, love deeply, and serve joyfully….