Thinking about fear for the Loving God and an Invitation for 14 Nisan

In today’s readings Psalm 103, 1 Cor 12-13 we read about the fear for God and the love of God and how we many not be ignorant about spiritual gifts. These days we also have a closer look at the sent one from God to whom we should look for eternal life. Our bible readings tell us also that Christ is just like the human body — a body being a unit and having many parts but all these parts of the body forming one body, even though there are many.

Today we might see a reflection in a mirror; then seeing face-to-face, looking at the members who share the faith, hope, and love. We can all remember how there is that Holy One Who is abundant in lovingkindness and Who provided His sent one who was willing to follow all what God wanted from him.

These coming days we shall remember especially how Jehovah God performs righteousness and justice for all the oppressed and how He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. We remember how He went about with the ones who did not want to know about Him and who kept Gods People prisoned and used them as slaves. But they having no fear for God had to learn that God is more mighty than their gods.

God spoke to Moses, and told him he was being commissioned for an important purpose. He was to approach the Pharaoh, and tell him to let the Israelites leave for a three-day period, so they could go into the wilderness and worship God there. But the Pharaoh did not want to give such a permission and refused to comply with Moses’ request.

Moses approached the Pharaoh several times, and with each refusal, God brought a plague upon the land of Egypt. Nine plagues later, Pharaoh had his final warning. If he didn’t allow the Israelites to go, then all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt would be killed, including firstborn males of the sheep, the cattle, and all the people. There was only one thing that would save them — the blood of a lamb.

The Israelites were told to select a perfect, unblemished or spotless lamb, of one year old (which is a fully mature animal), on the 10th of the month of Nisan (which is just after the spring equinox). They were to take the lamb into the households, from the 10th until the 14th day of the month, and then if it was completely perfect, they would slaughter it that afternoon, roast it, and have it for dinner. The blood that was collected from the animal would then be applied to the wooden doorposts of their houses, using a hyssop branch to apply the blood.

God had given the warning that that evening, the firstborn males of any household would be killed if there was no lamb’s blood applied. Moses had given that warning to the people around him so that they could listen to those words God had given to Moses or could ignore them. By now, having seen the previous plagues they should have seen that there was enough reason to fear the God of Moses. they should have come to the understanding that the required blood on the doorposts was absolutely necessary for the protection of the household.

On the night of the 14th, the Israelites were to stay indoors until God had finished smiting all the firstborn males that were unprotected. God also told them to knead some bread, keep it in the kneading bowl, and get ready to run for their lives. According to the Scriptures, that night a Destroyer went through the land, killing all the firstborn males. God protected the households that had the lamb’s blood applied to the wooden doorways, causing the Destroyer to Pass Over those houses. This is the reason for the name of “Passover”. And God asked His People to commemorate that day. Also in our days we should do that.

When we also know that Jeshua (Jesus Christ) entered Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan we should know that it is not just a coincidence that this sent one from God came into that City of God, riding on a donkey, the way a king comes into his city. John the Baptist called Jeshua the “Lamb of God.” On the 10th of Nisan, Jeshua went straight to the temple, and spent the next four days being “inspected” by the Pharisees, to see if he knew the holy Scriptures. On the 14th day, when Israelites everywhere were slaugtering their lambs, Jeshua also got slaughtered, him being nailed to a wooden stake, with his blood (“Lamb’s” blood) pouring out onto the wooden stake.

The custom of the Israelites was to have a morning sacrifice at 9:00 am, and an evening sacrifice at 3:00 pm — these are exactly the times, from 9:00 to 3:00, that he hung on the execution stake. Can this be a coincidence?

As Jeshua hung on the stake, the Roman soldiers offered him something to drink, but he refused. Later, the guards soaked a sponge in sour wine, and raised it to his lips with a hyssop branch. Remember that the Israelites, in the Exodus story, had to raise a hyssop branch to apply the blood on their wooden doorposts. Is it a coincidence that these Roman soldiers raised up a hyssop branch to Jeshua, as his blood poured out onto the hyssop?

There are too many coincidences, too many parallels not to come to see that there was represented a new Lamb of God to liberate the People of God but this time also to make the gentiles free from the chains of this world and to give them the opportunity to enter a new world.

These coming days we should prepare ourselves to that remembrance day of which Jeshua also demanded to remember it.

We too shall invite people to come to meet all those who believe that Jesus is that promised one from God who gave his life for us. On Friday night the 30th of March we shall provide gatherings in Mons, Tervuren, Leuven and Kessel-Lo to have our 14 Nisan celebration and to look at our special days of commemoration with the Feast of Passover, with Pesach on Saturday the 31st of March and the first Day of the Omer on Sunday the first of April, which we shall celebrate in Leuven and in Mons as well have our early morning service in Nebury. In Belgium you shall be able to find flyers in your mailbox (when there is no red sticker on your box), with the invitation to a memorial service nearby your home.

Preceding articles

Preparation for unity

Preparation for Passover

An unblemished and spotless lamb foreknown

A Great Gift commemorated

A season for truth and peace

This day shall be unto you for a memorial and you shall keep it a feast to the Most High God

Wednesday 5 April – Sunday 9 April 30 CE Pesach or Passover versus Easter

Wanting to live in Christ’s city