The Watchman discusses the first month of God's Ecclesiastical Calendar established in Exodus 12. In doing so, he relates the Exodus Passover and the Crucifixion of Christ and why we, as Christians, should remember the Passover. Good stuff if you don't know.
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The Watchman discusses the first month of God's Ecclesiastical Calendar established in Exodus 12. In doing so, he relates the Exodus Passover and the Crucifixion of Christ and why we, as Christians, should remember the Passover. Good stuff if you don't know.
The Old Watchman Website
The Old Watchman - Facebook
The Watchman Speaks - Facebook
The Old Watchman - Twitter
011 The Month of Nisan
Welcome to The Watchman Speaks. I’m your host, Lonnie Richardson.
Today, and next week, I want to carry on with the discussion of God’s time and the Ecclesiastical Calendar. We are approaching an exciting season in how God has worked not only biblically, but historically as well. Currently we are in the month of ADAR and I discussed last week the repeating pattern of Exodus 6 when God made promises to Moses and the sons of Israel while they were still in Egypt.
Those promises were to bring Israel out (Sanctify them), to deliver Israel (Deliver them), redeem them with an outstretched arm and with great judgments (He redeemed them and judged Egypt), to take them as His people and to be their God (Joy). He also promised to give them the land that He had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a possession of inheritance. It is an inheritance to the sons of Israel because it was promised to Abraham. Therefore, it was the birthright of Isaac. Esau, Isaac’s firstborn, sold his birthright to Jacob who received Isaac’s blessing. Jacob was renamed Israel by God and the land promised to Abraham became Israel’s birthright or inheritance.
These promises in Exodus Chapter 6 repeated in the Book of Esther. If you haven’t followed my suggestion to read Esther yet, shame on you! No, I’m just kidding. It is a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness to His people and you really should give it a good reading. Hamon was going to destroy all the Jews because Esther’s cousin, Mordecai refused to bow and pay homage to Hamon as a high public official in Babylonian government. Esther, having God’s favor and gained the favor of the king as his new queen, foiled Hamon’s plan and saved the Jews from being exterminated.
In essence, God brought the Jews out from under the persecutions of Babylon (Sanctification). He (God) delivered them from certain extinction (Deliverance). God redeemed them with a strong arm and judgement upon Hamon and his household. By supernatural favor and intervention God brought salvation to the Jewish race as their God and they were exceedingly joyful. And, by the way, they eventually were brought back into the land that was theirs. Therein, you have the promises of Exodus chapter 6 showing up again in the Book of Esther. It’s pretty simple to see. This is known as Purim that occurred at the beginning of last week for two days.
What happened afterwards in Exodus chapter 6?
Well, God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharoah and I’ll paraphrase, “Look hoss, you need to let these people of God go so that they can worship their God.”
Of course, Pharoah, whose heart was hardened said, “That ain’t gonna happen!”
Moshe (That’s Moses) said, “God said, ‘Let My people go!’”
Pharoah replied, “Hmmmph! I expect that I need to see them report for work tomorrow morning.”
Moshe said, “It ain’t gonna be pretty!” But Pharoah paid no mind.
After that, the plagues fell upon Egypt. The Nile River was turned into blood. Frogs swarmed the land. Then, there was a swarm of flies upon the land. Now the Bible does not say how the people of Israel were affected by the Nile turning into blood or the infestation of frogs. But the Bible clearly states that Israel would not be affected by the flies and that God would separate His people from the people of Egypt that Israel would not be affected by the flies or the remaining plagues.
Then God struck Egypt with the destruction of their livestock. A plague of boils or sores followed. Then there was a plague of hail. After all that, Pharoah would still not release the people of Israel and God sent forth locusts. A darkness fell upon the land. Then the first born of Egypt died and Egypt began handing over riches to the sons of Israel.
What can we expect during this time? We can expect the hardened of heart and the wicked to experience difficulties. Only a few weeks ago Syria and Turkey were struck with an earthquake that took the lives of over 40,000. Not precise in timing I suppose but definitely within season.
But if you count the days of the plagues of Egypt and the ten days of the first month of Nisan you have 29 days. What was the tenth day of Nisan?
Exodus 12:3 tells us that on the tenth day of the first month, each household was to select a lamb. Verse 5 says that the lamb shall be unblemished (without any fault), male, one year old. Verse 6 states that the lamb shall be kept until twilight of the fourteenth day before it was to be slaughtered and consumed. It would be the beginning of Passover.
Jesus was the Passover Lamb of God. A sacrifice for all mankind. He was without blemish or sin. He was male and He would die on that same date, the fourteenth of Nisan. The full moon.
While I mention the full moon, you must understand that the new moon is the beginning of each month on God’s Ecclesiastical calendar. The full moon is the middle of each month.
So, let’s talk about the first month, Aveev, or Nisan. This month is mentioned by number or name almost forty times in the bible. Certainly, it is the most mentioned month of the Bible. We should pay attention to this month and the dates attributed to this month.
The first day of the month of Aveev, or Nisan, is the beginning of the year on God’s Ecclesiastical Calendar. The tenth day of the month, the lamb was selected. What were the Sons of Israel doing with that lamb from the tenth day until the fourteenth day? They were observing it. Making certain it had no blemish. That it was clean. That it was not in any way sick. They were feeding and watering it. They treated that lamb with much care, love, and respect.
The blood of the lamb was smeared on the lentils and door posts of the homes of Israel and the Angel of death Passed Over those homes and took the first born of Egypt. It was the blood of Christ at His crucifixion and covers us and Him taking the keys of death and life back from Satan that we escape the eternal confines of death. For Jesus is the light and life. Through Him we have eternal life in His presence and the presence of the Father.
Now for those of you who are thinking that Passover is a “Jewish Holiday” I’d like to direct your attention to something. You see I don’t sit well with denominations. I’m not interested in what man has put into practice. I’m more interested in what God actually said. Here is what God actually said about the Passover.
Exodus 12:14
“Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.”
God is speaking about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Clearly remembering is a big deal to God. I’ll talk more about that in a moment. But notice that “you shall” in the verse? That is a definitive article. That doesn’t mean, “you ought to”, or “you might think about it”, or “if you want to remember”. It means that you WILL remember without fail!
You may say that it says” throughout your generations” and that is for Israel or the Jews. Bear in mind that, historically, there were no Jews at this time. There was only Israel. But let’s look at that word “ordinance”.
What is an ordinance? Is it a statute or a law? No, they have different meanings. A law can be fulfilled, amended, or repealed. It requires a law giver and an agent to fulfill the law. Jesus was that agent. However, “ordinance” is an ancient legal term defining a final judgment that cannot be overturned. Ever!
You may say, “But, that’s still for the Jews!” No, that’s for Hebrews, Israel, the Jews, Americans, Africans, Asians, Hispanics, Chinese, you, me, us, y’all, and them.
Paul said that we gentiles were a wild olive branch grafted into the tree. And while we are not subject to the law to the extent that orthodox Jews are, we should not become so arrogant as to forget that we do not support the root but rather it is the root who supports us. We have a Jewish root and His name is Yeshua. We call Him Jesus. Without Jesus, without the Jews, there is no us. We were grafted into them. They were not grafted into us. You can find that in the Book of Romans chapter 11.
Now if you doubt my findings or beliefs I’m fine with that. However, I direct you to Exodus 12:26-27
26. “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27. “you shall say, ‘it is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians but spared our homes.’” AND the people bowed low and worshipped.
God is telling us not only to remember but to teach our children.
Exodus 13:8
“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’”
And let’s not forget Exodus 13:14
“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you will say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.’”
That’s three times within two chapters God said remember His Passover and, not only to remember the Passover, but to teach the Passover to our children.
Hmmmmm. And yet, the American church chooses to celebrate a man made holiday called Easter over the Passover. Don’t get me started on Easter. I’m afraid that I might hurt your feelings. Let’s leave it at that for the time being.
The account of the Lord’s Passover in Exodus 12 and 13 is mirrored in the four Gospels when Jesus died as the Passover Lamb of God for all mankind. We would do well to remember that as great as God acted in Exodus, He acted even to a greater extent in the crucifixion of Christ. We should remember both. Why? Because at least three times we are told to remember the Passover and to teach it to our children. Evidently, God knew that His Passover Lamb was coming not only within the same season as the Passover in Exodus, but on precisely the same date. The fourteenth day of the first month, at the Full Moon.
Now you may wonder why I keep harping about the moon phases. Well, it’s simple. Like the Feasts not only are the lunar phases statutes but they are ordinances as well. King David give us this information in Psalm 81:3-4.
3. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon , on our feast day.
4. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
There it is again, statutes and ordinances. To sound the trumpet at the new moon, the full moon, and the feast days is the marking and recording of these events on God’s timeline according to His Ecclesiastical Calendar. It is a statute, or law, for Israel. When I say Israel that would be what people refer to a Jews in the modern age. However, we need to look more closely at this “ordinance of the God of Jacob” business.
The God who named Jacob “Israel” was Jacob’s God before he became Israel. Jacob was Hebrew. So, at that time he was the God of all associated with Hebrew. Then God named Jacob “Israel”. The people who were in Egypt were descendants of Israel. In 975 B.C. the people had a falling out, a church split if you will, and there was the northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The inhabitants of Judah were the tribes of Judah, Levi, and part of Benjamin. Those were the Jews. There were no Jews before that. The text saying that it is an ordinance of the God of Jacob indicates to me that God was the God of all the aforementioned people of whom we, the gentiles were grafted into. Therefore the God of Jacob is our God and His ordinances are our ordinances.
Remember, a statute is law. An ordinance is a final decision or judgment that does not change. For instance, the taking of the Lord’s Supper or communion is an ordinance. Marriage between one man and one woman is an ordinance. An ordinance is not a statute or law but a commandment that stands forever.
Now let’s track a little history within the first month of Nisan.
According to the Talmud, a book of Rabbinical writings and/or the biblical text, these are events that occurred during the first Ecclesiastical month:
1. Abraham died on the first day of Aveev 1638 B.C.E.
2. Isaac died on the first day of Aveev 1533 BCE
3. Jacob (Israel) died the first day of Aveev 1506 BCE
4. On the first day of Aveev 1416 BCE, Joshua sent two spies into Jericho
5. On the tenth day of Aveev, (1) Merriam the prophetess sister of Moses and Aaron died.
(2) Joshua entered into the Promised Land. (3) The Passover Lamb was selected.
6. On the 14th day of Aveev was(1) the Passover when Israel went out from Egypt. (2) Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God was crucified on the 14th day of Nisan.
7. The fifteenth day of Aveev concluded the Plagues on Egypt.
8. The 15th day of Aveev 1713 BCE was the birth of Isaac.
9. On the 16th day of Aveev 1273 BCE, the children of Israel stopped eating manna and began living off Land God had given them and the 16th day of Nisan is the date of Esther’s second banquet accusing Hamon of his intended massacre of the Jews.
10. The 17th day of Nisan = Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
11. On the 17th day of the month of Aveev (during the 24th century BCE) Noah’s ark came to rest on Ararat.
12. The 21st day of Aveev 1456 BCE, the Red Sea parted allowing Israel to Cross on dry ground.
Pretty neat, hunh?
Another interesting tidbit of information, at least to me, is that I was born May 2, 1962 or on Nisan 28,5722 precisely two weeks after Passover. Being so I am born in the month of Nisan associated with the tribe of Judah.
How is that? The months of God’s Ecclesiastical Calendar are associated with the tribes by the standards in which the tribes were camped around the tabernacle or tent of meetings and the standards by which the nation moved from one place to another. This order is found in Numbers Chapter 2. The standards in which the tribes moved were:
1. Judah - Nisan
2. Issachar - Iyar
3. Zebulon - Sivan
4. Reuben - Tammuz
5. Simeon – Av
6. Gad - Elul
The Tribe of Levi moved after Gad and the tribe of Levi was responsible for the taking down, moving, setting up, and maintenance of the tabernacle. The Tribe of Levi is not associated with any month in particular.
7. Ephraim - Tishri
8. Manasseh - Chesvan
9. Benjamin - Kislev
10. Dan - Tevet
11. Asher - Shevat
12. Napthali - Adar
It would seem that, given this information that there thirteen tribes instead of 12. Remember that Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph. Joseph received the double portion blessing from Jacob as a birthright. Double portion means that the tribe of Joseph was split between his first two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
In case you’re wondering, I’m not saying that we have to live according to strict Jewish standards and customs. What I am saying is that I believe we should pay closer attention to what God Said in His word. Jesus Christ died fulfilling the law for the sake of righteousness and ceremony. Our righteousness was acquired by His blood and He entered into the Holy of Holies, a room in the tabernacle or temple, not built by the hands of man ONE TIME and offered His Blood for the sins of the world.
What about the moral laws? Surely, we are not condemned by such, are we? Well, if it were not for the moral laws how do we know what sin is and is not? Paul said that the law was good but sin took the law and killed him with it. Let me ask you men, Do you cheat on your wife? Do you steal? Do you lie? Ladies I’ll ask you some questions. Do you gossip? Do you look down upon others for their actions or do you pray for them? Do you engage in a little “harmless” flirting?
I’d hope not.
The moral laws are a code of conduct. Those laws are what is expected of us. They are the standard or the mark that we are intended to maintain. The word “sin” is an ancient archery term meaning to “miss the mark”. You may say, “Well, we don’t stone anyone anymore.” You would be correct. If we did, I’m pretty certain that a lot of things that are going on in today’s society in the United States would have been nipped in the bud. That was the judgment and sentencing of the day. However, now we will all face judgment at the white throne of judgment and it says in Revelations, “according to our deeds.” It doesn’t say that all will be condemned. However, all will be judged.
Perhaps I can shed additional light on this matter. Hebrews 12 speaks of the discipline of the Lord. Every son/daughter that the Lord receives, He scourges, that means He whips them and they must come under and partake of the discipline of the Lord or they are not sons/or daughters but illegitimate children. The question that I have to ask is this. “If we must be disciplined, it would indicate that we have fallen short of some standard by which we are expected to uphold. IF there is no standard, there would be no need for discipline. And by the way, do not confuse discipline and correction for punishment. Discipline/Correction and punishment are two entirely different and separate things. But there is an expectation to live holy lives. God said, “I am Holy. You be holy.”
Certainly, we all make mistakes. Me, you, them, y’all, and us. Grace allows us to be disciplined so that we may repent and turn from making those mistakes on a repeated or constant basis. Grace does not nor has it ever intended to give us free license to carry on continually and/or intentionally in sin. And don’t say it can’t be done. “Not by My might, or by My strength, but by My Spirit says the Lord.” Ever heard that? It means that the Holy Spirit abiding within us is capable of providing the power to overcome habitual sin if we will submit to His guidance.
No? Prepare to be disciplined. If you cannot accept discipline or correction then you are no child of the living God!
Next week, on the 23rd of March, at sunset, Adar will end, and Nisan will begin. It’s a new year, a new month of opportunity. Nisan is known as the month of blessing as it is the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits. I’ll talk more about the Feasts next week and shed some light on what God said about those. Next week on the 23rd of March, as the month of Adar comes to a close and Nisan presents a New Year, My son, his wife, and youngest daughter will be leaving for a mission trip to South Africa. I’d appreciate it if you would join me in prayer for their safe arrival, that they would have an impact on the people there glorifying God, and safely return just before Passover.
Drop me an email. Let me hear from You! I am The Old Watchman, Ezekiel. Now hopefully, you know a little more about God’s Word than you did yesterday. You have been warned!
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