The Messiah and the Ritual of Israel (Continued)

The Feasts of Israel

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was, and still is, the most important day in the religious calendar of Israel. It falls on the 10th Tishri, and brings to a conclusion the Days of Awe. The Levitical instructions for the Day are in Leviticus 23.26-32. “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.” The essence of these instructions is repeated in Numbers 29.7-11 where the ritual offerings are listed. Leviticus 16.29-34 also refers to this Day where the emphasis there is on the priest who performs the ceremony in the Tabernacle.

It had long been considered that the first Yom Kippur took place after Moses had received the second set of stone tablets on which were the Ten Commandments. After the sin of the golden calf, the nation fasted and waited in repentance while Moses ascended the mountain to intercede for them. He returned on the 10th Tishri to announce that God had forgiven the nation, in honor of which the 10th Tishri would remain a day of atonement for all generations.

The Day of Atonement was always significant in the national calendar, but after the Babylonian exile, it took on much greater importance in the culture of Israel. Since the exile was considered a judgment of God because the nation had failed to keep the Mosaic Law, then fulfilling the Law, especially as it applied to this key Temple service in which atonement was made for the sins of the people, became vital. Because the daily sacrifices were unable to cleanse all sins, particularly secret sins, the sacrifice of atonement on the Day of Atonement became the major offering of the religious year. Therefore, it was necessary for the priesthood, not only to perform the duties of the Day, but also to perform them in the right order.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH

The High Priest was cosseted for the week before the day of his duties, and every precaution was taken to ensure he would not be defiled. He prepared himself thoroughly for the elaborate Temple ceremony, memorizing those parts of the T’nach that he had to recite by heart. On the 10th Tishri, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of the people. The basic idea was a ‘covering’ for sin, the purpose of which was to accomplish reconciliation between God and man. To prosecute the duties of the day, the High Priest removed his official garments, made for beauty and glory, bathed himself and then dressed in white linen as a symbol of repentance. First, he needed to offer a bull calf as a sin offering for himself, his family and the family of priests. Approaching the bullock that was placed between the altar and the entrance into the Sanctuary, the High Priest laid hands on the animal and made confession for himself and his household. “O Lord, I have committed iniquity, transgressed, and sinned before you, I and my house. O Lord, forgive the iniquities, transgressions, and sins, which I have done by committing iniquity, transgression, and sin before you, I and my house.” As it is written in the Torah of Moses, your servant, For on this day shall atonement be made for you to clean you. From all your sins shall you be clean before the Lord (Lev. 16:30)”. When the priests and the people heard the Name of God, the tetragrammaton YHWH uttered, they prostrated themselves and cried, “Blessed is the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever.”

Early in the ceremony, the selection of the goat for ‘azazel’ was performed. Two goats, previously selected, were brought before the High Priest, as well as a golden box with two lots in it. On one lot was marked, “For the Lord”, and on the other, “For azazel”. If the right hand took the lot, “For the Lord”, then the High Priest was instructed to raise his right hand. If the left hand took the lot, “For the Lord”, then the High Priest was instructed to raise that hand. In this way, they identified each goat for its purpose. Again the people responded with, “Blessed is the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever.” The High Priest tied a crimson thread to the scapegoat and pointed the goat in the direction it was to be taken. He then tied a crimson thread around the throat of the goat that was to be sacrificed.

The High Priest then proceeded to the bullock to pronounce the second confession. Laying two hands upon the animal he said, “O Lord, I have committed iniquity, transgressed, and sinned before you, I and my house and the children of Aaron, your holy people. O Lord, forgive, I pray, the iniquities, transgressions, and sins which I have committed, transgressed, and sinned before you, I, my house, and the children of Aaron, your holy people, as it is written in the Torah of Moses, your servant, For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. From all your sins shall you be clean before the Lord (Lev. 16:30).”

This second confession had the same wording as the first except it was for, “I, my house and the children of Aaron”. Yet again, on hearing the ineffable Name of YHWH, the people prostrated themselves and cried, “Blessed is the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever.” The bullock was slaughtered and its blood caught in a basin. This blood was to be taken into the Holy of Holies, but not before the High Priest had armed himself with incense. Another priest held the basin with the blood of the sin offering, constantly stirring it so that it would not congeal, while the High Priest collected live coals from the Great Altar. He used these to burn incense in the Holy of Holies. When the room was filled with the smoke of the incense, he returned to collect the vessel with the blood of the sin offering. Retracing his steps to the Ark of the Covenant, he sprinkled the blood of the bullock on the mercy seat and on the floor before the Ark. In those days when the Ark was no longer there, the blood was sprinkled on the stone on which the Ark had rested.

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The Messiah and the Ritual of Israel (Continued)

The Feasts of Israel

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS (HAG HATRUAH)


The autumn cycle of feasts began on the first day of the seventh month, the first day of the civil year, a new year’s day. “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.” (Lev. 23:23-25) Regulations were prescribed for a burnt offering, meat offering, drink offering and a sin offering on that day.

In the Pentateuch, the trumpet was used for calling the people together, “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.” (Numb. 10:2) Then again at Mount Sinai. “When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” (Exod. 19:13) Furthermore, the voice of God was heard in connection with the sound of a trumpet. “And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice”. (Exod. 19:19) The sound of the trumpet was used also in battle, “Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand.” (Numb. 31:6)

Here then are the main associations of the trumpet in the Pentateuch.

(1) They were used to express joy and gladness.

(2) They were used to call God’s people together.

(3) They were used to help to direct the movement of the nation as they traveled.

(4) They were an accompaniment to the voice of God.

(5) They were used to prepare people for battle.

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH

At the Feast, the trumpets were sounded as a celebration, in memorial of the creation of the world, “When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:7) Rosh HaShanah (1st Tishri) was considered the first Sabbath day of Creation, although the Minhogimbukh ties it to the creation of Adam and Eve. “The Creator, blessed be He, created the first man on Rosh HaShanah. Therefore we start counting the year from that day”. This connection with the birthday of man appears in the work of the Talmudists who also connected it with the birthdays of Abraham and Jacob, and Sarah and Rachel, and Hannah. On Rosh HaShanah, not only did they sound trumpets but also the shofar. The shofar for the new year was made of antelope horn, with its mouth overlaid with gold, and the one who blew it would be flanked by two who blew trumpets. The shofar would sound a long note, while the trumpets would sound short notes. So the shofar’s sound would dominate, and the religious duty of the day would be fulfilled. At the end of the Feast of Trumpets, following a series of short blasts, a long trumpet blast called the Tekiah Gedolah, the great trumpet blast, would sound. Paul called it “the last trumpet” (1 Cor.15.52).

They sounded the trumpet and the shofar whenever there were feasts of gladness, or feasts of solemnity, as well as at the beginning of each new month, that is, at the time of the new moon.

Since the Feast of Trumpets was the first feast of the new year (on New Year’s Day), and the Jewish calendar was a lunar one, it was quite important to get the date right. “The first day of Tishre is the new year for the reckoning of years, for Sabbatical years, and for Jubilees”. The Mishnah contains the rules that governed the identifying of the new moon. They needed witnesses of caliber, and they required them to come in pairs. The council in Jerusalem would cross-examine them, and when they were satisfied with the testimony of the witnesses, the head of the court would declare, ‘It is sanctified’. They would then dispatch news of this date to Jewish congregations everywhere.

By the time of the Messiah, the day had taken on a greater sense of gravity. As the seventh day of the week was a holy day, so the seventh month was the holy month in the year. It was a festival of special solemnity. The Rabbis taught that God judged the world at the New Year: “… at the New Year … all who enter the world pass before Him like troops, since it is said, He who fashions the hearts of them all, who considers all their works (Ps. 33:15)”. So the first of Tishri began the Days of Awe which led up to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The Day of Atonement was the next feast day in the Levitical calendar, ten days later. All were judged at Rosh HaShanah, that is New Year’s Day, and the verdict was sealed on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The worthy were written into the book of life. The unworthy were blotted out. This reflected some of the truth of the prayer of Moses when he interceded for Israel, after the sin of the golden calf. “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” (Exod. 32:32,33) However, severe decrees could be averted through repentance, prayer and deeds of charitable kindness. The liturgy of the Days of Awe carried these implications.

The blowing of the trumpets and the shofar, which recalled the horn-blasts at Sinai when the Torah was revealed, increased this feeling of solemnity. As a day of judgment (Yom Hadin) and a day of blowing the shofar (Yom Hateruyah) Rosh HaShanah also prefigured the end of days and the Last Judgment, when all shall appear before God.

For a people under the Law, the implications of such a day were substantial. Individuals were required to consider how they had acted over the previous year. Had they obeyed, not only the 613 commands of the Torah, but also the countless refinements of those commands contained in the Oral Law? They were to consider themselves brought before the bar of God. Satan himself would be the prosecutor, accusing and denouncing. Since full obedience was impossible to those born in sin and shaped in iniquity, only the mercy of God would allow an individual to be inscribed in the Book of Life, and only the repentant could hope to receive the mercy of God. It was considered that God used a complicated system of weighing good deeds against bad deeds. According to the Talmud God has three books. Besides the Book of Life and the Book of Death there is another that is opened on Rosh HaShanah – a book for borderline cases. The righteous are immediately written in the Book of Life and the wicked are immediately written in the Book of Death. The destiny of those on the borderline hangs in the balance until Yom Kippur. Thus, Rosh HaShanah was a day of penitence, and a day of uncertainty. Those that received mercy and written in the Book of Life would enjoy a year of blessing; those who were not truly repentant and subsequently written in the Book of Death would be marked for a year of misfortune. Between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur an acceptable greeting is, “Leshanah tovah tikatevu vetehatemu”, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year”.

There are lofty prayers, given over to the praise of God, added to the Shemoneh ’Esreh (Amidah) litergies on Rosh HaShanah. They celebrate God as creator and king of the universe, and recall God’s mighty judgments in history. Also a prayer for the coming of the kingdom of heaven is included. They declare that God, the sovereign King has made His purposes known to all humankind, and since they have been told what God requires of them, they can be assessed as to how they have complied. New Year’s Day, the day of the Feast of Trumpets, is a day of judgment.

Nowadays, in the afternoon of Rosh HaShanah, (or on the second day if it falls on a Sabbath) there is the custom called ‘Tashlich’, ‘casting’. Jewish people go to the bank of a river or lake or ocean and recite appropriate verses while emptying their pockets and symbolically ‘casting all their sins into the depths of the sea’. It is based on a verse from Micah, “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19)

The Sabbath that falls between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is called ‘Shabbat Shuvah’, the Sabbath of Repentance. On this day the reading includes Hosea 14.1-9 which begins with Shuvah Yisrael, ‘Return, O Israel’. “O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.” “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.” Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them”. (Hos. 14:1-9)

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The Messiah and the Ritual of Israel (Continued)

The Feasts of the Lord

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH

The practice at the time of the Messiah called for a special delegation from the Sanhedrin to visit the barley fields the afternoon before the Passover and identify the location where the first sheaf was to be harvested. It would be bound in sheaves while it was still standing. The place and time of the ritual (the evening before the Feast of Firstfruits) would be publicized so that a crowd would gather and the sheaf could be harvested with great ceremony. Either one man with one sickle and one basket, or three men with three sickles and three baskets, would be allocated to perform the task. The ceremony included the involvement of the spectators. The agent of the Temple would ask the onlookers, “Has the sun set yet?” They were required to answer, “Yes”. This was repeated twice more. Then he would ask, “With this sickle”, and again they would answer “Yes”. This would also be repeated twice more. The ceremony would continue with the question, “With this basket”, with its answer “Yes”, and lastly “Shall I reap” with its response, “Reap”. Everything was repeated three times. In the Temple the ears were threshed and parched, winnowed and ground and sieved through thirteen sieves before oil and frankincense were added. Then one omer (5.1 pints) was offered to the Lord. The rest of the harvest could not be brought in until after the offering of the omer. Once the ceremony had been completed, the count of the fifty days to the Feast of Weeks could begin. This period is known as ‘the counting of the Omer’.

THE FEAST OF WEEKS (HAG HASHAVU’OT)

The main passage dealing with this feast is Leviticus 23.15-21. Called the Feast of Weeks (Shavu’ot) it took place the day after the seventh Sabbath after the Feast of Firstfruits. Seven weeks plus one day equals 50 days, which gave rise to the name Pentecost, which name is used for this feast in the book of Acts. This festival, like the Feast of Firstfruits, was an agricultural festival. It was the celebration of the beginning of a harvest, but this time, it is the start of the wheat harvest not the barley harvest, and its place in the timetable of the feasts of YHWH make it the concluding festival of the spring cycle. Thus, its name in Talmudic literature is often ‘Azereth’, the concluding festival to Passover.

At this festival, several offerings were to be brought to the Lord. Burnt offerings, drink offerings and meat offerings. Seven lambs, one bullock and two rams together with their meat and drink offerings. “Among the offerings were two yearling lambs offered as a well-being offering (‘shelamim’). This is the only such offering made on behalf of the public. It functioned as a communal offering of thanksgiving.” There were also sin offerings and peace offerings, but unique to this festival is the offering of two loaves of bread for a wave offering. These loaves were baked from the grain of the first sheaves of the wheat harvest. Unlike the bread at Passover, they were to be baked with leaven. Leaven was not normally permitted in the offerings to YHWH. This prohibition was repeated several times in the Pentateuch, especially “No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.” (Lev.2.11) So when the Lord’s instruction to Moses required it, “You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD,” (Lev. 23:17), there must have been a strong reason.

Moses identified this feast as an opportunity to bring a freewill offering to the Lord, which should reflect the blessing received from God. “Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you.” (Deut. 16:10) The character of the feast was to be one of rejoicing.

THE FEAST OF WEEKS AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH

At the time of the Messiah, this festival was one of the most popular, with large groups of pilgrims traveling from all over the Roman Empire. For the Jewish people, Jerusalem was the centre of the world, and the Temple their holy shrine. They converged on the city from every direction. Coming from many countries and traveling together, for them, all roads led to Jerusalem.

The Feast of Weeks is a one-day festival. The Mishnah describes the order of the events. On the morning of the feast an official from the town where the priests of the main priestly course were staying would say, “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to (the house of) the Lord our God”. (Jer. 31:6) Carrying the fruit of the land, they followed an ox whose horns had been overlaid with gold. Accompanied by the music of the flute and decorating their baskets of fruit as they walked, they traveled towards Jerusalem. When they came near the city, the high officials and tradesmen of Jerusalem met them. Continuing their journey, still accompanied by music from the flautist, they proceeded to the Temple. On reaching the Court of Prayer and then the Court of the Priests, the Levites sang, “I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me”. (Psalm 30:1) With the basket of fruits still on his shoulder the leading Israelite read a Torah portion – Deuteronomy 26.3-11, beginning with, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.” On reaching verse 5, “A wandering Aramean was my father”, he took the basket of fruit from his shoulder, which was then waved before the Lord. The rest of the Torah portion was read, the basket placed next to the altar, and with a bow the offerer left. Then the ceremony of the ‘wave offering’ took place, when the two loaves of leavened bread were waved before the Lord.

As the day continued, the rich brought their fruit in baskets made of silver and gold, while the poor brought their fruit in baskets of peeled willow. Both baskets and fruit were given to the priests.

Over time, this festival attracted many traditions. These added to its character on several levels.

It was celebrated as the anniversary of the giving of the Law. From the information provided in Exodus chapter nineteen, the Rabbis calculated that the Mosaic code had been delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai on the date that coincided with the Feast of Weeks. The earliest references that make that connection are in the Talmud (Shabbat 86b; Pesahim 68b) but David Stern quotes from the Encyclopedia Judaica where Louis Jacobs suggests that “the transformation into an historical feast took place before the present era”. Maimonides makes the connection of the counting of the Omer with the giving of the Torah. He wrote, “We count the days that pass since the preceding Festival, just as one, who expects his most intimate friend on a certain day, counts the days and even the hours. This is the reason why we count the days that pass since the departure from Egypt and the anniversary of Lawgiving. The latter was the aim and object of the exodus from Egypt.”

The Pharisees associated the date of this festival with a number of other events that were involved in the history of the relationship between YHWH and humankind, events that include covenant agreements. The book of Jubilees places the covenant with Noah at this time, and the renewal of the covenant with Abraham, the birth of Isaac and the renewal of the covenant with Jacob, so the association of this date with the giving of the Law is easily understood. On the feast day they would reference that event by reading pertinent extracts from the T’nach. Readings included Exodus chapters 19 and 20. Since the appearance of God on Mount Sinai was a theophany, further readings from Ezekiel chapters 1 and 2 and Habakkuk 3 were added. Present Jewish practice encourages the study of key passages of the Torah the night before the celebration of the festival.

The date of this festival also coincided with the anniversary of the death of Israel’s greatest king, David. Because of this, a number of Psalms were read, as well as readings from the book of Ruth, David’s ancestor. The readings from Ruth were especially appropriate because the events of the book of Ruth took place during the period from the Feast of Firstfruits to the Feast of Weeks and beyond. Furthermore, the history of Ruth tells of a Gentile fully embracing Jewish culture including the Law.

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The Messiah and the Ritual of Israel

The Feasts of the Lord

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS (HAG HABIKKURIM)

During the feast of unleavened bread, there was another feast, a feast within a feast, the Feast of Firstfruits. The main passages in the T’nach that deal with this feast are Leviticus 23.9-14 and Numbers 28.26-31. The Levitical passage includes: “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Lev. 23:10,11) The timing of this day is clearly given, “the day after the Sabbath”. Which Sabbath? One interpretation is that it is the Sabbath that falls within the feast of Unleavened Bread. Since the feast of unleavened bread lasted for seven days, it had to include a weekly Sabbath, and the day following that particular Sabbath, was the day to celebrate the feast of Firstfruits and bring an offering to the Lord. The other interpretation is that it is the day following the feast Sabbath. This means it would always be on the 16th Nisan, that is, the Passover was celebrated on the 14th Nisan, the feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th Nisan (a feast Sabbath), and the feast of Firstfruits took place on the 16th Nisan.

This is not a feast that could have been celebrated in Egypt, nor in the wilderness. It was an instruction that took effect only when they reached Canaan, “the land which I give you”. This land, the land of Israel was considered more holy than all other lands, because they bring “from it the omer and the firstfruits, and the Two Loaves”.

The barley harvest was the first of the grain harvests, and the first sheaf gathered was to be offered to the Lord. It was a token that the first and the best belonged to the Lord. Israel could not enjoy any of the harvest until the firstfruits had been offered to YHWH. It was an expression of gratitude to God for blessing their land and supplying their daily bread. According to Seder Zera’im, the commandment included two things: “(1) the bringing of the first-fruit, and (2) a declaration to be made by him who brings it, that he owes everything to the kindness of God toward the Israelites, from the times of the Patriarchs up to the present day.” God gave to man the fruit of the ground as his portion. God said to Adam and Eve, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food”. (Gen. 1:29) Therefore, returning the firstfruits back to God is an acknowledgment that the harvest has come as His gift to us. As Newberry points out, the meat offering, of which the principle ingredient was grain (there was no meat in it) is really a gift offering, and acknowledges the gifts of God. Returning the firstfruits to God is the background to the text: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. (Matt. 6:33)

It is worth reflecting that the Genesis account, where God’s judgment is pronounced on Adam and his posterity, includes the declaration, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” (Gen. 3:19) Here then, is a direct connection between man and the earth. Edersheim reports the teaching of the Rabbis regarding the dignity of labor, “that while becoming the servant of the soil, he wins from it the precious fruits of golden harvest”.

In addition to the first sheaf of the harvest, a male lamb, without blemish and without spot, was offered to the Lord, as well as a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering.

The situation of this feast, within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, identifies a nation that is in dependence on God, as well as in fellowship with God.

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)



Handmade shmura matzo

 Sacrifices and Offerings

The Feasts of Israel

THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (HAG HAMATZOTH)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the second of the annual feasts and abutted the Festival of Passover. It is the first of the pilgrim feasts. The eating of unleavened bread was for seven days, but the pilgrimage lasted just one day. Most considered the first day of the feast as the occasion of the pilgrimage, as indicated by Leviticus 23.6, while others, relying on Exodus 13.6, considered the last day of the festival, the day of pilgrimage. Those who came to Jerusalem at the beginning of this feast, as a matter of course, would also be present for the Feast of Passover.

Passover was on the 14th Nisan, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th Nisan. As with the Passover, the significance of the Festival of Matzoth rested in Israel’s history, the Egyptian exodus. The bread they ate on the night of the Passover was unleavened, reflecting their poverty and servitude (“this is the bread of affliction, the poor bread our ancestors ate as slaves in the land of Egypt”). When they ate the Egyptian Passover, they were dressed for a journey. They had been born in Egypt, and had lived there all their lives, but they were not Egyptians. They were bound for another land, the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey and they had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The Feast of Unleavened Bread maintained the image of the slave nation leaving in haste with no time for the bread to rise.

The Feast’s duration was seven days, a significant period, the first day of which was to be treated as a Sabbath, “On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it,” (Lev. 23:7), the last day also. The LORD required certain prescribed sacrifices during the festival; burnt offerings, meat offerings, sin offerings and drink offerings.

Perhaps the regulation, which is the most familiar, is that which prohibits leaven in all its forms during the festival. “And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days”. (Deut. 16:4) The use of leaven was also banned from all offerings made to the Lord by fire. This was largely because fermentation implied decay and corruption. Jesus used the action of leaven to symbolize heresy. He warned His disciples to be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians, that is, the doctrine of these political groups. Paul warned against the leavening effect of sin. In the Exodus account, the eating of anything leavened during the festival was considered a capital crime. “For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.” (Exod. 12:19) This was a further element in the education of Israel. They were required to differentiate between “holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”. (Lev. 10:10) This was the basis for those restrictions that were included in the Pentateuch, regarding the sacrifice and eating of animals, the impurity of carcasses, the pollution of vessels and articles contaminated by unclean creatures, and other impurities, including leprosy. The putting away of leaven indicated a putting away of that which symbolized spiritual corruption. Israel was a chosen generation, “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people”, so that they could “proclaim the praises of Him who called (them) out of darkness into His marvelous light,” (1 Pet. 2:9) therefore they needed to ‘put away’ leaven.

THE FEAST AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH


The regulations that governed the feast at the time of Jesus are contained in the Mishnah. They begin, “on the night preceding the fourteenth [of Nisan] they seek out leaven by the light of a candle”. The search had to be thorough and complete, and any discovered leaven had to be burned. For those who might suffer financially by the destruction of everything leavened, it was permitted to sell that which was leavened to a Gentile, and then to buy it back after the feast. During the festival, they ate only that which was unleavened, and as laid down in the T’nach, they treated the first day of the feast as a Sabbath. During the feast there would be appropriate readings.

On the first day, Leviticus 22.26-23.44. This contains the main passages regarding the feasts of the Lord. Also Numbers 28.17-25, which repeats the regulations regarding the Festival. This passage is read every day for seven days.

On the second day, Exodus 13.1-16, a passage that deals with the Exodus and includes particular regulations for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

On the third day, Exodus 22.24-23.19, a passage that contains regulations to govern social justice, a reminder of the regulations for the Festival of Unleavened Bread and repeats the requirements that relate to the Feast of Firstfruits.

On the fourth day, Exodus 34.1-26, an important passage regarding the Mosaic covenant but which also includes instructions to keep all the feasts including the three Pilgrim Festivals.

On the fifth day, Numbers 9.1-14, the passage that permits the Passover to be celebrated, in certain circumstances, in the second month of the year instead of the first month.

On the sixth day, Exodus 13.17-15.26, which deals with the overthrow of Pharaoh’s army when Israel was delivered from Egypt. It concludes with the miraculous healing of the bitter waters of Marah.

On the seventh day, Deuteronomy 15.19-16.17, a section of the Law which repeats the regulations regarding the Feasts.

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

Sacrifices and Offerings (Continued)

The Feasts of YHWH (Continued)

The Passover (Continued)

At the time of the incarnation, the Rabbis taught that there were three things included in the command to appear before the Lord.


(1) Every male had to come up to Jerusalem.

(2) Every male had to offer a peace offering (chagigah).

(3) All Israel had to offer with a joyous heart.

The chagigah (peace offering) was to be in two parts.

(1) The first was offered on the evening of the Passover and could be included in the Passover meal where the lamb was insufficient for the whole company.

i. It could not be taken from anything already earmarked for the Lord, that is, tithes, offerings or things devoted.

(2) The second was offered on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread,

a. It could be taken from those things already devoted to the Lord.

At the time of the Messiah, the usual practice required a representative from each group to attend at the Temple with the receipt for a lamb previously purchased or brought. They would join the queue of celebrants in the court of prayer, and gradually climb the fifteen steps of ascent that led to the platform in front of the great Nicanor doors that separated the court of prayer from the court of priests. In groups of between thirty and fifty they were allowed into the court of priests.

Each of them received a lamb in exchange for their receipt, and when instructed by the priest, killed this lamb while the priest caught its blood in a vessel without a base and without a brim. The vessel containing the blood of the lamb was passed along a line of priests until it reached the priest at the altar who would dash the blood below the crimson line. There were two rows of priests engaged in this duty. One row had golden vessels, and the other row had silver vessels. Gold symbolized the glory of God (the furniture in the Holy Place and the Holiest of all was either cast in gold or covered in gold); while silver symbolized redemption (atonement) (the redemption money was silver).

Each gutted his lamb, disposed of the entrails and placed the sacrificial portions on a tray for the priest to burn them on the altar fire. They then hung the carcass on one of the hooks set into the walls and pillars and skinned the lamb. Where there were not enough hooks, the Temple authorities provided smooth wooden staffs, which could be used on the shoulders of two, to hang the dead lamb, or if the celebrant had no partner, he could stand it on end to flay the animal.

While this was going on, the Levitical choir led the singing of the Hallel (Psalms113 to 118). Those that were engaged in the ritual, sang the responses. They sang the Hallelujahs (Praise ye the Lord); the Hosannas (Save now, I beseech thee), and most significantly, ‘Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the LORD’. If the ceremony was not concluded by the time the choir had completed the Hallel, they began again at Psalm 113.

Each took the lamb and fleece to the place that had been prepared for the feast. Those that provided a room for visiting pilgrims were not allowed to charge, but custom allowed for the fleece to be set aside as a gift to them in gratitude for their hospitality. All over Jerusalem, and in front of a multitude of tents erected on the Mount of Olives, lambs were roasted on wooden spits of pomegranate wood, the spit passing through from mouth to buttocks.

In addition to the lamb there were other items needed for the meal.

(1) First unleavened bread, symbol of their redemption from Egypt. To qualify the bread had to fulfill three conditions.

(a) It had to be unleavened (obviously). Biblically, leaven represents sin or in some instances, error.



Present day Matzos

 (b) It had to be striped ) These conditions were to demonstrate that

(c) It had to be pierced) the bread was truly unleavened.

(2) Next they needed bitter herbs, to remind them of the bitterness of the slavery in Egypt. They would use lettuce, chicory, pepperwort, endives, and dandelion.

(3) In addition, they needed haroset (a relish made of fruits and spices with vinegar or wine, used to sweeten the bitter herb at the meal) (it should have the appearance and consistency of mortar reminding them of the brick making in Egypt).

(4) They also needed wine that had been mingled with water. If the wine was not mingled with water, the responsibility of the company was not discharged.

There were four cups of wine required.

(1) The first was the cup of thanksgiving. The leader at the feast pronounced a thanksgiving for the day, and a thanksgiving for the fruit of the vine. The Mishnah instructs, ‘When they have mixed the first cup of wine— “He says a blessing over the day, and afterward he says a blessing over the wine.”

(2) The second was the cup of redemption signifying their redemption from Egypt.

(3) The third was the cup of blessing, for a special blessing was said for the food.

(4) The fourth was the cup of praise for it was associated with the singing of the Hallel (Praise).

While there was some liberty to add other traditional customs, the central elements of the meal were inviolate.

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

The blood of a lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintel

The Feasts of the Lord

The Passover (Continued)

YHWH ordered the nation, through Moses, to incorporate the festival into the annual celebrations of Israel as the first event of their religious year. This festival immortalized the birth of the nation, and established for Israel the principles of substitution and consecration. In light of the loss of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of the firstborn of Israel, God claimed Israel’s firstborn for His own. Thus, the Egyptian Passover began the process of making Israel a unique and separate nation.

At the Passover, they were separated:

by His Word (which they obeyed) and

by the blood of the lamb (which they applied).

Then as they continued to follow YHWH, they were separated:

by the pillar of fire (which protected them).

by the sea (through which they passed), and

by the Mosaic covenant (to which they consented).

Naturally, the character of the Passover changed once the nation had been rescued. In the first month of the second year after the exodus, the Tabernacle was erected, and since instructions had already been issued that the blood of all sacrifices had to be sprinkled on the altar it can be safely assumed that the blood of the Paschal lamb was also sprinkled on the altar. Furthermore, in the Promised Land, the Passover meal was to be eaten in a designated location. “Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name.” (Deut. 16:2) It became a celebration of the nationhood of the people, with the telling and retelling of their history, beginning with Abraham and giving particular and detailed consideration to the story of their redemption from Egyptian slavery.

The building of the Temple added greatly to the festival for it provided the focal point for the assembling of the nation. The Passover, abutting as it did the Feast of Unleavened Bread, became a great pilgrim festival where all the males of Israel presented themselves before the Lord. Naturally, being a family festival they brought their wives and children with them. With the gathering of the nation’s families at the beginning of the religious year, this great educational tool of YHWH could accomplish its purpose.

The priesthood and sacrificial system established, other elements were added to the festival, notably the priestly offering of a lamb for the nation. While the lamb for the household was killed on the evening of the Passover, the priest would sacrifice a separate lamb for the Passover on the morning of the Passover (in the Jewish day evening comes before morning). The lamb of the morning sacrifice then became part of the priests’ sacramental meal. No young goat was permitted now; it was to be a Passover lamb only. Other animals could be used as peace offerings at the festival, and even eaten in addition to the lamb at the Passover meal, but only a lamb could be used as the principal dish at the Passover meal, and for the Passover sacrifice.

By the time the Messiah commenced His ministry, the numbers making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast were considerable. Certain administrative arrangements had been put in place.


(1) They whitened sepulchers, tombs and graves to prevent accidental contact and contamination. This activity began some four weeks before Passover.

(2) Two weeks before Passover, they tithed herds and flocks.

(3) Pilgrims came early to Jerusalem to bathe in the Temple miqwehs to purify themselves.

(4) Because of the great numbers, it was required that each lamb killed in the Temple should serve for not less than ten people but not more than twenty. Each group or association had to be registered for the ritual.

(5) The Sanhedrin reset the boundaries of Jerusalem to include some of the nearby villages as well as the Mount of Olives. This was needed to accommodate the large number of visitors, for the Passover had to be eaten ‘within’ Jerusalem.

(6) Lambs could be bought on the Temple mount.

(7) Those that bought a lamb from the Temple flocks could attend at the priest’s gate, pay the money and obtain a receipt. This receipt would be exchanged for the lamb at the time of the ritual killing.

(8) For the Passover festival they put three courses of priests on duty.

(9) At Passover, they brought forward the time of the evening sacrifice to allow more time for the ritual.

(10) Those that attended the court of priests for the ritual were divided into three groups to satisfy the Scripture, “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight”. (Exod. 12:6) A text which yields (1) assembly, (2) congregation, and (3) Israel. Each group would be brought in through the Nicanor doors separately, while the others waited outside.

It was in this fashion that the great numbers of residents and visitors were accommodated for the national celebration of Pesach.

More Next Time

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

Sacrifices and Offerings (Continued)

The Feasts of the Lord

Introduced by the phrase, “these are My feasts” (Lev. 23:2) they are listed in Leviticus chapter 23. The weekly feast is the Sabbath; separated from the annual feasts by a fresh identifying phrase, “These are the feasts of the LORD”. (Lev. 23:4) Of the annual feasts, four are in the spring cycle and three in the autumn cycle. The first four are the Feast of Passover (Hag HaPesach), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzoth), the Feast of First Fruits (Hag HaBikkurim) and the Feast of Weeks (Hag HaShavu’ot). The autumn cycle contains the Feast of Trumpets (better known as Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Hag HaSukkot). These feasts observed by the Jewish nation, were God’s fingerposts to future events, which would have implications for both the nation of Israel and the whole of humankind. That which was foreshadowed in the spring cycle has already happened, while that which was foreshadowed in the autumn cycle is yet to come. The Sabbath, while of a different character (a weekly feast celebrated in the home), also has implications for the future.

Some of the annual feasts were for one day – Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement. These identify single great acts of God. Other feasts, that were of seven or eight days’ duration, characterize longer periods in the unfolding purposes of God.

Three of the annual feasts were pilgrim feasts; Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. All Jewish males were required to attend at a place appointed by the LORD and bring a gift to reflect how they had been blessed of the LORD. While the men were absent from their homes during the festivals, God promised to protect their land and possessions. “Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year.” (Exod. 34:23,24)

Jesus of Nazareth, Israel’s Messiah, was a Law abiding Jew who kept the festivals in accordance with the Mosaic covenant, always observing the Sabbath and journeying to Jerusalem to celebrate the compulsory pilgrim feasts. As laid down in the Mosaic code, He afflicted His soul on the Day of Atonement, and rejoiced during the Feast of Tabernacles.

It is intended to consider how Israel celebrated the feasts of YHWH, and then how they impacted on the life the Messiah, and note the special significances of Passover when He died, the Feast of Unleavened Bread when He was buried, the Feast of First Fruits when He rose and the Feast of Weeks when He sent the Spirit of God. The Messianic significance of the autumn feasts, the fulfillment of which still lies ahead, will also be identified and considered.



Passover Haggadah

 THE FEAST OF PASSOVER (PESACH)


FROM MOSES TO MESSIAH

Israel, from the dark womb of Egypt, was brought to birth as a nation, and called the firstborn of YHWH. ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn”. (Exod. 4:22) But crisis is inevitably followed by process, and for Israel, they were not only to be delivered from the land of Egypt, but from everything Egyptian. As a birth is followed by growth, so the separation from Egypt was to be followed by a separation to God. A consecrated walk with YHWH, growing in the knowledge of Him and His purposes, was to be the process. But the process proved to be more difficult than the crisis. To repeat an old adage, ‘you can get Israel out of Egypt, but it is more difficult to get Egypt out of Israel’.

The deliverance of the nation was to be so momentous that YHWH re-ordered the calendar. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exod. 12:2) Their religious year was to begin with the month of Abib.

YHWH memorialized the deliverance of the nation with a festival, a festival that was to commemorate Israel’s birth as a nation, and to celebrate their subsequent new life in His care. This first festival of the spring cycle was the Passover. “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover”. (Lev. 23:5) The requirements imposed on Israelite households on the night they began their escape from their Egyptian prison, are given in Exodus chapter twelve. God’s instructions through Moses were very particular. Each household was to kill, roast and eat a lamb or kid as their last meal in Egypt. The animal had to be a male, one year old, in good health, with no visible defects – only a healthy animal would be suitable as a sacrifice to YHWH and only such an animal could be the substitute for someone who was to be consecrated to the Lord. Though they did not know it at the time, only such an animal could foreshadow the Messiah, the true Lamb of God, who is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.

They were to daub the blood of the animal on the door surround, as evidence that the household had obeyed God’s instructions and fulfilled the necessary conditions for salvation. Then when God visited Egypt with judgment, the blood of the substitute protected the Israelite homes, while Egyptian homes, that had no such protection, suffered the death of their firstborn. The Hebrew word for Passover (pesach) comes from a verb meaning ‘to pass over’, and clearly refers to the means by which they escaped the judgment that fell on Egypt. They were to eat the meal dressed for their journey, and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.

The animal, chosen on the 10th of the month Abib or Nisan as it was later known, was to be slain on the 14th. The head of each household was to slay the lamb at twilight. These men would occupy the office of priest, and thereby constitute Israel as a nation of priests.

The commandment required the use of hyssop to paint some of the animal’s blood on the side posts and lintels of the door of each residence, as part of an act of expiation. Hyssop, an insignificant flower with spaced whirls around the stem was eminently suitable to use as a brush, and would often be used in such rites. There would be no blood on the threshold. Already the imagery is important – the blood covered the firstborn of Israel but it was not to be trampled underfoot. The application of the blood to the entrance of each Jewish residence was relinquished after Moses transferred the slaying of the lambs to the Sanctuary. From then on, the blood was dashed against the altar.

The lamb or kid was to be cooked in one way only, roasted over the fire. No bone of it was to be broken. Furthermore, they were instructed to have unleavened bread and bitter herbs as accompaniments to the lamb. Nothing of the lamb should remain until morning – what was not eaten had to be burned – none of the lamb was allowed to see corruption. In addition, only those covered by the Abrahamic covenant could be admitted to the Passover meal.

To be continued

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

Sacrifices and Offerings (Continued)

The Sweet Savor Offerings

The Primary Levitical Offerings also included three sweet savor offerings, of which one was bloodless (an offering of grain). The other two were the Peace Offering and the whole Burnt Offering. The Peace Offering was subdivided into praise offerings, vow offerings and free-will offerings. The purpose of the sweet savor offerings was to bring that to the Lord which testified of the thankfulness of the offerer for God’s provision, and to express praise and worship. They were particularly effective in fulfilling the divine requirement, “none shall appear before Me empty-handed” (Exod. 23:15, NAS).

It has already been remarked on that one aspect of the ministry of the priests in service for the Lord was to act as hosts at His House and minister to those who came as His guests to share a meal. This is best seen in the Peace Offering. After the offerer had been made acceptable through the expiatory offerings he was invited to bring a peace offering. This offering was to be divided between the three parties – the offerer, the priest and the Lord – each was to have a share – most clearly speaking of fellowship, in particular table fellowship. Described as a peace offering it reminds us of Paul’s assertion - “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Rom. 5:1, NKJV)

One of the sweet savor offerings was bloodless, that which is the grain offering, perhaps better described as the ‘Gift Offering’ since the word applied to it is ‘minchah’ which is derived from a root signifying ‘to give’. It could signify a present by which an inferior would seek to obtain the favor of a superior. It is used in this way by Jacob when seeking to obtain the favor of Joseph (who unknown to him was the ruler he was trying to impress). “And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.” (Gen. 43:11) This offering was a way in which an Israelite could acknowledge that he owed everything to the Lord his God, as well as demonstrating his gratitude for the benefits and blessings provided by the God of Israel. The sacrifice consisted of fine flour to which had been added oil and salt and incense. Some was burned on the altar but most was to be presented to the priest as a thing ‘most holy’ to the Lord.

Since the fruit of the ground was given to man, that is, it is man’s portion, then this offering reflects something of a man’s duty to man, and man’s duty to God. In both these areas humanity has failed – but Christ, the Son of Man not only did His duty by man (He went about doing good), but also His duty on behalf of man to God. His sacrifice on Golgotha was the presentation of a life of infinite worth back to the Father in total and complete obedience. This was in contrast to, and compensation for, the multitude of lives that had been lived in disobedience and independence from God. Jesus is the only one to fully fulfill the obligation placed on those whose lives are a gift from God. Paul expressed it: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1) Calvary was the culmination of a perfect life of obedience and the most accurate expression of a complete and perfect ‘living sacrifice’.

This aspect is more completely seen in the ‘whole burnt offering’ or the ‘ascending offering’. This sacrifice was wholly for God – no portion for the priest, no portion for the priest’s family, no portion for the offerer – it was all for God. And this offering, as with all offerings, had to be without blemish. Nothing but the best was to be offered to the Lord. That Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of Man and the Son of God perfectly fulfilled this aspect is evident. Conception produced by the Holy Spirit in a virgin’s womb ensured that no taint of Adam’s imputed or imparted sin marred the Holy Child. His physical perfection was confirmed when Joseph paid the redemption money for no child that was defective in any of his parts could be redeemed in the Temple. While those who were disabled or defective in some way could still perform the duties of the first-born and receive the first-born portion of the inheritance, it barred him from the redemption ceremony since he would not have been fit for the priesthood (had he been born with the appropriate credentials). The priest, in offering the prayer of dedication at the ceremony, confirmed that Jesus, as an infant, was without blemish. His life was also lived under scrutiny and received the highest praise from friend and foe, obtaining the highest accolade from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”.

These sacrifices designated under the main descriptor as ‘offerings’ were gifts to be brought by the Israelites to the Lord who had redeemed them, protected them and blessed them. In this manner, communion with God was sustained, the sin and trespass offerings bringing about reconciliation, and the sweet savor offerings providing a vehicle for worship, communion and praise. The offerings were at the heart of the national life of the nation and without them they would have been adrift among the nations with no discernable means of reconciliation with the One who was pleased to be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Next Time - The Feasts of the Lord

The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

Sacrifices and Offerings (Continued)

The Red Heifer Offering



The Red Heifer being led out of the Shushan Gate



The other offering which shares some common features with the expiatory offerings of Leviticus is found in the book of Numbers (chapter 19). The red heifer offering recognizes both the root and result of our problem with the Adamic nature. It provides purification at the beginning and end of life. The Numbers passage deals with the second of these, corpse defilement. For the Hebrew nation corpse defilement was a serious matter. The Mishnah declares that one who has contracted corpse uncleanness becomes a ‘father of uncleanness’, because everything he touches then becomes unclean. Death, of course, points its icy finger to the second death and if unremoved would exercise eternal sway. The connection between death and sin is given in several Scriptural passages, the first of which would be the judgment pronounced in the Garden of Eden. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16,17). Adam’s sin brought the predicted result: “in Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15:22).

Defilement by death, a corpse, a grave, a bone, rendered a person ceremonially unclean for seven days. Priests and Nazarites were forbidden to touch a dead body, except for their nearest kin. The High Priest was not allowed to approach the dead at all, not even his own parents. Therefore the law of the red heifer made exceptional provision for purification in these circumstances. “And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin” (Num.19.17).

The offering was made on a special site ‘outside the camp’. The Levitical offerings stipulate, ‘in a clean place’ (Lev.4.12) for any sacrifice which was burned ‘outside the camp’. This was applied to the red heifer offering as well. The fourth verse requires the blood to be sprinkled directly before the Tabernacle, which the Rabbis interpreted as before the open entrance of the Tent. If, for any reason the flap or curtain of the tent was closed, then the sacrifice would be invalid.

But the red heifer differed from the other sin offerings in several ways. It was of pure red color, a female (signifying life in all its fruitfulness); upon which never came yoke (speaking of strength unimpaired) and it was wholly burnt, along with cedar wood (symbol of imperishable existence); hyssop (symbol of purification from corruption); and scarlet (the color being the emblem of life). It implied the sacrifice of highest life, and as far as possible, once for all.

During Second Temple times, the High Priest performed the ceremony on the Mount of Olives, at a place which afforded a direct view through the gate of the Golden Vine, that is, the entrance to the Temple building itself. To obtain the site on the Mount of Olives they needed to line up the three Eastern gates, that is, the Gate of the Pure and the Just which led into the court of Prayer, the Nicanor Gate which led to the Priests’ court and the Gate of the Golden Vine which was the entrance into the Holy Place.

The ashes of the heifer were taken and mixed with living water, to produce the waters of purification. This mixture was to be sprinkled on the unclean on the third and seventh days, both sprinklings speak of life, the seventh speaking of eternal life. Without the sprinkling an Israelite was to be ‘cut off’. This punishment could mean (i) to be denied the benefits of Temple and sacrifice; or (ii) to be put out of society (like a leper); or (iii) in severe cases, the loss of life. The red heifer sacrifice which was burnt ‘outside the camp’ is also analogous with the scapegoat, taken by a fit man, and let loose in the wilderness - which was to remove the personal guilt of the Israelites. Each suggests that the sanctuary did not have the answer for this level of sin.

The problem of sin was not only at the end of life but also at its beginning—it is then the Adamic nature is inherited. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5). The rite of purification was designed to make the unclean clean, so it was used to provide purification for sin at birth as well as death. After the birth of a boy, a woman was considered unclean for forty day, after which she had to bring a sin offering to the Lord and go through the rite of purification (Lev. 12.2-6). The forty day period was extended to eighty days in the case of the birth of a girl. A very significant example in Scripture is given in the gospels when it is recorded that Mary went through the ritual after the birth of Jesus (Luke 2.22 ff). Since He was her first-born they had to go through the rite of redemption also.

Mary and Joseph attended at the Temple together for the two rituals. The sin offering stipulated for the purification ceremony was a lamb plus a bird but in cases of poverty it could be two birds (either doves or pigeons) - Mary made the offering of the poor. She had no lamb to bring, but the child she held was the Lamb of God. The identity of the baby boy was not unknown to those who walked close to the Lord. While waiting for the ceremony which would have taken place at the time of the afternoon sacrifice, a godly man, Simeon identified Jesus as the Messiah, the ‘light to lighten the Gentiles’ (Luke 2.26-32), and then Anna, a prophetess confirmed the witness.

The death of Jesus on Golgotha fulfilled the typology of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer. “Jesus ... that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Heb 13:12). Moreover, as with all the sacrifices, the offering of Jesus for sin brought about a purification that could not have been obtained by the sacrifice of an animal: “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:13,14). The phrasing of these verses clearly includes the red heifer offering along with the other sin offerings, that is, “the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh”. But the glory of Calvary is seen in the “how much more” of verse 14.

The blood of the Red Heifer had to be sprinkled before the open entrance of the Tabernacle. During Temple times the sacrifice took place on the Mount of Olives on the sight line to the open door of the Holy Place through which the veil of the Temple could be seen. I would suggest that the site of Calvary had to be on that sight line for when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom.

While the idea of the Red Heifer offering was a once and for all sacrifice, it was never possible because the numbers of people who needed purification were so great, and the ashes/water mixture ran out. So the sacrifice had to be repeated, although it was always many years between each offering. But Christ was a once and for all sacrifice as the inspired writer declared. He “... once ... appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb.9:26) and, He “was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28). Furthermore, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10). Jesus is our guilt, sin and red heifer offerings providing expiation, propitiation and purification.

Next Time - Sweet Savor Offerings