Why Should Nisan 14 Matter

What is Nisan 14?

1. What is its connection to God's covenant?

2. What does it signify?

3. How can we benefit from it?

Nisan 14 and God's covenant

What is the importance of this day? This is the date which God has fixed to do multiple things at the same time.

The celebrations instituted by God on Nisan 14 represented the importance of God's Law in the salvation and redemption of God's covenant people, it also highlighted God's immense power to bring to realization whatever He purposed to happen in the future.

A deep consideration of God's arrangement with regards to Nisan 14 will also give us a glimpse of how God can set everything to happen on the exact time that He decides.

Indeed, Nisan 14 demonstrates God's authority to set the Law, fulfill prophecies and keep His promises.

Nisan 14 was first emphasized in the exodus of Israel from Egypt to the promised land, when all of Israel's families that believed and obeyed God slaughtered a spotless one year old lamb for the "Passover" and then later, on the exact same date, Christ died sinless, who endured being loyal to God and His commandments despite of all the injustice and torture done to Him.

What are the symbolical details that went into this date?

First, the whole event is a symbolical stance of God against all deities of Egypt, it emphasized how wrong it was to worship any other god but YHWH. It showed how those highly venerated images and persons like the Pharaoh are totally helpless in the face of God's will.

While for the Jews, the events and the details of how it should be done, taught them the symbolical truth- that if they could understand, it will save their future generations and make them eligible for God's promises that was made between God and their ancestors.

It is not an arbitrary date, instead it is a date that YHWH Himself chose.

" 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight " -Exodus 12:2-6

"18In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. " -Exodus 12:18

Some details of the passover event and what they teach the Jews:

Nisan the first month of the year - this part of the commandment made the Jews aware of the seasons and times.

Nisan 14 - This day taught the Jews they need to properly observe the waxing and waning of the moon(their basis for the month's beginning and ending), It also taught them that there are certain days that can become sabbath although it does not necessarily fall on Saturday by making Nisan 15 and Nisan 21 as Sabbaths.

1 year old male lamb without blemish - this part of the commandment taught the Jews that their lives will be saved by a male perfect sacrifice, which is meek and obedient to God.

blood of the lamb on the doorposts - This taught the Jews that if they exercise faith on the blood of whom God has provided, they need to act and use its blood to save their lives.

An illustration of a Jew putting blood on the door of his house from http://distantshores.org/openbiblestories/11-the-passover

Brushing lamb's blood using a bunch of hyssop - Hyssop is now widely known to cleanse blood, signifying that the blood that will save the Jews will be a purified blood.

Hyssop image courtesy of: wikipedia, Original book source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany Source: www.biolib.de

Slaughter of the lamb on Nisan 14 - Taught the Jews that the sacrifice that will save them will be killed on that particular day.

roasting of the lamb whole and without breaking any bones - This showed that the sacrifice will pass a hard test and that no bones will also be broken to kill Him.

eating of the lamb - It showed that to be saved, it is better to do it by the whole family in a household, including anyone else living with them that is willing to accept God's chosen way of salvation.

eating with bitter herbs - It is meant to teach the Jews that salvation through the sacrifice will entail hardships in their part.

eating bread made without yeast - teaches the Jews that they should live daily free from sin.

eating in a ready-to-go manner - this is teaching the Jews to pay more attention on the life saving gift of God where they are going.

no foreigners that are not God obedient may take part on this celebration/event - shows that, to take part on any of God's promise he or she should be willing to obey God.

killing of the first born sons of those that did not put blood on their doorposts - First born sons are claimed by God as His and should be bought back. it is meant to teach everyone that God can take anyone, unless they show their faith on His way of salvation.

Angel of destruction killing the first born sons - This shows that after everything have happened and everyone is given enough time to decide how they will behave with regards to God's commands, God will use His angels to execute His judgement against those that have not acted in accordance to His will.

All of these symbolisms in Nisan 14 are mentioned in Chapter 12 of Exodus.

Nisan 14 thus set the example on how God executes His covenant; detailed, precise and timely.

It is a provision available only to His covenant people, which meant that only those people who obey His laws and worship Him can take part.

The celebration of Nisan 14 teaches us to place proper importance on the arrangements made by God, His requirements, His timetable. It gives us the chance to show our faith and it provides us a tangible occasion that connects our existence to the acts of God done long ago.

How can we benefit from Nisan 14?

By observing and remembering the events and celebrations that is connected today, we are being led by God to the deeper understanding of His words and actions.

This understanding in turn, leads us to the deeper understanding of spiritual truths that can be otherwise muddled with lies in our time. It gives us the deeper meaning of Christ's life, obedience and sacrifice.

Later on we will realize that Nisan 14 arrangements made by God, allowed our own existence, redemption and possible salvation.

In fact, we can only hope to benefit from God's promises on His covenant when we have displayed the proper respect and obedience on the requirements of this particular day.