Passover

So many celebrated the Jewish New Year back in early October during Rosh Hashanna. The year 5777; Clashing Swords.

But really… the New Year according to Exodus 12 started back on March 28th…The month of Nissan.  There’s an interesting thing with the Jewish calendar. There’s a “civil year” and a “sacred year.” The civil year starts in the month of Tishri which is during Rosh Hashana and the sacred year starts in the month of Nisan.

I had a dream recently about being driven in a car by a woman named Angie which means “Messenger” or “Angel” and she was driving a Nissan. I began looking into the name Nissan when I started to see among the results on a Google search the words Nisan and the Jewish calendar. It immediately piqued my interest and I began looking into it.

Nisan is referred to as the month of miracles, the month of spring, newness and the month of redemption to name a few.  This really excited me since I have been waiting on a promise from the Lord, but I began to see a picture as my friend Shawn and I began discussing what this month means for God’s people. Then Sarah came in and stated that she was seeing a LOT of 7’s and they seemed to be in pairs which brought us three to Exodus 14:14:

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.”

Which caused us to bust out our Bibles and do some digging. It was fitting. So VERY fitting based on the dreams we each were having. I couldn’t understand and I was in the car driving Jeremiah to school when he suddenly said, “Mom, the Angel of Death is coming, you know?”  Uh…um….why you say that?  “Because it’s coming for the first born boy in every family,” which caused me to respond with the Passover story and told him that it was an image of what Jesus did to save us and not to worry, the Angel of Death wasn’t coming for him. But it caused a few light bulbs to click for me in regards to my dreams. God was showing me the Exodus.

What is so incredibly beautiful about the Exodus is what it represents to me, to you, to so many of us. We are running away from our past and everything that held us down and yet there’s this moment in time where He asks us to SIT IN THE GARBAGE OF LIFE that is causing us upset and panic and anxiety and WATCH HIM do His thing. We aren’t allowed to leave. We just have to stay and in this staying we have to learn to trust that God is going to get us out and that on our way out He is going to lift us up beyond our wildest dreams.

You see, in my dream I was running and it seemed like everywhere I turned it wasn’t good enough and so I had to keep going. By the end I was walking into a water park with my family and was still being followed by a dark man and yet he had to check in with his officer about the height of the water because he was concerned. I kept walking, and the dark figure stayed behind. How grateful were those people. How grateful and amazed were those people who walked through the middle of the sea and even when it seemed that an open door for the Israelites was also an open door for their enemy, God slammed that door closed where the chariots of Pharaoh’s army still lay at the bottom of the Red Sea.

Let’s fast forward to Jesus’ time.

The day before Passover, Jesus walks through town and the people are praising him. First let me tell you about Passover. 4 days before Passover, the Israelites were to pick a flawless male goat or sheep and they were to bring it into their house…like a pet. To play with it, love on it, feed it…and 4 days later to slaughter it in remembrance of the night the Angel of Death made it’s way through Egypt and spared the Israelites. The point was to feel the price that was paid at the expense of another for the rescue and redemption of the people. And the Disciples understood Jesus when He said in Matthew 26:26-28:

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

They knew that He was replacing the Passover Lamb. Passover- the consumption of the Pure Lamb that was to be roasted over fire (an alluding to Jesus conquering Hades and death). They knew that from that point forward, they were celebrating a new kind of Passover because there was a sacrifice and death that was made that was more than mere remembrance. That night on the hill of Calvary…Jesus died…the Angel of Death had made his rounds once again but for only one man. Our Savior.

But lately God has been using the Exodus to speak to His people. The time for being removed from captivity is now. The time for miracles and the parting of your proverbial Red Sea is now, the time for your healing, the time for your promise, the time for you to step into your promised land has arrived!! It’s time to praise God for what He has done, is doing and will do. This is the time, the NOW time for God to show up and do all that He said He would do. But it will require obedience, listening, praise and worship, and stillness because when He says it’s time to travel…GET UP AND GO!

 

Happy Easter everyone,

Amanda

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