Leviticus 23:6, The First Passover, Part II of II
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
//Yesterday, I presented a passage from the book of Jubilees that seems to tie the arrival of Abraham and Isaac to the place of Isaac’s sacrifice on the day of the Passover. That same passage continues:
And Abraham went to his young men and they got up and went to Beer-sheba together. And Abraham dwelt by the Well of the Oath. And he named it “the feast of the Lord” according to the seven days during which he went and returned in pace. And thus is it ordained and written in the heavenly tablets concerning Israel and his seed to observe this festival seven days with festal joy.
The only seven-day festival in the first month is, of course, the Passover week, known as the feast of unleavened bread. See today’s verse.
The author of Jubilees seems to be saying that Abraham’s journey was seven days: three to get to the altar, one day (the Sabbath) without travel, and three to return. This seven days relates to the seven days of Passover. Did the first Passover occur several hundred years before we think?
Have a great Passover this year!
Genesis 22:4, The First Passover, Part I of II
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
//Question: The first Passover happened as the children of Israel escaped from Egypt, right?
Maybe. Maybe not. The patriarchs Abraham and Isaac predate the exodus. Recall that Jesus is our final Passover lamb, and that Isaac, nearly sacrificed by his father Abraham, is considered a typology of Jesus. A foreshadow of what was to come.
The Jewish book of Jubilees provides some details about this event that we don’t have in our Bibles:
And it came to pass in the seventh week, in its first year, in the first month, in that jubilee, on the twelfth of that month, that words came in heaven concerning Abraham that he was faithful in everything which was told him and he loved the Lord and was faithful in all affliction. And Prince Mastema came and he said before God, “Behold, Abraham loves Isaac, his son. And he is more pleased with him that everything. Tell him to offer him as a burnt offering upon the altar.”
If Abraham left early morning on the twelfth for a three-day journey, he arrives at the place of sacrifice on a special day:
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover. –Leviticus 23:5
The author of Jubilees seems to be saying that Abraham placed Isaac on the altar immediately after his arrival. That means the sacrifice of Isaac (or the substitutionary ram) occurred on what would become Passover day. Coincidence? Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story.
Book Excerpt: Revelation: The Way It Happened
“Do you understand that Jesus is the Christ?” Samuel pressed on. “The Messiah must be born into the royal lineage of our greatest warrior, King David, and he must redeem our people with the sword, but most Jews refuse to consider Jesus the one. Because although the blood of King David surges through the veins of our Lord Jesus, he came first as a lamb, silent before his accusers.”
“Who were his accusers?”
“The Romans and the Jewish council of elders, the Sanhedrin. They sentenced him to die on a cross because he threatened to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.”
“I would not have been a lamb, Father! I would have been a true Messiah! I would have fought with my sword and spilled the blood of all my enemies. This Jesus cannot really be the Messiah,” Matthew spat.
“Listen, my son. He’s both a lion and a lamb. Like a lamb to the slaughter, Jesus shed his own blood for us through meekness and humility, in atonement for our sin.”
Matthew resisted the impulse to stick out his tongue in disgust. Fortunately, he knew better than to disrespect his father.
“But now he returns to finish his work,” Samuel continued, unperturbed. “He will take vengeance on all his enemies. My son, we will soon behold the true Messiah in all his glory! Jesus, from his throne in heaven, will show himself to be alive again! This time, for ever and ever!”
–Revelation: The Way It Happened, 2010, pp. 19-20, by Lee Harmon
1 Corinthians 7:28-29, the Danger of Celibacy
But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short.
//Today’s words are written by Paul, encouraging the Corinthians to abstain from marriage. Why? Because the return of Christ is just around the corner. The time is too short to bother with things like marriage.
Paul guessed wrong about this, but he’s not the only one. His instruction reminds me of a group we’ve all heard of: the Shakers.
The Shakers were founded in the 18th century as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (USBCSA). Their belief that the Kingdom of God was at hand led to a self-defeating doctrine: celibacy. Procreation was unnecessary, as the time was short, so the Shakers used celibacy as a central part of their efforts to separate from the sinful world around them. Shakers were not only messianists; they were communitarians.
But would enough conversions be possible to keep the group alive? How do you keep from dying out as a group without procreating? One answer: adoption. This worked well until orphanages were established, and the states began to limit adoption by religious groups. Today, adoption into the Shakers is no longer possible.
As the result, the Shaker population in America has dwindled (to my knowledge) down to three members: Sister June Carpenter, Brother Arnold Hadd, and Sister Frances Carr. Jesus better come back quickly, or there will be no one left to welcome him.
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? –Luke 18:8
Revelation 22:10, Is Jesus Coming Back?
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
//I’m sometimes asked what it would take to convince me that Revelation’s prophecies still reside in our future. Am I not impressed by the signs of the times, which seem to keep piling up?
The answer is, I must play the odds. Given that Revelation repeatedly promises everything “quickly,” and that the events of the first century so closely match the events promised in Revelation, what are the odds that that book’s author–be it Jesus, a deluded self-appointed prophet, or someone in between–was talking about it all happening a couple thousand years in the future?
Revelation was addressed personally to seven churches in Asia Minor which no longer exist. It was written to encourage them to stand true in a tribulation that, according to Revelation’s author, he was already sharing with them. If I’m to believe it will all happen again in our future, I’ll probably need to see Jesus return on the clouds.
Book review: Walking in the Moment between Tick and Tock–From Passover to Pentecost
by J. Timothy King
★★★★
Mr. King presented this book to me as appropriate for the season. Passover is nearly upon us. I absolutely love reading about the Biblical feasts and celebrations, so I snapped it up.
King notes that Jewish holidays are different from secular holidays; they’re not just about observing the past, but about bringing the past into the present. We live in the moment, between the tick and tock of the clock, as we journey from Passover to Pentecost … from Egypt to Sinai.
King’s book meanders a bit from the topic, it reads a little like a diary of King’s spiritual journey and how he came to appreciate Jewish customs … particularly Passover. Casual, friendly and well-written, but short and unscholarly, it didn’t teach me anything new. Pick it up for some inspirational Saturday afternoon reading in your backyard while your children play around your feet.
Published by J. Timothy King, © 2013, Kindle Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9816925-2
Genesis 22:5, Did Abraham Think Isaac Would Be Resurrected? Part II of II
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
//Today’s verse refers to the day Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. He tells his traveling companions to wait for him, and promises both he and Isaac will return.
Yesterday, I pointed to a passage in Hebrews that interprets this verse to mean that Abraham expected Isaac to live again after he was killed. But there is another way to read this verse. It hinges on the word worship.
Was Abraham speaking in a vague euphemism when he said he and Isaac were going to go “worship?” Or should we instead read the verse literally? The Hebrew word translated into “worship” means literally “to bow down,” as if to prostrate himself in supplication. Perhaps Abraham meant to beg God to rescind the command to sacrifice his son. So sure was Abraham of God’s compassion that he fully expected to bring Isaac back.
If so, God didn’t back down until Abraham had the knife in his hand, ready to slay his son. Perhaps this event wasn’t so much a test of Abraham’s loyalty to God as his faith in the compassion of God. It was a harrowing test of faith.
Hebrews 11:17-19, Did Abraham Think Isaac Would Be Resurrected? Part I of II
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. –Hebrews 11:17-19
//As Abraham prepared to take Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him, he told his traveling companions to wait for them. He promised that both he and Isaac would return.
Rashi, an 11th-century commentator, suggests that Abraham prophesied that both would return. It wasn’t hopeful thinking, nor a white lie. Somehow, Abraham knew Isaac wouldn’t die. Or did Abraham think Isaac would be raised up from the dead?
The author of Hebrews reads it that way, as in today’s verse. There is, however, another way to read today’s verse. More tomorrow.
Book review: The Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth
by Peter Gillies
★★★★★
A fascinating look into who Jesus was and why he chose to die. Gillies says his new book is “A freethinking, scriptural look at Jesus of Nazareth & the Son of Man’s singular mission to free Israel from its tribal god.” While I hesitate to speak quite as bluntly as Gillies, I find much the same mission when I study the message of Jesus … particularly in John’s Gospel.
Beyond Gnosticism, edgy, down-to-earth, and a delight to read, here is a composite gospel you don’t want to miss. Gillies writes with the poetic beauty readers of the Bible have come to appreciate. But it must be read slowly; very slowly. I confess, his book will mean more if you know your scripture well, for then you will better recognize its depth, its subtle differences in emphasis and translation.
I’ve never been a fan of composite gospels, since to me they seem to disregard the individuality of the the Bible’s writers, each of whom had a unique theme or flavor to portray. But that’s not the point of Gillies’ work. Rather, you should read it as his own unique gospel, compiled from the stories of Jesus and the prophetic hopes written in the Hebrew Bible, meant to cut to the heart of Jesus’ purpose. It’s subtle; perhaps too subtle. Gillies says he is working on a commentary work that should render his gospel more accessible, and I very much hope he will share it with me for a further review. But for now, he should quit apologizing; we, the readers, may never uncover all the meaning he intended, but his book is still rich in meaning.
To that end, don’t you dare stop reading before the final page. Read that page again and again. Then go back and peruse the introduction, to see how masterfully Gillies has tied his thesis together, presenting a Jesus who followed a profound, brave purpose. Greater love hath no man!
A.B.C Editions, © 2014, 127 pages
ISBN: 978-2-9546352-0-0
Genesis 23:1, How Old was Isaac When He was Offered as Sacrifice?
And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
//Today’s question is a good one. Since Abraham loaded Isaac with wood to carry, we know he wasn’t a child.
Most artwork pictures him as a teenager. Jewish tradition in the book of Jubilees agrees, saying he was fifteen (Jubilees 17:15-16). Another midrashic calculation makes him twenty-six (Gen. Rab. 56:8). But the most logical calculation, if we follow scripture, is a bit different.
When Genesis chapter 23 opens with today’s verse, it presupposes Sarah’s death, which therefore must have taken place in connection with the events of the previous chapter: the sacrifice of Isaac. The point is that even though Isaac lived, he never saw his mother Sarah again … or she, him. We are led to believe that the heartache of losing her son (or so she imagined must happen) caused her death.
Genesis 17:17 tells us that Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born. If she died at age 127, this means Isaac was 37 years old when Abraham took him up the mountain to sacrifice him.
A second version of the above listed midrash confirms this recalculation. It tells how Isaac actually asked to be bound on the altar, for “can one bind a man thirty-seven years old without his consent?”
Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)
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The God Show
Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
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About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
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