Here is a paper I wrote for my OT Theology class... comments appreciated.----Here is a paper I wrote for school this semester in my OT THeology class, I wrote on Passover. comments appreciated---###Introduction###God had promised Abraham that before his descendants would ever posses the land of Canaan, they would serve as slaves and be oppressed in a foreign land for over four-hundred years. Then in that fourth generation, God promised He would judge the nation that enslaved them, and would deliver them and bring them into the land of promise (Gen 15:12-16). After four-hundred years of living in Egypt, “the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Ex 2:23-24; NASB). In remembering His covenant, God set about to deliver the children of Israel from the oppressive hand of Egypt through a series of divine judgments, so that they might enter the land of Canaan.In the tenth and final judgment upon Egypt, God said He would strike the land of Egypt so as to cause the firstborn in the land- rather beast or man, rather Hebrew or Egyptian –to die (Ex 12:12). However, if God saw the two doorposts and lintel of a house marked with the blood of a lamb when He came to judge Egypt, then He would “pass over” the house, and spare those inside of it from this judgment (Ex 12:21-23). This is perhaps the most significant event in the entire Old Testament. For in it God not only overwhelmingly demonstrated His might over any other god (Ex 12:12), but He also brought about the deliverance of the entire nation of Israel. This event was so significant in the history of Israel, that God commanded that the month in which the tenth judgment came on Egypt would mark the beginning of the Hebrew calendar (Ex 12:2), in which the first national religious festival was to be observed. This festival would serve as a “memorial” (Ex 12:14) to God’s mighty deliverance in which He passed over the homes marked with blood. This event would be known as “Passover,” for in it God passed over the homes that were marked with lamb’s blood (Ex 12:27).###Passover Etymology###“Passover” has been the traditional translation of the Hebrew verb “pasah,” found in such verses as Exodus 12:13, 23, and 27. However, some scholars have recently provided an alternative translation for the feast known as Passover. One such scholar, Meredith Kline, has suggested that instead of calling this event Passover, it should instead be called, “The Feast of Cover-over.” As awkward as this phrase may sound , Kline sets forth a strong argument that seems to support her theory.Her primary argument is that the Hebrew verb pasah denotes more of a “sheltering action.” This is perhaps best seen where it says that the Lord when passing through Egypt will “not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you” (Ex 12:23). The image here is that of the Divine destroyer acting as God’s emissary, as one who is trying to gain entry into the house, but finds himself unable to do so as God has barred entry to the homes where blood is smeared. It is argued therefore that pasah does not quite denote a taking of a detour or skipping over, but rather that pasah shows God denying entry to the destroyer, acting as a deterrent, whereby God stations Himself squarely in front of the door acting like a guardian at a gate. God is therefore seen to be providing a covering over the house than simply as passing over it. As strong as this argument seems, Kline seems to pass over a verse in the Passover account of Exodus 12 that provides further context to understand what is trying to be conveyed. God explains that the blood smeared on the doorposts and lintel of homes would serve “as a sign” (Ex 12:13). The additional imagery provided here in this instance does not seem to be one of God barring entrance to the destroyer, rather, the blood seems to act as a street sign providing direction to traffic. In this instance, God says that when He “[goes] through” (Ex 12:12) the land of Egypt, if He sees one of these signs on a house, He promises that He will not enter the home and strike it. Instead, He will pass over the house and go down the street to the next one.So which imagery is it that will contextually supply a better translation for pasah? The first image provided in the Biblical account is surely that of a sign that causes God to move on down the road; whereas the second image used seems to indeed be that of God barring entrance to the blood smeared house. If both images are equally considered, then it is possible to still translate pasah as Passover instead of the awkward Cover-over. Perhaps a more modern example will best clear this up. If somebody were to go to a theme park and attempt to ride the latest roller coaster, there would be a sign just before getting on the roller coaster that designated a minimum height required in order for participants to experience the ride. There would likewise be an employee of the theme park present at the gate that would not permit anybody on the roller coaster unless they met the minimum requirements. So it is in the Passover narrative, that the blood on the doorposts and lintel act as a sign, and God acts as a guardian who is ready to enforce what the sign says. It is not that the destroyer is trying to ignore the sign and slip past the guardian, but the destroyer knows by the sign that he will not be able to gain entrance, and that it would be futile to even try, so instead he will go elsewhere. ###The Ritual###God commanded Moses that Passover be observed on the fourteenth of Nisan (March-April), which was the first month of the Hebrew calendar (Ex 12:2, 6). While Passover did not officially start until the fourteenth, preparation for it was to begin on the tenth of Nisan. On the tenth, each household was to separate an unblemished male lamb that was a year old, which would be sacrificed and consumed four days later (Ex 12:3-6). On the fourteenth each household was to kill the lamb at twilight, and smear the blood of it upon the doorposts and lintel of their home (Ex 12:6-7). The lamb was then to be roasted with fire, and quickly consumed with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If the family was unable to consume the entire lamb, the leftovers were to be burned the next morning (Ex 12:9-11).The fourteenth of Nisan was not only when Passover was observed, but also marked the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:14). This feast was to be observed for seven days, until the twenty-first of Nisan (Ex 12:18). During this period, all leaven had to be removed from each household, and nobody was permitted to eat any leavened bread. Also, the first and seventh days of the feast were treated as Sabbaths, where doing any work was forbidden (Ex 12:16-17). ###Meaning and Theological Purpose###There is a lot of meaning behind the cultic rites performed during the Passover ceremony. Whereas the meaning behind many of the rites performed in the Old Testament is often obscure, as many are seldom explained, Passover is quite different. Unlike many other rites, the meaning behind Passover is greatly explained in Scripture, and as a result, it seems to seldom suffer from overly fanciful interpretations, as do other less explained ceremonies. While not every detail is explained, the aim of every part of the ceremony is towards serving as a memorial to future generations, testifying of the great deliverance where God delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians. The reason that the fourteenth of Nisan was selected as the date Passover would be remembered is because it was “on the same day” (Ex 12:51) that God delivered Israel from Egypt. Therefore, the generations to follow would “celebrate” (Ex 12:47) this day in the same manner as it had been first observed. Besides Passover serving as a memorial of God’s deliverance, it also marks the beginning of the barley season in Palestine. But what of the tenth of Nisan, when the Passover lamb was selected? It is not stated in the Scriptures why the tenth day was selected, but it is possible to assume the tenth was chosen because the Passover act was the tenth judgment of God upon Egypt. Central to this memorial was the Passover meal. In it, a household was to gather inside their home and consume an entire lamb, as well as unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If a household was too small to eat the lamb, then the nearest household was to take in the smaller one to share the meal together (Ex 12:4). Not just anybody could sit down to eat it though. Only those who were circumcised could partake of the meal (Ex 12:43-49), or in other words, those who were part of the “covenant community.” The Passover meal brought with it a very strong sense of community, and Israelites that did not celebrate it were to be considered “cut off” (Num 9:13) from Israel. Such a ceremonial meal has often been a strong way of bringing about a sense of covenant community. In fact, this was no innovation. Stripped from all the details, scholars believe there lies a more primitive pattern behind Passover. Such can be seen in the Scriptures, as when Melchizedek made a treaty with Abraham, he did so while offering him bread and wine (Gen 14:18-24). Also, when Abimelech made an alliance with Isaac, they likewise ate and drank (Gen 26:30). Even in modern times, eating together is a standard method around the world of establishing ties of kinship or alliance. The blood of the lamb became a “mark of protection” that turned away the judgment of God, serving as a type of Christ (1 Cor 5:7), and the lamb itself became a “catalyst of family communion.” The unleavened bread was a symbol of the quickness by which Israel would suddenly leave Egypt; for if the bread was leavened, time would be needed for it to rise. But the Hebrews would be departing Egypt very quickly, so they were told to be dressed and ready to go (Ex 12:11). The bitter herbs accompanying the meal served as a reminder of the bondage and suffering that Israel experienced under Egypt. After God delivered Israel from Egypt, the Old Testament records a large span of time in which Israel settled in the land promised to them, and likewise, was removed and brought back into yet again. During this time Israel continued to observe the tradition handed down to them. Yet, as crucial as Passover is to this covenant community, it is only sprinkled throughout the rest of the Old Testament. The following are the only narrative accounts of Passover in the Old Testament: Ex 12; Num 9:4-6; Jos 5:10-12; 1 Kngs 9:25/2 Chron 8:12-13; 2 Chron 30, 2 Kngs 21-23; 2 Chron 35:1-19; Ezra 6:19-22. Drawing from these passages, there emerges an apparent theological theme in which Passover is used in the Old Testament narratives in a way that goes beyond the meaning of a commemoration festival. In each narrative the Passover celebration appears as an intermediary element that marks a new stage in the history of Israel. For example, in Egypt the Passover served as a marker to divide the period of Israel’s history when they were slaves, and introduces them to a time of freedom. The Passover celebrated in Canaan closes the period of wilderness wanderings and inaugurates the abundance they begin to experience in the Promised Land. Both Hezekiah’s and Josiah’s Passovers mark the end of apostasy and mark a time of religious revival. While in each narrative the Passover celebration is described differently, this does not take away from the theological purpose it served for the writers of the Old Testament.###Conclusions###Israel was horribly oppressed and under the bondage of the Egyptians for four generations, just as God had promised Abraham. Through ten acts of divine judgment, God delivered Israel from Egypt, “by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm” (Deut 5:15). The tenth of these acts was the mightiest of them all. So grand was the judgment that Pharaoh’s hardened heart was finally broken so as to let God’s people go- and to not let them go empty-handed, but with silver, gold, and clothing (Ex 12:35-36). By God’s deliverance provided at Passover, Israel “plundered” (Ex 12:36) the Egyptians as if though they had just won a war.The Passover observance was therefore a national holiday by which Israel celebrated the mighty deliverance God provided for the nation. This deliverance that God provided was not just something Israel reenacted through ceremony each year to remember a past event, but in participating in Passover, Israel actualized their past deliverance, and experienced it for themselves. What God did in Egypt He did for all Israel, in every generation. Passover served as a method of discipleship for each generation (Ex 12:26-27), so that each generation would partake of the covenant community of faith. It also was a means by which the covenant community would renew themselves to God, and as it did initially, served a means of marking a new stage in their history.
