2 Ch. 35: Josiah's Passover and Death

2 Chronicles 35:7 "Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand sheep and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king's own possessions."

Josiah celebrates the Passover. The passage here describes Josiah's Passover as unlike any Passover celebrated before, since Samuel. Hezekiah celebrated Passover though? What's the deal? What was the difference between Hezekiah's Passover and Josiah's Passover? We know that Hezekiah's passover was not exactly done according to the rules laid down for Passover (Ex. 12), so perhaps Josiah's was more in line with those rules.

Another interesting point in Josiah's Passover that gave me pause was how he, the king himself, provided so many sheep, goats, and cattle for the lay people. These people probably did not set aside an animal without blemish, probably were just as unprepared for the Passover as those in Hezekiah's day. The king didn't have to do this, but it is important for a couple reasons. One, because the king set an example to the entire nation that this was an important event to comemmorate the exodus. The second was to show what kind of king Josiah was. He sacrificed of himself so that those who couldn't do it themselves were able to keep the covenant.

The ark is also specifically ordered to stay put in the temple, implying that it went mobile for a while for some reason. Which was not right, because the temple established permanence for God, his people, and essentially the people were not letting God stay put where He needed to be.

Josiah gets all scared when Neco (not Necco) the Pharaoh of Egypt wants to go through Israel to fight someone at Carchemish. Neco's response to Josiah's challenge is very interesting... 

"What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."

God was not only active in Israel, he was orchestrating this war between Egypt and what I guess is Syria. Why? I don't know? Perhaps as judgment on Syria? On behalf of Israel? Not sure, but God apparently had a foreign policy as well. Josiah doesn't consult with God to make sure Neco is telling the truth, doesn't talk to any of his prophets...he just makes assumptions that God could not possibly be working through or using this pagan king.

Josiah's intervention is surprising considering the devotion he had generally in walking in the ways of the LORD. It proves disastrous, and winds up being the death of him. But he interfered in what God was doing.

More on Josiah: 2 Kings 21-23, Entries 

2 Ch. 30: Passover Renewed

2 Chronicles 30:17 "Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the LORD."

I don't know how long it had been since we saw Passover. But I imagine it was a pretty long freakin' time. In fact, the very last time it was even mentioned was in Joshua, before the time of any king. So far removed from the minds and culture of the people of Israel was Passover that it simply was not enough for their king to declare that they would celebrate it. The priests hadn't even kept up on their own consecration and purification rites to celebrate it at the prescribed time. Besides, the people must have thought, who was this guy Hezekiah anyway? He was brand new on the throne. The couriers who brought the invitations to Passover were ridiculed, so far out was this idea of Passover. Also because the invitation got right down to it and didn't mince any words. Didn't much care whether or not anyone was offended.

I am not too sure about this. I can appreciate Hezekiah wanting to re-center the kingdom again on the pivot point of the sacred rituals. Would God? What's the deal here? What I have come to learn is that despite what I think should happen when people do stuff, God does whatever he will.

Verses 17-20 make up an amazing passage and a wonderful view into the heart of God. People came to this Passover, and so many came who didn't consecrate themselves, whether they didn't have time, didn't know how...they just didn't. And there were clearly defined rules for Passover. But wise Hezekiah...he knew God was after the hearts of people, and here His people were, giving their hearts to him by following Passover. They wanted to partake of this ritual that identified themselves as being God's people. Hezekiah prayed that God would forgive them...forgive them...(the sin being trying to reach God their own way)...who seek God, regardless of ceremonial cleanness. I find that pretty incredible that Hezekiah would have the balls to pray like that. 

2 Ki. 23: Josiah's 180

2 Kings 23:22 "Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed."

The kingship in Judah looks like a turnover-filled football game. One king will run Judah one way, another king will immediately run it back the other way. And with fervor. No kings appear to just be go-to-work type kings. Either they are ardently for the LORD, or against. And passionately so, and it appears to be tied to religion.

What Josiah does to turn Judah back to the LORD reads like a religious who's who of the idols and practices of the day. Judah, in their polytheism, basically did it all. Baal. Asherah. Starry hosts. High places. Child sacrifice to Molech. The sun, Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Ashtoreth. The mediums, the spiritists, the household gods and the idols. He went so far as to slaughter the priests of the idols, and burn them on the altars meant for these other gods.

Then he commanded the celebration of Passover. Which sounds familiar, but hasn't even been mentioned since Joshua 5. commentary Like a thousand years ago.

But the LORD was still angry because of Manasseh, and despite Josiah's efforts to remove and destroy these things, Josiah was out of luck, and was killed by the Pharaoh when he took Judah to war. Josiah was even described as following the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength (Dt. 6:5). What was the reason for this? Why did the seemingly innocent Josiah have to pay for the actions of Manasseh and those before him? And Judah, the land of David would be subject to the same judgement as Israel.

Jehoahaz is Josiah's replacement, but is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco so he could rule from Jerusalem. Basically an evil king, he turns Judah back around. Jehoahaz dies in captivity, and Josiah's next son, Eliakim is put on the throne by Neco, but is given the name Jehoiakim for some reason. Jehoiakim paid Neco protection money from the taxes. Jehoiakim was evil too.

And I react to this thusly. If God had allowed Josiah to keep ruling, perhaps Judah wouldn't have fallen into these evil kings this soon. But, probably, someone would have. And the hard truth of it is, Judah was in need of judgement, the way God saw it. And Josiah was the unfortunate innocent bearer of blood.

Dt. 16: Remember Passover?

Deuteronomy 16:3 "Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt."

Well, Passover. And yeast. The Israelites did not have time to put yeast in their bread. They did not have time to waste waiting for their bread to rise as they were about to escape bondage. Deuteronomy calls unleavened bread the "bread of affliction." What is that supposed to mean? You are afflicted with disease, with illness...with inconvenience?

God really hammers this "remember when you were slaves in Egypt" business. I wonder why that is. At some point, I'd want to start being able to look forward completely, and forget that unpleasantness. Would forgetting the slavery unpleasantness mean also forgetting the rescue and redemption God carried out?

Anyway, once again, yeast is not even to be found in the land for seven days.

In verse eight, it says to eat the unleavened bread for six days, while in verse 3 it says seven. Possibly because "seven days" is another word for "a week." A seventh day Sabbath is included in a week.

Here's a little more about the feast of weeks. It actually has something to do with the harvest. Seven weeks from the beginning of the harvest, the people make a freewill offering in proportion to what the LORD has blessed them with in these seven weeks.

Nu. 28: Offerings and Feasts

Numbers 28:2 "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.'"

How about another review of the offerings and feasts? (click to enlarge)

Nu. 9: Passover II: It’s Biblical

Well, we’re a month into the second year after leaving Egypt. And everyone did it the way they were supposed to, and observed it the right way and all that. Some of the Israelites had been defiled by a dead body during Passover. But they still wanted to participate, which I find pretty amazing. They wanted to take ownership in this celebration, this commemoration of leaving Egypt.

And I love how they go to the source, Moses. They knew who to ask, they apparently held a deep respect for who he was, and his relationship with God. They wanted to be able to observe this, they needed to know if they could or when. After all, Passover only comes once a year. Moses didn’t know, and that’s cool. He didn’t try to guess at what God would say. He was humble enough to go bring that question to God.

I kind of find it strange that God would have this sort of reactionary command. Why wouldn’t he put in place statutes at the original command? One could argue that God gave the regulations for Passover before he gave the regulations for cleanliness in respect to dead bodies. After all, failure to celebrate Passover resulted in being cut off from one’s people. In my NIV, it says “celebrate,” and not “observe.” Anyway, basically they had to wait an extra month…the fourteenth day of the second month, as opposed to the first.

God made himself obvious to the Israelites with his presence in the cloud. Whenever the cloud lifted off the tabernacle, it was time to move. It could have been a few days, it could have been years, apparently. I couldn’t imagine living like that. Day to day, having to have the mindset that “Today we could be moving again…” I don’t even like thinking about when I might move next, like years down the road. Oh, and the cloud looked like fire at night. A flaming cloud could be like totally sweet. It would be kind of hard to conceptualize visually what that would look like…maybe a big gas explosion…that was stable…I don’t know.

Ex. 12: Enter the Destroyer: Passover

The beginning of chapter 12 is an instruction manual to Israel for how God has designed for them to celebrate the LORD's Passover. Basically, God started them off in their first month, Nisan. Apparently around March-April.

God gave very explicit instructions...you wouldn't want to screw this up, believe you me.

• On the 10th day of this month, each man will take a defectless, one-year old lamb (from sheep or goats) for their household, sharing with their neighbor if they have too much.
  

• This lamb will be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month, when all of Israel slaughters them.

• Some of the blood from this slaughtered lamb must be painted on the sides and tops of the doorframes of each house.

• That same night, they must eat every part of the lamb (head, legs, organs, etc.), and it must be roasted over a fire, not boiled in water. Probably it just tasted better. Anything left over until morning must be burned.
  

There were even instructions as to how to eat it: Ready to run: Cloak tucked into belt, sandals on feet, and staff in hand. And eat it quickly. Probably because what God is getting ready to do tonight will force a fast escape. God said He would strike down the firstborn of every household...Pharaoh on down to the prisoner in the dungeon and the livestock as well. The blood on the door will be the sign that God will pass over them. They will go untouched if they follow these instructions.

Other instructions include that any hired help or slaves could partake of the passover feast, provided they had been circumcised first. Worth it? Probably. GO under the knife to save my firstborn? Where do I sign up?

It also had to be eaten inside the house only. Don't go waving it around outside.

Don't break any bones. That was another instruction. Why would broken bones be a no-no? Is it just sloppy? Is it a sort of "disrespect" to the sacrifice? A sort of needless additional destruction when only the blood was necessary?

And this day, the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt. 430 years to the first day of official enslavement.


Interesting here, is that God tells Israel to "celebrate," not just observe or commemorate. This is a time to draw glory to God, and worship Him for His deliverance. It was meant as a festival that will continue with each generation to come.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

For seven days in this festival, the Israelites were commanded to eat bread made without yeast. They even had to remove the yeast from their houses, so no yeast accidentally even made it into the bread. In fact, anyone eating anything with yeast in it during this week was to be cut off from Israel. Period. Scary. The first and last days of this week, the Israelites were commanded to join together in a sacred assembly. Outside of preparing food for everyone to eat, there was to be no work done on these days.

The point of this feast was to celebrate God's bringing them out of Egypt.

So, first month, day 10 - 14: Passover. First month, days 14 - 21: Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Moses gathers the elders, and passes along what God told him, the Passover lamb, the blood on the doors, the protection from the destroyer. This is an angel or something, some kind of being, but I get the idea its not God Himself. Moses goes on to tell them what to tell their children if they ask why there is this feast. And the Israelites, apparently over the whole enslavement and no straw in the bricks punishment, do what he said.

As the clock strikes midnight, the LORD took out the firstborns, and Egypt resonated with the wailing of grieving familes. The Word says there was not one house without someone dead. Can you imagine?

By this time, Pharaoh had enough, and he summoned Moses and Aaron that very night, telling them to get out of there. Oh, and also to bless him.

The Egyptians also hurried the Israelites out. In the hurry, Israelites took their dough before the yeast was added, as well as the gold and silver from the Egyptians who gave it to them, essentially.

The exodus was 600,000 men, besides women and children...so I'd estimate it was at the very least 2,000,000 people? I dunno. That's probably low. Most families I've read about this far had anywhere from 2 to 5 children. What a mass of people, caterpillarring across the wilderness out of Egypt. Livestock and herds...I wish I could have seen that sight. They all had their unleavened bread, baked without yeast, because they didn't have time to snatch it up when they were being booted out of Egypt.

They lived in Egypt exactly 430 years. That's a long time to be enslaved by a country. That would be like America being enslaved since 1577. I wonder how many people lived and died only knowing enslavement to the Egyptians.