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THE LAW OF THE PASSOVER AND THE GUIDING CLOUD
Twelve months have elapsed since the Passover was held in Egypt; should it be kept up in the wilderness? Instructions are given that the Passover must be kept year by year, and the second Passover is now celebrated. Any who could not attend the regular Passover for one reason or another are ordered to keep a supplementary celebration (vv. 6-14). Specific instructions are then given inrelation to the guiding cloud above the Tabernacle.
The Second Passover — w. 1-5
Twelve months having passed since the original Passover, the people are instructed regarding the annual celebration which then follows.
VERSE 1
"And Yahweh spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt saying" — This was prior to the record with which the Book of Numbers commences (Num. 1:1), and was about the time when the instructions were given to Moses in relation to the Levites.
VERSE 2
"Let the children of Israel also keep the
passoyer at his appointed season" — The
only instructions given to Moses to this point of time, regarding the celebration of the Passover, were that it should be kept in the Land (Exod. 12:25; 13:5; Lev. 23:10). Now, however, with the Tabernacle completed and set up, instructions are given that the Passover should be kept in the wilderness.
VERSE 3
"In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season" — In fact, the Passover was celebrated on the 15th day of the month, though the animals were prepared and slain on the 14th. The word "keep" is 'asah and signifies to do or to make in the widest sense. The word is rendered "pre-
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pare" in Num. 15:5,6,12; Josh. 22:26. That, evidently, is the way in which it should be rendered here.
"According to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it" — These rites and ceremonies are outlined in Exodus 12. The Israelites were to keep the Passover as closely to those rites and ceremonies as was possible. Obviously they had to amend them, or adapt them according to their circumstances in the wilderness. For example, as they lived in tents, there was no lintels or doorposts upon which blood could be sprinkled, though doubtless the tent opening would suffice. Once Israel entered the land further amendments were required, for instead of celebrating it in the homes, Israelites were required to assemble at the centre appointed by Yahweh (Deut. 16:5-7). Meanwhile, instructions were given for the keeping of it in the wilderness. It was appropriate for the feast to be celebrated, for significant developments in the ultimate deliverance of the nation had taken place, such as the giving of the Law and the setting up of the Tabernacle.
VERSE 4
"And Moses spake unto the children of Israel that they should keep the passover"
— The celebration of the Passover was central in the worship of the Israelites, and therefore a most important occasion for them to observe.
VERSE5
"And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai" — The word "kept" is elsewhere rendered "prepared". See Josh. 5:10. It was prepared "between the evenings" as the Hebrew expresses it. This is set at between 3 and 6 pm when the Lambs were slain for the purpose. See notes Exod. 12:6.
"According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel" — The instructions had to be meticulously observed. As it was conducted in the wilderness of Sinai, (and, as it happened, it was the only occasion when it was so commemorated. See Josh. 5:6-11), it constituted the people's pilgrimage Passover, foreshadowing the Deliverance that believers commemorate each first day of the week. This second Passover, unlike the first, was both retro-
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spective (it looked back to the time they were in Egypt when the first Passover was held) ana prospective (it anticipated the fulfilment of deliverance in the Land of Promise). Therefore, like the celebration of Christ our Passover, it comprised the memorial of a past deliverance, and the pledge of a prospective inheritance in the Land. The partaking of the memorials is similar. It looks back "to shew the Lord's death"; it looks forward "until he come" (1 Cor. 11:26). Therefore, in both this people's pilgrimage Passover, as at the table of the Lord, the three great virtues of faith, hope and love are exhibited (1 Cor. 13:13). Faith looks back to his offering and is strengthened — as Israel would have been by similarly considering their deliverance from Egypt; Hope looks forward to his coming and is brightened — as Israel should have been by anticipating the promised inheritance ' in the Land; Love looks up to the Right Hand of the Father and is deepened — as Israel's love of Yahweh should have been by contemplation of what had been done for the nation. Deliverance from sin such as is effected through Christ is directly linked with the Passover (Luke 22:15; 1 Cor. 5:7). The Lord's passover commemorates "his decease (Gr. Exodus — the way out actually through death and resurrection) which he should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). In a very remarkable manner, therefore, this pil-grimate Passover foreshadowed the communion of Christ.
The Supplementary Passover — vv. 6-14
A second Passover is provided for those who, for any reason at all, cannot participate in the normal festival. A person may oe defiled for some reason, or may be absent from the land in a journey afar off, and so cannot participate in the regular Passover. Provision is made for such cases in a supplementary Passover. In type, it foreshadowed the present state of Israel. The nation is "defUed" by contact with death: that of the Lord Jesus Christ; it is absent in a journey "afar off" though some have returned. For them, therefore, there is appointed a "delayed" Passover, at the Lord's return. See Ezek. 45:21; Luke 22.15-16.
VERSE 6
"And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man,
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that they could not keep the Passover on that day" — In the Hebrew the word "dead" does not appear, and the word "body" is nephesh frequently rendered "soul". A person could be ceremonially defiled by coming into contact with another "defiled" person, including a leper. Contact with death certainly defiled, and this would make it impossible for an Israelite to keep the Passover (see Num. 19:11-16). In that regard, the hypocritical scrupulosity of the Jews relating to the death of the Lord should be noted (John 18:28), as well as the action taken by Joseph and Nicodemus in handling the dead body of the Lord (John 19:38-39) just prior to the Passover, which would disqualify them to partake of the festival which normally would have been celebrated that evening. Obviously they saw the significance of the message that Christ had delivered to Nicodemus early in his ministry: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness..." (John 3:14-16), and recognised that Moses' Passover had 'ven place to one with greater meaning, §n the other hand, despite the Jewish leaders' care to remain ceremonially un-defiled, when pressed by Pilate they were led to shout: "His blood be on us and our children". Through their action and and their words the nation which they represented was defiled by contact with death, and will not be cleansed therefrom until it has gone through the process predicted in Zechariah 12:1. Only then will it be able to nationally partake of the Passover with true meaning.
"And they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day" — This was before the command had been received that all who were defiled by the dead be removed from the camp (Num. 5:2). See note at v. 1 of this chapter.
VERSE 7
"And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of Yahweh in His appointed season among the children of Israel?" — In the Hebrew, the definite article is found: "the offering". It relates to the Passover Lamb.
VERSE 8
"And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what Yahweh will command concerning you" — The men in
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question were desirous of keeping the Passover, therefore they exhibited a willingness of mind to fulfil the requirements of Yahweh. On that basis, Moses was prepared to re-enter the Most Holy and make enquiry on their behalf (cp. Exod. 25:22; Num. 7:89).
VERSE 9
"And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying" — Moses evidently received this revelation from the Most Holy.
VERSE 10
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity" — The R.V. gives "posterity" as genealogies, it being the same word in the Hebrew as in Gen. 6:9.
"Shall be unclean by reason of a dead body" — Defilement through contact with a body whether dead or defiled, disqualified from partaking of the Passover. It taught Israelites that they should look beyond death, even as Paul taught the Ecclesia in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Whilst Yahweh, in His understanding mercy, can respect human sorrow (as Christ did at the tomb of Lazarus), He also expects believers to look beyond it to the life promised through a resurrection. There is also a typical foreshadowing of the Divine purpose in this law. Israel after the flesh "has no right to eat" of the altar of Yahweh's appointing (Heb. 13:10). Why? Because the nation is "unclean by reason of a dead body". When cleansed therefrom, as it is appointed the nation to be (Zech. 12:1), the people will partake of the Passover (Ezek. 45:21).
"Or be in a journey afar off' — Absence on a journey outside the Land made it impossible for an Israelite to keep the Passover. For nearly two thousand years, therefore, the nation has been "in a journey afar off' in that it was driven from the land. When the nation is restored in its fulness, the festival will again be kept, but with greater meaning then previously (see Jer. 16:14-15).
"Yet he shall keep the passover unto Yahweh" — Young renders this as "a passover". This supplementary passover was kept a month later than usual, so it was not "the passover."
VERSE 11
' The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it" — This supple-
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mentary Passover was kept a month later than usual, so that any who were unable to celebrate the first festival could do so the following month. Hezekiah applied the spirit of this law, though he did not apply it in its letter (2 Chron. 30:2).
"And eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs" — It was to be kept exactly as the first Passover.
VERSE 12
"They shall leave none of it unto the morning" — See note Exod. 12:10.
"Nor break any bone of it" — See Exod. 12:46, and note how this foreshadowed the Lord's offering as cited in John 19:36.
"According to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it" — See Exod. 12:43.
VERSE 13
"But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forebeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people" — An Israelite refusing to keep the Passover when he is able to do so shall be excommunicated. See notes at Exod. 12:15; 21:23.
"Because he brought not the offering of Yahweh in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin" — The expression means that he will bear the consequences of his deliberate refusal to obey the command. In this case punishment took the form of excommunication until he had fulfilled the terms that would permit of his restoration to the nation again.
VERSE 14
"And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto Yahweh" — The Hebrew word for "stranger" is ger and denotes a Gentile, in this case, a resident alien. Before such could keep the passover they had to accept the covenant of Moses and be circumcised. See Exod. 12:48.
"According to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do" — He had to observe it in exactly the same way as did the Hebrew.
"Ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land" — The stranger, by embracing the Mosaic covenant, became as the Israelites, and hence the one law applied to both.
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On the subject of the Passover, and its restoration in the coming Age, Bro. Thomas has some excellent comments in Elpis Israel pp. 295-298. Concerning the present celebration by the Jewish people, . he has this to say: "I am informed by a Jew that when they eat the passover they eat no lamb, but have a dry bone of one on a dish; and that all who celebrate take hold of the lip of the dish, and unitedly offer a petition. This is remarkable. They have slain the true Lamb, which believers of the gospel feed upon: while only a dry bone remains to them, strikingly illustrative of themselves. Faith in the Lamb of God supplies the absence of the lamb in the Lord s Supper. The broken bread and poured-out wine memoralize his sacrifice for believers; and the testimony, "This do in remembrance of me until I come", keeps alive the hope of his appearing in the kingdom of God. When hope becomes a reality, the supper will give place to the passover; for when Christ is come, the memorial of his coming ceases to be prophetic of the event."
The Ever-present Cloud — w. 15-23
The ever-present cloud, symbol of Yahweh's presence, is to lead the people through the wilderness. It is a symbol of divine guidance: direct, continuous, unmistakable, infallible. All plans, all routes, all camping, all marching are to be subject to "If the Lord will..."(James 4:15). To watch the guiding pillar is all that Israel is required to do. On that guidance the people are entirely dependent, and by following it they are absolutely safe. The lesson is clear to these times. The eyes of believers must ever be towards Yahweh (Col. 3:1), whose eyes is constantly upon them (see Num. 33:2; Psa. 32:8).
VERSE 15
"And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up" — This was the first day of Abib, two weeks before the celebration of the second Passover (see Exod. 12:40). The word for "tabernacle" is mishkan, or "dwelling place". It was the. throne of Yahweh, His dwelling place, in the midst of Israel.
"The cloud covered the tabernacle" — The word for cloud is anan, and it signifies "to cover". The word relates to clouds as intervening, and covering up the brightness of sun or sky. This cloud
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intervened to shroud Yahweh's glory. The Psalmist declares of Yahweh that "He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light by night" (Psa. 105:39). In that way the cloud would give protection from the fierce sun that burns with great intensity of heat in Sinai. The statement of the Psalmist suggests that whilst the pillar of the cloud ascended from the area of the Most Holy, it spread over the whole camp as a canopy protecting it from the oppressive heat of the sun, the light of which is very intense in Sinai. It provided a basis for the symbolism of Rev. 7:16: "neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat". Figuratively the heat of the sun represents persecution or anger, so that the reference suggests protection from such. Moreover, the cloud by day and the fire by night taught the principle expressed by the Psalmist: "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Yahweh is Thy keeper; Yahweh is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Yahweh shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. Yahweh shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore" (Psa. 121:5).
"Namely the tent of the testimony" — The tent of the testimony represented that part of the Tabernacle in which was the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments. Therefore the cloud ascended above the western portion, indicating that the most sacred object was found therein.
"And at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning" — As the sun sank in the west, the cloud gradually took on the appearance of fire, and so illuminated the darkness. This provided visible endorsement of the words of the Psalmist: "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous" (Psa. 112:4). The fire by night was an emblem of the purifying and protecting presence of Yahweh as revealed in the Word during the night of Gentile times (John 9:4). Yahweh is described as "a consuming fire" (Deut. 4:24), whilst the Cherubim, which symbolise His manifestation to men, are described as enfolded in fire (Ezek. 1:4,27; 8:2). It is also significant, that when the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles, it appeared "as cloven tongues of fire, and