Building on the Foundation

  Guest blog post by Richard Gray The Night to Be Much Observed is an annual observance held by the churches of God. It is celebrated on the night of the fifteenth of Abib, the first of God’s seven annual holy days. The tradition is to gather together in one another’s homes or as a group in some facility to enjoy a meal and fellowship. This meal is to celebrate Israel’s journey from Rameses to Succoth, about twenty-four hours after they had observed Passover. It is said that they stopped there to have a meal late on the night of the fifteenth of Abib.  This is based on Exodus 12:42. “It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations” (KJV). This is indeed a night that God commands us to observe, but is having a meal, to celebrate Israel having a meal, is that what God is commanding us to do?  What is the great spiritual significance ...

  Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread mark the beginning of God’s plan of salvation. For ancient Israel, this feast launched a journey out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. For us today, it portrays the beginning of a journey out of this wicked world and into God’s Kingdom. This journey cannot begin without one vital step: separation. God separates and distinguishes His people from those around them. Had there been no separation or distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians, there could have been no deliverance for Israel. If there’s no separation or distinction between us and the world around us, there can be no deliverance for us, either. Indeed, the whole Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread, from beginning to end, is all about separation! We might go so far as to call it the feast of separation. Making a Difference For ancient Israel, the process of separation started during the months prior to Passover. After the first three plagues, God spoke through Moses a...

  In 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul admonished us regarding the Passover, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:27-28). This word “examine” is the same one translated “test” in 1 Thes. 5:21: “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” It’s Strong’s # G1381, dokimazo , and it means to try, test, examine, prove, or scrutinize. So before Passover, each one of us must scrutinize and examine his or her own heart, to avoid partaking in an unworthy manner. Among the Corinthians, failure to do this brought about God’s judgment: “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30). Paul added, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (v. 31). By this time, most of us have probably begun de-leavening our houses in anticipation of the Feast of Unleaven...