Passover as a Popular Jewish Holiday - Essay Example

Task: There several cultural practices that were present during God’s creation and their significance went throughout the bible even in the last book, Revolution written by John the Baptist. The book of revolution is referred to as an apocalypse. The book is a revelation of what will happen in the future. It uses the concepts and evidences derived from other books within the bible. Most of these cultures were popular with certain groups such as the Israelites. This essay will look into succinct analysis one of the main beliefs or occasion respected by the Israelites throughout the entire bible as well as its revelation or representation of the future as depicted in various biblical verses. The belief and celebration is Passover. Passover is a popular Jewish holiday and festival commemorating the exodus story during which the oppressed Israelites were freed from the harsh Egyptians, under Pharaoh the dictator. It is usually started at the day 15 of the month of Nisan, in the Jewish calendar. Actual narration of the day or the exodus reveals the means God used to rescue His children from Egypt. It talks about the ten plagues, the night before departure as well as all the activities that took place during that night. Further description also reveals that God led the Israelites in crossing the mighty Red Sea by giving them a charismatic leader who showed them the way by using a stick to strike the water allowing them to go through easily. Passover is one of the Jewish celebrations that go across the entire Bible. There are several occasions in the bible where the word is mentioned and its significance can be drawn from there. In the book of Genesis, God’s creation is accompanied by the creation of man in the last day, sixth day of creation. Human beings are considered the most important creatures among all creatures that God created. He gives them some of the abilities that are not present with other creatures. Genesis continues and in some chapters, Joseph, Jacob’s most preferred and loved son is sold to the Egyptian by his envious brothers. They return to Jacob, Joseph’s clothes claiming that he had been killed and eaten by an animal. Jacob mourns his son bitterly. In Egypt, Joseph faces numerous challenges as a staunch believer in God. He is tricked and lured by Potipha’s wife into sex. His refusal renders him arrest after the woman claimed that he wanted to rape him. Joseph is jailed but freed after his interpretation of King Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph grew an important person in Egypt and raised a family of the Jews or the Israelites. He was eventually put in high position. He was second in command to Pharaoh. He moved his whole family to Egypt and offered them protection there. 4 centuries later the Israelites had grown into a large population, hitting the 2 million mark. The high number of Jews in Egypt made the new pharaoh becomes afraid of their power. In order to maintain control of the land, he decided to turn them into slaves and oppressed them with harsh labor, ruthless and inhuman treatment. God came to rescue the Jews through a man named Moses who was a great grandson to Jacob. Moses was born during the time when Pharaoh had made an order that ensured the death of all Hebrew male. God, however, spared Moses when Pharaoh’s daughter found him near the Nile River bank. He was given the best care in the Egyptian most royal family. Moses later killed an Egyptian who had killed his fellow Israelite. After the incidence, he escaped to Midian. Expectedly, God appeared to Moses in Midian, in the form of a Burning Bush telling him, “’I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard their cries, I care about their suffering and I have come to rescue them. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt (Exodus 3: 7-10). Moses gave out some excuses but finally obeyed God’s command and went to Egypt in the company of Aaron as a spokesman. Pharaoh, as expected became adamant to Moses request to set the Israelites free. God punished him with ten plagues after which he gave in and left the Israelites to leave. The night before the departure marked the beginning of Passover. One strange occurrence during the night was the demise of the Egyptian’s male firstborns. They were killed by the angel of death sent from God. On reaching the Red Sea, the people became afraid and started crying as the Egyptian soldiers were after them. Moses struck the water using his stick and the path was created .between the waters. The Israelites walked safely to the other sides and the racing Egyptian armies drowned as they tried to go through the same path. They moved on with the journey before Moses’ death. God never let them down and gave them another leader, Joshua, who showed them the way helping them defeat their enemies. Joshua had a lot of favor from God. For instance, at Gibeon, he asked God to make the sun and the moon come to a standstill so that he could finish the battle with the Amorites on a broad daylight. God rendered him the favor. Throughout the entire Biblical context, there are several incidences where God has shown the Israelites His love and favor. He has always sent them prophets to warn them so that they correct their behaviors. For instance, Jeremiah was sent to warn the people against their mischievous behaviors that were against God’s commandments. Amos is another prophet that was sent to the people, especially the leaders to stop some of the common social problems, such as discrimination and corruption. God also sent Prophet Isaiah to tell the people about the coming Messiah who will deliver them from the bondage of their sins. God also gave them the Ten Commandments to help them live in the upright way. All these care was meant for God’s most loved and chosen people. Besides, he gave the Israelites God fearing and straightforward leaders like Solomon and David. They were meant to ensure that the Israelites lived a good life with no oppression from other neighboring leaders and kings. In the New Testament, Passover is revealed in several ways. The fulfilling of the coming of a savior is one of the many incidences ‘that show the real meaning of Passover as an occasion that symbolically represented God’s ;favor to His people. Jesus was the .Messiah himself. The miracles ‘he performed were meant to deliver God’s people from the bondage of sins. In the book of Luke 22, Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples saying that she was eager to have that time with them. “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:15-16, NLT). In this case, Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of the Passover through his blood and body. God commands the Israelites to ensure that they always commemorated the great deliverance from the Egyptian bondage. Christians are also charged with an obligation to remember and have in mind the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with his disciples. The Passover symbolized the great feast that will be there for those who will make it to Heaven. That is the apocalyptic significance of Passover. Work Cited Good News Bible. New York, NY: American Bible Society, 2009. Print. Read More