Through faithfully keeping the Last Day of Unleavened Bread our understanding of God’s way and His plan of salvation is increased. But there are also monumental events that occurred on this day during the history of the ancient nation of Israel.
Paul recites two major events in the book of Hebrews: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after they were encircled for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:29-30). These two events offer particular lessons for us today.
Look at the timing. According to tradition, the crossing of the Red Sea took place six days after the Passover, thus Israel crossed over on the seventh day, the Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:4-8). Likewise, the fall of Jericho took place on the seventh day following the keeping of the Passover, and during the intermediate days, Israel marched around the city (Joshua 6:1-5). Why are these two turning points in Israel’s history significant?
By faith Israel came through these two battles. At the shore of the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army bearing down on them, Israel was trapped. God acted to save them, stalling the Egyptians with a pillar of cloud, and parting the sea so that the people could cross on dry ground. It was an act of faith to cross, and though the Israelites did so in fear, they did cross over.
By the time of Joshua, and due to the loss of the disobedient generation in the wilderness, Israel had replacement numbers, but no population growth in forty years of wandering. Nonetheless, God miraculously divided another body of water by parting the Jordan River, and the nation crossed over and kept the Passover. Then, following God’s instruction to Joshua, the Israelites, in procession led by the priests and the Ark of the Covenant marched around the walls of the key enemy city of Jericho for six days. On the seventh day, the priests blew trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls fell (Joshua 6: 1-5). By faith Israel followed through on this unusual battle plan and God delivered the city to them.
During neither event did Israel win by sheer physical force. God accomplished both victories through His own power. Yet at the same time, Israel was called on to act. They had to “go forward” at the Red Sea. And at Jericho, Israel had to physically destroy what was left of the city.
It’s important to note Israel’s mindset during both events. Though in faith the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they did so with fear and trepidation. Again, by faith they took Jericho, but this time they did so boldly.
The size of the Body of Christ, God’s church over the centuries, has varied, yet the promises are the same. Some plant, some water – but it is always God who gives the increase. Size is not necessarily the determining factor of success. By faith we move forward in boldness: “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Hebrews 11:39-40).
Keeping the Last Day of Unleavened Bread should remind us of these incredible circumstances of God’s intervention in physical Israel. How much more will He intervene for spiritual Israel? We must keep going forward in faith, not in fear, but boldly, until God fulfills His promise. For us, for those on the list of the faithful in Hebrews 11, and for all our spiritual forebears, we wait until Christ returns and establishes that “better thing” – the Kingdom of God.
John Grabara