Shalom All ~
It is commanded to have a set-apart gathering on the first day. Do the Scriptures confirm what this first day is?
Exodus 12:6:
"And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the assembly of the congregation of Yisra'el shall kill it between the evenings.
The killing of the lamb takes place on the 14th between the evenings - ?
Exodus 12:8:
"And they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:15:
"Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. Indeed on the first day you cause leaven to cease from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that being shall be cut off from Yisra'el.
Notice very carefully "on the first day you cause leaven to cease from your house". Now, most of us go through a process of getting the leaven out of the house but according to Scripture, on what is described as the first day, leaven must cease from your houses. Now, if the 15th is the first day, this is the day in which the leaven must cease. In all honesty, is there anyone here who follows this command? In other words, do you wait until the 15th to get the last of the leaven out or do you do this before the 15th because traditionally, by the time the 15th starts, you are already in the midst of performing the "roasting in fire and will eat it that night". That night is the 15th - right?
Exodus 12:16:
"And on the first day is a set-apart gathering, and on the seventh day you have a set-apart gathering. No work at all is done on them, only that which is eaten by every being, that alone is prepared by you.
Exodus 12:18:
"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.
This Scripture says "on the 14th day of the month you will eat unleavened bread", yet it seems tradition has placed this date to the 15th. If the beginning of the day begins at evening, why would this verse say the 14th and not the 15th? I don't buy the "everyone knows", because this Scripture clearly says the 14th. This Scripture clearly confirms that you will eat unleavened bread on the 14th.
Exodus 12:22b:
And you, none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.
Deut. 16:7:
"And you shall roast and eat it in the place which Yahuah your Elohim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.
Now, the first day is a set-apart gathering, right?
Exodus 12:4:
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the beings, according to each man’s need you make your count for the lamb.
It seems by default here that there will be a gathering of individuals who are required to stay in his house until morning.
1) On the first day the lamb is killed between the evenings.
2) On the first day leaven must cease from your house.
3) On the first day is a set-apart gathering.
4) On the 14th day of the month in the evening you shall eat unleavened bread.
5) Eat the flesh on that night.
6) In the morning return to your tents.
Leviticus 23:5-7:
5 "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to Yahuah. 6 "And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to Yahuah - seven days you eat unleavened bread. 7 " On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.
This Scripture is clearly talking about two separate days. The 14th and the 15th.
If you had to chose between these two days to determine which is the first day; which one would it be?
a) the 14th
b) the 15th
Oh, by the way, here again: the first day you have a set-apart gathering.
Numbers 28:16-18:
16 "And in the first month, on the fourteenth day, is the Passover of Yahuah, 17 and on the fifteenth day of this month is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten. 18 "On the first day is a set-apart gathering , you do no servile work.
Uh, no quiz here, it says the same thing.
Now here's the possible eye-twitcher:
Deut. 16:4:
"And no leaven should be seen with you in all your border for seven days, neither should any of the meat which you slaughter in the evening on the first day stay all night until morning.
The day that the Passover lamb was slaughtered was the 14th and this verse refers to it as the first day. Now was the Passover lamb slaughtered on the 14th or the 15th?
Maybe that explains the six more days because the 14th began the eating of unleavened bread. The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the 15th.
Again - please compare:
Deut. 16:8:
" Six days you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is a closing festival to Yahuah your Elohim - you do no work.
Lev. 23:3:
"color=yellow] Six [/color] days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work , it is a Sabbath to Yahuah in all your dwellings.
Now what does the 14th represent? I mean, what took place on the 14th? Was not our Passover Lamb slain for us?
Now what does the 15th represent? A release from bondage?
So starting this year, because of Scriptural reasons, we are keeping the 14th day of the first month as a set-apart gathering. We will cause the final leaven to cease from our houses and most important of all, we will remember all the sufferings that Yahusha suffered on our account, to be that unblemished Lamb of Elohim. On the 15th, after we have stayed in the house all night, we will celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in which we will remember Yisra'el's release from bondage and the application of being released from bondage in the spiritual context.
~Greg