Passover: The Beginning of Months

Feasts of Israel Series, Part 2

“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2).

Israel’s long and circuitous route into slavery spans much of Genesis. You can read it yourself in chapters 37–47, but here’s the basic story.

Papa Israel was living contentedly in Canaan, raising a pack of twelve boys. Unfortunately, he made it known his favorite son was Joseph. The jealous siblings decided to get rid of little Joe by pawning him off to some traveling Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt.

After years as a slave, Joseph’s distinguished service brought him to the attention of Egypt’s Pharaoh, who promoted him to second in the land. Joe was in charge of preparing Egypt for the seven-year famine God had warned of. When the famine reached Canaan, Israel was able to bring his family to Egypt because of Joseph’s position of trust with Pharaoh.

They came to Egypt to ride out the famine. Then they stayed. Four hundred years later—long after the famine was over—Israel’s status as guests had worn out. Somehow, they had morphed into slaves.

They cried out to God for help and He set a date to break them out. Liberty, He said, would begin in the month of Abib.

Timing is Everything

Why choose Abib (later known as Nisan) as their new “beginning of months”?

Perhaps it had something to do with the gods exerting control over Egypt. After commanding Pharaoh to “let My people go,” God released a series of plagues which seemed designed to confront Egypt’s various gods one by one. (See Exodus 7–11)

Blood in the Nile defied the authority of Khnum, the god of the river. Khnum’s wife Heqt, the froggy-headed goddess of resurrection was disgraced by her own team mascot. Lice rendered Egyptian priests unclean, ousting them from their temples. Beelzebub lost control over his flies. The sacred bull Apis was powerless against a livestock epidemic. Imhotep, the god of medical cures, couldn’t prevent an outbreak of boils. Hailstones flew without the sky goddess Nut’s permission. Finally, darkness smothered the glory of the sun god Re.^[1]

The final plague, the death of the firstborn, would be a strike against all these gods at once. But it would be a particular humiliation for Amon, the head of all gods. His image was a ram. His special feast month? You guessed it—Abib.

Preparation is Everything

Before the fatal day, God prepared his people by marking them as a shepherd would mark his sheep. The blood of the sacrificial lamb on their doorposts would satisfy the destroyer. He would pass over their homes and let the sons go free. Amon’s drove of followers would wear no such sign of a substitute. When the destroyer came, it would be for their firstborn sons.

As the sun went down and the first Passover approached, the stage was set. Two great sheep were about to have a face-off—the butting ram of Amon would be to-to-toe with the Lamb of God.

We’ll be looking at how that battle came out in future weeks, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, chime in on what this part of the story means to you. When you look back at the times God delivered you from trouble, how important has the timing been? What combination of powers, what controlling “ram” did God have to confront to win your freedom?

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[1] Michael Norten, Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts (Nashville: West Bow Press, 2012, 2015), 1–3.