What struck us the most this Passover and Unleavened bread season was how little emphasis is placed on the LAMB and the BLOOD that had to be shed to prevent the angel of death from taking lives that were rightfully his to take.  The Haggadah (The Rabbinic book containing the story of the Exodus and the ritual of the Seder, read at the Passover Seder) puts a lot of emphasis on the plagues and on the circumstances surrounding the time frame but very little attention is given to what is really important.  The Messianic Haggadah does very little more than this, just manipulating the Jewish elements to make Jesus fit in there, never realising that the roots are not Biblical.  Don't get me wrong, I believe people's motives are fine but so much is lost when you follow  man-made liturgy.  We really have a problem with the prayers saying that God has commanded us to light candles for this that or the other reason (because He never did) and that He has sanctified us with His Commandments.  He never did that either.  But, instead of harping on what God didn't say, let me just put here what He did say.  I will put our pictures in where I have pictures to put in and my commentary is in this colour.

Exodus 12:
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,

 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
We knew in advance how many people would be there.  It was 28 people in total and then we did this meal again a whole week later for those who weren't in the country the first time and there were 27 totally different people.

 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Can you imagine how it must be to spend time with the lamb for 4 days and then kill it?   How would the children react?  Jesus was without blemish, the firstborn son, set apart for us, examined from the time He came into Jerusalem, accused, sentenced and crucified at the same time as the Lambs were being slaughtered.  Incredible how prophecy was fulfilled!!!!  The commands were a shadow of things to come, how amazing that our Passover Lamb became the ultimate Sacrifice!!

8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.


The green stuff is the bitter herbs.  We use Hyssop because of the various references made to it in the Bible.  It is very bitter but gives the meat a delicious flavour!
This is not the best picture but you get the idea.  We made our unleavened bread dough, made balls, rolled them flat and then cooked them on the upside down wok thingy over the fire.  Everyone had lots of fun kneading and rolling and baking as we explained the significance of the bread without leaven, the bread of affliction and how different it is from the Bread of Life.

10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

 There was nothing left!!  There was exactly enough for everyone.  That is just so like God, He provides exactly what we need every time!

11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.

We do not sit down to this meal.  We are reminded that the Israelites had to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.  We do not dress up fancy, we just do what is necessary to obey the commands.

12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

So that is Passover.  The next verses pertain to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

5Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

 16And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

 17And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

 19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

 20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

This year, even though we had guest with us from overseas, we did not eat leaven.  We made all sorts of baked goods without leaven though.  No yeast and no baking powder.  Everything else allowed.  Not what the rabbis say, just what God said.  It is a good reminder......My dh has always said, "surely you can give up bread for one week for God!"  It is true, some people don't have bread for weeks for totally different reasons.

The next section of Exodus talks about the execution of the commands which God gave.

21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.  There's that hyssop again.

 23For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.  Only the Blood makes us any different......

 24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

 25And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

 26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

 27That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshiped.  This is why we love teaching this.....  it is such a great parallel of how we have been saved from the destruction and wages of sin.

 28And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

 29And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 

 30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

 31And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

 32Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

 33And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

 34And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

 35And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

 36And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

 37And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

 38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

 39And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

 40Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

 41And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

 42It 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.

 43And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

 44But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

 45A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

 46In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.  We all watched it being cooked and all ate it there, none was left so we had none to take anywhere.  The bones were not broken.  Just like Jesus had no bones broken.

 47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

 48And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.  A circumcision of the heart is all that is necessary here, we don't do any checking .

 49One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

 50Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

 51And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

 So, we also had roasted vegetables with the lamb and unleavened bread but for the most part we didn't deviate much from the instructions.  It was a very, very special time (both times ) and we learn so much every year that we do this.  Thanks for sharing.