Wednesday, January 20, 2016

To the Very Day...What Day?



TO THE VERY DAY

“At the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Ex 12:41).

Miraculous events in scripture often coincided with the time of the daily temple offerings (the 3rd and 9th hour of the day).  Significant events also aligned with the anniversary of festival days.  No greater example is given in scripture than the crucifixion of Jesus, which began at the time of the morning offering (Mark 15:25), concluded at the time of the evening offering (Mark 15:34), and occurred on the Feast of Passover, (Matt 26:2).  Passover originated 1300 years prior to the crucifixion when the LORD redeemed Israel from the bondage of Egypt.  Even the date of Passover was not arbitrary, but fell on the anniversary of another day that occurred exactly 430 years earlier, in the words of Moses, “At the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Ex 12:41).  The passage begs the question, to what “very day” 430 years earlier is Moses referring?

The generally accepted duration for Israel’s sojourn in the land of Egypt is four hundred years, in accordance with the words foretold by the LORD to Abraham “Your descendants will be strangers in a land…will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years,” (Gen 15:13).  Stephen recounted the same promise in Acts, stating that the offspring of Abraham would be enslaved and afflicted for “four hundred years,” (Acts 7:6).  However, when Israel left Egypt, Moses appeared to speak of a slightly longer duration, “At the end of four hundred and thirty years.”  Paul used the same timeframe of Moses in his letter to the Galatians “the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later,” (Gal 3:16-17).  Whether four hundred or four hundred and thirty years, both durations appear to be much longer than could be accomplished by the recorded genealogies.

Based on scripture, only four generations passed during Israel’s stay in Egypt, as foretold by the LORD, “in the fourth generation they will return,” (Gen 15:16).  This understanding is supported by the reconstruction of Moses' lineage:  Levy to Kohath (Ex 6:16), Kohath to Amram (Ex 6:18), and then Amram to Moses (Ex 6:20).  The cumulative sum of all the years in Egypt of Moses’ lineage did not exceed 350 years.  This total is derived by adding the entire length of Kohath’s life (133 years-Ex 6:18) to Amram’s life (137 years-Ex 6:20), to the age of Moses at the time of the Exodus (80 years old).  However, scripture indicates that Kohath was already alive when Israel entered Egypt, (Gen 46:11).  Further, the lives of Kohath, Amram, and Moses overlapped, and some deduction must be taken for the common years.  The more likely duration that Israel sojourned in Egypt was closer to 200-250 years.  So now we have three additional questions: (1) What was the actual duration that Israel sojourned in Egypt? (2) To what does the 400-year duration refer? and (3) To what does the 430-year duration refer?

The Rabbis understood this paradox in timing and formulated an understanding based on the original promise of the LORD to Abraham, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years,” (Gen 15:13, KJV).  The Rabbis reasoned that the “seed” was Isaac and the timing of the four hundred years began with the birth of the seed (Isaac) and not the entry of Israel into the land of Egypt.  After all, Abraham was already a sojourner and stranger in the land (Gen 23:4), making Isaac a stranger in the land at the time of his birth.  Further, the promise to Abraham was given thirty years prior to the birth of Isaac, explaining the thirty year difference between the 400-year and 430-year durations.  Therefore, the promise came 430 years before the Exodus and there were 400 years from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus.  Apparently, this was the commonly accepted interpretation of the Rabbis by the first century, as reflected in the words of Paul who directly connected the promise of the “seed” given to Abraham to the beginning of the 430 year period.

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made.  He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect,” (Gal 3:16-17)

According to Paul, four hundred and thirty years passed between the “promises made” about the seed (Isaac, or in Paul's midrash, Christ), until the “law”, which came on Pentecost, fifty days after the Exodus.  We know from scripture that Isaac was sixty years old when Rachel bore Jacob (Gen 25:26) and that Jacob was 130 years old when he entered Egypt (Gen 47:9).  Therefore, the time that Israel sojourned in Egypt was closer to 210 years (400-190).  Subtracting Moses’ age of eighty years when he led the people out of Egypt, leaves approximately 130 years between the time Moses’ grandfather (Kohath) entered the land of Egypt and Moses’ birth.  This shorter duration becomes much more feasible for the biblical genealogies.

Drawing on the interpretation of Paul and the Rabbis, the “very day” that occurred 430 years prior to the Exodus was the promise of the “seed” (Gen 15:13), given to Abraham.  The original promise is recorded in the 15th chapter of Genesis, “One who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir…Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars…so shall your descendants be,” (Gen 15:4-5).  The promise was confirm by a covenant that began with Abraham who prepared an animal blood path as commanded by the LORD, (Gen 15:9-10).  The actions of Abraham were followed by the LORD at the beginning of the next day, “Now it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.  On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,” (Gen 15:17-18). 

Since the Exodus occurred on the day of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:17), “the very same day” 430 years earlier when the covenant was confirmed must have also been on the day of Unleavened Bread.  The prior day when Abraham prepared the animals would have been on the future day of Passover.  The day of Passover became the same day that Jesus was crucified on a cross 1700 years later.  Therefore, the crucifixion not only occurs on the same day as the Passover, but on the same day that the original promise of the seed was given by the LORD to Abraham(Gen 15:13, KJV).

There is one more thread in the story of miraculous events that occurred on the day of the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread.  We are told in scripture that the birth of Isaac occurred, At the appointed time (moed)…at this time next year…Sarah will have a son,” (Gen 18:14).  One year later, “Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time (moed) of which God had spoken,” (Gen 21:2).  The phrase “appointed time” is understood as one of the “appointed times of the LORD” (Lev 23:2), i.e., one of the festival days, but the specific festival day is not identified.  Since the covenant originated on Passover, the sages postulated that the birth of Isaac also occurred on Passover. 

“Sarah was visited on Rosh Hashanah and Isaac was born seven months later on the night of Passover…The four barren ones were visited on Rosh Hashanah: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 17) [1]

The Rabbis found support for their position in the story of Lot, which immediately followed the visitation of Abraham.  When the angels came to Lot, he washed their feet and served them, “unleavened bread,” (Gen 19:3).  This is the first reference to “unleavened bread” in scripture, and the only “appointed time” where unleavened bread is mandated is the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread.  According to the Talmud, “On Passover Isaac was born.” (Rosh HaShana 11a). 

Jesus referred to the Passover crucifixion in uniquely personal terms as “My appointed time,” (Matt 26:18).  If Moses, Paul, and the Rabbis are correct, the crucifixion not only coincided with the Passover Exodus, but with the original promise of the “seed” given to Abraham and the birth of Isaac.  Believers long for a future “appointed time” (Matt 8:29), when Jesus Christ will return, a time “which the Father has fixed by His own authority,” (Acts 1:7)(Dan 8:19). 

Scott


[1] Depths of Torah, Torah Club 5, Dan Lancaster, page 113

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