The Prophetic Promise of Passover
For far too long, the church has been disconnected from the Jewish roots of our faith by assuming that Passover was a feast of the Jews and failing to understand that it was one of the feasts of the Lord. This begs the question: Should believers observe Passover? My simple answer would be yes, because of the prophetic promises received through the celebration of Passover—not just by Jews, but by all who call upon the name of the Lord.
“But why would believers celebrate Passover?” you might ask. “Surely Jesus took away that requirement.”
Yes, that is true. God does not require us to observe Passover, but it brings an opportunity for a blessing for you and your family. When we look closer, we can see:
- God set Passover in place as an everlasting ordinance.
- God uses Passover to teach.
- God gives us nine blessings when we put our feet under His Passover table.
- God sets four cups before us that sanctify, bring joy and more.
- God sets us apart, protecting us from 10 plagues.
- God prepares us for the next year at Passover.
- God allows us an opportunity to give into the kingdom.
- Jesus, our Lord, observed Passover.
- Jesus, our Lord, became our Passover Lamb.
This list of reasons Passover matters to God is in no way a complete one, yet it emphasizes why Passover is so vital. Did you know that the Father has invited us to sit at His table? In Psalm 23:5a, David reminds us that the Lord has “prepare[d] a table before me,” and not just any table—a table in the midst of enemies, a table in the midst of hard times, a table in the midst of challenges.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil” (Ps. 23:5a, NKJV).
Our Father desires relationship with us, and hence, has invited us three times a year to join Him for His moeds, His divine appointments that are hosted at His table:
Passover (the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread).
Shavuot (coincides with Pentecost).
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles).
“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
“No one is to appear before me empty-handed” (Exod. 23:14-15, NIV).
Blessings of Passover
According to Exodus 23, Passover offers nine blessings, each with unique importance for our transition into the next season and deeper levels of intimacy with Christ. These blessings are:
1) Divine protection. Exodus 23:20 says God sends an angel before us to bring us into the place He has prepared—aligning us for His purposes for the year, every year—and to protect us as we journey there.
2) Protection from enemies through positioning and alignment. According to Exodus 23:22, Passover transforms us and brings our hearts and minds into alignment with our perfect God. It positions us for the season ahead and protects us from the enemy—from any legal right for him to say to our Father, “Look at their sin, their disobedience.”
3) Commissioning of divine authority. According to Exodus 23:24, the Father gives us divine authority and commissions us to utilize His authority. Therefore, we are able to break down the sacred pillars of false gods in the workplace, in our homes and even on the “highways and hedges.” Without God-given authority, which breaks the yoke, we would be held back from doing all we are meant to do.
4) Supernatural health and kingdom prosperity. Exodus 23:25b (NKJV) promises that the Lord will “bless your bread and your water. And [He] will take sickness away from the midst of you.” We are meant to live abundantly so abundance can flow to those around us, bringing God’s light and love wherever we go.
5) Covenant protection for multiplication and longevity. According to Exodus 23:26, the assignment of bareness against us has been broken. Whether barrenness is physical or of the heart, it can lead to sorrow and desperation. Therefore, God provides multiplication, removing physical and mental barrenness. This ability to multiply—resources, offspring, inheritance and more—and the time to do so are key to an increased call. Together, they serve as one of the nine blessings of Passover.
6) A godly release of fear and respect from enemies. Exodus 23:27b says God will make our enemies “turn their backs to you.” While many of the nine blessings of Passover protect us from our enemies—even providing health and long life—if we live outside of alignment with God’s principles, we can be attacked needlessly. Godly fear, respect from enemies and living in spiritual alignment lessen the frequency and force of time-wasting attacks.
7) Relief from the threat of enemies. Exodus 23:28-30 demonstrates how the Lord goes before us and drives out our enemies. God drives out our enemies—sending His warring angels ahead of us to do spiritual warfare on our behalf—so we know not their threats. Understanding that God goes before us, we cannot be held hostage by mental fear, worry or anxiety.
8) The gift of dominion and an increased inheritance. Exodus 23:30 promises increase and the release of inheritance. Many of the nine blessings of Passover take away the enemy’s power and provide us with relief, but God does not stop there. He turns what was meant for evil to good and drives our enemies out before us so that we can increase and inherit the land.
9) Freedom from corrupt covenants. Exodus 23:33 emphasizes the importance of God-centered relationships and covenants. We need God to put the right connections, relationships and covenants in place for our new season. We need Him to lead us in altering our habits and patterns so we can be set in place for the new season. By sliding our feet under His table, we not only accept the truth that we need our Father’s help, but everything that entails, including the nine blessings of His Passover table.
Cup of Passover
The last meal Jesus shared with His disciples was at a Passover table when He left this important instruction:
“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me‘” (Luke 22:17-19, emphasis added).
At this moment, Yeshua was holding up the third cup of Passover—the cup of redemption. I find that beautiful, as His sacrifice would release our ultimate redemption just a few days later—on Resurrection Sunday. Yeshua is our cup of redemption. Sin was expunged, and on Resurrection Sunday the redemption was revealed.
Each cup at the Passover table has important significance for our lives and represents a pathway to deliverance. When we accept the Father’s invitation to join Him at His table, we accept:
- The cup of sanctification: the power of the blood of Jesus to expunge sin (Eph. 4:7).
- The cup of plagues: By His stripes, we are the healed of the Lord (Isa. 53:5).
- The cup of redemption: The death of Yeshua as the Lamb of God removes all our sin and redeems our life from destruction (Gal. 3:13).
- The cup of praise: Thanksgiving and honor are truly the currency of heaven that opens and closes doors (Ps. 103).
The Passover table was the birthplace of Communion, but Communion does not replace Passover or the fullness of the invitation to join our Father at His table. When Jesus said, “do this,” He was reminding His disciples that each cup of the Seder is found in Yeshua:
- He is our sanctification.
- By His stripes, we are healed.
- He is our redemption.
- He is our praise.
- He is our Passover Lamb.
- So, in essence, He was telling His disciples that when they honored the Passover, they were to “do this” in remembrance of Him:
- From the first cup to the last.
- From the removal of leaven from their homes (representing sin) to the Passover Lamb that was fully consumed.
Then and now, it is all done in remembrance of His life, His teaching, His sacrifice and ultimately His fulfillment of Passover.
Passover in Psalm 23
One of the prophetic mysteries of Passover lies hidden in Psalm 23, interesting because King David’s—and ultimately, Yeshua’s—lineage was preserved through the very first Passover table in Goshen (Exod. 12). Families gathered at small Passover tables in Hebrew homes where the blood of lambs covered the doorposts as the death angel passed by. From that saved seed came the birth of King David and the birth of the King of kings: Yeshua!
In Psalm 23, we not only see the Passover table, but a life’s journey as well. Somewhere in one of these verses, we will always find ourselves.
In verses 5 and 6, we see an example of the goodness of the Passover table and the Father’s heart toward us: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:5-6).
Just as at the first Passover in Goshen, the Lord has invited us to join Him at His table no matter what circumstances surround us. The death angel was passing through their midst, but those gathered under the blood were spared and sent out. At this table, the Israelites were essentially anointed and prepared to leave Egypt and find that goodness and mercy would follow them and their children.
From the Passover table, a nation was born, families were united and prophecy began to unfold.
Three days later, on Resurrection Sunday, Yeshua’s statement, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25b), was fulfilled.
The Passover table is a place to be sent out from, it is an annual reset—a high holy Sabbath, a pilgrim feast. Passover is a time to restore, redeem, release and receive the nine blessings over the year ahead. Although it occurs during the fifth month of the year, the Torah refers to it as the “first month of the year.” It represents a spiritual new beginning.
Intimacy With God
The feasts of the Lord are designed to be moments when we strengthen our relationship with God, times of intimacy that come when He knows we need it the most. They are times set aside because, as we all know, relationships cannot grow without investing time.
Relationships with both God and man go through five seasons:
Romance. This is when nothing else matters and you are swept away in the newness of the relationship. The Lord is your Shepherd and there are no wants. You can see the Lord as your Shepherd at the Passover table.
Reality. You must be able to learn and manage in the responsibility of relationship. In marriage, this comes with children and financial commitments. In our spiritual relationship with the Lord, this comes when He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters in the midst of whatever our reality may be. The Passover table is a “still waters” moment where our Father meets us regardless of outside noise, fear and chaos.
Resentment. In all mankind and every relationship, expectations don’t meet reality. But this—the valley of the shadow of death—is not a healthy place to stay. The Passover table is a place of deliverance.
Redemption. Because of the grace and favor of the Lord, He is able to redeem seasons of resentment and anoint our heads with oil so that grace overflows toward us. The Passover table represents the ultimate beautiful redemption of our sacrifice and shows us that Yeshua not only died so we may live, but so we may live in His abundance, in blessing and in prosperity.
Revelation. The Lord fulfills all the four cups of the Passover Seder, and because of Yeshua as our Passover Lamb, we are restored to God to dwell in His house and at His table forever.
During the Passover season, the message is simple and pure: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b).
If you are a believer and you want to accept the invitation to your Father’s table—if you want to release and activate the promises of Passover in your life—it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It starts with a heart posture and acknowledgment of the day.
If it is your first time to honor this day, I would recommend that you start by gathering your immediate family and joining in with a virtual Seder hosted by a ministry. Curt Landry Ministries offers one annually (this year on April 15, 2022); we also offer step-by-step instructions for preparation, but there are many other ministries that do so as well.
Don’t allow the unknown and what may seem like foreign traditions to overwhelm you. Recognize the most essential part of the Passover celebration: being present for the blessing and the prophetic promise of all God has for you. New traditions and practices must start somewhere. What better place than to start with you and in your home?
Regardless of how you celebrate, I would reiterate the simple, powerful and true message of this Passover season: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b).
READ MORE: To learn more about Passover visit passover.charismamag.com for further insights.
RABBI CURT LANDRY, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Their passion is to empower families to live and leave kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.
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