A Night of Watching

I mentioned it's an unusual time for us to be together. On the 14th of Abib during the daylight portion of the 14th of Abib, of course that began last night with Passover and we observed Passover. And typically, the 14th of Abib is a work day. If we look back in Israel's time, they were preparing to leave Egypt during that time. There's a lot of things that they had to do on the daylight portion of the 14th of Abib. They would have destroyed all the leftover Passover meal from the night before. They would have been packing up their belongings. They would have been plundering the Egyptians. It was a work day. Much as for us, typically on the 14th of Abib, if we haven't finished 11-ing our homes, we do that on the daylight portion of the 14th. This year, it's the Sabbath. I don't honestly remember the last time that the Holy Days fell in disorder, that we had a Friday night Passover, a Sabbath, and then the night to be much observed, and 48 hours of holy time to begin the spring Holy Days. But when I look back, indeed it did happen in 2008. I just don't remember, 13 years back. But it's an unusual time that we're in here today, and the fact that we're all together. And tonight, we will observe the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread. And God specifically mentioned the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread in His command to Israel. He called it a night to be much observed. The only holy day that He specifically references the evening as it begins, and He tells Israel and all generations, remember this day. Keep it holy. Keep it holy, and remember what happened on this day. If you will, turn with me back to John 13. As we look at the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread tonight, and as we'll be together here, or in the various homes that we'll be in, we'll be keeping this night to be much observed. What do we really know about it? Why did God instruct us to observe this night as He did in Exodus 12.42? What was really the purpose of it? Was it just a pure celebration for coming out of Egypt? Did He have a purpose in mind and something that we should be thinking of as we get together tonight? And as we converse together, and we're all together, even though we may be in separate places, all together in spirit as we open the Days of Unleavened Bread and observe this night to be much observed. Last night, we read Christ's words in John 13. I want to start there today and just keep that in mind. As He introduced the New Covenant Passover ordinances, He told His disciples in verse 7, What I'm doing now, you do not understand, but you will know after this.

And there are times when God has us do things, and we follow what God says, and we may not fully understand all the reasons for the things that we do, but He was telling the disciples that night, I'm going to introduce some new things to you. You're going to wash each other's feet, and that has that deep meaning. You're going to be taking a bread, you're going to be taking a wine, and that has deep meaning. You may not understand what you're doing now, but do it. And later you will understand. And as we go through life and as we observe God's ways, He does help us to understand exactly what it is He has built into His plan. And these holy times that we keep, we learn more and more each year about what God had intended. So today I want to talk about Passover and the night to be much observed specifically, and explore why do we do what we do? What did God mean when He said, keep this date, keep this evening, and much, much observe it. Well, let's go back and let's establish that there were the two nights we kept Passover last night. I think all of us here in this room and listening on understand Passover evening is different than the 15th of Abit, which is this evening and the night to be much observed. But let's go back to Exodus 12 as we begin today. And as God is instructing Israel back then about the Passover and then the beginning of the days of Unleavened Bread, He has very specific commands that He gives them. And in those commands and in the remembrances that He tells us to keep as we keep these days, we can learn a little bit about what we are doing and why. In Exodus 2, in verse 11, He's talking about the ordinance of the Passover. It says, and thus you shall eat it. Speaking of the Passover meal that they would have of the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread. And thus you shall eat it with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and I will strike 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. And He speaks about the blood. The blood will be a sign for you in the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day, this Passover day, shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to the eternal throughout your generations. Keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Well, that's Passover. That's what we did last night, and we understand how Passover in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, fulfilled, and we keep it the way Jesus Christ instructed us to on Passover evenings now. We go the same chapter up to verse 26 of Exodus 12.

God teaches His people, how do you teach your children about this day? Verse 26, it shall be when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? And it is our job as parents to make sure our children understand what we do and why we do it and that it's God's commands. When your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? That you will say it's the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

So when your children ask, why do we keep this Passover? They need to know it's a separate time than the days of Unleavened Bread. Separately listed in Leviticus 23, the 14th you'll keep the Passover. On the 15th is the beginning of the days of Unleavened Bread. Now, within the same chapter, as God is instructing the Israelites through Moses about Passover and then what they're going to be doing the very next morning after Passover, on the days of Unleavened Bread, in verse 16, He talks about the seven days of Unleavened Bread. In verse 15, right after we read about the ordinance of the Passover, He says, seven days you shall eat Unleavened Bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. Of course, that's the first daytime. That would be the daytime of today, leading up to the evening that begins the 15th of Abib. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day, that begins this evening. Tomorrow we'll have a Holy Day service. On the first day, there shall be a holy convocation. And on the seventh day, there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them, but that which everyone must eat, that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the feast of Unleavened Bread. And then He says, for on this same day, I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.

So you keep the Passover, and then you keep the days of Unleavened Bread, because on this same day, I will have brought you out of the slavery and life of death that you had when you were living in Egypt. Now, we've spoken, we know what it is in New Testament times, that God brings us out of a life that is destined for nothing but death until He opens our minds and brings us out of the world to open our eyes to the sin that marks our lives.

And He sets us free from death and promises us eternal life if we follow Him. So one of the reasons we keep the days of Unleavened Bread is to remember that on this day, and for Israel on this very same day, I will have brought you out of the land of Egypt. Same chapter, verse 42. We read the words that I'm sure we all read before we keep the night to be much observed each year.

In verse 42, it says, it is a night of solemn observance to the eternal for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. It is the night to be much observed. You see where we get the name? God is the one who set the name. It is a night to be much observed, and He repeats it twice. The Hebrew word translated much observed there is notable. It's the Hebrew, Shemar, S-H-A-M-A-R, and it's only used twice in the entire Bible and the entire Old Testament.

Both times are right there in verse 42. That alone tells us there's something special about this evening that God wants us to recognize and to remember as we observe it. Shemar, it says it's a night of observations, is what Strong says. It's a night watch, watching, a vigil. The only time in the Bible I've mentioned this word occurs is twice in this verse. Thayer's lexicon says it means to watch over our guard in the sense of preserving or protecting.

A night to be much observed. Did God mean just celebration? A really nice meal? A time just to kick off the days of unleavened bread in that way? Or is there deep meaning that He wants us to be thinking of as we gather together tonight and we start the days of unleavened bread? Let me read you the same verse from some other translations of the Bible. This is from Young's literal translation. It's pretty much a word-for-word translation from the original Hebrew. It's a little confusing in its wording, but that's what happens when you do word-to-word translations.

It says, it is a night of watchings to Jehovah, to bring them out from the land of Egypt. It is this night to Jehovah of watchings, to all the sons of Israel in their generations. The new King James said much of the—what does that mean, I'm sure they thought?

A night of watchings. God's word translation, one of the newer ones out there that went back through the entire Bible and translated it with the more enhanced meaning of the Greek and Hebrew words that we understand today, says, that night the Lord kept watch to take them out of Egypt.

All Israelites in the future generations must keep watch on this night since it is dedicated to the Lord. And the English Standard Version says, it was a night of watching by the eternal, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. So this same night is a night of watching, kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. A night of watching. A night of watching. What does that mean? God, what did He want us to be thinking about? What did He want us to be remembering as we keep this night to be much observed?

You know, as we think about Israel coming out of Egypt, and on the 14th they had the Passover and the evening portion of the 14th. And then that next day when they got up, it was a momentous and busy day.

As I mentioned, they went through all the things that they had to do. Pack up, leave, bake their unleavened cakes, be ready to get out of Egypt. By that night, it was a work day. And it was a busy day in Christ's time as well on that poor daylight portion of the 14th. On the evening of the 14th, at the same time we gathered together for Passover last night, Christ gathered together with His apostles on that evening. Later on that evening, He was arrested. And as you read in Matthew, when that morning came, Jesus Christ appeared before the Sanhedrin, and the rest is history.

It wasn't a day of rest. It was an awfully lot that was packed into it as the Jews did everything they could to convict Christ and have Him killed before the beginning of the 15th of Abib. A lot went on on that day. Later, the apostles would think back on the 15th of Abib as they were there and their Savior was dead.

He was buried as that day began. And they didn't understand on that first night what had happened and why. Later, they would understand. Later, they would appreciate the night to be much observed and what God had wanted us to learn from this. As we think back on the example of Israel coming out of Egypt and the example of Jesus Christ dying and being buried and setting us free from slavery to sin and death that occurred with His death before the 14th of Abib ended.

We're here in Exodus. Let's look at Exodus 13 and verse 3.

The children of Israel are moving out of the land of Egypt and the children of Israel are moving out of the land of Egypt. As the 14th of Abib ends and the 15th of Abib begins, in verse 3, Moses said to the people, Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt. Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the eternal brought you out of this place. For by strength of death the eternal bread of those who sow leavened bread shall be eaten. Remember this day. Don't forget what God has done for you. Don't forget the Passover, and don't forget this day that you went out.

Let's turn with me to Deuteronomy 6. In Deuteronomy 6, we have another one of those occasions where everything that God has brought them through reminds Israel to teach their children about everything that we believe and the reason that we do it. In Deuteronomy 6, of course, we know that chapter well, he's admonishing, teach your children about God, make him a part of your everyday life. Talk about him when you rise up. Talk about him when you lie down. Talk about him as you go through your day. Make him the most important part of your life, a part of your family, and what you do. But here in verse 20, similar words that we read back in Exodus 12 when your children ask you about Passover. In verse 20, Moses says, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, what is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the eternal God has commanded you? What do these things mean? Why do we do these things? Then you shall say to your son, we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and he showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. He brought us out from there, that he might bring us in to give us the land of which he swore to our fathers. This is why we do those things. Look what God did for us. He brought us out of Egypt. He took an existence going nowhere and gave us life, gave us promise, gave us hope, gave us a purpose, gave us meaning to life. And because he did that, we obey him. We follow him. Verse 24, the eternal commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us. When your son asks, remind him what God has done for us. In Old Testament times, remember, he brought them out of Egypt. Today we would say, God has set us free from a futile existence, an existence going nowhere. You can't look at the world and say, that's where I'm going to hang my hat. We can all see the world headed to nothing but oblivion and certain death and extinction. The only hope is with God. The only hope is with him, and he has brought you and me out to a rich existence. We have purpose. We have meaning. We have hope. He's made us promises just as he did Israel. And on that 15th of Abib, he made good on his promises. He brought Israel out of Egypt. He delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. He took them out of slavery and made them a free people. He delivered them from death. It was a momentous occasion. The most momentous occasion in the Old Testament.

Of course, the parallel for us in the New Covenant's time is what Christ has done for us.

We were no different than the Israelites. Slaves to ourselves, slaves to our own evil nature, slaves to a world that is under the sway of Satan, going nowhere, nothing in our future but death. Except God looked down and he called you and me, and all who were listening and the more besides who are observing his days and obeying him, looked down and said, I'll deliver you. I'll set you free. I will give you life. And we talked about that a little bit last night. We know what the purpose of the Passover is, but what about this night to be much observed? What about this night to be much observed that the very next evening God says, you keep this night of watching? You keep this night of watching and remember it. Let's go back to Exodus 12. As in that chapter, we may find a clue as to how important this time is to God, how important it was to the Israelites back in Old Testament times, and how important it is to us as we remember and as we observe this night of watchings, this night of a vigil. Again, back in Exodus 12. And in verse 40, now in verse 37, that we see that the Israelites did everything we talked about. They were ready to leave. They plundered the Egyptians. Verse 37, they left Egypt. They left Egypt. The journey from Ramses to Succoth. About 600,000 men on foot besides children. Somewhere around 2 million people left Egypt, if you can imagine. A city the size of something like a Chicago or Orlando complete metropolitan area, just all leaving Egypt. It's kind of amazing when you think of the exodus from Egypt, how many people were involved. Down in verse 40, it says, the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. On that very same day. And then God caps it off and says, that's the night. This is the night of solemn observance, the night to be much observed. Down in verse 51, after he gives the instructions on the Passover, verse 51, he repeats it. He says, and it came to pass on that very same day, that 15th of Abib, as we'll see here in a minute, it came to pass on that very same day that the eternal brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, according to their armies. On that very same day.

When God repeats things, when he says things once, we should pay attention. When he repeats things, there's something significant about that very same day and the 15th of Abib.

Let's go back to Psalm 105, or forward to Psalm 105. It's a beautiful psalm composed by David, of course, under the inspiration of God. And in it, he gives really a beautiful history of Israel in Egypt. He talks about all the plagues. He talks about everything the children of Israel went through. And if I had the time, I would read through the entire chapter here, the entire 45 verses. I won't do that. You can look at it later. But let's read through some of what David wrote here as he talked about this momentous time. In the history of God's people. Psalm 105, verse 1, O give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, sing to him, sing psalms to him, talk of all his wondrous works, glory in his holy name. Let the hearts of those rejoiced, who seek the Lord, seek him and his strength, seek his face evermore. Remember one of those words we hear often during this time of unleavened bread. Remember his marvelous works, which he has done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth. O seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones. Israel was his chosen nation in Old Testament times. The people of God, you and me and all that God kills from every tribe calls from every tongue and nation today are his people. Verse 7, He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word which he commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant which he made with Abraham and his oath to Isaac. And he confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying to you, I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance. There are promises that he made to Abraham. There were covenants he made with Abraham. He never forgot them. He never forgets his promises. They may not happen in the time that we would like to see them happen, but he never forgets them. He always delivers on his promises. We trust in him. We know him.

And we know he watches over us always. Verse 12, When they were few in number, and you remember in Exodus 1, there are only 70 who went into Egypt when Joseph was there. When they were few in number, indeed very few and strangers in it, when they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, he permitted no one to do them wrong. He watched over them always. It was always when Israel departed from God that they suffered, but God didn't permit anyone to do them wrong. He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, Do not touch my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm. But whatever happened to those was God's will, part of his plan. He always had a watchful eye on his people. He always knew what was going on. Israel might have thought at times that God forgot them. He never forgot. Everything that went on with Israel was part of the plan as God was preparing them to be his people in old covenant times. Jesus Christ, on that last Passover, on that Passover, as they were headed toward the days of Unleavened Bread and the 15th of Abib, he made his disciples, then his disciples, you and me today, the same promise. Remember, we just read it last night. I will not leave you orphans. I'm going away. Now, where I'm going, you can't come now, but I will not leave you orphans. I'm going away, and I'm preparing a place for you. For not so, I tell you, but when I return, my will is that you will be with me also. But you have this time to be prepared for the place that God is preparing for us. He tells us in Hebrews 13.5, which says the same thing in Deuteronomy 30, I believe it is. I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you. My eyes are always on you. I know what's going on. I'm watching what you're doing. I will never leave you or forsake you. God said the same thing to Israel. Now, if you read down verses 16 to 36 there, you see, in very poetic terms, the history of Israel as they went as Egypt went through the plagues and how God differentiated between them and Egypt later on, we drop down to verse 37. We come down to what we'll be talking about, or what we are talking about today. God bringing Israel out of Egypt. Verse 37. He also brought them out with silver and gold. He told them back in chapter 11 in Exodus before it ever happened. The Egyptians are going to want you to leave. You're going to plunder them, and they will give you whatever you want just because they want you out of there. He also brought them out with silver and gold. Notice verse 37, the second sentence there, phrase, and there was none feeble among his tribes. Isn't that amazing? Two million people of all ages left Egypt, and there was none feeble among all his tribes.

Is God a healing God? Yes, he is. Can God give us health? Absolutely, no matter what our condition. When he brought Israel out, there were none feeble among his tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen upon them.

God showed them that he would be with them. As they left Egypt, he spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light to the night. All Israel had to do any time of day is look up. There was the fire in the night. There was the cloud during the day. God is always with us. He is always watching over us. The people asked, and he brought quail, and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock and water gushed out. It ran into dry places like a river, things they couldn't even imagine out there in the wilderness, that God was able to provide them as he showed them, I can provide whatever you need in ways you can't even remember. For he remembered his holy promise. He knew what he had done to promise to Abraham 430 years before. He remembered his holy promise and Abraham his servant. He brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with gladness. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations. Why? That they might observe his statutes and keep his law. Praise the Lord, my people, living by my way, completely, completely committed to me.

Well, let's go back to the time of Abraham, when God made great promises to Abraham, because the history of Israel isn't as they entered into Egypt. The history of Israel begins back with Abraham. We could read Genesis 12. You know what the promises that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12, but let's go to Genesis 15, where God repeats those promises, and something unusual happens to Abraham, where God shows Abraham the future and the history of his people. Genesis 15. Let's begin. Let's begin in verse 1.

Verse 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Words throughout the Bible that God reminds us, don't be afraid. I'll shield you. I'll protect you. I know who you are. Don't be afraid. I'm your shield, your exceedingly great reward. But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is the liaison of Damascus. And Abram said, Look, you've given me no offspring. Indeed, one born in my house is my heir. And behold, the word of the eternal came to Abram, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. And God brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven. Count the stars if you are able to number them. And God said to him, so shall your descendants be. As numerous as the stars of heaven, Abraham had no heir at that point. But Abraham, verse 6, believed God, and God accounted it to him for righteousness. Abram knew whatever God says, how improbable it might be in human reasoning, God can do it. And if God says he will do it, he will do it. And God said to him, I am the eternal who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it? So God said to him, Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And Abraham did, as God said, he brought all those to him, cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other, but he didn't cut the birds in two. And then a little inset in verse 11, when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Something momentous was going to happen. Abram was laying out, and God instructed him to lay out a covenant, a sign of the covenant that he would make between him and Abram. And of course, the vultures were there.

Satan doesn't want us to believe the promises of God, and whatever he can do to interrupt them, he will. But Abraham drove them away. Verse 12, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold horror and great darkness fell upon him. Horror and great darkness as the sun was going down, and he goes to sleep. Let's keep our fingers there in Genesis 15. Go over to Matthew 27.

On this day, by 3 p.m., on the 14th of Avaam, Jesus Christ died. The sun was close to going down, and if you remember, Joseph of Arimathea had to go to Pilate and ask for his body that it could be laid in the tomb because he needed to be buried, if you will, before the 15th of Abram, the Holy Day, began. But as that time drew close in Matthew 27, and we get to Matthew 27, and in verse 45, we see as Christ is about to die and as he is hanging on that crucifix in verse 45, there was darkness on the land. Verse 45, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. A horrible thing was about to happen.

Decide in the Messiah, the Savior was going to be put to death by man. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land, and about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama, sabachdani. That is my God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?

Some of those who stood there when they heard it said, he's calling for Elijah. They filled, gave him a sponge. He refused it. In verse 50, Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his temple or his spirit. Then behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. It was so momentous. What went on there was so earth shattering to the people who witnessed it, who hadn't hardened their hearts, to what was going on, that when the centurion, those with him who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly saying, truly, this was the Son of God. As the sun was going down, as it was about to set Jesus Christ in darkness, died. Back in Genesis 15, as God puts Abraham or Abram into a deep sleep, as the sun was going down, behold horror, and great darkness fell upon him. Was God showing him what would happen at the time that Jesus Christ would die, that he would see one of his descendants going through the horrible death that he did? See the darkness that was there and the momentous things that would happen. Verse 13 of Genesis 15, God said to Abram, no certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will serve them, and they will afflict them 400 years. Here he made Abram a promise, you will have a son. Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars of heaven, and Abram believed him. And it happened exactly as God said, because as they left Egypt, 70 going in, but a few hundred years later, 2-point-something million going out of Egypt, that's quite a bit of blessing and fertility for a small group of people in just a few hundred years. But God shows him this is what their lot will be. It's going to be a trying time for them. Know that they will be strangers in a strange land. Know that they will be servants to them. Know that they will be afflicted for 400 years. Verse 14, in the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward, they shall come out with great possessions.

But it's going to be 400-some years later. And exactly what God promised Abram back on that day, as the sun was going down and went into evening, happened exactly as God said.

That people, Abram's descendants, would leave Egypt. They would go out from Egypt with great possessions on that very same day, we will see. Also, the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward, they shall go out with great possessions. As for you, Abram, you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation, they will return here. Now, when we say the word generation in the Bible, it can mean any number of years. Today, we might say a generation is 30-40 years. Back in biblical times, people lived to be 100-I think Joseph was 110, Abram was 135. A generation was more like 100 years at that time. So God is saying, 400 years, your people that will be in captivity, that will be afflicted, I will bring them back in the fourth generation. 400 years later. 430 years that he talks about in Exodus 12 is in that fourth generation that God talks about. In the fourth generation, they will shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. God was going to give them that land, but the iniquity of the Amorites, where God would judge them and give the land to Israel, not complete yet, but it would be by the time God brought them back. And it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. It was a sign of the covenant that God was making between Abraham and him. This is the promise I make you. This is what will happen. It is as sure as there is God. On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, to your descendants, I have given you this land from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates, the Kenites, Kennesites, Cadmonites, Hittites, Parazites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and the Jebusites. I will give them this land on this very same day they will receive this promise. On the very same day, God tells us in Exodus 12, 430 years later, he brought Israel out of Egypt. He freed them from slavery, and he would give them the promises that he made to them way back whenever at the time of Abram. Israel may have thought, and God forgot them. They may have thought, and well, that was Abram, and that was promises God made to him. But God never lost sight of Israel. His eyes were always on them. He knew exactly what the plan for them was. He told Abram, this is what will happen to them. They will be slaves. They will be afflicted. I will bring them out with great possessions. I will give them this land. In God's time, 430 years later, on the 15th of Abib, God brought them out, and he delivered that promise.

When God says, it's a day, it's a day to be much observed, a day for you as a night of watching. And if we put ourselves in Israel's place as they have left Egypt, as they've gone out by night, as it tells us in Deuteronomy 16, you can write down Numbers 33. You can write down Numbers 33, where God says it was on the 15th of Abib that Israel left Egypt. In Deuteronomy 16, we'll be looking at tomorrow as we talk about offerings that God commands, but let's look at the first few verses here of Deuteronomy 16. He says, observe the month of Abib. Of course, we're here. This is now, right now, the 14th of Abib. When the sun sets tonight, it's the 15th of Abib. Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib, the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

On that 15th, and as Israel left Egypt at the end of the 15th, therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God in the place where he chooses, and you shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. That is the bread of affliction, for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste, that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt. And then he goes on and repeats the no leavening command that we will be observing here for the next seven days. So on that night, as Israel left Egypt, and they thought back over what God had done, all the plagues that God had brought on Egypt, how the first few plagues affected them just like it did the Egyptians, but later on God made a difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians. What happened to the Egyptians didn't happen to the Israelites. They saw the hand of God. They saw His protection. And we can read verses in the Bible that let us know that God watches over us. That what happens to the world around us may not happen to us. If we have faith in Him, if we believe in Him, if we understand that we are His chosen people, if we remember to keep His commandments, do His statutes, live the life that He has called us to live in remembrance of the things that He has done for us. But as Israel sat there, and as they camped at Succoth on the 15th, they ended their exodus. You look at the atlases. It says, the journey from Ramses to Succoth was only about 15 miles, but there were two million people, two million people with all their flocks and herds that were leaving at that time. We can't even envision that exodus. But they did it. What were they doing that night on the 15th? Why did God say, remember this night? It is a night of watching, a night of vigil to you.

Do we read about the Israelites having wild celebrations, talking about the food? Food is not even in the issue with them. They ate their unleavened cakes. We don't read about wild celebrations. We read about that later after God completely ended Pharaoh's reign by having the armies of the Egyptians drown in the Red Sea. You don't read that on the night to be observed. As Israel sat there that night, I imagine they sat and they realized everything that God promised He delivered. God was always watching over us. We may have forgotten that. Everything He promised, He has done in ways that we couldn't even imagine.

As we observe the night to be much observed, maybe we should be thinking about what God has done for us. The promises that He's made us. The watching over us that He does every single minute of every single day. How many times have we talked in the last few weeks about how much Jesus Christ loves us? How much God the Father loves His people? As much as He loves Jesus Christ, He loves us. He is keenly interested in what is going on in your and my lives. He's keenly interested in us living a life of repentance and commitment to Him. He's keenly interested in getting us ready for the Kingdom. If we would just yield ourselves and remember that He is there, that He is watching over us, that He will lead us. It might not be in exactly the way that we expect or we want, but it will be in His way, and He will bring us out. He will bring us to the promises that He has made. It is sure as you and I are sitting here. But we have to have the faith. We have to remember. We have to know and believe in God and do what He said. And as we remember this day, be committed to Him with all our hearts and minds. To remember, as we read in Exodus 13, 8, as we eat the unleavened bread, why do we eat it? God said that the law of God may be in your mouth, that it may be part of you, just like we ate the flesh of God of Jesus Christ last night, that it may be part of you. Eat that daily. Make Him part of you. How many times did we read last night when Jesus Christ said, if you love me, keep my commandments? Three or four times in Genesis or John 14 alone. He said that. And He said, if you keep my commandments, if you abide in me and I in you, I'll make my home with you. Isn't that what we want? It's up to us. It's up to us what we do. No, Jesus Christ just, well, just like Israel, it wasn't a bed of roses just because they were God's chosen people. They endured some really, really trying times in Egypt, trying times that you and I have not experienced at all. And Jesus Christ didn't promise us that it's going to be a bed of roses between now and the time of His return, either. If we go back to John 16, John 16, and verse 32, after He reminds them, I'm coming back. I'm coming back.

John 14, I made you promises and I will come again. In John 16, verse 32, He says, indeed the hour is coming, the last words He said before we moved into the prayer that we read in John 17, indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to His own, and you will leave Me alone. Something's going to happen that's going to scatter you. It'll get your attention. I'm telling you it's going to happen. They didn't get it until later, as He said, and yet I'm not alone because the Father is with Me. These things I've spoken to you that in Me, you may have peace in the world where God's will is that we are today. In the world, you will have tribulation. Let me have good cheer. I've overcome the world. And God promises I will give you the Spirit so that you too, as you follow Me, can overcome the world only with His Spirit. You too can overcome self and your own nature. You too can overcome and be there when Jesus Christ returns. If we believe, if we remember, the things, the many things that God continues to tell us, many things that God continues to tell us to remember about Him.

One of them is the night to be much observed. Remember, I'm watching over you. Remember the vigil that I have for you. You too, watch. Have a solemn observance. Think about it. Think about what God has done and what a tremendous, awesome, and fearful, in the right sense of the word, privilege it is to be part of God's people and to know what He's doing.

Isaiah 43. He read this on the Bible study the other day. He bears reading again.

What happened to the disciples and what they went through on the 14th of Abib and on the 15th of Abib is they contemplated what had gone on. They didn't understand then. They understood later what God was saying. God always brings us to the understanding of what He wants us to do and what we should learn out of the holy times that we keep. One of those is to have faith in Him, to know that He is always there. Isaiah 43 and verse 1. But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I'll be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopian seba, in your place. Since you, them in the Old Testament, you and I today, you are precious in my sight. You have been honored, and I have loved you. God loves us. He watches over us. And if we, as we enter into the days of unloving bread and the night this evening, let's remember what God has done for us. Let's be eternally grateful for Him watching over us and keeping vigil over us. Now, let's all commit with our hearts, minds, and soul to honor Him in the way He said, let's obey Him and yield ourselves to Him completely and wholly.