The central lesson of the Night to Be Much Observed is reviewed every year. But as is often the case with the Holy Days, there is far more to be gained from meditating on this night than we might too quickly conclude.
Passover and the Night to Be Much Observed occur at the beginning of God’s Holy Day calendar, and both represent important steps that begin God’s plan of salvation. We are very mindful that God instructs us to examine ourselves as we prepare to participate in the New Testament Passover (see 1 Corinthians 11:27–29). But what about the important meaning that we should be reminded of as we prepare for the evening that follows the Passover? Since there is sometimes less of a focus on the meaning of the Night to Be Much Observed, a brief review of this evening, which begins the first Holy Day of God’s sacred year, may be helpful.
As the Bible makes clear, we observe the Passover during the evening that begins on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, also called Abib (Exodus 12:6–12; Leviticus 23:5). Nearly 2,000 years ago, at His final earthly Passover, Christ implemented new symbols, as well as instructions that New Covenant Christians are to follow (Mark 14:22–26; Luke 22:15–20; John 13:3–17). Passover commemorates the first step in God’s great plan of salvation, which we know applies to each of us individually—and, ultimately, also to all humanity (see John 1:29). As Jesus said, the example He set at that Passover was for all Christians to follow annually, on the evening of Nisan 14, until He returns (John 13:15, 17).
Within hours, the One Who had delivered Israel out of Egypt (1 Corinthians 10:4) would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God—without sin, perfect in every way—had willingly humbled Himself to pay the price incurred by the sins of the world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). Those whom the Father has called deeply appreciate His incalculable sacrifice—and they eagerly wait for Him to return in power (John 6:44; Luke 21:27). “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:26–28).
Biblically, days begin at evening (see Genesis 1:5, 8, 13; Nehemiah 13:19). After the Passover, the next evening begins the fifteenth day of Nisan, which, from the King James Version translation of Exodus 12:42, we typically call the Night to Be Much Observed. Just as Passover is its own event with its own special meaning, so does the Night to be Much Observed have a special meaning of its own. As the Apostle John explains, Jesus’ body was placed in a tomb on the afternoon shortly before the beginning of an annual Holy Day known as the First Day of Unleavened Bread (John 19:31–42)—a day that remains a holy convocation for God’s people (Leviticus 23:6–8).
God instructs us that, during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, “no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land… seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:19; Leviticus 23:6–8; see also 1 Corinthians 5:6–8). Faithful Christians continue to keep these days holy (Matthew 26:17; Acts 20:6; 1 Corinthians 5:8).
We should also note that although some have wrongly attempted to shift the Passover observance from Nisan 14 to Nisan 15, the biblical account does not permit this. If you haven’t already, please be sure to read Mr. Gerald Weston’s Editorial in the March-April 2020 issue of the Living Church News, in which he gives seven proofs that the Living Church of God is continuing to keep the Passover in the way Christ intended. Rather than telling us to conflate the two commemorations, Scripture is clear that the Passover and the Night to Be Much Observed are two separate ceremonies on two sequential evenings, each with its own symbolism and lessons.
Lessons for Us Today
Next, let’s consider four lessons the Night to Be Much Observed holds for us. First, as many of us know well, this night commemorates God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. The Bible’s account is very clear. The Israelites had stayed indoors on the night of the Passover, the evening of Nisan 14, when God struck the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12:12, 22). The next morning—which was, of course, still Nisan 14—Israel plundered the Egyptians. Then they journeyed to Succoth, where that next evening—beginning Nisan 15—they celebrated their freedom and kept the Night to Be Much Observed (Exodus 12:42). Christians today appreciate that God has, similarly, delivered us from spiritual slavery (Romans 6:16).
This is one of the most fundamental lessons we can gain from the Night to Be Much Observed. But with a little more reflection and meditation, we find that this special evening can remind us of so much more.
For example, this night reminds us of God’s great promises to Abraham. In Genesis 12:1–3, God promised Abraham that He would eventually make a great nation of his descendants. Genesis 22 shows that God confirmed Abraham’s faith and made those promises unconditional (vv. 12–18). Scripture describes God’s instructions to Abraham to “take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2).
Having proved Abraham’s faith, God spared Isaac, intervening at the very last moment and then substituting a ram (v. 13). This event anticipated the Passover and subsequent deliverance from slavery that God would provide for Israel in Egypt (see Exodus 12:1–6; 14), and it ultimately anticipated the Passover of Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God” through whom deliverance from sin is made possible for all (see John 1:36; John 3:16). God would not leave Israel in bondage forever—His delivering Israel from slavery was a necessary step toward fulfilling the covenant confirmed with Abraham so many years earlier (Exodus 12:40–42; Galatians 3:17–18).
Furthermore, this night should bring to mind the patriarchs’ great faith in that covenant. Because of their deep faith in God’s promises, Jacob and Joseph made their descendants promise to remove them from Egypt after their deaths and bury them in the land God had promised to Abraham. “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22). Those instructions were recorded in Genesis: “When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place” (47:29–30). And later, we read that “Joseph said to his brethren, ‘I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (50:24).
The Night to Be Much Observed represents the very evening on which Joseph’s faith-based wishes were fulfilled as his remains were removed from Egypt—a witness to his faith that is worth remembering.
Finally, while the events of that night several thousand years ago focused on the physical descendants of Israel, many non-Israelites also came out with them (Exodus 12:38). Ultimately, the full truth of the Night to Be Much Observed is not just about deliverance for the physical people of Israel, but the deliverance of the whole world—the people of every nation, race, and tongue—from the rule of Satan and sin. This is the ultimate future fulfillment of God’s promises.
Freedom from Captivity
Just as Christ did not leave Israel in bondage, God has promised that He will not leave the world in bondage (Romans 8:21). The first whom He has delivered from the spiritual bondage of Satan’s world are the firstfruits He has called into His Church, and they are “eagerly waiting for the adoption [or sonship], the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:19–23) at the seventh trumpet, when Christ returns (Revelation 11:15).
The returned Christ will free all the nations of this world, and He will reign as King of kings (Isaiah 2:2; 49:26; Revelation 19:11–16). Christians pray that He will soon bring the Kingdom of God to this earth, and they eagerly anticipate that time when, as God promised to Abraham millennia ago, the “‘Seed’, who is Christ” will reign and all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:8, 16).
Much more could be said, as we understand that both the Passover and the Night to Be Much Observed are profoundly meaningful. We thank God for the Passover and for what it pictures—the great sacrifice that took place when Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), gave Himself to pay the price for our sins. And we are also deeply thankful for the evening that follows, the Night to be Much Observed, and for its lessons of coming out from under bondage into the freedom that Christ offers us.
God is faithful to His covenant promises. He delivered Israel from physical bondage millennia ago, He delivers us from spiritual bondage today, and He will deliver the entire world at Christ’s return. May God bring that day soon!