What an odd title for a blog post, an unplanned one at that. But since this has been on my mind, I decided to share a post.
As mentioned in my last post, because Easter and Passover were about a month apart this year, I got to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ twice this year - in March and in April. Usually, those holidays happen during the same week. This year, they didn't.
I am a born again, Bible believing Christian, and my family and I have always remembered Christ's death, burial, and resurrection around Easter. Why would I remember those events around Passover? Because the death of Christ happened on Passover. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God. The entire Passover points to Christ. Jesus celebrated the Passover a night early with His disciples the night before He died.
As mentioned in my last post, because Easter and Passover were about a month apart this year, I got to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ twice this year - in March and in April. Usually, those holidays happen during the same week. This year, they didn't.
I am a born again, Bible believing Christian, and my family and I have always remembered Christ's death, burial, and resurrection around Easter. Why would I remember those events around Passover? Because the death of Christ happened on Passover. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God. The entire Passover points to Christ. Jesus celebrated the Passover a night early with His disciples the night before He died.
It was special for me to remember these events twice this year. And for me, it was even more meaningful during Passover since that is when those events occurred on the Biblical calendar. I wish more Christians understood the significance of celebrating Passover.
In the past few months, I’ve enjoyed borrowing some documentary films on DVD from our local public library. I own the first two DVD’s in the series titled: “Patterns of Evidence” by filmmaker Timothy Mahoney. His first film about the Exodus is especially compelling. Biblical archeology is something I’ve always enjoyed, even as a girl.
In recent years, the filmmaker produced several more films I had not seen. He produced one about Moses writing the first five books of the Bible. He also produced two films on the Red Sea Miracle, and two on the Journey to Mount Sinai.
Anyone who knows me well knows that these kinds of archeological films are right up my alley. I was thankful our library was able to get these DVD’s in for me through an inter-library loan. Libraries are wonderful, aren’t they?
For a while, I was making weekly trips to our local library, dropping off one DVD while picking up another one or two on hold for me.
“I’ve been to Egypt.” I told the librarian who looked these films up for me in their system.
“So these are really special for me to see. Thank you so much for getting them in for me.”
I wasn’t the only one in my family who was eager to see them. My parents, along with one of my brothers, were just as eager to see them as I was!
With warm blankets to snuggle in on cold evenings, we watched them in our living room.
These films were so well done! I highly recommend them!
After watching them, I relayed to my parents and to my brother that the only thing I didn’t like were all the critics. I was reminded by my Dad that, unfortunately, that is the world we live in today. There are many people who question the Bible, either partially or in its entirety! As a Christian, it is hard for me to believe there are people who actually question the validity of the Bible. As a Christian, my entire faith rests on the accuracy and truth of the Bible as the infallible Word of God. Having critics on these films who challenge that was something that I did not care for.
The filmmaker presents patterns of evidence (hence the subtitle for the series) which supports (and clearly proves!) the complete accuracy of the Bible. This allows the viewer to make their own conclusion regardless of whether or not they believe in the Bible.
Brilliantly done!
My view of the critics now? Bring ‘em on! Even though they got on my nerves a little, the critics cannot disprove the overwhelming evidence! The evidence clearly shows the accuracy of the Bible!
In his first film about the “Exodus”, the Passover is mentioned since it is part of the Exodus story.
At one point during the film, the filmmaker takes you to a place in Egypt called Avaris in the land of Goshen, where evidence shows the children of Israel once lived.
This film shows a portico into a palace where Joseph may have once lived. Later, his father and brothers would have joined him there.
Outside that palace is a garden with a total of 12 graves. How many sons and tribes of Israel were there? 12. Simply a coincidence? I don’t think so.
One of those 12 tombs is a pyramid shape with a statue of a high ranking official inside that tomb.
The statue inside this tomb? It is almost certainly a statue of Joseph in the Bible. There are faint remains of paint from a “coat of many colors” on this man. The evidence is so compelling, almost breathtaking. This link shows a brief video clip of this from this film.
As my favorite Bible character, I enjoyed seeing and hearing about all of the references to Joseph.
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| A picture from this film on the Exodus, showing what is believed to be the graves or tombs of the 12 sons of Israel found in Avaris, Egypt where the children of Israel once lived in Goshen. The pyramid shaped tomb is likely Joseph’s tomb. |
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| The front cover of this film on the “Exodus”. |
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| The back cover of this film on the “Exodus”. |
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
In the same way, I do not have to see things from the Exodus story in the Bible to believe them. I believe by faith that they happened just as the Bible says. But, films like these present clear evidence that shows that the Bible is completely accurate and true. Your faith or belief in the Bible becomes sight as you see evidence presented here.
Someday, our faith will become sight when we see our Savior “face to face”.
Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter. Some refer to the people mentioned in this chapter as the “heroes of the faith”. Joseph is mentioned in this chapter in verse 22. That verse says:
“By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.”
Hebrews 11:22
I have to admit, I used to wonder why the bones of Joseph were mentioned in this chapter. What is so significant about bones?
My view of the bones of Joseph changed during the Passover season this year, hence my reason for sharing this post.
Just before Passover this year, I was thinking about those 12 tombs found in Avaris, Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They are very likely the tombs of the 12 sons of Jacob. And then it hit me - Joseph's tomb is empty! His bones are not there!
Joseph is a type of Christ. The tomb of Christ is also empty because Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion and death.
Joseph did not rise from the dead, but his tomb in Egypt is empty. Why?
Joseph requested that his bones be taken and buried in the land of Israel, the land of his fathers. Joseph said it this way in Genesis 50:25:
“And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.”
The significance of Joseph's faith was this:
Joseph believed God’s promise. Joseph believed God was going to do exactly what He promised to do in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Joseph must have heard about that promise from God given to His Great Grandpa, Abraham, mentioned in Genesis 15.
“And he said unto Abram, 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;
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”
Genesis 15:13-14
Joseph believed God’s promise. And because he believed, Joseph asked that his bones be taken back to his homeland, Israel, to be buried in the land where his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried. Though he was dead, because of his faith, Joseph eventually “went home”. Wow!
Though he was dead, the bones of Joseph were carried with the children of Israel on their exodus out of Egypt. The bones of Joseph went through the Red Sea on dry ground with the children of Israel. (thinking of that makes me choke up with tears!) The bones of Joseph were at Mount Sinai when God’s people received God’s law. The bones of Joseph were with the children of Israel when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The bones of Joseph were with the children of Israel as they crossed the Jordan River into the promised land. The bones of Joseph were with the children of Israel as they marched around the walls of Jericho. Finally, Joseph’s bones were laid to rest in his home land, the land of Israel.
Because Joseph believed God’s promise, his faith was honored even after he died.
Though not a pleasant topic, I have relayed to my parents that, if I were to ever die unexpectedly, I would like to be buried in our home state, Michigan, in a small graveyard out in the country where some of my ancestors (my Mom’s dad and grandparents) are buried. The burial lots there are cheap. I don’t want anything expensive; just a simple burial is fine. Oddly enough, I can understand Joseph wanting to be buried in his homeland. Having grown up in Michigan as a young girl, that state is home to me. Both of my parents and their families come from Michigan.
I never thought of bones as being that significant, but after breaking two bones in March, bones have been on my mind a little more.
On the weekend before Passover, I woke up with severe pain around my rib cage in both the front and the back. I likely had a rib or two “come out” after my recent fall when I broke two bones. The pain was excruciating.
Should I see a chiropractor again, I wondered? Maybe this rib will go back into place on its own?
Sure enough, on the morning of Passover, I heard (and felt!) my rib pop back into place with a big, morning stretch. Relief! Finally! I was sore for a few days. Once again, bones were on my mind.
And because it was Passover, I thought about the Lord Jesus and His death for us on the cross. At 3:00 o’ clock that afternoon, I thought about the blood that was shed for you and me. My mind went to Psalm 22, a Psalm that was recited out loud by the Lord Jesus when He was dying in agony on the cross. Psalm 22 was penned, prophetically, by David centuries earlier. David made mention of bones in verse 14 when he said:
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint…” Psalm 22:14
Bones out of joint? I knew what that felt like. I’d just had a rib pop back into place that morning. That rib was on my left side, a rib near my heart. I could not imagine all of His bones being out of joint. I was humbled to remember the enormous price that was paid for my soul. Having a rib out of place, near my heart, also reminded me of the pierced side of the Lord Jesus where He paid for His bride with His own blood - a bride pulled from His side just like Eve was pulled from Adam’s side, from one of Adam’s ribs.
That evening, I remembered the Passover. I wished I had someone else to celebrate and remember with, but I didn’t this year. So, I celebrated it alone.
I lit a small candle on my dresser in my bedroom and remembered what an incredible night it was!
I read all of Exodus chapters 12 and 13 out loud in remembrance of the Passover. God told His people to remember this night forever.
“And 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.” Exodus 12:14
“It 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.”
Exodus 12:42
This is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations…
And so, I was. With bitter herbs, unleavened bread (matzah), and grape juice, I remembered the enormous price that was paid for my soul on that very day nearly 2,000 years ago. Passover truly is a holy day.
I remembered the words of our Lord Jesus.
“And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
… This do in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:15-19
Traditionally, a Passover Seder includes something sweet called Charoset, an apple, date, and honey dish. I made a large bowl of charoset for a Passover Seder several years ago, but I didn’t have any that night.
Instead, I ate the only sweet thing I had on hand, some pieces from a chocolate bar! Though very unorthodox, it worked. I thanked the Lord for the sweetness of His deliverance and of His promises to come!
Instead of reading from one of the Gospels about the crucifixion and death of Christ, I read Psalm 22 in remembrance of what Christ did for us.
Later, I felt inspired to play one of my harps.
For the first time, I played from a hymnal I have of just the Psalms. Which Psalm did I decide to try playing? Psalm 22, of course.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw a melody for Psalm 22 in this hymnal - the Kingsford melody. I played that melody a month earlier. Now, here it was set to Psalm 22. I call things like that a “God thing”.
Psalm 22 talks about bones in reference to Christ.
The bones of Joseph had been on my mind just days before. I broke two bones a month before Passover, in March.
I did not expect bones to be on my mind during Passover, but for some reason, the Lord brought bones to my mind this year.
A bone is usually placed on a Passover Seder plate in remembrance of the Passover lamb that was killed. In the past, that bone never held much significance to me. Now, when I see that bone, I will remember the bones of our dear Lord Jesus when He suffered in tremendous agony and died for us. He is our Passover Lamb.
Bones are significant in that they make up the skeletal frame of our entire body. Our body is precious to God; He created our body.
Because of sin, our body will eventually die and go back to dust, all except our bones. Amazingly, bones remain even after a body disintegrates. Bones are proof that someone once lived.
Christ rose from the grave three days after His death, and because of His resurrection, those who believe in and belong to God have God’s promise that their body will also rise when He returns!
Like Joseph, when we choose to believe God’s promise, our bones will not remain in the grave!
We will “go home” like Joseph did.
The second exodus is coming, friends, and it will be even greater than the first exodus.
