Introduction
These words were penned
by country superstar Alan Jackson a month after the events of September 11th,
2001 on the Sunday morning of October 21st. He first performed the
song at the 35th Annual Country Music Awards show just two weeks
later on November 7th.
We can all picture
where we were, what we were doing, who we were with, how we felt.
Where
were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Watching those
planes hit the towers in New York and the Pentagon in DC, and one crashing in a
field in Pennsylvania, and the emotions we felt changed how we’ve viewed the
world ever since.
Still to this day
we refer to “September 11th” without including the year, “2001” and
we all know exactly what date we’re referring to. It’s hard to believe this
September will be 19 years ago.
Some dates stick in
our minds more than others because of the traumatic events that occurred, especially
if we were there. Many of us can remember where we were and what we were doing
when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX.
We remember, “One
small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Neil Armstrong’s famous words
when he stepped foot on the moon on July 20th, 1969. We may no
longer remember the actual date but we remember being glued to the TV with our
family to watch this dramatic, historic moment.
Other dates were
taught to us as a matter of history. July 4th, 1776 American Independence
Day. December 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.
However, if we’re
not taught the events of the past and their significance, they can fade over
time. If we don’t pass on our experiences and the meaning of things that
happened in times past to our children, they become just dates in a history
book to be memorized by rote and regurgitated onto a test paper. If we don’t
regularly rehearse them, they become just a date in the deep recesses of our
minds or forgotten altogether.
The Nation of
Israel experienced some dramatic historical moments too. One in particular is
of such great significance that God reminds us continually over and over
throughout the Bible –
“I am the LORD thy
God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.”
This event occurred
on a Night that is to Be Much Observed, a night of great historical
significance. (1462 B.C.) Interestingly, it occurred on the exact day, the
selfsame day as a previous remarkable event that took place 430 years earlier (1892
B.C.) as proof of God’s faithfulness.
Yet another most
significant event occurred again on the selfsame day some 1,492 years after the
exodus! (30 A.D) And it is the most significant event of all!
Today we’re going
to rehearse these events and why God reminds us repeatedly to remember.
The split-sermon
today is entitled – The Selfsame Day
Our Heavenly Father is a God of order. He’s likes things
organized. He likes structure. He likes precision. He likes things to be just
so. The sun, the moon, and the stars are one huge clock and guidance system.
Perfectly timed, and perfectly pointing travelers towards their destinations.
God is involved in what happens here on Earth and
also when it happens.
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 tells us –
there
is a
season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time
to be born, and a time to die;
a time
to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Like now. Be sure to stay at least 6 feet apart and wash your
hands!
Everything has a season, a time according to God’s purpose.
Though events, taken individually, may seem like they’re
occurring randomly, in the grander scheme they are not, but are precisely in time
with God’s plan and purpose.
Our God is a God of order.
God taught the Israelites his Way of order and discipline in
the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. He introduced them to the
weekly Sabbath and Holy Days.
The Holy Days are in a certain order and sequence and come
around every year. God has made appointments with us, sacred appointments, that
He expects us to observe and attend. His instructions are very precise and they
recur every year on the exact same day on the Hebrew calendar.
We recently observed the Passover and the Days of Unleavened
Bread. Both are planned and carried out according to very explicit
instructions.
When Jesus Christ initiated the New Covenant, he did so in a
very precise manner and instructed us to observe it for a memorial throughout
our generations.
God cares for his people and he marks His calendar with
significant dates regarding them. Today we will examine one of those dates, one
with deep spiritual meaning, one that is to be much remembered.
When the Nation of Israel was enslaved in Egypt under hard
bondage, God heard their cry and remembered His people Israel.
Exo 2:23-25 KJV
(23) And it came to pass in
process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed
by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by
reason of the bondage.
(24) And God heard their
groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac,
and with Jacob.
(25) And God looked upon the
children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
God had respect unto them. He began to regard his
people Israel. He took notice of them. He began to concern himself with them. The
time had come.
We all know what happened next. God called Moses to lead
them out of Egypt. They witnessed God call down the 10 plagues on Egypt causing
Pharaoh to release the slaves – water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock
killed, boils, hail & fire, locusts, darkness, and culminating at Passover
in the death of the firstborn of Egypt. Extremely dramatic events, traumatic
events they wouldn’t soon forget, or so you’d think.
God told them to always remember and never forget what had
happened and who it was that rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
Exo 12:14, 17 KJV
(14) 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.
(17) And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this
selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore
shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exo 12:40-42, 51 KJV
(40) Now the sojourning of the
children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was
four hundred and thirty years.
(41) And it came to pass at the
end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came
to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
(42) 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.
(51) And it came to pass the
selfsame day, that the LORD did
bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
The selfsame day as
what?
An event that took place on the same day, the exact same day, the
selfsame day 430 years before to the very day.
Israel was the keep this date as a memorial; a feast to the LORD throughout their generations, even forever.
What happened 430 years ago that God made such a big deal
out of it?
Contracts and Covenants
Contracts are agreements between two parties that state how
they will conduct themselves in their business dealings with each other.
Covenants have provisions within the contracts stating the conditions of the
agreement, the “if thens” and what happens if they are violated.
They used to speak of “cutting a covenant” because they
literally cut a calf in half and walked between the two halves to ratify their
commitment to the agreement they had just made. This was to signify that they
should be treated in like manner if they violated their part of the covenant,
meaning that if they did not keep their half of the agreement, they were
pledging to sacrifice their own blood just as the animals they were passing
through. In other words, they were pledging their own lives if the covenant was
not kept.
This was a very serious agreement!
This describes when King Zedekiah had made such a covenant
with the people of Jerusalem to free their slaves and servants. The people had
agreed to the terms in the house of the LORD then walked through the parts of
the divided calf and freed their slaves. But afterwards, they violated that
covenant by taking the slaves back. God was not pleased.
Jer 34:18-20 KJV
(18) And I will give the men
that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant
which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed
between the parts thereof,
(19) The princes of Judah, and
the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people
of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
(20) I will even give them into
the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their
dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the
beasts of the earth.
Adam Clarke says this about cutting a covenant –
When they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof -
This
was the ancient and most solemn way of making a covenant.
1. A calf as sacrifice was offered to God to secure his approbation and
support.
2. The victim was then exactly divided from the nose to the rump; the
spinal marrow being divided longitudinally, in the most careful manner, that
the half of it might remain on each side.
3. These divided parts were laid opposite to each other, a passage
being left between them.
4. The contracting parties entered this passage at each end, met in the
middle, and there took the covenant oath; adjudging themselves to death should
they break this covenant.
A Maledictory Oath
God made such a covenant with Abram after he returned from
rescuing his nephew Lot. Let’s read of this extraordinary covenantal event –
Gen 15:1-21 KJV After these things the word of
the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and
thy exceeding great reward. (2)
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and
the steward of my house is this
Eliezer of Damascus? (3) And
Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my
house is mine heir. (4) And,
behold, the word of the LORD came
unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth
out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. (5)
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall
thy seed be. (6) And he
believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (7) And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the
Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. (8)
And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
(9) And he said unto him, Take
me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram
of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. (10) And he took unto him all these, and
divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the
birds divided he not. (11) And
when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. (12) And when the sun was going down,
a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell
upon him. (13) 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; (14) And also that nation, whom they shall
serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
(15) And thou shalt go to thy
fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. (16) But in the fourth generation
they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (17) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went
down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed
between those pieces. (18)
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy
seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the
river Euphrates: (19) The
Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, (20)
And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, (21) And the Amorites, and the Canaanites,
and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
However, notice that God and Abram didn’t both pass between
the severed animal parts meeting in the middle. Abram was in a deep sleep. Only
God passed through making this a unilateral contract with Abram. It was a
unilateral promise, a one-sided promise that God would fulfill or else God himself
would pay the penalty.
Only God passed
through the covenant sacrifices. He essentially swore by his own self that the
covenant would be kept. His promises were sealed by God’s very own nature and
character. God went on to confirm his covenant with Abraham again and with
Isaac, and with Jacob later named Israel.
Gen 22:16-18 KJV
(16) And said, By myself have
I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son:
(17) That in blessing I will
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is
upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
(18) And in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
God fulfills everything at His
appointed time. He
fulfilled the promises that he had given to Abraham in the selfsame day that he
had established the covenant - the 15th day of the first month. Four hundred and thirty years later, to the very same day, the
children of Israel left Egypt, beginning their journey to the Promised Land. And 40 years after
that they entered the Promised Land and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread
for the first time on the selfsame day in Canaan and ate manna no more.
The New Covenant
The Nation of Israel could not keep their part of the
bargain of the old covenant though they swore, “All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be
obedient.” Throughout their history they vacillated between being
obedient and being idolatrous. The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.
It got so bad that God had to remove them from the land. The northern ten
tribes were taken captive by Assyria and carried off to become known as “The
Lost Ten Tribes of Israel” in 722 B.C. And the southern tribes of Judah and
Benjamin were taken captive in 586 B.C. and carried off to Babylon. The
covenant was broken by all twelve tribes of Israel. They became so idolatrous
that God had no choice but to punish them and remove them from the land.
Yet God was faithful.
Heb 8:7-9 KJV
(7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no
place have been sought for the second.
(8) For finding fault with
them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
(9) Not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my
covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
God began regarding them back in Exo 2:25 where we read but he
could regard them no longer because they had gone too far. They had forgotten
the Law of God. My people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I
will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast
forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hos 4:6)
But God had pledged his own blood if all elements of the
covenant were not kept forever. The house of Israel and the house of Judah did
not continue in the covenant they had sworn, “all that the Lord hath said, we
will do”. Though it was through no fault of his own, God had sworn the covenant
oath by his own self, a unilateral maledictory oath.
Before a new covenant could be made, the terms of the old
covenant had to be satisfied.
The terms and conditions had to be met. God had to die.
Worthy is the Lamb That Was Slain
God made a maledictory oath pledging his own life if the
covenant was not kept. God kept his part of the covenant but man was never able
to keep his part. Nevertheless, it was God out of his love and compassion for
man, who took responsibility for the failed covenant.
In the form of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, he gave
his own life thus fulfilling the maledictory oath, his body lying in the grave
on the selfsame day.
Heb 9:15-17 NASB
(15) For this reason He is the
mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the
redemption of the transgressions that were committed
under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the
promise of the eternal inheritance.
(16) For where a covenant is,
there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
(17) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in
force while the one who made it lives.
God went on to fulfill the other provisos of the covenant
blessings of Abraham. His seed did become as the sand of the sea and will
become as the stars of heaven. And through them all the nations of the earth
have been blessed. For a deeper understanding how this happened study our
booklet, The
United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.
Why would God fulfill the death pledge of the maledictory
oath? And after doing so, why would he continue to honor the blessing therein?
Heb 6:17-20 KJV
(17) Wherein God, willing
more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his
counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
(18) That by two immutable
things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us:
(19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
(20) Whither the forerunner
is for us entered, even Jesus, made
an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
God fulfilled completely his oath to show us the
immutability of his counsel and to give us strong consolation knowing that God
has not and will not lie and will keep his promises. He did it for us. That we
might have hope knowing his character that we can put our faith and trust in
him.
God keeps his promises.
There’s an individual in this story who ties it all
together. We just read his name in verse 20 of Hebrews 6, Melchisidec! Who was
this Melchisidec and what part does he play in our study of the selfsame day?
Heb 7:1-3 KJV
(1) For this Melchisedec,
king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from
the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
(2) To whom also Abraham gave a
tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and
after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
(3) Without father, without
mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but
made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
This person was without father, without mother, without
children, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto
the Son of God.
Let’s read about this meeting he had with Abraham.
Gen 14:17-20 KJV
(17) And the king of Sodom went
out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the
kings that were with him, at the
valley of Shaveh, which is the king's
dale.
(18) And Melchizedek king of
Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was
the priest of the most high God.
(19) And he blessed him, and
said, Blessed be Abram of the most
high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
(20) And blessed be the most
high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him
tithes of all.
This Melchizedek was indeed someone of great importance. He
was the King of Salem and he was the priest of the most high God. A king
and a priest. Notice the symbols he brought out. He brought forth bread
and wine. These are Passover symbols. This took place at the time of the
Passover.
Turn the page to chapter 15 –
Verse 1 says, “the word of the Lord” came to Abram. Who
is the Word of the Lord?
Gen 15:17 KJV And it came to pass, that,
when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a
burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Who was it that passed through the parts invoking the
maledictory oath?
Thy
word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psa 119:105)
For our God
is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:29)
For the
LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. (Deu
4:24 KJV)
So, who was this Melchisedec? I think we know!
It says in Gen. 15:1 that “the word of the Lord” came to
Abram. Who’s the Word of the Lord? Christ!
Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament who made the
covenant by maledictory oath to Abram, pledging his own death if the covenant
failed? Christ!
Who led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt on the
selfsame day? That rock was Christ!
Who fulfilled the gruesome edicts of the failure of that
covenant on the cross at Golgotha and his body lied in the grave on the
selfsame day? Christ!
Who loved us so much that even though it wasn’t His fault
the old covenant failed, He still kept the oath He swore? Christ!
Who simultaneously instituted the new covenant of our
salvation? Christ!
Who was this Melchisedec who met Abram after he rescued his
nephew Lot? Christ!
Jesus Christ, the King of Salem, the Priest of the Most High
God!
Who was dead but is now alive for evermore!
Rev 1:18 KJV I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Conclusion
Children need structure. They need stability. They need reassurance.
They need to know their parents care for them. They need to know they care
about their needs; they care about their wellbeing.
They need to be constantly reminded that we’re here for them.
The children of God are no different.
Sometimes we get what Lee Strobel calls “Spiritual
Amnesia”.
He says, “Spiritual amnesia is when we get so worried and
nervous and anxiety ridden over our future because we’ve forgotten God’s track
record of helping us in our past.”
We need to remind ourselves from time to time what God has
done for us.
The Night To Be Much Observed is such a time. It is
different from all other nights. It is a very significant time. It is not just
a chance to get together with our brethren and share a nice meal.
It is the selfsame day God made his covenant with Abram by
maledictory oath pledging his own life.
It is the selfsame day Abram experienced the horror of great
darkness.
It is the selfsame day our Lord experienced the same horror
of the darkness of death in the tomb.
It is the selfsame day when God brought Israel out of Egypt.
It is the selfsame day our Lord brought us out of the spiritual bondage to sin and death.
It is the selfsame day when Joshua and the Israelites observed
the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the first time in the Promised Land.
It is the selfsame day our Lord satisfied the terms of the Old
Covenant by His blood, and by His blood initiated the New Covenant of our salvation.
It is a day unlike any other day. It is a day with deep
spiritual meaning. It is a day that marks the beginning of God’s watchful care
over his people Israel.
If we aren’t careful to remember the true significance of
the Night to Be Much Observed and teach it to our children, we risk it going
the way of the 4th of July and Memorial Day. Just another day to get
together with family and friends to grill hamburgers and hot dogs and drink
beer.
The Night to Be Much Observed is not just a night when we go
out with a high hand and celebrate with our brothers and sisters in Christ and
share our favorite unleavened baked goods. It is a night to remember these
dramatic, traumatic historical events in times past that occurred on the
selfsame day.
And not just these only.
Why is this night different from all other nights? Because
it is a night we remember God’s watchful care over us. We take time to reflect
and meditate on the times when we were anxious, when we were in trouble, when
we cried out to God and God heard our cry and cared for us and comforted us.
We remember the times we prayed to the Almighty Sovereign
Ruler and Creator of the Universe and He heard our prayer. And we teach our
children the stories of times that God intervened on our behalf.
Book of Remembrance
God has a Book of Remembrance that he uses to record all the
times we have thought about Him and spoken of Him.
Mal 3:16 KJV Then they that feared the
LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was
written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his
name.
I might make a suggestion that each of us start a Book of
Remembrance of our own to record all the times that God has revealed himself to
us, to record all the times that God has been faithful to us, to record all the
times that God has come through for us lest we forget and become anxious and fearful
in times to come.
And when we pause to remember these things, we know that God
will intervene on our behalf again. We remember how He cared for us then
and are comforted by that now. We know that no matter what happens He
cares for us because we remember how He cared for us then.
So, the Night to Be Much Observed, the selfsame day, is a
night filled with much to remember. A night of deep spiritual significance,
lest we forget all that God has done for us.
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