Pesach Sheni means the Second Passover, or the Passover celebrated on the 14th day of the Second month, Iyar, instead of the 14th day of the First month, which is the month of Nisan. This is the only holy day recorded for the month of Iyar, the Second month, in the Torah. Now Israel celebrates Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day, but those are memorials from 1948, not the time of the Torah.
We find the laws of the Second Passover in Numbers 9. The Hebrew nation was celebrating the Passover in the Wilderness, but certain men were defiled because of touching a dead body and could not celebrate the Passover.
Numbers 9:7, “And those men said to him, “We [became] defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the children of Israel?” (8) And Moses said to them, “Stand still, that I may hear what the LORD will command (9) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (10) Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or [is] far away on a journey, he may still keep the LORD’s Passover. concerning you.” (11) ‘On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”
One of God’s names is “All Merciful God”, El malei Rachamim. God called Himself merciful when He passed by Moses, who was in the cleft of the rock in Exodus 34. Vs 6 reads, “And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (7) “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” He is the God of a Second Chance, and proves it by extending mercy to the Second month to those who were not ready.
Pesach Sheni reveals to those in Covenant with the Almighty God, that there is ‘always a second chance’, ‘never a lost case’, ‘nothing is impossible’ and ‘God is never to late’.
We see this truth revealed in 2 Chronicles 29-30 with King Hezekiah. When Hezekiah became king he determined to ‘do right in the sight of God’, but preparation needed to be done and it was already the first month of the biblical calendar.
- The priests needed to sanctify themselves unto God, purifying themselves.
- They had to ‘carry out the filthiness out of the holy place. Can you imagine rubbish & garbage in the Holy Place? The Holy Place is also called the Inner Court, where the Seven-Branched Golden Candlestick (Menorah), Golden Altar of Incense and the Table of Shewbread were located. The Outer Court had the natural light and where all priests were allowed. The Inner Court has the light of the Menorah, representing revelation of God and the Kohathites (Kohen lineage) were the only priests allowed to enter. The Holy of Holies had the light of the Glory of God and only the High Priest was allowed to enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
- They had to make repairs to the Temple.
- They had to give sin offerings, because of the sins of wicked King Ahaz.
- Worship with singing and instruments continued throughout the sacrifices and when the sacrifices were finished they sang praises with gladness, bowed their heads and worshiped.
- Thanks offerings were given unto God in abundance.
So what does this have to do with us? I am glad you asked.
- Just as the priests had to sanctify themselves, we need to separate ourselves unto God, return to Him.
- Just as they had to carry the filthiness, rubbish and garbage out of the Holy Place we need to forgive, forget and turn our thoughts unto the Word of God.
- Just as they had to repair the Temple, we need to repair relationships with each other, seek restoration. Just as the Passover brings us reconciliation unto God by the precious Blood of Jesus, we need to become ministers of reconciliation. The Temple is not just our physical body, but the Body of Christ as a whole.
- Just as they sacrificed, worshiped and gave thanksgiving offerings to God, we need to be obedient and follow what the Holy Spirit shows us to do.
Hezekiah keeps the Passover in the Second Month
The leaders and Hezekiah agreed to keep the Passover and sent our a proclamation throughout all Israel, encouraging them to ‘return to the Lord’, to come to the Temple in Jerusalem and to yield themselves to God so that the wrath on the nation would be turned back.
2 Chronicles 30:9 reads, “”For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”
The priests sprinkled the blood of the lambs on those who were not sanctified! This speaks volumes to me of the goodness of God, to pardon by the Blood! We as priests are to stand in the gap between our Holy God and a sinful nation and ask for mercy, sprinkling the Blood of Jesus in prayers.
What was the result? Vs 26, “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” (27b) and the prayers came up to His holy dwelling place, in heaven.”
Wow! What a God! What a Savior! They had such a great time they extended the 7 day feast to 14 days!
Isaiah 61:7 promises us beautiful insteads: “Instead of shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.”
Once the Temple and people came back to God, they were able to go out throughout the land and bring the land back to God.
2 Chronicles 31:21 records Hezekiah’s success as king, “And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”
This sounds like a good plan for a great awakening!
By the way, there will be a full moon on Pesach Sheni.
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