Only two kinds of men are allowed to appear before Yehovah at Passover; they are called the Ger and the Ezrach and together they make up all of Yehovah’s Kingdom.
[Note: This is a continuation from Part 1 & Part 2 of this 4 part series]
(43) And Yehovah said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. (44) But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. (45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. (46) In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.
(47) All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
(48) And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. (Exo 12:43-48)
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Foreigner H5236 (alien, ben nekar)
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Sojourner H8453 (involved alien, Toshab)
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Stranger H1616 (citizen, “Ger”)
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Native of the land H249 (citizen, “Ezrach”)
I did not notice it until just last night (12/1/12) that Yehovah divides these four individuals into two distinct groups; the first group are citizens of some kingdom of men and serve some other elohim (lawmakers and judges) besides Yehovah; and the second group are all citizens of True Israel. These two groups are divided by verse 47 which says.
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it [it, being the “ordinance of the Passover”]! (Exo 12:47)
The following two groups constitute “all the congregation of Israel.”
Stranger (citizen, Ger)
H1616 גר ger
A masculine noun meaning sojourner, alien, stranger. The word indicates, in general, anyone who is not native to a given land or among a given people but has joined himself to such land and people. (WordStudy)
Oh – that is such a beautiful definition!
This is the person who we discussed at length in the 4 articles entitled The Gentile Becomes a Ger.
The Ger or Stranger has joined himself to the commonwealth of True Israel through repentance and then naturalization. Baptism, a tradition of the Jews, was a public declaration expressing an inward change of repentance and a commitment to follow all the ways of Yehovah given through Moses through the Red Sea and beyond. I discuss this idea at length in my article entitled “The Gentile Becomes a Ger (Part 2) What Is Baptism All About?”
Baptism is not about a man (eesh) getting wet, it is about “crossing over.” It is both an expatriation from the government of ones birth and a naturalization process into a new government; he is joining himself to a group of people who have made the same declaration (i.e. True Israel).
- The Ger has no citizenship in any other kingdom
- He is a citizen of True Israel and keeps their laws, no matter where he is at.
- He dwells on the earth as in a strange country
You shall have the same law for the Stranger [Ger] and for one from your own country [Ezrach]; for I am Yehovah your Elohim. (Lev 24:22)
One law shall be for the native-born [Ezrach] and for the Stranger [Ger] who dwells among you. (Exo 12:49)
And if a stranger [Ger] dwells with you [the Ezrach], or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to Yehovah, just as you do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the Stranger [Ger] who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the Stranger [Ger] be before Yehovah. (Num 15:14-15)
Concerning the Ger, Yehovah says,
And when a Stranger [Ger] shall sojourn with thee [the Ezrach], and will keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it, (Exo 12:48)
Native-Born Citizen (Ezrach)
“Please note – There is no plural form of this word.”
H249 אזרח Ezrach
A masculine noun indicating a native-born person of a land as opposed to a Stranger [Ger] or Settler [Toshab]. These persons had full rights to take part in Israel’s rites and festivals. (WordStudy)
Another great definition!
H249 אזרח Ezrach
A spontaneous growth, From H2224 (in the sense of springing up) (Strong)H2224 זרח zaw-rakh
A primitive root; properly to irradiate (or shoot forth beams), that is, to rise (as the sun); specifically to appear: – arise, rise (up), as soon as it is up. (Strong)
Each new Ezrach is born just after sunset, in a moment, and this happens all over the earth each Passover. They are recreated and formed into His Kind once again.
And when a Stranger [Ger] shall sojourn with thee [the Ezrach], and will keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and become as one that is born in the land [the Ezrach]: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. (Exo 12:48)
This spontaneous growth, this springing forth of life is the Born Again experience that Yeshua spoke of! The man came to Passover as a Ger and left as an Ezrach, a new man, in covenant for the first time, with Yehovah.
Those who experience this second birth, are born again into a new country and have become as one born in the land, the promised seed.
- He has entered into covenant by the shedding of his own blood (through circumcision) and the blood of the animal that seals the covenant for the next year, just as Abraham did.
- He is the one who is spiritually, “Born Again”
- He is born into a spiritual country – Yehovah’s eternal kingdom
- He is a citizen, son and heir of Yehovah, the spiritual seed which was promised by Yehovah to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Every man who ate of the Passover lamb before he left Egypt, became as one born of the land (the Ezrach) of Israel, even though most of them had never even seen Israel before that time. That is true of us also; whether we are the biological sons of Abraham or not. And whether we have seen the land or not. It does not matter! The Ger, not the Ben Nekar or the Toshab, who is circumcised (sheds his blood) and eats the Passover becomes an Ezrach (as one born in the land or native-born).
At the Passover which Yeshua attended, as recorded by John; Yeshua spoke with Nicodemus saying, You must be born again to see the Kingdom of Elohim. He said, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
Remember, Yeshua rebuked Nicodemus saying, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Is it possible that being circumcised and eating of the Passover lamb is exactly what Yeshua was speaking of when he said we must be born a second time? A spiritual birth (through an act of obedience at the appointed time) into a spiritual kingdom.
In Numbers Yehovah speaking of the man, whether Ger or Ezrach, who does not eat the Passover. It says that he shall be kicked out from among his people and his sins shall remain on him. Check it out, we have learned so many lies!
“Let Israel’s seed keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.” (Num 9:2-3)
The sons/seed have two chances to keep the Passover according to its ordinances, but look at what happens to the man that will not keep it.
On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. But the man [ha eesh] who is clean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that man shall be cut off from among his people, because he did not bring the offering of Yehovah at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. (Num 9:11-13)
So does it make sense that “the man” who does keep it shall be allowed to continue to dwell among Yehovah’s people and his sins shall be forgiven him? The Passover offering is the only thing that a Ger or an Ezrach can bring to Yehovah which provides for forgiveness of sins, and a renewed commitment to follow in His covenant for yet another year. Beautiful!
I bet that right about now, many of you women are asking, “What about us? You keep talking about the man who is circumcised along with all the males of his house; and that it is the man who becomes as one born in the land, the Ezrach. We are frustrated by your language Michael!“
Please recall that these are not my words, they are Yehovah’s words. It was Noah that walked with Elohim, not his woman, sons or their women. The answer to this question is found in my all my teachings about a woman of worth and especially the importance concerning a woman place of Safety. The man who eats the Passover each year has his sins forgiven him and becomes as one born in the land, a son of Elohim. The status that the man, the head of his household, enjoys is the same status that his woman (bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh) and his flesh sons and daughters who are following him enjoys. Kind of makes the family unit a lot more important, doesn’t it?!
As I said at the beginning of this series of articles. Exo 12:43-48 describes 4 kinds of people with respect to the True Nation of Israel; and also describes the process in which a man (an eesh) may become as one born in the land, an Ezrach! This process will be discussed in detail in my next, and final, part of this series. I think you will find it very interesting.
Continue to: Born Again Process