According to Rabbi Abraham Bloch, the main distinction between the Hag HaPesach and Hag HaMatzot lies in the historical area that each seeks to reflect. Just go to the highlands of Scotland or to N. Ireland! The Greek word which is translated manger in our English Bibles is Yatnh phat-ne. Generations of hereditary shepherds tended the sacred flocks. This feast coincided with the feast of the paschal lamb. In summary, we can state with some certainty that the flocks which were pastured around Migdal Edar were sheep destined for Temple sacrifices, and the shepherds who tended them were special shepherds, trained to take care of these sheep from birth until the time they were delivered to the Temple. Sin came into the world through Adam in the Garden of Eden, as presented in the early chapters of Genesis. Probably not. Ill take sheep smell any day over that of chickens, for example. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 5 What was the tower of the flock in the Bible? I thought it was quite intriguing that all of the fixtures within the church served purposes, which are absolutely amazing tour guide Habib explained. Unlike humans, sheep have a season for giving birth. [7] The Micah prophesy starts in Micah 4:6 and continues through 5:5; see explanations and structure in the Companion Bible. Perhaps most significant, sheep were used as part of the temple sacrifices. Where was the tower of the flock located? Reflecting on these passages in Genesis regarding to the death of Rachel, it is easy to imagine Jacobs anguish. When was Yeshua really born? He was the Eternals First-fruit, the First of many to be resurrected. The name Beit Lechem means House of Bread and Ephrathah fruitful. The Romans would not have called for a census during winter as it would have been very hard for the people to travel long distances in the cold and rain. In his address to the priests and Levites he said, Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the God of Israel (II Chronicles 29:10). The Bethlehem sheep stayed in the fields at night under the guard of shepherds, rather than being moved into a sheepfold, as was typical. there were shepherds living out in the fields. They were Levitical shepherds (shepherd-priests). There must have come a moment on that road when they realized they could not make their destination. After Jacob buried Rachel, he traveled on . He changes the calendar of our lives. When his time had come Jesus was led to Jerusalem to be sacrificed. The Lords incarnation brought God down to man. It was a place fit for the Lamb of the Eternal to be born. Thank you Habib. A look at the evolution of the four questions. After being washed and salted, the infant was then wrapped with long strips of linen or cotton swaddling bands. Paganism spread throughout Israel and Judea and reduced the number of Jews who made the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The newborn lambs would be wrapped tightly swaddled in specially designated temple cloths, and they would be laid in a manger to keep them contained while they were being examined for blemishes. The hills around Bethlehem were home to the hundreds of lambs used in ritual worship at the Temple. According to the laws of the time, the sheep that were used for the offerings had to be a one-year-old male sheep that had been outside for 365 days (one year). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What the Fall Feasts of the Lord are Telling the Church (which I co-authored with Donald Zoller and which is also presented on this website) provides an excellent description of Gods plan of redemption in Jesus, as foreshadowed in the Feasts of the Lord. On Sabbath Jesus Christ was crucified and gave up his life. GOD CONTINUE TO HAVE FAVOR,GRACE AND PEACE UPON YOUR LIFE,AS YOU DO HIS WILL. While this ritual was performed the Levites sang the Hallel [Talmud Pesachim 64a]. This is a big problem with God and, consequently, with man. These strips ensured that the child was warm and that his limbs would grow straight. He was born in the very birthplace of tens of thousands of lambs, which had been sacrificed to prefigure Him. Isa 53:6, 1011). WebThe reason of their bringing oxen, and sheep, and doves into the temple, was to supply those that came afar off, and could not bring their sacrifices with them, with such sacrifices as First His birth, then His death, resurrection, etc, The Eternal commands us to begin the year and everything on the first day of the month of Nissan. What makes Bethlehem so unique, aside from being Yeshuas birthplace, is the fact that the lambs born and raised in Bethlehem were used for the temple sacrifices, according to rabbinic writings. When she died, he was heartbroken. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Aramaic is one of the Semitic languages, an important group of languages known almost from the beginning of human history and including Arabic, Hebrew, Ethiopic, and Akkadian [ancient Babylonian and Assyrian]). According to theMishnah(a rabbinic Jewish legal-historical document from the end of the second century AD), these were no ordinary sheep or shepherds, but were shepherds who watched over sheep that were destined to become burnt offerings, peace offerings and the Passover offering for the temple service in Jerusalem (Mishnah Sheq7:4;The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by Alfred Edersheim, pp. Once again, we have Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, to thank for the erroneous selection of the site of Jesus birth. They hired shepherds who were experts in animal husbandry. The father of John the Baptist was Zacharias, a priest who served in the Temple in Jerusalem. Story of Bethlehem Sheep More than Legend Immersion Learning The birth of Messiah would not cause Joseph to break the law of the Eternal by being outside of Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the location that showed the entire group how fortunate that we have Habib as our tour guide. But where in Bethlehem? WebOfferings are mentioned in the Book of Genesis, but further outlined in the later four books of the Torah, including aspects of their origins and history.. These bands helped to provide comfort to the child, the tight bands replicating the feeling of the womb. Saturday Morning Service - April 8, 2023 - Facebook But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.[1]. But why would Moses record that Jacob pitched his tent at Migdal Edar at Bethlehem? Although it is not known for certain, I can offer some thoughts which I believe have merit. They were not to eat it rare or boiled in water (Exodus 12:9). Personally, that date is probably the one day I would not choose to do this due to its pagan roots, but better that his name be lifted up than not, even on December 25. We see from the New Testament Scripture that Jesus was, indeed, born in Bethlehem. Where was that? Once the sheep were of age the shepherds would bring them to the city of Jerusalem to be sacrificed for the Sabbath (Friday). Imagine the spiritual and prophetic significance of heavens angelic messenger revealing to these shepherds the birth in Bethlehem of the spotless and sin-free Lamb of Elohim who was destined to be sacrificed from the beginning of the world (Rev 13:8; John 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). WebWhen the ewes were ready to deliver, the shepherds moved them inside a manger. It would have to be a Spring Festival as everything would have to be in order. Jesus Birth Traditional vs Actual Site, Jesus Birth The Significance of Migdal Edar, Where Was Herods Temple? Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock, was the place where lambs destined for the Temple were born and raised. When Habib was explaining the many intricate steps of the sheeps life I was astounded by the parallelism to Jesus Christ. 6 How old did sheep have to be to be used for sacrifices? She will remain in this estrus cycle until she becomes pregnant. (765) 361-6100, Civil Rights Road Trip: Selma and Tuskegee, Juthani 15 Seeing New Sides to Old Dispute, Morrison 14 Torn Between Beauty, Ugliness, Story of Bethlehem Sheep More than Legend. The Festivals of the Eternal Clue: [see THE MASTER PLAN OF YAHWEH for more information] According to the laws of the time the sheep that were used for the offerings had to be a one-year-old male sheep that had been outside for 365 days (one-year). The word Nisan, means new beginning. You never know, a seed that was planted in someones heart on December 25 may just yield fruit for the kingdom of Elohim! The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. When the [Second] Temple was destroyed [in 70 CE], all sacrifice eventually ceased, and only the Samaritans continued to bring the offering in their own community. was the second part of the sign and that made this baby unique because new-born babies were not normally put in a manger [feeding trough]. The church was designed to have only one high point in order to represent a tent that the shepherds would live in. When they were ready, they were taken to Jerusalem to The angel announced that this newborn child was YHVH the Messiah (Isa 53:1; Christ the Lord)the Savior (Luke 2:8 cp. In the same way Yeshuas birth changes the calendar not only of Israel but of the whole world and now we measure time with before Yeshua and after Yeshua, The Magi Clue: One sacrificed in the morning and one in the evening as a continual sacrifice before the Eternal. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply: a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give the land. The shepherds of Bethlehem were in charge of raising sheep for the temple sacrifices. Pronounced: TALL-mud, Origin: Hebrew, the set of teachings and commentaries on the Torah that form the basis for Jewish law. A passage in the Mishnah (Shekelim 7.4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices , and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds.. WHEN WAS YESHUA THE MESSIAH BORN? Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak. literally House of God], he and all the people that were with him. Gestation period for a ewe is about 5 months. Is there a logical place where God would choose to have His Son born, one which would be described by the angel to the shepherds in the country as being . And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Ewes were brought there to give birth to the lambs. 4 We were therefore buried with Him through immersion into death, that as Messiah was raised from the dead by the esteem of the Father, so also we should walk in newness of life. [3] From all accounts it appears that Bethlehem was a special place for raising sheep, unlike other areas where they were raised in the wilderness. On our farm, we generally kept the rams with the ewes all the time. I have had issue with that view for a long time. Dont know about the Middle East; I never bred and raised sheep there. That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so, was the belief that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock. ThisMigdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flockswhich pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. Dont know. The renewal of the covenant was to be formalized by a national celebration of Passover, with the paschal lamb ritual as the highlight of the celebration. WebIf the 14th of Nissan fell on the Sabbath, the first group stationed itself on the mount of the Temple in Jerusalem, the second group in the el, the space between the Temple wall and the Temple hall, while the third group remained in the Temple court, thus awaiting the evening, when they took their lambs home and roasted them on a spit of . The place these special Temple sheep used for delivery of their lambs was the tower of the flock, located close to the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. There is a theological explanation for why Passover occurs in the spring. The new-born Lamb of the Eternal was like-wise swaddled and put in a manger. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They were special too, trained by priests to inspect the newly born lambs who were destined for sacrifice. If this was so then, it makes no sense that they would be outcasts since they were doing a service and raising product for Temple service and service for the people. This part of the sign was not enough on its own because any new-born baby would be wrapped in swaddling cloths. God promised it, pictured it, and performed it at Migdal Edar. The Season Clue: The principal feature of the feast of unleavened bread is stated in the Bible: Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. The unleavened bread commemorated the speed with which the Jews had to leave Egypt and thus became symbolic of Israelite redemption. They were not there when Yeshua was born but around two years later they found him and his parents living in a house. There are several biblical references indicating that this procedure was also followed in Solomons Temple. And the power of Messiahs presence is to make everything new. All other offerings were generally slaughtered by the priests. The shekalim 7:7 of the Mishnah does not suggest that Migdal-Eder was used as a permanent location for sacrificial lambs. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
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