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Articles and Notes
The Night to be Much Observed
and
The Last Day of Unleavened Bread
By
Art Braidic
And
Terry Moore
There are some who believe that the night to be much observed occurs on the last day of unleavened bread and there are two basic reasons why some might conclude this. The first of these stems from one verse in which God’s commands the observance of this day. There it speaks of it being the night that God brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. Notice the way in which this verse is worded:
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. 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 12:41-42).
Some understand this verse to mean that this is the night the Israelites were taken completely outside the territory of Egypt. They view this as the time God cut them completely off from the Egyptians at the crossing of the Red Sea. At this time there was certainly tremendous celebration. Since it is believed that the Last Day of Unleavened Bread fell at the same time the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the people celebrated greatly some conclude that it is the Last Day of Unleavened Bread which is to be observed.
A second reason some might conclude this is the wording found in Exodus 13. Notice the words of Moses:
Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD (Exodus 13:6)..
Taken alone this verse may appear to state that the “feast” which falls on the last day is the night that God wants His people to remember and celebrate and therefore the night to be much observed. However, the night to be observed is to be celebrated the evening of the 15th of the first month and there are several factors that demonstrate this to be true.
No Direct Command for the Last Day Being the Night to Observe
There is no verse in the Bible directly stating that the last day of unleavened bread is the night to be much observed. Since there is no direct statement, in order to come to this conclusion, the reader must interpret verses to fit the scenario. Remembering that the Bible is not to be interpreted, and that it interprets itself, we need to put all the Scriptures on the subject together before making a decision. When this is done the Bible precludes the Last Day of Unleavened Bread from being the night to be much observed.
Conclusions Based on Speculation
It is also important to remember that no one actually knows for certain what day the Israelites went through the Red Sea. The churches of God have speculated that it was the last day of unleavened bread. There are reasons why this could well be true, but there is no absolute proof. It is possible that the Israelites were saved from the Egyptians on another day than the last day of this feast. Thus we cannot, and must not, base our conclusion on this speculation.
Exodus 13:6, What it Doesn’t Say
Regarding the statement which says “. . . in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.” This verse does not refer to the night to be observed. This can easily be understood by taking the context of the verse into account.
Verse six which speaks of the feast of the last day does not stand alone. It is part of an entire statement in which a several events are mentioned.
And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib (Exodus 13:3-4).
These verses are worded so that the day to be remembered is mentioned first. This was the time when Israel came out of Egypt. It was the very day they were freed from bondage. The day to be remembered is the day that they departed.
Then God says “there shall no leavened bread be eaten.” This would not be said if the Last Day of Unleavened Bread were meant. If these verses referred to the last day, there would not be a need to remind readers to not partake of leavened bread. They would already have been eating unleavened bread for many days by this point. Instead this is evidence that the day to be remembered is the First Day of Unleavened Bread.
The recognized scholar, John Gill also concludes that this verse refers to the First Day of Unleavened Bread. He writes:
Now they were come out of this place and state of servitude, even that very day, the fifteenth of Nisan; and which therefore it became them to remember, they and theirs, in all succeeding generations, as the Lord had directed . . . (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible).
As these verses continue, Moses goes on to explain that this same service is to be kept when they entered the new land. The service which is the day to be much observed was followed by seven days of unleavened bread, and these were concluded by the feast of the last day. As Moses declares:
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD (Exodus 13:5-6).
When verse 6 is read in its context, it becomes clear that the entire passage is speaking of all seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The reference to the feast in the seventh day does not state, or imply, that it is the night to be much observed. It simply proclaims a final celebration to end the seven days of Unleavened Bread.
The Meaning of Out of the Land
Another point to consider is that God commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of the land. By this he meant to leave the land of Egypt proper. In order to be out of the land they were only required to go three days journey into the wilderness. As Moses writes:
And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; (Exodus 5:3)
Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land (Exodus 6:11).
In the next chapter it appears that, by going out of the land, God meant to go into the wilderness. This was an area not under the control of Pharaoh. Moses continues to say:
And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: (Exodus 7:16).
Thus God speaks of bringing the people out of the land. He then indicates that means going three days journey into the wilderness (Exo. 8:25-27). God’s view was that coming out of the land would be accomplished by going into the wilderness. This would take only three days to accomplish. Therefore, they were considered to be out of the land in three days not seven.
In addition, according to the geographic travels of Israel, God did not take them out of Egypt the last day of Unleavened Bread. He took them out the first day and when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea they were already well outside what was officially considered Egypt.
Although the route of the Exodus is a widely debated topic, the map produced by Ron Wyatt above shows a logical and highly probable route taken by the Israelites---one that would account for Mount Sinai being in Arabia as stated by the apostle Paul (Galatians 4:25). This route would also concur with Exodus 14:3 in which Pharaoh says, “They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.” Mr. Wyatt’s map and his comments below demonstrate how the Gulf of Suez divides the territory so that Egypt is on the left, and the wilderness—where Israel went—is on the right. It is easy to see that upon leaving, the Israelites were soon outside the land of Egypt. Mr. Wyatt writes:
Egypt, they all left their homes in Rameses, or Goshen, and proceeded to leave Egypt "proper." How was this possible--that they were able to be out of Egypt so quickly? On the attached map, you can see that Egypt is extremely long, but its east/west boundaries are very narrow. They left Rameses and assembled in Succoth, which was very near, but at the same time, outside of the boundary of Egypt "proper:"
It is likely that the Israelites were already well outside the land of Egypt when they were forced to go through the Red Sea. They had physically left it behind several days prior and mentally left it the very first day of the exodus.
The Primacy of the first Day
Other verses in the Bible also bear out that the first day of Unleavened Bread is to be the primary feast day during this week. It is a day referred to in the Scriptures as the day to be remembered, a memorial, a feast and the night to be much observed. On the other hand, the last day is generally referred to as a holy convocation and only once referred to as a feast. Exodus 12 states:
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. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel (Exo 12:14-15).
In the verse above, which day is God speaking of as a memorial forever? It is the evening that begins the 15th day. We know this because the next verse explains that after this day of to be kept a feast, there is to follow seven days of eating unleavened bread.
Later in this same chapter the point is made once again. God declares that the first day is the night to be much observed, not the day they were saved from the attacking Egyptians. It is the night they left the land as the exodus began. Moses records these words:
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 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. 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 (Exo 12:40-42).
The Scriptures state that the night to be observed was the day that they went out. It is the day they departed from Egypt proper. After explaining the ordinance of the Passover, Moses ends this declaration from God by stating the what occurred during this time as he writes:
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 (Exo 12:51).
Thus, the Scriptures state that the night to be observed is the day that they came out of Egypt, the day that they left, and not the day when they went through the Red Sea. For this reason the primary way God addresses the 15th day of the first month is as the “feast.” Consider a few examples:
And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: (Num 28:16-18)
And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work (Num 28:25).
In this particular series of Scriptures, the 15th is called the feast as well as proclaiming that there shall be a holy convocation! The 21st day is simply called a holy convocation. Leviticus 23 states this same truth. The first holy day is called the feast and the last holy day a holy convocation.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein (Lev 23:6-8).
Thus we see that God took Israel out from Egypt the 15th day. It is the memorial. It is the night to be observed and it is designated as the beginning of the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The Symbolism of the Last Day of Unleavened Bread
The Scriptures do not reveal that the last day of the feast was when they were taken out of Egypt, or that they left Egypt. Instead something else of enormous magnitude occurred that day. God saved Israel from the pursuing Egyptians. The Scriptures tell us the meaning of that occurrence. As Moses writes:
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore (Exo 14:30).
Israel went out from Egypt on the first day. They then journeyed through the wilderness and were saved out of the hand of the Egyptians. In like manner, the two high days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrate different events. The first day portrays freedom from bondage and it was on this very day that day they left Egypt. The last day is believed to be the day they went through the Red Sea, and if so, it pictures God saving us from trials and attack from the Devil after we leave a life of sin. The night to be much observed is the celebration of our freedom from bondage. It is the first holy day, the day they came out of Egypt, not the last one.
The Night to be Observed Celebrates an Event that Took Place at Night
A final reason that the night to be much observed cannot be referring to the last day of Unleavened Bread is because the night to be observed is celebrating something that happened at night. Therefore, if the night to be observed was celebrating the crossing of the Red Sea, the crossing would have to have occurred at night, not during the day. If on the other hand, the crossing was during the last day, then the celebration of it later would have occurred on the 22nd of which there is nothing said in the Bible.
Conclusion
For these reasons the night to be much observed is the 15th day of the first month at evening. There is no scripture that states or implies that the night to be observed is to be celebrated on the 21st or 22nd day of the first month. We also cannot base a conclusion on the assumption that Israel went through the Red Sea on the last day of unleavened bread because this cannot be proven.
When God said they were to go out of the land, He referred to the three days needed to arrive at the wilderness. After three days they were already out of the land, not seven. In the Scriptures God repeatedly states that the first day of Unleavened Bread is the feast. It is the day referred to as a memorial, day to be remembered, and night to be observed. Speaking of the last day, God primarily calls it a holy convocation.
The two holy days picture different events. The first day pictures Christ’s freeing us from bondage. This was foreshadowed by Israel being able to leave the land of Egypt the night of the 15th. The last day portrayed God saving us from attack or trial once we leave sin. Since the night to be much observed is clearly about leaving the land of Egypt and freedom from bondage, it is the day we remember. And since they went out by night, it is the night to be observed.
Finally, if the night to be observed celebrated an event that occurred at night, it would not be the crossing of the Red Sea. Therefore, the first day of Unleavened Bread is what God intended to be celebrated as the night to be much observed, not the night of the last day of Unleavened Bread.