Exodus 6:6
The Seder is the traditional Passover Meal that is Biblically commanded for the Jews, after nightfall on the first night of Passover or on the second night if you live outside of Israel.
It is the anniversary of the nation’s miraculous exodus from Egyptian slavery more than 3,000 years ago.
This meal includes reading, telling stories, eating special foods, singing and drinking 4 cups of wine.
The traditional reason why Jews drink 4 cups of wine at the Seder is found in Exodus chapter 6 verse 6.
In that verse Moses is to tell the Israelite people I am the Lord, I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from bondage, I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements.
Those 4 cups of wine represents the three divine promises in this verse, and the divine promise in the following verse: those promises are:
- I will free you…
- I will deliver you…
- I will redeem you.. and
- I will take you to be my people.
There are actually three more promises in the following two verses but evidently four glasses of wine is quite enough.
These next three promises are:
- I will be your God…
- I will bring you into the land…
- I will give it to you for a possession…
IF you have counted you will take note that God makes a total of seven promises. That magic number seven is the most significand and recurring number in the first five book of the Bible.
The number seven, of course, is the number that signifies God is the Creator. Remember the world was created in seven days.
What may just be the most important verse in the Bible is “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That sentence is so important because everything in the Bible rests on the belief that God is the Creator. IF anyone does not believe that verse they make the claim that the God of the Bible is nothing more than a fairytale. And then to top it off we learn that in the Hebrew that sentence contains seven words.
Because God says, “I will take you to be my people” it became the same language used in the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony where a man takes a woman for his wife and the woman accepts his proposal. That actually answers the question as to why the husband/ wife metaphor is used for God and the Israelites And right up and until this very day the traditional wedding ceremonies seven blessing are recited under the wedding canopy, and are repeated daily on the seven days following the wedding.
Moses was to tell the Israelites all that God had said with His seven promises. But the Israelites with their crushed spirits by their cruel bondage, refused to listen. So then God told Moses to go and tell Pharaoh King of Egypt to let the Israelites depart from this land. But Moses objected to this order from God on the grounds that the Israelites will not listen to him, the Pharaoh will not listen to him, and to top it all off, he does not speak well enough. So the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron and instructed them to tell Pharaoh to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt.
Then in the very next verse we are enlightened to the Israelite family tree. That genealogy listed Reuben, Simeon, Levi who lived 137 years, Gershon, Merari, and Amram who lived 137 years. and his wife Jochebed who were the parents of Moses and Aaron. Also listed were all the sons of all these leaders of tribes. Did you notice the only woman named was the mother of all these men? Not even Miriam, the sister who saved Moses life was mentioned!
There are multiple reasons why women are not listed in the Genealogy of Moses. Women’ behavior was extremely limited in ancient times. Unmarried women were not allowed to leave the home of their father without permission. Married women were not allowed to leave the home of their husband, without permission. They were normally restricted to roles of little or no authority.
They could not testify in court.
They could not appear in public venues.
They were not allowed to talk to strangers.
They had to be doubly veiled when they left their homes.
In the first creation story God is descried as creating both male and female at the same time.
But in the second creation story God formed only a man. Then he marched all the animals in front of Adam to find a suitable partner for Adam. When he found none suitable, God created Eve out of one of Adams ribs. Thus woman, stay home and obey your husband!
‘Women’s liberation’ has come a long way since then, baby!
Of course, in the New Testament the Apostle Paul spoke highly of the women in his churches, who worked diligently in the ministry. Making it obvious things really did change.
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