Passed Over at Passover?
Imagine making a movie about a global flood that destroys the earth.
Your script calls for you to cast three men: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The story line is that for decades the brothers labor to build an ark using blueprints delivered by God Himself. A week before the deluge of rain, they gather two animals of every kind. Together with their aged parents they board the giant lifeboat and God closes the door.
Or let’s say you’re staging a dramatic play. A giant named Goliath has challenged the armies of Israel. Day after day he taunts the Jewish warriors, blaspheming their God. Suddenly, one day Goliath keels over dead and the Israelites celebrate.
Anything missing from these stories?
These familiar accounts are known in shorthand as “Noah’s Ark” and “David and Goliath.” The protagonist should get first place in the billing. Imagine those stories without the main character!
So, what are we to think of retelling the Passover story and overlooking Moses?
Obviously, Moses has the “leading man” role in the biblical record of the Exodus story. But he is virtually “passed over” in traditional Haggadahs.[1] The maggid (narrative) begins the historical recitation[2] – by quoting Joshua’s summary[3] which mentions Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by name. Genesis 15:13-14 is also cited, in which God informs Abram of the future enslavement of his offspring. Laban is even mentioned as a precursor to the rise of a Pharaoh who oppresses the Hebrews.
Not included in the Haggadah are the record of Moses being spared as an infant or commissioned by God at the burning bush and sent as His spokesman to Pharaoh. The plagues are detailed, but not Moses’ role in forecasting them.
Why would this be so?
A number of explanations have been offered for this omission.[4] A leading one is that Moses is “the most humble of men” (Deuteronomy 12:3). But Moses himself is credited with authoring the Exodus record – and his name is repeated throughout.[5]
Others reason that the Haggadah emphasizes God’s role in redeeming Israel; Moses is purposefully left out of the spotlight. Exodus 12:11–12 states, “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments – I am the Lord.”
For emphasis, the Haggadah adds further commentary, “I the LORD and not another …. And I will pass through the Land of Egypt – I and not an angel. And I will smite every firstborn – I and not a seraph. And with all the gods of Egypt, I will make judgments – I and not a messenger. I am the Lord – I am He and there is no other.”[6]
Here we see the spotlight on the Heavenly Redeemer, to the exclusion of all others.
We happily affirm that God is the hero of the Exodus – indeed of all of Eternity! “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36).
But would including Moses as God’s servant[7] detract from the spotlight on God’s miraculous power? Clearly, Moses is an agent, God’s ambassador to the Egyptian court. No one reading the account would mistake the reluctant Moses of Exodus 3 for the omnipotent God.
Indeed, God elevates Moses, saying, “I make you as God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1). Moses is God’s instrument effecting divine redemption for His people from slavery.
Moses also will serve as a mediator between the Holy One of Israel and the people of Israel. We see this in Moses being the recipient of God’s Torah (instruction) at Mt. Sinai.[8] We see it in Moses’ role as intercessor on behalf of Israel (e.g., the Golden Calf incident of Exodus 32).
Of note, God promises to send Israel “a second Moses.” To the second generation out of Egypt, while still in the wilderness, these words were spoken:
The Lord said to me …. “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:17-19).
The closing words of the Torah reflect that, while Joshua succeeded Moses in leadership, he was not the fulfillment of the “second Moses” promise.
Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel (Deuteronomy 34:10-12).
Was there ever a time when that promise was fulfilled in Israel’s history?
Consider these facts regarding Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth):
He is greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6), Jonah (Matthew 12:40-41), and Solomon (Matthew 12:42).
He is greater than Moses, who transmitted God’s Law, which was a “tutor to lead us to Messiah” (Galatians 3:24). Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17) and grace and truth come through Him (John 1:17).
We learn in Hebrews 3:1-6:
…Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ [Messiah] was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
As believers in Yeshua, we love pointing others to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) which point to Messiah – as did Jesus Himself. “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27).
We love celebrating Passover – the very setting in which Yeshua instituted the Lord’s Supper – and connecting the dots to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “For Messiah our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
This Passover, there is no penalty if you “pass over” mentioning Moses. But we pray you won’t pass over the Passover Lamb, Yeshua.
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
What benefit do you find in seeing Jesus as the Passover Lamb?
Has the “blood of the Passover Lamb” been applied to your heart by faith?
If you haven’t yet been part of a Messiah in the Passover presentation, you may find our “virtual Passover” online at https://lifeinmessiah.org/interactive-seder
Endnotes:
[1] The Haggadah (see https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-haggadah/) is the book traditionally used at Passover to celebrate the annual seder (ordered meal). Over centuries, many customized versions of Haggadahs have been created with added rabbinic quotations. Some include Yosi HaGalili’s citation from Exodus 14:31, “Israel saw the great hand that the LORD inflicted upon Egypt, and the people revered the LORD, and they had faith in the LORD and in Moses, His servant” – the singular reference to Moses.
[2] Citations from the Haggadah are taken from https://www.sefaria.org/Pesach_Haggadah.
[3] Joshua 24:2-4.
[4] E.g., https://haggadahberurah.com/why-is-moshe-not-in-the-haggadah/; https://lessons.myjli.com/why/index.php/2016/11/23/moses-name-in-the-haggadah/; https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3973896/jewish/Was-Moses-Purged-From-the-Haggadah-10-Approaches.htm. For a more cynical view, see https://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Torah-Commentaries/Why-Isnt-Moses-in-the-Haggadah-445411.
[5] From the birth of Moses recorded in Exodus 2 to the crossing of the Red Sea in Chapter 14, Moses’ name is mentioned 121 times; 293 times in the book of Exodus, and a total of 650 times from Exodus to Deuteronomy.
[6] Pesach Haggadah.
[7] God calls Moses “My servant” six times in the OT (including Numbers 12:7-8).
[8] Exodus 19 and following.