Tender Time
By Jim Huskins
McDowell County
Percy Shelley asserted that the arrival of winter is a harbinger of spring. By the time he penned Ode to the West Wind, the decadent poet had accumulated enough life experience to recognize that the inconvenience of a single season is insignificant. That same recognition may be worthwhile perspective on a winter that brought major snowfall to every Gulf Coast state and frightful chill to the entire South.
At this writing, the Winter of ’25 is not over, but its replacement stands on deck. Barring the apocalypse, robins will return to Appalachia. Tree sap will rise, daffodils and dogwood will bloom, and a torrent of Spring green will dull our awareness of Winter’s travail. What a blessing is the season of tender buds and blossoms.
God has much to say about spring. Biblical months begin with the new moon. The first new moon following spring equinox is viewed by many as the start of the month of Aviv. In modern Hebrew, “aviv” means “spring.” At its root, “aviv” means “tender.” Exodus 9:31 says that the barley crop was ruined by hail because it was “aviv.” Most English translations say something like “in the ear.” The Hebrew text says that the barley was “tender” when it was struck by hail.
The time of tenderness is the beginning of God’s year. On the tenth day of the month of tenderness, each family was instructed to select a perfect, year-old lamb or kid and bring it into their house. Over four days, this animal was pampered and treated like a member of the family. On the fourteenth day of the month, every family slaughtered, prepared, and roasted their lamb.
This was the instigation of Passover. Blood from those sacrificed lambs was sprinkled on believer’s lintels and doorposts. God’s Death Angel passed over those homes covered by the blood of the lamb. Passover is founded on God’s unimaginable tenderness. Israel’s bondage is portrayed as a parallel of our bondage to sin. In spite of Holiness so profound that He cannot abide the presence of sin, God made a way for His beloved to escape. That escape was purchased with innocent blood. Sinless sheep and goats died so that Israel could be free.
Tenderness was also required by those who obeyed God’s instructions. Israelites had to be willing to make a pet of a farm animal and then kill it so they could spread its blood around the front door. On some level, the process seems absurd. Before the arrival of Moses and Aaron, God’s chosen people had little exposure to His will and His call on their lives. Fortunately, some remembered.
During their conversation at the Burning Bush, God told Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.” Some among Israel remembered the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. They cried out to Him, and He heard them. Those who had long kept the faith under such difficult circumstances were likely to have hearts tender to God’s instruction. Even those Israelites whose hearts were not tender toward His call were prepared for obedience on the night of Passover.
Many modern believers are convinced that the divine plagues against Egypt were mostly for Pharaoh’s benefit. Convincing Pharaoh to allow Israel to leave was a secondary result. Each of the plagues was a direct assault on one or more Egyptian “gods.” The primary beneficiaries of these events were those Israelites who had little knowledge of YHVH. Through the plagues they could not avoid the realization that YHVH is unimaginably superior to every imaginary god.
Israel experienced the first three plagues, but after that, they were not affected. They carried on with impunity while everyone else suffered. This underscored YHVH’s superiority while making it clear that He draws a rigid distinction between Israel and everyone else. The time of plagues and the famous events which followed provided permanent evidence that only YHVH is worthy of worship and devotion. The plagues made it clear that YHVH must be obeyed. Many hearts were made tender by those demonstrations of the power and determination of the One True God. Most of Israel—and apparently some of their foreign neighbors—obeyed YHVH’s instructions. Everyone else lost their firstborn. Great was their wailing.
The most profound lesson of Passover is its revelation of God’s plan. Sin is so horrible that only the death of the Holy One—God’s Firstborn—can take away the death penalty we all deserve. Many centuries later, John the Immerser will look at Jesus and proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Satan has convinced most believers that Passover is a “Jewish” holiday. Many Christians believe they should ignore the event of which Exodus 12:17 says, “You shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.” Instead, during the tender time of the year, most Christians worship the pagan god, Ishtar. Rather than remember Passover and how it prefigures the Ultimate Sacrifice, we indulge in a host of grotesque pagan fertility rites and tell ourselves that we are “celebrating the resurrection.” The only resurrection affiliated with the feast of Ishtar is that of the sun god, Tamuz. God sent Moses to lead His children out of the horrors of paganism. Why are so many willing to wade back into that cesspool?
While we look forward to spring with joyful anticipation, students of Bible prophecy are aware that the events of this world are hurtling toward cataclysmic resolution. As we approach the season of tenderness, I pray that every believer will be overwhelmed by a tenderness for God’s Word and His will for our lives. May we stop behaving like so many baby birds who swallow everything shoved in their direction. Instead, let us recognize that our time is precious and short. Our need for intimacy with God’s Word is paramount. It is no accident that tender hearts lead to revival.
Obedient Heart Fellowship meets each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. 828-460-7910
__________________________________________________
Jim & Beverly Huskins are members of Obedient Heart Fellowship in McDowell County. Beginning July 2, 2022 Obedient Heart Fellowship will meet at 10:00 Each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. Call 828-460-7913 for info.
You can read more good Christian news from Jim HERE.
__________________________________________________