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Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

23:22 such a passover. It is remarkable that, except for the Passover feast held under the brief revival of Hezekiah a century earlier (II Chronicles 30), there is no mention of any Passover observance in either the northern or southern kingdom since the days of Samuel some five hundred years before (II Chronicles 35:18). Yet the Passover had been ordained by God as an everlasting ordinance to be kept each year for a memorial, to keep alive the memory of the divine deliverance at the foundation of their national existence (Exodus 12:24-27). Whether Israel’s neglect of the Passover was a cause or an effect of their recurring national apostasy, it certainly highlighted it, illustrating the vital importance of keeping alive the true understanding of our origins, whether of the world as a whole (Exodus 20:8-11) or of one’s nation and family. It is possible, however, that the Passover custom had been retained as a ritualistic observance of tradition, even if its spiritual significance had been forgotten. When the rediscovered Scriptures were found to describe its origin and meaning, the result was a true Passover celebration.


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