The Night to Be Much Observed

When my wife and I started attending the Worldwide Church of God services in the early summer of 1972, there were many things we knew and understood. We had been keeping the Sabbath and the holy days on our own for a year and a half. We had ceased standing under the mistletoe; we no longer dyed eggs all sorts of colors; and there was no “heavenly ham” in the refrigerator. Yet, there were several church practices we did not know about. It was about nine months later that we experienced for the first time one of those unique Church of God traditions.

The book of Exodus details the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt and provides the foundation for the observance of the spring holy days.

Exodus 12:40-42

⁴⁰ Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt^* was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years — on that very same day — it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. NKJV

Verse 42 mentions a “night of solemn observance.” The KJV translates the verse this way:

Exodus 12:42
⁴² 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.

From that translation, we get the name of an observance that we surely did not keep back in the Baptist church – “the night to be much observed” or “the night to be remembered.” As we approach the spring holy day season, it is good to review our beliefs and practices so we can be prepared to keep them the way God intended.

When Was the Night to Be Much Observed?

To keep the Night to Be Much Observed, we must first know when it is. The book of Numbers provides the exact day.

Numbers 33:3
³ They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. NKJV

This very clear passage shows us that Passover and the Night to Be Much Observed were separate events occurring on different days. The Israelites departed on the 15^th, not the 14^th. The book of Deuteronomy confirms the time of day the Israelites started their journey out of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 16:1, 3
1 "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night… 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. NKJV

Those three passages indicate that the Night to Be Much Observed should be kept on the night portion of the 15^th day of the first month of the year, a day after the Passover. This year, the 15^th day begins at sundown on Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Should We Observe It?

But do we need to do anything on this particular evening? Some think that this observance is optional. If it works out to do it, good; if not, that’s OK too. The wording of the passage in Exodus 12 is that this is an “observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.”

Exodus 12:42
42 On this night the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation. Holy Bible, New Living Translation.

Scripture indicates that God intends for all His people to keep this observance – every man, woman, and child. If we analyze Exodus 12:42, we come up with these facts about the evening of the 15^th: 1) it is a commanded observance to be done each year; 2) the observance is at night; 3) it is “kept to the LORD” (ESV); and 4) all of God’s people are to keep it.

Why?

What’s the purpose of this observance? Deuteronomy 16:3 indicates that we keep it so “that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.” Exodus 12:42 says that it is kept to the LORD “for bringing them out from the land of Egypt.” It is highly unlikely that any of us have been enslaved in Egypt. Yet, every one us have been slaves of sin. Today, when we observe God’s commanded feasts, we keep them to remember and celebrate their spiritual intent. The Night to Be Much Observed is a special time that God has set aside for us to remember our coming out of the world, our departure from a life devoted to sin. It is a night that we honor God by remembering that it was He who called us and delivered us from bondage. When we think of what we have been delivered from, why would we not want to observe this time with celebration and rejoicing?

How?

How are we to keep the Night to Be Much Observed? The scriptures we have looked at do not tell us exactly has this evening is to be kept. It is evident that there is no commanded assembly, or church service, mentioned. Over the years, the leaders of the church appointed by God have given us guidelines to help us keep the observance in a way that is meaningful and that honors God for what He has done.

Our first Night to Be Much Observed was on Monday night, April 16, 1973. We and several others were invited to the home of one of the deacons in the Greenville, SC church for the evening. I don’t remember who all was there, but I do remember what the main course was – mutton. We got our first exposure to lamb and mint jelly. And we did have a very enjoyable evening.

In the years since then, we have celebrated the Night at others’ homes, in restaurants, and in our own home. The basic observance is the same. We get together with others in the church – whether a small group or the entire congregation. We have a very special meal together to celebrate and rejoice in God’s calling and remember what He has done for us. We take time to rehearse how we came out of bondage and into the truth of God. Many feel that the most enjoyable evenings have been when kept at someone’s home. In that setting, you just have more freedom to talk of the meaning of the evening than you do in a more public setting.

Traditionally, it has been an evening when individuals have gone “all out” to make the meal very special. It is a night of celebration, not a night of beans and burgers. When we keep God’s holy days, we should always remember that they are called feasts for a reason. God wants us to really enjoy the time He has set aside to spend with us. Our feasting on the holy days should always be a notch above what we enjoy at other times of the year and should reflect God’s blessings on us.

I hope your celebration of the Night to Be Much Observed is a night to be remembered!