Passover Cups: The Power of Redemption and Judgment

The Power of Redemption and Judgment in Messiah/Torah

The Passover cup is one of the central symbols of this holiday known as the Feast of Redemption. Yet the original Passover story makes no mention whatsoever of a cup. In fact, the only biblical mention of a cup in connection with Passover is in the New Testament. When Yahushuah spoke of this Passover Feast with His disciples He raised a cup at least twice during His last meal with His desciples to make important statements about Himself (Luke 22:17,20).

What is the significance of the cup Yahushuah uses during His Passover observance?

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures the cup is often used as a symbol of God's judgment. For example, the cup of fury, the cup of judgment, the cup of trembling and the cup of horror and desolation appear throughout the Old Testament. Yet we also find the Psalmist crying out, "I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" (Psalm 116:13). So the symbol of the cup carries with it pictures of both wrath and redemption, of judgment and blessing.

None of these references mentions the Passover. Yet, the themes of judgment and salvation are woven together beautifully in the Passover story. God poured out His judgment on the Egyptians, but spared the Israelites who obeyed Him by placing the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their homes. Each year families retell these events through the Seder, the ceremonial meal that commemorates Passover. We do know that by the time Yahushuah observed the Passover, drinking a cup during the meal was an official part of the observance. In fact, an ancient rabbinic source, the Mishnah, instructs those celebrating to drink from the cup four times during the Passover seder (Pesahim 10:1). That tradition remains to this day. -Jews for Jesus exerpt

I began to study "the cups" and the symbolism behind them...and in reading scripture, this is what I found...

  Let's examine the meaning behind the first 3 cups of Passover as they have come to be known.

1.  Cup of Kiddush.  (Sanctification)

2.  Cup of Plagues

3.  Cup of Redemption or Blessing

The first cup is the cup of sanctification.  

In this cup we see the symbol of Abba offering His chosen ones, or those who He has “Highly Regarded” the opportunity to be set apart or sanctified.  This is offered to men in the form of His covenant/Word.

Sanctification \Sanc`ti*fi*ca"tion\, n. [L. sanctificatio: cf. F. sanctification.]

1. The act of sanctifying or making holy; the state of being sanctified or made holy; esp. (Theol.), the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified, or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God; also, the state of being thus purified or sanctified. [1913 Webster]
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. --2 Thess. ii. 13. [1913 Webster]
2. The act of consecrating, or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; consecration. --Bp. Burnet. [1913 Webster]


How is one sanctified or set apart?

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

We are sanctified by our faith to hear and do what Abba has instructed us to do.

Deu 6:3  Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

If we are sanctified, the cup that then naturally follows is the cup of redemption or blessings.  If one is to “hear and do”, the natural thing that occurs is that the blessings are on us.

Cup of Blessing

Deu 28:1  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of theYHWH thy Elohim, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the YHWH thy Elohim will set thee on high above all nations of the earth

Deu 28:2  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the YHWH thy Elohim.

Psa 16:5  YHWH is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest

my lot.

Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Psa 116:13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the YHWH.

Mat 10:42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Mat 26:27  And he took the cup , and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The cup pictured here is one of overflowing blessing and provision even in the presence of our enemies.

Distinctions Between cups

Do not confuse all “cups” to be the same.  One cup (blessing) is offered to those who hear and do Abba’s instructions and the other cup (curses) is for those who will not hear or do His instructions.

1Co 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the YHWH, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

If one  has refused the cup of "santification" (remember, we are sanctified by YHWH's word or His covenant and the blood of His Messiah), then what follows is the cup of Plagues or curses/wrath.

 Cup of Judgment

The cup of judgment is only for those who refuse YHWH's plan for sanctification and redemption.

Psa 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

Psa 75:8  For in the hand of theYHWH there is a cup and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

Isa 51:17  Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the YHWH the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

Isa 51:22  Thus saith thy Lord the YHWH, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

Jer 25:15  For thus saith the YHWH God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

Jer 25:17  Then took I the cup at the YHWH's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the YHWH had sent me:

(**Jer. 25 is all about the nations drinking from the cup of judgment.  ALL must drink from it)

 Jer 51:7  Babylon hath been a golden cup in the YHWH's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Lam 4:21  Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

Zec 12:2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

 Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

Messiah Yahushauh drank our cup of judgment for us

Mat 20:22  But Yahushuah answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 

Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Joh 18:11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

According to Torah, what was the cup that Yahushuah was about to drink symbolic of?

The symbolism of “the cup” that Yahushuah drank before the Passover with His desciples was that He was about to take the punishment for the spiritual adultery that men had committed against their Husband (GOD).  He would drink from the cup of judgment and because WE are guilty, He would die to take the penalty of our sins upon Himself so that Israel (those who will come back into covenant with Him) can be returned to a marital relationship with God because in the law of God, men cannot take back a wife who has been found guilty of adultery…since we don’t have that penalty of adultery “ON US” we can be reconcilled back to God as His bride.

Praise Yah for His Salvation!!

Yahushuah, our Passover Lamb.

Blessings, Traci

See numbers 5:12-31 for the story of the cup of bitter waters which is what is being shown to us by Messiah's death on Passover.