Leviticus 23:4-8 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (5) In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover. (6) And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. (7) In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. (8) But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Oh what a joyous time of year this is! 😀 Although Winter appears fruitless with its frigid temperatures, we celebrate the Saviour’s birth! His birth leads to the salvation of mankind!
I’ve learned so much doing the research on this series! I sorta knew the basics of the Feasts but never really dug deeper. In doing so, I see the Lord Jesus in every aspect and it excites the spirit within me! I absolutely love God’s Word and how it blesses us over and over! (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Today’s Feast is that of Unleavened Bread. We covered this in part in the posts about the Seder meal. Today is strictly about the Feast itself. This Feast was seven days long and during that time they could not eat any bread that was made with yeast (leaven). Let’s park there for a minute and concentrate on the word “leaven.” Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines leaven as:
LEAVEN, n. lev’n. [L. levo, Eng. to lift.]
A mass of sour dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough or paste, produces fermentation in it and renders it light. During the seven days of the passover, no leaven was permitted to be in the houses of the Jews. Exo 12.
Any thing which makes a general change in the mass. It generally means something which corrupts or depraves that with which it is mixed.
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Mat 16.
LEAVEN, v.t. lev’n.To excite fermentation in; to raise and make light, as dough or paste.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 1 Cor 5.to taint; to imbue.
Think on this definition for a moment. Yeast/leaven produces fermentation and changes the texture and the size of the bread. If we regard leaven as a symbol for sin, it clearly opens up the purpose of this Feast, don’t you think? If we allow sin into our lives, it doesn’t just sit still. It produces more sin. It also has its repercussions! To the believer, it causes our relationship with the Lord to suffer. (Psalm 66:18) From the time of Adam and Eve, when sin was first brought into the Garden of Eden, sin has continued to grow and has created a depraved people. It has hardened the heart to its effects. It also reveals that even a tiny amount will cause an entire lump of dough to rise. Jewish tradition has it that women would actually get on their hands and knees sweeping with a feather every nook to rid their homes of any leaven. Wow, what would our Christian lives look like if we took the same painstaking effort of ridding our lives of sin!!?? The more sin there is (size), the harder the heart becomes (texture).
The Apostle Paul reprimanded the Corinthian church for defiling their church with sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-8). The church, as we know it today, is not like the church of yesteryear. Sin has crept into the church willingly and it is accepted. We see this all the more today! Allowing known sin to abide in the church is like adding yeast to the dough. A little will cause the all of the dough to rise – a little sin will multiply and the church will not be pure and chaste. (2 Corinthians 11:2)
But there is Good News in this Feast for all! The Good News is that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins! He lived that sinless life – He is the true unleavened Bread of life – He is the perfect sacrificial Lamb! But the best news of all is that He arose and is sitting with the Father awaiting His return for the Church (His Bride) at the Rapture! Oh what joy for the believer!!
Do you see the Lord in these Feasts? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ, personally or do you only know of Him? He is the true Unleavened Bread – the sinless Lamb of God! I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
