The Feast Of Unleavened Bread

The feast of unleavened bread was named among the six feasts and festivals described in Leviticus 23. Some translations call it a festival. In this article, we will refer to it as a feast.

This chapter tells us that Passover began at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. The feast of unleavened bread started the next morning.

On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Leviticus 23:6

The Lord instituted Passover the night before He delivered Israel out of bondage from Egypt. He instructed them to sacrifice and eat the Passover Lamb with bread made without yeast.

That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. Exodus 12:8

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God also told them that they must celebrate this feast annually. The feast of unleavened bread lasted seven days with some strict requirements.

On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. Leviticus 23:7

Seven Days

Then for the entire seven days of the feast, they presented special gifts to the Lord. And on the seventh day, they observed another holy day.

On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly. Leviticus 23:7

For the feast of unleavened bread, they treated the holy assembly just like a Sabbath day. Even if it didn’t fall on the Sabbath, it still held the same punishment if they didn’t observe it.

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. Exodus 31:15

Why God Required the Feast held with Unleavened Bread?

Unleavened bread is the same as saying bread without yeast. Yeast often symbolized sin. In fact, Jesus told His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Jewish leaders.

“Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:11-12

I read an article recently written by a Jewish woman. She wrote about how they prepared for the feast of unleavened bread. They needed to make sure no yeast remained in the house.

They began by cleaning every room in every corner to remove even the smallest amount of yeast. Even though that job was possible, she said it wasn’t the easiest job to do.

Let no yeast be found in any house throughout your land for those seven days. Deuteronomy 16:4

They couldn’t even have one slice of bread containing any yeast at all in their home. Why? Because of the impossibility of removing the yeast once inside the bread.

God supplied us with the perfect example of how sin has permeated into our lives. And no matter how hard we try to get rid of it, for us, it is impossible.

The Passover Feast Included Unleavened Bread

For the Passover God expected a lamb without blemish sacrificed unto Him. Then eaten with the unleavened bread. Both were symbols of what was to come.

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. Hebrews 10:1

Jesus, the Lamb of God became the perfect sacrifice, the only one that could cleanse us from our sins. The unleavened bread is no longer a feast but a symbol of our sinless life in the Lord.

Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28

Let’s take a look at the bigger picture, the church. We must make sure we don’t become leaven. It can happen by doing or saying things that will hold people back from following the truth.

This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! Galatians 5:9

Another way leaven corrupts the church happens when the body allows and even accepts willful immorality into the body.

Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:7

Cleansed By the Blood of the Lamb

Jesus died and rose again for everyone. When we accept Him, He cleanses our of our sins completely. The feast of unleavened bread only as symbolism.

Today our celebration has turned away from the feast of unleavened bread. Instead, we celebrate communion as we remember the broken body and shed the blood of Jesus our Lord.

Lord, thank you for cleansing us from all sin. We look forward to your return. Also, Lord, keep us in check by your Holy Spirit so we don’t become yeast in the church.

Check out these other posts with important lessons from Leviticus