The Feast of Unleavened Bread
📖 Leviticus 23:4-8 (KJV) 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.
✅ 1: The Meaning of the feast
📌 The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt, for when Israel fled from Egypt in the middle of the night, there was no time for bread dough to rise.
📖 Deuteronomy 16:3 (KJV) “Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it: seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.”
📌 So this is the physical reason for the unleavened bread is to remember the time God miraculously saved them in haste.
The timing of this feast is after the Passover (1 day, on the 14th of the month Nisan/ March-April) so on the 15th day of Nisan, this is during the spring time in Israel and because the feast is so closely tied to Passover these 2 feast are usually counted as one holiday, there is examples in the New Testament….
📖 Luke 22:1 (KJV) Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
✅ 2: The Importance of the Feast
📌 The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a prominent biblical feast, unlike the other feasts that are stated in Leviticus 23 because this particular feast was instituted well before all the others in Egypt….
📖 Exodus 12:14-20 (KJV) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
📌 This feast was the first among the three pilgrimage feasts which the Israelite had to appear three times in a year at Jerusalem.
📖 2 Chronicles 8:12-13 (KJV) Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, 13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
📌 An example of this pilgrimage is when the Lord Jesus was a young boy and his mother took him to Jerusalem for this feast…
📖 Luke 2:41-43 (KJV) Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
📌 Notice in the instant the feast is called Passover, rather than unleavened bread, but we see that is was a custom the all the people of God took seriously and religiously.
✅ 3: The Instructions of the feast
There were only 3 instructions given for the feast.
Special sacrifices were to be offered in the temple each day of the feast
📖 Numbers 28:16-25 (KJV) And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. 17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. 18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: 19 But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish: 20 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram; 21 A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you. 23 Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24 After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. 25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
The first and seventh day are to sabbath days, where no work is to commence.
📖 Numbers 28 (KJV) 18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: (Jump down to verse 25)
25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
There were to be no Leaven found in the house and quarters, this meant that all leaven were to be thrown out even from their surrounding blocks called quarters. God took this seriously because you were cut off from the people of God.
📖 Exodus 12:15 (KJV) Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
✅ 4: The Fulfillment of the Feast
📌 Sin is often pictured as leaven in the scriptures, usually referring to false doctrine…
📖 Matthew 16:6 (KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
📖 Mark 8:15 (KJV) And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
📖 Galatians 5:9 (KJV) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
🥖 Leaven is well-suited as a picture of sin since it rapidly permeates the dough, contaminating it, fermenting it and swelling it to many times its original size without changing its weight! And because of this picture, leaven wasn’t used in the temple of God.
📖 Leviticus 10:12 (KJV) And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:
📖 Leviticus 2:11 (KJV) No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
🥖 Connection to Jesus
The Passover was the picture of the sacrificial lamb slain to protect us from death and the feast of unleavened bread pictures the sinless sacrifice of Jesus.
📖 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
📖 1 John 3:5 (KJV) And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
🔍 When the Israelites took the unleavened bread and hasted to eat it as their freedom awaited them, we start to a spiritual meaning to this feast. We are to (as Christians) take the Passover which represents Salvation (having the blood of christ upon us, saving us from death) then we are to eat the unleavened bread (made Sinless)….
📖 John 6:47-51 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
📌 We are to eat it in haste, this represents the need to receive salvation today and not tomorrow, it’s important to haste to salvation, not only this, but the bread can represent Gods word, because Jesus is the Word.
📖 John 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
