Studies on the festival of Matzot (Unleavened Bread), which runs for seven days from the 15th day of Israel’s first month (Abib; March/April) through the 21st day. Shortcut: hallel.info/matzot
It’s no coincidence God frees Petros (Peter) from jail during Passover/Unleavened Bread, which even at that time was understood to be a removing of “sourness” from one’s life. In Acts 12, the “leaven” of Herod and of the leaders was shown to be “spoiling” Israel.
God commands His people to observe the seventh and last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread with a “holy convocation.” The day has connections to Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea after the Exodus and baptism in the name of Messiah Yeshua.
The apostle Paul uses the object lesson of purging leaven out of the home for the Feast of Unleavened Bread in one of his most shocking statements on discipline for immorality in the congregation in Corinth — purge out “malice” and “wickedness.”
Why does God tell us to remove leaven — “yeast” in the NIV translation — from our mouths, homes and community during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the seven days right after Passover? Why does God tell us then to put leaven in our mouths at Shavu’ot (Pentecost) a short time later? What does this have to do with Messiah? The connection is startling.
God’s ways may be mysterious, but when He lays out patterns and times important historical events accordingly, He is inviting us to learn more about what He is doing. There’s a “new beginning” lesson in the spring festivals of the LORD on Yeshua (Jesus).
At the time of the Exodus, YHWH (God’s personal name in Hebrew, often translated as “the LORD”) told the people of Israel to have a “lamb for a household” (Exodus 12:3). Usually 10 people could manage to consume a whole lamb. Smaller groups joined together to form a chaverim, Hebrew for “a group of friends,” and that formed a mishpokhah, “a family group.” Paul talks about believers being the “household of God” (1st Timothy 3:15) because there is a “lamb for the household.”
https://hallel.info/wp-content/uploads/file/070407%20Date%20of%20Wave%20Sheaf%20Offering.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:34 — 12.9MB)Subscribe: RSSFeast of Unleavened Bread 2007 — Day 5 Speaker: Richard Agee (Note: For an updated and fuller treatment on the question of the timing of the wave sheaf offering, see our primer on Shavuot/Pentecost.) Thought questions Why do Christians celebrate the resurrection of Messiah […]