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When the LORD is moving you out of your old life, it’s a one-way trip, like the first exodus celebrated at Pesakh (Passover). There is no looking back or carrying a lot of baggage that would tie us to that old life. Part of Pesakh is the spiritual discipline of eating מצה matzah (unleavened bread), through it and with the counsel of the Lamb of God and apostle Paul, we find out the remaining parts of our old way of life — the “old leaven” — God wants to drain out of us.
Our starting point for this study are Bible readings customarily read on the first Shabbat (Sabbath) during חג מתצות Khag Matzot (Festival of Unleavened Bread): Exodus 12:21–51; Numbers 28:16–25; Joshua 3:5–7; 5:2–6:1, 27. We read about the celebration of the first Pesakh and the third Pesakh. [The second Pesakh, a year after the Exodus and just after the opening of the Tabernacle, is recorded in Numbers 9:4–5.] But what happened in between was 40 years of purging the “leaven” Mitzraim (Egypt) — the old way of life.
What’s a khag?
The Hebrew word khag (or chag) is usually translated as “festival” or “holiday.” A verb form is חָגַג khagag (Strong’s lexicon No. 2287), which the Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon defines as “make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast.” (Ex. 5:1; 12:14; 23:14; Lev. 23:39; Num. 29:12; Psa. 42:5; Nah. 2:1; Zech. 14:16). Pilgrimages are not random vacations. During a pilgrimage, a person leaves home to a specific destination for a specific purpose, usually a spiritual one.
One does not simply wander into God’s presence in the Tabernacle. One must make preparations to enter God’s presence via the offerings and the priesthood. If those preparations aren’t made and one walks into His presence in arrogance, it put one’s life (both spiritual and physical) in jeopardy. That’s where “our great High Priest” comes into play (Heb. 4:14; 9:11). More of that later.
The use of חָגַג in 1Sam. 30:16 better fits the translation dancing than keeping a pilgrimage mo’ed, because the Amaleki wouldn’t have been observing Matzot, Shavu’ot or Sukkot while trying to wipe out those who did. And the translation feasting would be redundant with preceding words meaning eating and drinking.
Psa. 107:27 uses a form of חגג with נוּעַ nua’ (H5128), meaning to shake, to wander, in describing drunk-like behavior. This isn’t a command to get sloshed. Rather, it illustrates movement in a circular fashion.
A possible root meaning that incorporates making pilgrimages, dancing and reeling is traced from חוּג khug (H2328 and H2329), a verb the Brown Driver Briggs lexicon defines as draw round, make a circle. (Job 26:10 (uses the form חג khag); Isa. 40:22; Prov. 8:27; Job 22:14; Sir. 43:12). So a pilgrimage is coming full circle to God’s appointment. It is a part of a general returning and a cycle of life with God.
Some have linked dancing in a circle to pagan tradition, because pagan cultures, including Druids and even Amaleki did so. However, coincidence doesn’t prove causation, any more than the Egyptians’ use of circumcision proves Yisrael got the practice from there.
Part of the purpose of these annual khagim is to do an in-depth spiritual inventory of ourselves, which is not supposed to be easy, but nothing that is worthwhile is easy. But God’s lovingkindness overflows, even when we grumble and complain against Him and generally show Him a lack of gratitude for His kindnesses. We should be scared to death for God to judge us the way we judge ourselves or others.
Basic format for Khag Matzot from the Moedim Manual (Leviticus 23; specifically, Lev. 23:5–14):
- Before the 15th day of the first month, cause leavening material to cease (Ex. 12:15, 19; 13:7; Deut. 16:4). We throw out all the chametz out of our homes, we don’t sell it for the purpose of getting it back seven days later, we purge it.
- Eat matzah for seven days, starting the 15th day of the first month of God’s calendar and ending the 21st.
- God first commands Yisrael to eat matzah with the Pesakh (roasted lamb) and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:1–20, esp. Ex. 12:8).
- Have sacred meetings on the first and seventh days of the khag (chag), or “feast.”
- In between, commemorate the beginning of the harvest, starting the count of seven “sevens” or “shabbats” or 50 days.
The themes of Pesakh such as purging out sin, freedom, deliverance, etc. come before the festival of Shavuot, which is when we prepare to receive God’s Torah.
Meaning of matzah
Get out quickly
The maztah itself is a reminder of leaving Egypt in haste (Ex. 12:39; Deut. 16:3–4). When the Lord is moving you out of your old life, it’s a one way trip. There is no looking back or carrying a lot of baggage that would tie us back to that old life. There’s no time to reconsider, load our trailer or U-Haul with tons of stuff from our past life. That would simply slow us down.
Matzah in the Tabernacle
Any offering of blood had to be paired with an offering of grain or matzah as well. In Hebrew, that offer is called the minkhah (grain) offering.
- unleavened bread = מַצָּה matzah (H4682)
- Verb form: מָצָה matzah (H4680): “to squeeze out; to drain dry”
- Example of the verb form: Draining out the blood of the dove for an olah offering (Lev. 1:15).
- A word picture of matzah as part of the gifts brought to the Tabernacle is that it is “drained” of sourness and decay.
- Verb form: מָצָה matzah (H4680): “to squeeze out; to drain dry”
- leaven (Ex. 12:15, 19) = שְׂאֹר se’or (H7603)
- Thought to be the basis for מִשְׁאֶרֶת mish’eret (H4863), translated kneading bowl.
- leavened (Ex. 12:34) = חָמֵץ khameytz (H2556), “be sour, leavened”
- So our desire in going into the presence of the LORD is for our old way of life, our former behaviors,to be “poured out,” to die.
One must be very patient and mindful when making anything fermented, whether it’s sourdough bread, kimchi or vinegar. Once that process starts, it can’t be reversed. It can be slowed, stopped or blocked but not reversed.
It was only the blood of the lamb that could block the destroyer at the first Passover. The great lesson of the khag is that every year we have the opportunity to return to the same spot and assess and reassess where we are and if we are growing in the wrong direction.
Souring of the Word
We are also called to purge out “soured” teachings about the Word of God, what Yeshua described as the “leaven of the Pharisees and scribes” (Matt. 16:5–12).
One thing you will notice when reading the New Testament, is that there are Pharisees and scribes who became followers of Yeshua. Being born again is built into the experience of Pesakh and Matzot and yet there were eminent teachers in Israel in Yeshua’s lifetime who had no clue what being born again was about.
The Apostle Paul tells us that if there is no resurrection there is no point to our faith in Yeshua (1Cor. 15:16–20). If life is all about this life, and there is no afterlife, then how can we tell the world that shouldn’t just eat, drink and be merry for someday we die?
For Yeshua’s disciples who were fretting about forgetting to bring bread were learning powerful lessons when he fed the four thousand and the five thousand people. The Messiah was teaching them that He is sufficient for all 12 tribes of Israel and for all the nations of the world.
We are not to forget where we come from or the legacy they gave us. The idea of being forgotten is a terrifying thing. God, however, will never forget His own. He knows the hairs on our heads, which is a stabilizing force in the experience the believer. Being written in His Book of Life is a beautiful thing.
On the other hand, for those who don’t believe in God, those who aren’t written in the Book of Life, will be forgotten and that should deeply humble us.
Joseph had been sent away and forgotten by his family, yet he was able to cling to God. Daniel was able to open his window to Jerusalem and pray for the end of exile, even while Jerusalem, his childhood home was a heap of rubble. Daniel knew that Jerusalem would be rebuilt because God keeps all His promises.
God did not leave His Messiah in the grave and we know He will not leave us there either.
Malice & wickedness vs. sincerity & truth
The Apostle Paul tells that Passover is a time for us to purge out attitudes and behavior malice and wickedness vs. sincerity and truth (1Cor. 5:1–8).
We can’t be like the Pharisees who literally separated themselves from anyone who was not like them, but one can’t be an evangelist if you refuse to meet non-believers. On the other hand, tolerating evil as an example of “love” is not a good thing either.
There’s a way to presenting truth in a way that makes the truth appealing and a way that makes the truth unappealing. We are to be as harmless as a dove and as sharp as the serpent, knowing when a gentle word is need vs. when a blunt word is needed.
- πονηρία ponēria (G4189) = wickedness
- In the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures), it translates roaʿ and rāʿâ.
- κακία kakia (G2549) = malice
- In the Septuagint, it chiefly translates raʿ and rāʿâ.
- Examples of kakia and poneria: Rom. 1:28–32; Col. 3:8–11; Titus 3:3–7; James 1:19–22; 1Pet. 2:1–3.
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” (1 Peter 2:1–3 NASB)
Malice inevitably comes out in one’s actions. We aren’t called to have a dance party when a bad person received their comeuppance.
We are also supposed to be transparent, or what Genesis 3 refers to as being unclothed. We are to know and to be fully known by God (1Cor. 13:12). People should be able to read us like a book.
- εἰλικρίνεια eilikrineia (G1505) = sincerity
- Examples: 2Cor. 2:17; 2Cor. 1:12
- ἀλήθεια alētheia (G225) = truth
- Examples: John 8:43–47; Jas. 3:13–14
When we celebrate Pesakh, we see “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” die, it looks like the Kingdom of God has fallen and been defeated but the death of the lamb was the biggest victory of the Kingdom of God.
We should look forward to Pesakh as a spiritual discipline to find out what God wants to drain out of us and allowing Him to do it.
Summary: Tammy.