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Deliverance and Unleavened Bread

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

The symbolism of unleavened bread is deeply tied to the theme of deliverance throughout the biblical narrative. Its first mention appears in Genesis 19:3, where Lot, in Sodom, serves unleavened bread to his angelic guests before being divinely delivered from the city's corruption. Similarly, in Exodus 12:8, God instructs the Israelites to eat unleavened bread with the Passover lamb, associating it with their liberation from Egyptian slavery. Exodus 12:17-18 further commands the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a memorial of this deliverance, emphasizing that no leavening shall be found in their houses for seven days. These accounts consistently link unleavened bread with God's act of rescuing His people from destruction and oppression.

The Reason for Unleavened Bread

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The Feast of Unleavened Bread signifies far more than the avoidance of leavening. Our focus needs to be on God's management of the process of deliverance.

Grace, Unleavened Bread, and the Holy Spirit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The symbolism of unleavened bread, as presented during the Days of Unleavened Bread, primarily serves as a reminder of what God has done for us. It is intended to recall how He brought us out of bondage, as emphasized in the personal and individual nature of this act. Eating unleavened bread is not initially about coming out of sin but about recognizing God's action in freeing us and our subsequent submission to His lead by following Him. This act of following God is depicted as righteousness, where doing what is right according to His way inherently prevents sin. The emphasis on eating unleavened bread lies in proactively pursuing righteousness rather than merely avoiding sin. It symbolizes a wholehearted commitment to God's path, reflecting a life of obedience and active goodness. During the seven days of Unleavened Bread, eating it daily reinforces the importance of following God's way every day of our lives, not just during this period. This practice serves as an annual reminder to focus on God's instruction in righteousness, aligning our steps with His guidance to live in harmony with Him. Unleavened bread also represents the haste with which Israel left Egypt, indicating the need for quick action in following God once He begins to move. It underscores leaving behind the burdens of the old life, akin to stripping down to essentials, and focusing on what is necessary for spiritual progress. Thus, the symbolism encapsulates both God's initiative in our liberation and our response of faithful obedience, ensuring we prioritize His role in our journey out of the world.

Unleavened Bread Basics

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is highly disruptive, not only due to the effort required in deleavening but also because it alters our diets, drawing our attention as God intends. This feast, first mentioned in Exodus 12:17, serves as a memorial of God's deliverance, marking the day He brought His people out of Egypt. The primary reason for observing this feast, as given by God, is to continually remember His act of liberation, with the eating of unleavened bread and avoidance of leavening as responses to this foundational purpose. Unleavened bread itself is symbolic, acting as a token or teaching vehicle to bring deeper significance to mind. It is often referred to as the bread of affliction, reminding us of the oppression and slavery experienced in Egypt, a place of hardship under a hostile ruler. Each bite of unleavened bread recalls the former state of bondage before God's intervention. Additionally, Exodus 13:9 suggests that eating unleavened bread relates to having God's law in our mouths, implying both the intake of His teachings and speaking of them during this feast. The symbolism extends to a contrast between unleavened bread and leavening. Leavening represents corruption, encompassing not just sin but also ideas and philosophies that lead to it, spreading and changing what they touch. Unleavened bread, in contrast, symbolizes purity and truth, epitomized by Jesus Christ, who is the bread of life, free from malice or wickedness. We are considered truly unleavened not merely through forgiveness but because we are in Christ, sharing in His unleavened nature through a continued relationship initiated by His Passover sacrifice. Thus, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a feast to the LORD, centered on His deliverance and the provision of Christ as the Unleavened Bread. Avoiding leavening in all its forms and feasting on the bread of life—His words and presence—helps us remain free from the world's influence and its spiritual bondage. This memorial reinforces our dependence on Him to sustain an unleavened state in our lives.

The Feasts of Tabernacles and Unleavened Bread

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David C. Grabbe

The Feast of Unleavened Bread carries profound symbolism tied to God's deliverance and the centrality of Christ. It represents God's act of delivering His people from an environment of sin, serving as a memorial of His intervention. The unleavened bread, which must be eaten for seven days, symbolizes Christ Himself, the Bread of Life, embodying sincerity and truth. This act of eating unleavened bread each day is not merely about avoiding leaven but about actively partaking in a divine connection with our Savior, reflecting the strength He provides to overcome sin through ingesting His word and seeking His presence daily. The symbolism extends to the concept of dwellings during Unleavened Bread, focusing on houses as places of stability and permanence. These houses, from which all leaven must be removed, represent a settled state and a spiritual home that offers greater stability when rooted in Christ. As a spiritual house built by Him, it provides shelter and a sure foundation, emphasizing the importance of not bringing corruption into our personal or communal spaces but instead prioritizing the Bread of Life for sustenance and support. In contrast, the Feast of Tabernacles also involves dwellings, but these are temporary booths, symbolizing the impermanence of life and the journey toward an inheritance. These temporary structures remind us of our complete dependence on God during our pilgrimage, teaching us to trust in His providence while sacrificing comfort and stability. The booths, made of branches that wither over the week, reflect the transitoriness of human life and the need to rejoice in God's provision despite the lack of permanence, recognizing Him as the true shelter. Both feasts, through their focus on food and dwellings, highlight a deliberate lack—unleavened bread lacks the satisfaction of risen bread, and temporary booths lack the stability of homes. This lack prompts reflection on God's perfect providence, encouraging us to consider why certain things are withheld and to trust that what is missing is not good for us in our current state. Ultimately, the symbolism of both Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles converges in Christ, who is our Deliverer from spiritual bondage, our source of strength as the Unleavened Bread, and our guide and provider on the pilgrimage, offering internal peace and stability amidst life's uncertainties.

Unleavened Bread and Pentecost

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The eating of unleavened bread during the Days of Unleavened Bread serves as a memorial of what God did to release His people from bondage, not primarily as a symbol of coming out of sin. God intended the consumption of unleavened bread to remind us of His actions in bringing us out of captivity, as seen in the events of the Exodus. The initial context of eating unleavened bread is tied to God's work in freeing His people, rather than their personal efforts to overcome sin. The Days of Unleavened Bread emphasize God's overcoming of the world and bondage, highlighting His role in deliverance over our own actions. Unleavened bread also symbolizes following God's lead, as exemplified by the Israelites who followed the pillar of fire and cloud out of Egypt. This act of following represents obedience and righteousness, focusing on doing what is right rather than merely avoiding sin. God commands the eating of unleavened bread for seven days during the feast, underscoring a continuous commitment to righteousness, as we are always under His command to follow His way. Unleavened bread represents sincerity, wholeheartedness, and the pure Word of God, urging a positive approach to living according to His will. The Days of Unleavened Bread picture both God's extensive work in bringing us out of the world and the minimal role we play, which is to follow Him in righteousness. From the moment God leads us out and we accept His provision for forgiveness, He expects us to walk away from the world and follow His guidance. Following God, as symbolized by eating unleavened bread, leads to sanctification, separating us from bondage and aligning us with His purpose.

James and Unleavened Bread (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Days of Unleavened Bread, lasting seven days, symbolize our journey out of sin and separation from this world to follow God. This period represents a lifetime of effort and vigilance, as it takes considerable time to unlearn the ways of the world and adopt God's ways. During this week each year, God reminds us of our responsibilities on our Christian pilgrimage, offering hope, confidence, and encouragement to persevere. God emphasizes the importance of eating unleavened bread during these seven days, instructing us repeatedly to consume it, which suggests a greater focus on actively taking in what is pure rather than merely avoiding what is leavened. If we are busy eating unleavened bread, we are too full to partake of leavened bread, symbolizing that filling ourselves with God's pure Word leaves no room for sin. Unleavened bread represents sincerity and truth, qualities that are pure, unalloyed, and undefiled. Christ, as the embodiment of God's Word, is the unleavened bread we must consume to have eternal life. This consumption goes beyond ritual; it involves studying the Bible, digesting God's written Word, and living it out in our actions. Belief must manifest in how we live, turning faith into a way of life that builds the character God requires for entrance into His Kingdom. Christ lived the Word, not just knowing it to avoid sin, but using it to do God's will actively. His life demonstrated the unleavened bread through every action, word, and step. As followers, we are called to walk in His steps, using what we have been given to grow and do good works. If we know to do good and fail to act, it is sin, akin to not eating unleavened bread even if we avoid leaven. Our commission during the Days of Unleavened Bread is two-fold: to do good and to avoid sin. Doing good is prioritized because filling our lives with right actions minimizes the opportunity for sin. This reflects Christ's example of being anointed to go about doing good. Thus, Christians must not only remove leaven but also actively eat unleavened bread by filling themselves with God's Word and living it, with the latter being of greater importance.

Days of Truth

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

We must be diligence to keep ourselves free of leavening, ingesting God's truth by means of reading the Scriptures, inculcating it deeply into our character.

Jesus in the Feasts (Part One): The Bread of Life

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, as a commanded holy day on God's sacred calendar, holds profound significance beyond its prophetic timing or place in the Plan of God. Its primary focus is on Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, rather than merely the succession of events in history. The emphasis in Scripture, seen in passages like Exodus 12, Exodus 23, and Leviticus 23, is on eating unleavened bread for all seven days of the feast, a central instruction repeated with insistence. This act of eating unleavened bread every day symbolizes a spiritual practice of ingesting Christ, the bread of life, as highlighted in John 6, where He declares Himself the true bread from heaven. Paul, in I Corinthians 5:8, describes this unleavened bread as sincerity and truth, representing inward purity and outward righteousness. Sincerity reflects an inward quality of tested purity, implying a spotless heart and flawless integrity, while truth signifies the outward manifestation of genuine Christian character, embodying God's righteousness in active right doing. Together, they cover both inner holiness and the external display of good works, pointing to Christ as the perfect model of these qualities. He is the anti-type of unleavened bread, the One who embodies sincerity and truth in all aspects of His being. Consuming Christ through diligent study of His character, teachings, and examples sustains and energizes us spiritually, much like physical food nourishes the body. This feast serves as an annual reminder to integrate the bread of life into ourselves daily, fostering growth in holiness and righteousness. Without Christ in us, as He states, we have no spiritual life, underscoring the necessity to feed on Him consistently. This ongoing practice, reinforced by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, helps us develop the mind of Christ and grow into His image through both spiritual contemplation and physical acts of goodness. Additionally, the feast recalls God's agency in redeeming Israel from Egypt, as seen in Exodus 13, establishing an obligation to keep His law due to His act of deliverance. This historical type parallels the spiritual redemption offered through Christ, who calls us out of bondage to sin and leads us toward holiness. As the bread of life, He is the One who does the heavy lifting in our walk of faith, guiding us to the Kingdom of God through His love, mercy, and providence. Thus, the Feast of Unleavened Bread centers on Christ, emphasizing His role as our Redeemer and the source of our spiritual sustenance.

The Unleavened Vanguard with Christ

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Christ's warnings to His disciples in Luke 12 may have been given during the Unleavened Bread season, giving us additional forms of leaven to guard against.

Filling the Void (2012)

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Try to satisfy a spiritual hunger through any other means than the Bread of Life, such as entertainment, technology, money, travel, etc. will leave us disillusioned.

Feed on the Vine

Sermonette by Austin Del Castillo

Even though removing leaven from our homes has importance, the far greater spiritual emphasis is on the eating of unleavened bread, internalizing Christ.

Sincerity and Truth (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We have been given the priceless gift of God's Word of sincerity and truth which has the power to sanctify. We must guard it as a life preserver.

Sincerity and Truth (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In contrast to the world's embracing of fraud and deceit, God's called-out ones are obligated to eat the bread of sincerity and truth all our lives.

Principled Living (Part Three): Growing in Righteousness

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God's law—the unleavened bread of righteousness—needs to be ingested into our minds as we purge sin, resulting in righteous thoughts, words, and deeds.

Sanctification and Holiness (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

As God's priesthood, we must draw near to God, keep His commandments, and witness to the world that God is God. God is shaping and fashioning His new creation.

Leavening: The Types

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The holy days are reliable teaching tools, emphasizing spaced repetition to reinforce our faulty memories and drive the lesson deep into our thinking.

Psalms: Book One (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Because Jesus is God's Son, we can avoid the rod of His anger by paying respect with worshipful awe. We must know both His instruction and Him personally.