LESSON 9

Bread of Affliction

Feasts Show Redemption Plan

   The previous lesson showed us that Yahshua as our Passover sacrifice took the penalty of sin as prescribed in the law and paid with his life. He died because you broke Yahweh's law. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of Yahweh," Paul wrote in Romans 3:23. Sin is the transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4. And what results from sin? Death, Romans 6:23.

   Only the Savior could have been the perfect sacrifice for you and me because only He remained sinless. The death penalty of the law was satisfied with the giving of His life so that we are not all automatically condemned to everlasting death if we accept His sacrifice. By acknowledging His blood to wipe out our sin, repenting, and then living in obedience as He did, we also can find everlasting life.

   The law stands after the death of the Savior because He did not come to abolish it, as may teach. He came to "fulfill" the law, meaning to observe it totally, Matthew 5:17. He said not even the smallest letter or punctuation point would be dropped from the law so long as heaven and earth stand, verse 18.

   Following the Passover observance, Leviticus 23 teaches that the next seven days are called the Days of Unleavened Bread. This is found in both the 12th and 13th chapters of Exodus. The lesson to be learned is that after accepting the shed blood of Yahshua the Messiah, we are to live a life free of sin.

   The purpose of the holy days is to keep the believer constantly aware of the understanding of Yahweh's great plan of redemption on this earth. We are offered an opportunity for spiritual growth separate from the cares of the world. We gather in fellowship with others also striving for the Kingdom. Historically when man has forgotten Yahweh's holy times, he inevitably has fallen into gross error and then into idolatry. Without the knowledge of the holy purpose of Yahweh, mankind soon becomes perverted in his thinking and life.

   Because nominal Christianity ignores these special times, they believe this is the only day of salvation,. Christianity pictures Yahweh and Satan locked in a gigantic battle for the minds of mankind in which Satan is clearly emerging the victor over all the world. If the purpose of our Creator is to save the world today, Satan has already won the battle.

   While some people question whether the Messiah kept the Passover, it is quite evident that He fulfilled all the Old Covenant laws that included the Feast Days of Leviticus 23. Note the following verses in which the Messiah and the disciples prepared to keep the Passover: Matthew 26:17-18; Mark 14:13-26; Luke 22:7-30 and John 13.

   The entire seven Days of Unleavened Bread are a memorial of the deliverance of ancient Israel from Egypt. They remind us that we should not stop with the commemoration of the Savior's death, but should continue toward perfection and put false doctrine and error out of our lives. "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward Yahweh," Hebrews 6:1.

   Passover pictures the forgiveness of sins that are past (Romans 3:25), while the Feast of Unleavened Bread portrays coming out of sin by leaving the world behind and following the ways of Yahweh.

Leaven as Doctrines

   Many teach that leaven typifies sin; that it "puffs up" as in vanity and pride. They teach that leaven represents sin, wickedness and corruption. That it is something to be avoided.

   However, if leaven typifies sin, then we should never eat it. We would not be ingesting sin into our body, but would be careful to avoid leaven at all costs.

   Furthermore, in Leviticus 23:17 we see that Israel was commanded to bring two wave loaves made with leaven as a wave offering to Yahweh on the day of Firstfruits. The leavened bread was to be made with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest and to be waved before Yahweh as a wave-offering.

   A token harvest of grain was garnered to make flour for baking the two wave loaves which were then offered to Yahweh as a special firstfruits offering so that He would bless the remainder of the harvest. The two wave loaves were baked with leaven and then offered with the two lambs to Yahweh as an offering to Yahweh.

   Yahshua gave the example of a woman who hid leaven in three measures of meal until all was leavened, Matthew 13:33. He said the Kingdom of the heavens was like this example. If leaven is sin, why would it be hidden in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened? Does Yahweh's Kingdom countenance sin?

   In Mathew 16:6, Yahshua warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Not comprehending His words, the disciples thought He meant they had no bread. After a few more words, they came to understand. "Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees," verse 12.

   Obviously, leaven represents a growing or spreading process. In a short time, leaven permeates the whole lump. We are told that we are to use the Unleavened Bread of sincerity and truth in 1 Corinthians 5:8. At the beginning of each new year when we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread we are to do so in a new way, with new bread. The old leaven is to be discarded and removed.

   First we entertain the idea or thought. Then we think of actually doing it, and finally we try it. The thought can be good or bad. During the Days of Unleavened Bread we are to get rid of all that offends and fill our mind with the good things of Yahshua so that we no more fall into the trap of doing what we know is wrong. After being forgiven of past sins, we no longer walk in them.

   If we understand that leaven symbolizes doctrine, then we can see that each year we are to have a spring housecleaning of our spiritual life. All of our concepts and ideas are examined in the light of the Bible. Any false doctrines are to be discarded as we feed on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

   As we review those spiritual concepts, we assimilate truth back into our life. We feed on the pure bread, the unleavened bread of Yahshua the Messiah, John 6:48-51.

   By keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread every year, we are reminded of the power sin has over our lives. We realize how easy it is in our permissive society to fall into the habit of breaking Yahweh's law without consciously doing so.

   The Feast of Unleavened Bread gives us time for self-examination. For seven days we root out as much error as humanly possible and rely on the power of Yahweh's spirit to put in our hearts and minds the desire to serve Him sincerely and honestly. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness," 1John 1:9.

Days of Unleavened Bread Help Eliminate Sin

   A child of Yahweh must accept the sacrifice of the Savior for his sins as one of the first steps of salvation, according to Yahweh's Word. Many churches have a service in which they distribute the emblems of the Savior's shed blood and broken body daily (known as the mass) or do so either every Sunday, once a month or quarterly. It is also known as the Eucharist, Lord's Supper, Memorial, etc.

   The proper time for Passover to be celebrated is when the earth again comes to live, that month in which the green ears of barley appear in the area around Jerusalem. We look to Jerusalem to establish the correct time of year for the seasons so that we are in harmony with this city of the Great King. We cannot look in our own back yard because those in Australia and the southern hemisphere have their seasons opposite ours.

   The Bible teaches that Passover should be taken once a year in the month of green ears, known in the Bible as "Abib" or "Nisan." At that time, we recall the death angel's passing over the firstborn of Israel who had applied the blood to their doors and were spared. We also recall the suffering and death of Yahshua the Messiah so that we also might have life, eternal life in Him.

   However, once we have accepted the shed blood of the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, we are to do more. We are to forsake sin and go on to perfection. We are to do more than merely take the emblems of His shed blood and broken body, but are to rid our life of our sinful ways that made it necessary for the Savior to die.

   Let us now look into the Bible to see how the Days of Unleavened Bread help eliminate those sins that required the life of our Savior. We must never again return to the sins from which Yahshua redeemed us with His shed blood.

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