“Then within His home He led me,
Brought me where the feast is spread,
Made me eat with Him my Father,
I, who begged for bondman's bread.
Not a suppliant at His gateway,
But a son within His home—
To the love, joy, the singing,
To the glory, I am come.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the day after the Passover, and lasted for seven days. Seven days has the meaning of a perfect period of time. The lamb was slain on the fourteenth day at sunset; the Feast of Unleavened Bread began immediately after the fifteenth day began which was just after sunset, so there was no time left between the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There was no interval of time between the death of the lamb, the sprinkling of the blood and the keeping of the feast.
The seven days Feast of Unleavened Bread is a picture of the whole life of the believer, and so we may understand that as soon as a person trusts in the precious blood of Christ, then his life as a believer begins he starts to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The killing of the lamb was a single act and the Passover was reckoned as a one-day feast. So also was the Feast of First-fruits, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement. These feasts of one day only all point to certain great acts of the Lord's hand, each of which was perfect and complete in itself. But those feasts of seven or eight days point to the result of these great acts of God.
As the Passover is a picture of the death of Christ, the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of the believer's life on earth from the day he trusts in Christ until he leaves this earth. It speaks of communion with God, based upon redemption in holiness and truth. The blood of Christ is the foundation of all true fellowship with God. The only way to continue in this communion is to feed on the slain lamb on Christ who died for us. The only way to enjoy the slain lamb is putting away leaven (evil) which makes for holiness in the believer's walk down here.
The blood on the door posts and lintel was the foundation of all not only of security but of peace. As long as I am seeking to examine the blood, I will not have true peace but when I learn that it is God's thought of the blood, not mine, that makes me safe then I can have true peace. The blood was for the eye of God, those inside the house could not see it, but by faith they had perfect peace when sheltered by it.
Also we must remember it was not a question of whether the people in the house were good or bad. It was not a question of whether they were happy or sad peaceful or frightened what made them safe was the blood on the door for God's eye.
When I learn this, and trust only to the blood, and to the Word of God, there is knowledge of salvation and true peace with God.
Only with this true peace in our hearts, can we feed with joy on the roast lamb. All the redeemed gathered around that table with one heart keeping the feast.
What a feast it is for the redeemed sinner! That roast lamb is the Lord Jesus Himself having borne the wrath and judgment of God against my sins. To feed on Him is strength. Girded loins, shoes on our feet, staff in our hand, all tell us we are pilgrims. They stood in Egypt, but they were not of it they were ready to leave it at any moment. So the saints of God are only pilgrims down here, the world is not our home. We are in it, but not of it. The cross cut the links which bound us to this world.
The cords that bound my heart to earth
Were loosed by Jesus' hand:
Before His cross I found myself
A stranger in the land.
No matter whether the Feast of Unleavened Bread were kept in Egypt, in the wilderness, or in the land of Canaan, these marks were always the same. No matter whether the Christian is looked at as a "stranger" in the world, Ex. 12:1111And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. (Exodus 12:11); or a "pilgrim" in the wilderness, Num. 9:33In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. (Numbers 9:3); or "possessors" of the land of promise, Josh. 5:10,10And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. (Joshua 5:10) the feast is exactly the same. So we learn that the saint's communion is based on redemption, sustained by feeding on Christ, and kept safe in holiness and separation from evil. These are principles that never change, they are like the character of God Himself In our last chapter we noticed that the Israelites feeding on the roast lamb, may be compared to the saints partaking of the Lord's supper today. The true mark of that supper is worship. As we feed on the One Who died for us and remember His death, our hearts bow before Him in worship, overflowing in praise and adoration to Himself. None of that roast lamb was to remain until the morning, Ex. 12:10,10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (Exodus 12:10) tells us that true worship cannot be known separated from the death of Christ. True worship cannot ever be stale: it must always be fresh.
The feast was to be kept with "unleavened bread," and no leaven, or leavened bread was to be seen in their houses. Please notice how careful the commands of the Lord were about this matter.
1. No leaven bread was to be eaten.
2. No leaven was to be seen.
What is leaven? It is the material we now generally call "yeast." We put it into flour to make bread. The small holes that we see in bread are caused by the leaven in it. A very small piece of leaven will soon affect a large quantity of flour. We may see it puffing up the dough, and making it appear large. If we leave it to go on working in the dough, soon the dough will be sour, and in a short time it will be rotten and we must throw it away. A small piece of this leavened dough put into fresh clean unleavened dough will soon leaven, or make sour, the whole lump of dough that was unleavened before. In this way we see the leaven increases very rapidly.
The people were required to search diligently that all leaven was put away, or else "a little leaven" left behind would soon leaven "the whole lump.” Leaven is a figure of evil only evil always evil, and of such evil as carries corruption with it wherever it works. There must be none of this allowed where communion with God is sought. The flesh will always be present, but sin must not be allowed to work and to come into our lives, either in secret or in the open or else communion with God is impossible.
are words which show what God means by the putting away of leaven, by those who would like to have communion with God.
Perhaps old leaven refers to old habits, old sins we have grown to love, old associations which we continued in, and enjoyed before we were converted. These old sins are able to lead the believer into captivity again if he is not watchful, and does not daily seek communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Although it humbles us, it is a very good thing for us to remember that the roots of every sin man ever committed remain in the flesh of every child of God and were it not for the grace of God which keeps us by the power of the Holy Spirit, these sins would yield their fruit. Those who tell us that the roots of sin no longer remain in their flesh, only deceive themselves, and do very great damage to the saints of God and bring dishonor on the Name of Christ (1 John 1:88If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)). The Lord would not tell the saints in the New Testament to put away these sins, if the root of them were gone out of their hearts, and there was no danger of falling into them.
If "old leaven" represents those old sins committed before conversion, perhaps we may consider "new leaven" also, perhaps that would represent other sins to which the unbeliever is not tempted. These sins, alas, we may often see in the Lord's people now. Some of these sins are spiritual pride, jealousy, boasting, a sectarian spirit, a desire to have preeminence, evil doctrine, doubt and criticism of the Word of God, and many other sins which you may have found in yourself.
These sins, if un-judged, and if we are not watchful, will spoil our communion just as truly as the sins which appear to man to be worse. Satan often uses these sins to spoil our communion with the Lord and with each other. Therefore, dear brethren, let us watch and be sober, let us put away the leaven out of our lives, and seek grace from God to judge it as soon as it appears.
It is well for us to remember that the feast of unleavened bread, when the people of God gathered together around that roast lamb, with the unleavened bread on the table before them represented not only communion with the Lord, but communion in separation from evil, with the person of Christ for the center. Man's method of unity and communion is to make light of evil to cover it over, and to pass it by we may see this constantly in the unions and councils, which often bear the title of Christian, but in reality are far from these fundamental principles which God has so clearly laid down for us in His Word.
A great man of the world once said of a Christian man "I know of no man in all England with greater ability than John but he bows to that old Book like a fool." May you and I, dear brethren, ever seek to bow to "that old Book," even though the world, even the religious world, may count us fools. Evil must be judged and put away if communion with God is to be enjoyed, no matter whether in our own individual lives, or in the assembly of the saints.
Unleavened bread was to be eaten seven days. "The unleavened bread of sincerity and truth," is what the Spirit of God tells us this part of the type means. To put away leaven is one side of this truth, to eat unleavened bread is the other side of this truth.
We get these two sides brought out very clearly in James 1:21,21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21) "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness," (this tells of putting away the leaven), "and receive with meekness the engrafted Word," (this tells of feeding on the unleavened bread). We get the same thought in 1 Peter 2:1-2,1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1 Peter 2:1‑2) "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." It is always dangerous to only see one side of any truth. What does "sincerity" mean? In Phil. 1:1010That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; (Philippians 1:10) we get the word "sincere," and it means "pure when viewed in the sunlight." You may hold a glass, or a drop of water up to the sun, and find it quite pure. It is "sincere" in this meaning. So "sincerity" means letting the clear sunshine of God's light in His Word shine on to our walk and ways, and then judging anything whatever I find contrary to it. But who is there who lets this clear sunshine of God's light shine into his ways, and finds nothing but what is pure? Only One, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the "Bread that came down from Heaven." He is "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Another has translated the word for "sincerity" as "a transparent character." As the roast lamb presents Him as the spotless Lamb of God bearing God's wrath and judgment against my sin, so the unleavened bread presents Him as the holy, pure, spotless Man come down from Heaven. What a feast is spread for me here! Surely it will cause me to let the pure sunshine of the light of God's Word shine on my walk and ways also. No doubt this will often show in our lives that which is not "pure" in the sunlight, and humble us, and cause us to bow down in confession and shame before our Lord. But this is His way, and it is the way of holiness and health to our souls. In this way only, can we enjoy the feast; it is a bitter path for the flesh, and the Lord knew this for He commanded "with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Ex. 12:88And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:8)). Never does the soul so enjoy Christ, as when self-judged. The bitter herbs give us to more enjoy the roast lamb and the unleavened bread.
Being "in the sunlight" before God always leads us to the cross and to the person of Christ. "The bread of affliction" (Deut. 16:33Thou 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. (Deuteronomy 16:3)) and the bitter herbs, always formed part of the feast. In 1 Cor. 5:8,8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:8) we find it was not only "unleavened bread of sincerity," but "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." This also is a part of the feast. Christ said, "I am the truth." It is all Christ. He is our food. The truth of God must have its place. "All the counsel of God" (Acts 20:2727For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Acts 20:27)) must be remembered, nothing kept back no part neglected no part exalted above measure. In this way "communion of saints" first with their God, and then with each other, will be kept unbroken through all the "seven days" of the feast through all our earthly life, "till He come," and then in that bright resurrection morning the living and the sleeping saints will all be gathered to the Father's house, to the bright Home where leaven can never enter, and where all that has broken and marred communion down here is passed forever, and with one heart and one voice we will gather round the Lamb that was slain He our only object and His praise our only theme.
Lord, Haste That Day!
O happy morn! the Lord shall come
And take His waiting people home
Beyond the reach of care!
Where guilt and sin are all unknown:
The Lord will come and claim His own,
And place them with Him on His throne,
The glory bright to share.
The resurrection morn will break,
And every sleeping saint awake,
Brought forth in light again!
O morn, too bright for mortal eyes!
When all the ransom'd church shall rise
And wing their way to yonder skies—
Called up with Christ to reign.
O Lord! our pilgrim spirits long
To sing the everlasting song
Of glory, honor, power;
Till then when Thou all power shalt wield
Blest Savior Thou wilt be our Shield,
For Thou hast to our souls revealed
Thyself— our strength and tower.