The Feast of Unleavened Bread follows on from the Passover as the Israelites came out of Egypt, signifying a life of sin and the old way of life. They are to adopt a new way of life of obedience to God's Laws and commandments. Similarly, for a new believer in Christ, once he has been forgiven of his past sins he has the opportunity to start anew going forward. This is a necessary stage for a Christian to undergo once he makes a decision to follow Christ - its kind of a rite of passage.
Exodus 12:15-20 is the biblical basis for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast is to be celebrated after the Passover and the first and seventh day kept holy with an offering to God. Exodus 12:17 says it is to be observed 'as an everlasting ordinance' - meaning that it is still applicable in modern times. The primary purpose of this Feast is to remember this phase of God's Plan of Salvation which is a typology of putting sin out of our lives.
Leaven is a sign of sin in biblical terminology. By calling for repentance and putting away of sin, it is a sign of being called out of this world to follow Christ. There can be no turning back if one to is qualify as a son of God. It is to be kept as a remembrance annually (Exodus 13:10). It is worthy to note that both the parents of Jesus and Christ Himself kept the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. (Luke 2:41-43; Mark 14:1-2 & 12-16). Interestingly, the early Apostles of Jesus Christ also celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3; 20:6-7). I believe that it is the Lord's command for us to observe these Feasts as well though not in a ritualistic manner, as given to us in 1 Cor 5:7-8, ' Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrified for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.'
To purge off the leaven is to resist sin and pride, much like a leaven which 'puffed up' the loaf of bread. This takes persistence and perseverance to overcome and much effort is often needed. Though salvation is free and nobody can earn it, but to become mature and attain the status of being a son of God requires sustained effort and time. After all, it was the pride of Satan that ultimately caused his downfall and deceive mankind into sin. The Christian has to overcome the deception of Satan, the temptations of society and the selfish nature of man to become an overcomer in order to inherit all that God has installed for us.
(Rev 1: 6; 2:7,10,11,17,23,26; 3:11-12,21). The give way of life, rather than the get way of life is God's plan for those whom He called.
The seven days of Unleavened Bread typify believers leaving behind spiritual Egypt which is in bondage, to a life in the promised land which signify freedom from sin and to receive blessings from God. To achieve that requires sustained effort on the part of the believer and God will assist through the power of His Spirit working in the lives of those whom He called and responded to His call (Philippians 2:12-13). When the Israelites fled Egypt, Pharaoh pursued right to the very end with the objective of destroying them. Only through God's supernatural intervention were the Israelites saved from imminent dangers. Much like what the great deceiver is doing now to hinder believers from abandoning the pomp and glamour of this world of which he now reigns. Only by cooperating with God's Holy Spirit can believers succeed in overcoming the afflictions of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4).
Since a little leaven can leaven the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6), we are admonished to put away sin as a way of life. One small sin can distort the mindset of a believer and eventually corrupts his character. It is your attitude, mindset and character that will eventually outlive your physical life, and these are what God is looking for with those who qualify as members of His Divine Family! The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22: 1-14 shows that those without the wedding garment (righteous character will inevitably produce righteous acts and spiritual fruits) will be barred from partaking the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19: 8-9). Which means to say, those without the righteous character and spiritual fruits will not enter the kingdom of God to become members of God Divine Family!
The Apostle Paul stated this truth clearly in 1 Cor 6:9-10, 'Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homesexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.' It is true that the following verse goes on to say that those who were once corrupted but are now washed clean will be accepted. However, believers have no licence to go back to the former way of life once they leave spiritual Egypt. In a similar vein, Galatians 5:19-21 warns us of the works of the flesh. For those who do will NOT inherit the kingdom of God - they will be barred from membership in God's Divine Family.
From my own personal journey and working experiences, I have had come across many instances where people of immense talents and giftings were capable of producing great results in all that they do. However, when one looks into their characters, they fall far short of what is to be desired. It is somewhat ironical that people will work diligently to achieve all their dreams and goals but never give a thought to work on their character, which is what matters from an eternal standpoint. This is made worse when people in power and authority made themselves appear what they are not. None of us is perfect no doubt, but what is crucial is the heart. Does one has the heart to please God by obeying Him or just to please man (could be your boss or anyone) or ourselves. The choice is yours to make.
