Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day festival, which begins on Nisan 15 (sundown on March 27) and ends on Nisan 21 (sundown on April 3). During this time, God commands that the first day is a day of holy convocation (a Sabbath in which no work is to be done). Moreover, God also commands that the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also a day of holy convocation. In Numbers 28:25 we read, "On the seventh day you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work." What is the meaning of these two Sabbath days?


The first holy convocation
The first holy assembly is directly connected to the Passover, which led to the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. In Exodus 12:17, we are told, "You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation." After the Destroyer passed over Egypt and took the lives of the firstborn, the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to leave Egypt. The tribes of Israel left in haste. They left in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. Thus they only had matzah (unleavened bread) for their journey. The first Sabbath day reminds us of these events.


The second holy convocation
But what about the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Why does God also command a holy convocation on this day? And what happened on this day in which God wants us to remember? As we continue reading the Book of Exodus, we read about Israel's journey from Egypt. "They traveled from Sukkot and set up camp in Tema, at the edge of the desert. God went ahead of them in a column of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a column of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire at night went away from in front of the people" (Exodus 13:20-22). And after several days of journeying, we read "God said to Moses, 'Tell the people of Israel to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba'al-Tz'fon; camp opposite it, by the sea'" (Exodus 14:1-2).

The seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the splitting of the Red Sea, the final climax of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. It was on the seventh day of traveling from being delivered from the Egyptian masters that they reached the Red Sea. It was there that they encamped together; it was there that the people of Israel found themselves trapped between the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind and the waters of the Red Sea, which lay before them. It was on this day that God would perform a final miracle that would completely deliver Israel from their Egyptian masters. However, until Israel witnessed the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they remained in dread of Pharaoh and his military. As Israel was fearing for their lives, many were even prepared to submit to slavery again rather than trusting in God.


Lessons we can learn
After we have taken our first few steps to freedom, walking in the direction in accordance with God's instruction, we often face adversity from the world and from Satan. Troubled with this fear and the demands of this world, we often give into fear and return to our former bondage and taskmasters in the hope we will somehow preserve ourselves instead of trusting God and His plan for our lives, which will ultimately lead us to true deliverance. For those of us who have done this or for those of us who may do this in the future, out of our fear we may think to ourselves, "God understands and surely He would not want me to perish or suffer. I will return to my former way of life; He will understand. I will not be punished." This thinking is quite erroneous. God does not condone our fear and our lack in trusting in Him, especially after we have gotten a taste of His goodness and power, and have seen He is capable of great miracles and deliverances.

Psalm 106:7-12 sates, "Our ancestors in Egypt failed to grasp the meaning of Your wonders. They didn't keep in mind Your great deeds of grace but rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His own name's sake, to make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through its depths as through a desert. He saved them from hostile hands, redeemed them from the power of the foe. The water closed over their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words, and they sang His praise."

As He brings us to this point in our faith and walk with Him, He gives us a final opportunity to choose Him or choose our former ways of life and our former gods. Likewise, in Joshua 24:14:15 we are told, "Therefore fear God, and serve Him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve God! If it seems bad to you to serve God, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve God!" And the proper response for us is what the next few verses say: "The people answered, 'Far be it from us that we would abandon God to serve other gods; because it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery, and did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples we passed through; and it was God who drove out from before us all the people, the Amorites living in the land. Therefore we too will serve the LORD, for He is our God!'" (Joshua 24:16-18)

Although some Believers are blessed with a great faith and jump into God's promises and instructions head first, even if we have doubts and if we exercise just a little faith and wait on His deliverance, He will not fail us. He will increase our faith and make us true Believers as He delivers us from what seems like hopeless situations. In Mark 9:23, a man who begins with a little faith cries out to Jesus to increase his faith. "Jesus said to him, 'What do you mean, "if you can"? Everything is possible to someone who has trust!' Instantly the father of the child exclaimed, 'I do trust--help my lack of trust!'"

For us to demonstrate the minimum faith requirements and break with our former way of life and from our own personal Egypt, we need to take steps with the intent to jump into God's promises with both feet. We must not put only one foot in the water, only to turn back out of fear. We cannot be double-hearted before God. In the Book of James we read, "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in trust, doubting nothing; for the doubter is like a wave in the sea being tossed and driven by the wind. Indeed that person should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, because he is double-minded, unstable in all his way" (James 1:5-8).

If we simply trust God for what He says, even when it does not seem logical, even in the midst of our doubt and fear, He will part the sea that stands between ourselves and deliverance. But if we do not trust we will be delivered, instead of splitting the sea for us we will be like one of the waves being tossed around and driven by the wind. We will once again fall victim to the cruel taskmasters of this world.

It is often worldly and fleshly material, which stands like a vast sea between us and the true freedom that God has for us. But, if we can reject the call of Egypt for us to return to it, we can move in faith toward God's call. If through His Spirit we can see His will and confirm it through His word, even if we move forward and feel like the water will be over our heads and we might drown, we must continue moving forward and move past the great sea. It is only then can we see true freedom and realize God's promises for us.

In Exodus 14:21, we read, "Moses reached out his hand out over the sea, and God caused the sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two." And shortly thereafter in Exodus 15:8 it says, "With a blast from Your nostrils the waters piled up-the waters stood up like a wall, the depths of the water became firm ground." Instead of following the winds and elemental spirits and doctrines of this world, we are to walk straight forward through the path, which the Wind of God makes for us. That is, we are to follow the straight path provided by the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine He gives us. In the splitting of the sea, God shows us that if we walk in accordance with His Spirit and instruction, we can walk in the midst of the world. With God, we will not be overcome and will not be immersed by its raging waters.

Often times we cry and we wail for God to deliver us from certain circumstances in life, but out of fear, we refuse to move forward with Him and follow His instructions. Likewise, we read in Exodus 14:15 God says to Moses, "...Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!" There is a wonderful story of faith, which is told by the Jewish scholars in connection with the parting of the Red Sea. It is said that after Moses related the message "to go forward", Nachshon the son of Aminadav, the leader of the tribe of Judah, plunged into the Red Sea and was followed by his tribe and then by the entire nation of Israel. However, the sea had not yet split. Nevertheless, it is said that they continue to press onward until the waters began reaching their nostrils. And it was not until this point that the Red Sea miraculously split. Speaking of this persistent faith, Jesus teaches us in Matthew 17:19-20, "...I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there!' and it will move indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!"

Moving forward in faith through the sea, which was divided and crossing over and leaving Egypt behind is a powerful picture of completely leaving our former way of life. We shed our bondage to the kingdom and gods of Egypt, leaving their ways and their doctrines behind us. When we have reached the other side, God rewards us with a substantial increase in our faith. We will have been brought to a place where we have confirmed our resolution to cling to God and commit ourselves to where He is taking us. We see an example of this in Exodus 14:31, "When Israel saw the mighty deeds that God had performed against the Egyptians, the people feared God, and they believed God and in his servant Moses." This is one of the purposes of the 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

May we all personally experience these things with God as He completes our deliverance from our own Egypt. It is these truths that we are to meditate upon on the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When we cross over to the other side, and have chosen to follow God, leaving Egypt behind, this is the true essence of being a Hebrew. The word "cross over" in Hebrew is from the root "avar", which is where we get the word "Ivri", which is translated into English as Hebrew.

It is after we have learned these lessons that we are given a special song that only the redeemed can truly grasp. We read the first few verses of the song in Exodus 15:1-2, "Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to God: 'I will sing to God, for He is highly exalted: the horse and its rider He threw in the sea. God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God: I will glorify Him; my father's God: I will exalt Him.'"


Conclusion
We must demonstrate our faith, as little or as great as it may be, by moving forward while walking according to God's instructions. We must place both feet in the water while trusting that He will go before us, preparing the way. But if we are paralyzed by our fear, or even worse, turn back to our former Godless ways, we will not experience God's true deliverance because we will not trust Him for the path He has provided us that leads to life. It is by faith we choose to walk that path. It is not enough to simply have knowledge of the path and of God's word. If we fail to personally experience it and walk it out for ourselves, we will not grasp the deliverance and true salvation--our Messiah Jesus. And even if we sing salvation, if we have not truly experienced a personal deliverance by trusting in God and turning from our former way of life by clinging to His words, then our song will be meaningless. We will not be able to sing the song as it was intended. With God's help, may all of us be able to sing in sincerity and in truth the following words: "God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2). Happy Feast of Unleavened Bread! Chag Sameach!

A famine in the land is a chance for God’s people to shine

When we think about famine, we often think about lack of food, water, financial stress, poverty, sickness and even death. However, as we examine Scripture, we find when there is a famine in the land, it is a time for God’s people to be blessed. 

 
Abraham: a famine in Canaan; he heads to Egypt
Abraham is called by God and told to go to the land of Canaan. Abraham arrives and journeys through the land. In Shechem, God gives him a blessing saying the land will be given to the descendants of Abraham. Abraham builds an altar. Abraham then continues farther south in the land. (Genesis 12:6-9) When he arrives at the southern region of Canaan, we are told there is a famine in the land. Abraham travels to Egypt.
 
10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” 14 It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” 20 Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. (Genesis 12:10-20)
 
 
As we read the text, two things should stand out to us. First, Abraham and his wife agree to tell people Sarah is his sister. Second, Abraham left Egypt with a great abundance of wealth.
 
There has been a lot of debate over the centuries if Abraham’s actions were bad. It is common even today in the Middle East for a beautiful woman to be taken by the country’s leader. If she is married, the husband is killed. Abraham knew this. It was common policy in the ancient world. To preserve his life, the couple decides to lie/deceive the king of Egypt.
 
In verse 16, we are told Abraham is given many gifts for his wife. Abraham’s wealth greatly increased. On the surface this may seem like a blessing. But underneath, this wealth leads to a split in Abraham’s household.
 
I can only speculate with the text we have, but Abraham just displayed an incredible amount of faith. And now, faced with a challenge, his faith fails. Abraham just left his native land of Ur of the Chaldees and went to live in Haran. When his father died, Abraham then ventures all the way to Canaan. This is a time before automobiles and GPS. This is a time when travel is a long, arduous task and could be quite dangerous. Robbers and thieves could attack the caravan on the route or when the party stopped and made camp for the night. There were no hotels or motels. To make camp for the night took many hours. You had to create a fire, water the animals, make food for the night and for the next day, create sleeping chambers (either in the open or by pitching tents), etc. Once this was all completed, the next morning, everything had to be packed up, and you had to begin another day of travel.
 
I cannot imagine the faith and courage it must have taken Abraham to leave everything and follow God. Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran and traveled to Canaan. Very likely, Abraham would never see any of his family (save Lot) ever again.
 
 
Giving God a bad name
In verse 17 and 18, God strikes Pharaoh’s house with plagues, and Pharaoh recognizes the plagues are related to him taking Sarah as a wife. Pharaoh is mad at Abraham for lying to him. On the surface this seems to be a normal reaction to anyone who may have lied to us. We get mad and feel betrayed. But looking even farther, this whole situation gives God a bad name. Abraham was God’s servant. His deceptive actions degrade God’s character. Although nothing bad appears to Abraham except that he is escorted out of the land, in the end, going to Egypt is very costly.
 
In chapter 16, we are told Sarah has an Egyptian maid. Sarah is barren. She tells Abraham to take her maid and have children through her. The maid, Hagar, gets pregnant and has a son named Ishmael. Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out of Abraham’s household. Ishmael and Hagar travel to the east. Ishmael has 12 son. Many believe Ishmael is the father of the Arabs…a group of people who continue to be a thorn in Israel’s side to this day.
 
It is just speculation, but it seems the extravagant gifts Abraham received for lying to Pharaoh about Sarah being his sister in the end divided his household. Hagar and Ishmael were exiled. Ishmael became a wild man and seemed to be at odds with his relatives (Genesis 25:18).
 
 
Isaac and the famine in Israel
During Isaac’s lifetime, there is another famine in Canaan. However, a few things are different in Isaac’s story. 

1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”

6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.” 8 It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’ ” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
 
12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. (Genesis 26:1-17)
 
 
 
Differences between Abraham and Isaac’s famine experience 
First, he is told not to go to Egypt. So, he goes to Gerar, which is in Philistine territory. Second, although Isaac tells Rebekah to say she is his sister, Rebekah is not taken in by the king of the Philistines. Third, Isaac does not receive any gifts for his lying. Fourth, Isaac becomes wealthy because God blesses his produce. Fifth, Isaac is kicked out of the land because he is extremely successful with his crops.
 
One of the big differences between Abraham and Isaac is that Abraham received his wealth through deception (Pharaoh is the one who gave the abundance.). Isaac receives his wealth through planting, sowing and having successful breading of his animals (God is the one who gave the abundance.). Abraham’s wealth causes a division in his household. Isaac’s abundance only gives him wealth and prosperity (Nothing bad seems to be recorded with Isaac’s wealth.).
 
Pharaoh and his household experience plagues due to Abraham’s lie. The king of the Philistines do not experience any harm except the people become envious of Isaac’s prosperity. Pharaoh knew Abraham and his lie were causing all the harm to his household. The king of the Philistines has nothing to blame except Isaac was being abundantly blessed. God’s name is being glorified through Isaac’s successful crops and herds.
 
 
Lessons from Isaac and Abraham
The lessons we can learn from Abraham and Isaac’s stories is that although we may feel as though we are up against death (both Abraham and Isaac believed their wives were beautiful and would be taken into the king’s house), the outcome may or may not happen. Eventually our lie will be found out, and God’s character will be harmed. Both Abraham and Isaac knew to trust God and to leave the land when famine came; however, neither one had enough faith that God could protect them from the hand of the king. 

Link to Part Two Click here