123_The Feast of Unleavened Bread Lev 23:6-8 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” Ex 12:15-20 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” Once a rich man bought a beautiful old house in the countryside. Its structure was sound and its design delightful. However, as he proceeded to renovate some areas, he was horrified to discover mold growing behind the walls. It was hidden, subtle, and spreading. But unless dealt with, it would soon make the house unlivable. Invisible on the surface, he still had to tear out the affected walls and purge the house of every trace of it. Sometimes, we see the need to deal with some areas of our life. But often, the most dangerous problems are the subtle ones—hidden sins, attitudes, affections—growing quietly, able to take over our lives. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is God’s message, showing us how seriously He takes what we often ignore. It also demonstrates his more than sufficient provision for a new life free from hidden corruption. This feast follows immediately after and is closely linked to the Passover. The Passover commemorated God’s act of deliverance—rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt through the blood of the lamb. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of only two feasts to last seven days. In Scripture, the number seven often signifies fullness or completeness. This feast is therefore symbolic of a celebration that lasts through the whole of life. Before the feast began, every Israelite home was to be cleared of all leaven. Not a speck of