The Feast of Unleavened Bread

 

Exodus 13:3-16

 

August 31, 2024

 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.  Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out.  And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.  Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory.  You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’  And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.  You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

“When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you,  you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's.  Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.  And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.  For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’  It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

Before reading this Scripture, my thoughts went to how a culture that was foreign to your fathers would have an effect after 430 years?

The first Feast of Unleavened Bread, I bet, was one great praise time to the Lord.  But freedom comes with responsibility, and one who has been in slavery may not be all that reasonable.  It has been a long time since Jacob, Joseph, and the God that they serve have not changed, but the people have changed.  When God appeared to Moses in that burning bush that was not consumed, do you recall He told Moses to take off his shoes, for He was on Holy Ground.  We get a glimpse of God using a shepherd to lead a people out of captivity, into freedom, both physically and spiritually.  Jesus came to earth to do the same thing, but His was to change your and mine eternal destiny.  

As we keep reading, we will come to understand that it will require this mass of people to look to the God with whom Moses and Aaron have a relationship.

 My parents and their grandparents, if they were able to see this amazing technology we enjoy today, they would talk about culture shock.  But I believe that would not be the biggest shock.  I can only imagine the Culture Shock of the moral and spiritual decline they would witness.  Now, could this happen, by the lust for more?  Jesus was very clear that a person cannot serve God and money; you will love one and hate the other.  Our great-grandparents understood money was not evil; it was the lust of money, and it was replacing a person's need to seek God. When more becomes our focus, other things take a backseat, like bringing up a child in the fear of the Lord. Often, the family seeks the urgent and leaves the important.  In my short 82 years, I have witnessed many who go by the title of Christian, putting more before all else, and without the knowledge from Scripture, have let the more lead them into being a slave to the lender.  Here is where we are as a Nation: Credit card debt reported as of August 26, 2024, 4:00 am. Americans are racking up credit card debt as they struggle to keep up with the cost of living, and experts say those who earn the least are the hardest hit. Total credit card balances rose 5.8% from a year ago, to $1.14 trillion, according to a recent New York Fed report.

When people put stuff, the more they move into Slavery.  God has not changed, but we have moved from His authority to looking to government, and self; neither can lead you out of the Egypt you have entered.

One of the best investments today is a storage building, it is where people put stuff they are tired of, but may still be paying for it, and so they pay more to keep stuff that they could have given away and help a young couple or person in need.  And we say we do not worship stuff.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice