God's Calendar - The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed the Passover. On the 14th day of the first month, the Jewish people observed Passover. The lamb was slain, the blood was applied there in the land of Egypt. And then from the 15th day to the 21st day, they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is described for us in Exodus 12:8.

And they shall eat the flesh, that is the flesh of the lamb, in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire. Its head, with its legs, and with the inward parts thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. And that which remaineth of it until the morning, you shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, and your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and ye shall eat it in haste, it is the Lord's Passover.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was observed for that week. And during that time, they were very careful not to have any leaven, any yeast in their dwellings. You see, first there is redemption, the blood is shed and the blood is applied. Then there is rejoicing. First, we are saved from bondage and saved from death, then we are strengthened to live for the Lord. First the judgment is removed, and then we, in obedience to the Lord, remove sin from our lives, which is pictured by the casting out, the cleansing of the leaven. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, we are taught very clearly that this Feast of the Unleavened Bread pictures the Christian life. Christ died for us, Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Now we have entered into the Christian life through faith in his blood. And because we are now Christians, there are certain privileges that we have and certain responsibilities as well.

Let's answer four simple questions about this Feast of Unleavened Bread. And in answering these questions, make spiritual application to our own lives. First of all, who could eat of this feast? Well, the answer is given in Exodus 12:43-51. He makes it very clear in Exodus 12:43, there shall no foreigner eat of it. In other words, the Egyptians were not allowed to eat of this feast. No matter how wise, no matter how well educated, no matter how rich, the Egyptians were not allowed to eat of the feast. Only God's people could eat of this feast. This is true today.

The lamb is a picture of course of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are outside of the family, who have never trusted in Jesus Christ, cannot feed on him. Those who have not been purchased by his blood, those who have not been marked by God, they don't have the Holy Spirit of God in their lives because they're born again, could not eat of this lamb.

I want to ask you a very, very personal question: are you feeding on the Lord Jesus? Now many of you say, "Oh yes, I am. I know what you're talking about, and my daily delight is to feed on the Lord Jesus Christ." Others of you are saying, "What in the world is he talking about? How in the world can you feed on Jesus?" Well, if you're talking like that, it means either you've never been taught in the scriptures or you have never really entered into the family. You're not sheltered by the blood, you're a stranger, you're an outsider. And that means that if you're not protected by the blood of Christ, you're under judgment. Without faith in Jesus Christ, you are condemned. You're under bondage and slavery and condemnation. Who could eat? Only those who were born into the family or purchased. Those who were marked by God, who were protected by the blood.

Now question number two: how did they eat? Well, Exodus 12:11 tells us how they ate. And 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. You see, they ate this feast as pilgrims. They were about ready to be called out at any minute. Egypt was not their home. Egypt was a place of bondage, a place of slavery. Egypt was a place where they were under sentence of condemnation, but they were destined for the promised land. That was their real home. And so they ate this feast as pilgrims who were ready to be called out at any minute.

You and I must live the Christian life as those who may be called out at any minute. Now, for one thing, we don't know when we might die. We just simply don't know. But even more than that, we don't know when Jesus may return. We don't know the day or the hour, and we want to be faithfully doing our task when the Lord returns. As they fed on the Lord Jesus Christ in the lamb, they were feeding as pilgrims who could be called out at any minute.

I notice that they ate in haste. Why? Don't linger behind. Don't be lingering as though there is no crisis. You know, many Christians today are living as though there is no crisis. Now I'm not saying we should become nervous and fidgety, nor am I suggesting we should be running around proverbially like the chicken with her head off. No, no. But the suggestion is made here, we're living in crisis times. A crisis was about to come to the land of Egypt, and the people were to eat in haste, no lingering. No lingering over the meal. Are you living in haste? I mean by that, are you keeping alert to the fact that Jesus may come? Pull your mind together, pull your thoughts together. Shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, waiting to be called.

How did they eat? They ate as a family. It's rather interesting that the household was involved in this. If the household was too little for the lamb, then the neighbors came along and joined with them. It was a family feast. All of the people of God under the blood feeding on Jesus Christ. And they were doing this at night. You see, you and I are living in a time of darkness. This world is dark. We are living in a time of darkness and crisis, and yet we are feeding on Jesus Christ, which leads us to a third question: what did they eat? Who could eat? Those who belong to the family under the blood. How did they eat? As pilgrims in haste, as a family, waiting to be called. What did they eat? Well, they ate the lamb. Now, they weren't saved by eating the lamb. They were saved by the blood. I know Christians who don't feed on Jesus Christ. They're missing a lot. But they say, "Oh yes, I'm saved by the blood, but I don't spend much time reading my Bible. I don't spend much time praying. I'm not feeding on the Lord Jesus." And of course, they are the losers.

This lamb, you'll notice, was roasted with fire. That speaks of the judgment of Calvary. You don't eat the lamb raw. People talk to me about the life of Jesus, the example of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, but they don't want the death of Jesus. They don't want the cross. And that's trying to eat Jesus Christ raw. These are, of course, our symbolic terms, but the the lesson is here very clearly: the lamb had to go through the fire, and Jesus Christ had to go through the fire for us.

I notice that they were supposed to eat all of the lamb. Anything that was left over was to be burned in fire. We need all of Jesus Christ. A whole Christ. Not just part of Jesus. We need the whole Savior. The Lord Jesus went through the fires of Calvary for us. His blood was shed for us. And we need to feed on all of the Lord Jesus. The warnings and the promises, the principles and the admonitions. We need all of the Lord Jesus, his perfect life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension. We need all of him. And as we feed on him, we are obeying the Lord.

I notice in Exodus 12:4 that everybody had his own appetite. Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Not every Christian has the same appetite. There are some saints of God who are so filled up with worldly things, they've lost their appetite for the Lord Jesus. But there are some believers who so love the Lord Jesus, they feed on him moment by moment. So they ate the lamb, they ate the bitter herbs, reminding them of their suffering.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses over and over again says, "Now you remember, you were in bondage in the land of Egypt. You remember God delivered you from that bondage." And so often the Jews forgot. Now please notice, they were not saved by eating the lamb, they were saved by trusting the lamb and applying the blood. They were not saved by putting away the leaven. They put away the leaven because they were saved. It's not by cleaning up your life that you're rescued from condemnation. It's by trusting the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One final question: why did they eat? Well, they weren't there to be saved. They didn't eat the lamb to be saved. No, they were saved by the blood. They ate the lamb because they needed the strength and the nourishment for their pilgrim journey. You and I are pilgrims on the way to glory. Pilgrims and strangers in this world. And we need to feed on Jesus Christ through the word. As we study the word and see the Savior. As we feed on him, we are strengthened for our pilgrim journey.

The Feast of the Firstfruits took place the day after the Sabbath day following Passover. Passover would come on the 14th of the first month. Then the Feast of Unleavened Bread from 15 to 21. But the day following the Sabbath day after the Passover, was the Feast of Firstfruits. And it's described for us in Leviticus 23:10.

Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, when ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf, a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the meal offering thereof shall be two tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savor. And the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until that same day that ye have brought an offering unto your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Firstfruits of course applies to a harvest time. And during this month it would have been the beginning of the barley harvest and the flax harvest in the nation of Israel. What is this firstfruits thing all about? Well, in the Feast of the Firstfruits, really, God is saying to us first of all, bring me the best. Bring me the first of everything. I get first place in your life. This is important because before they were allowed to eat anything or make any bread, they had to bring the sheaf to the Lord, wave it before him in dedication. In Leviticus 23:12, the burnt offering of course speaks of dedication. As they burned the entire offering before the Lord, offering it to him. It speaks of Romans 12:1-2, presenting our bodies a living sacrifice unto the Lord.

Now, the sheeves were to be brought to the Lord as an acknowledgement of his goodness. There wouldn't be a harvest were it not for the Lord. They would not have been in the land were it not for the Lord. The Feast of the Firstfruits was a reminder to them that everything they had came from God. Surely all of us ought to be praising the Lord, because were it not for his goodness, we would have nothing. Now true, some may have more than others. We don't understand the providences of God. We trust him and we love him. Some have more than others, but whatever we have has come from God. God gave the promise to his Old Testament people, if they were faithful in their giving, in their sharing, in their worshipping, he would abundantly bless them.

Now the New Testament church has not been promised that it would be rich. In fact, just the opposite may be true because God said, "Blessed are the poor" through the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ there in the Beatitudes. We are not promised that our barns are going to be running over. Some of God's choicest people in this world are poor. Jesus was poor. The Apostle Paul said, "I'm poor, yet I make many rich." There's no special guarantee that if you give God first place in your life, you'll become a millionaire. But there is a guarantee he'll always take care of you. Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Put him first." When you put the Lord Jesus Christ first in your life, then God has to take care of you. Once again, I'm not saying he's going to make you the wealthiest person in town. What I'm saying is you will never lack for any good thing. He will always care for you. And I believe he gives us far more than we deserve.

And so the firstfruits say to us, "Put God first in your life." Give him the firstfruits and give him the best of the firstfruits. You'll notice that the sheaf was brought along with some other offerings. The meal offering of fine flour speaks of course of the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. The burnt offering in Leviticus 23:12 speaks of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The oil reminds us of the Holy Spirit. The wine reminds us of joy. Here we have the sacrifice of the firstfruits, the offering of the firstfruits brought through the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not bring our firstfruits to the Lord in our name or because we are so great. Oh no. We bring everything through him. It's because of his sacrifice and his perfection. It's through the Holy Spirit of God that we are able to do this. And we do it joyfully. In the Old Testament, wine is a picture of joy. We don't bring our offering to the Lord grudgingly. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. And so I ask you today, are you giving him the firstfruits? Or do you give him the leftovers? How many people there are who burn the candle of their lives, then blow the smoke in God's face.

Now secondly, this Feast of Firstfruits speaks to us not only of giving to the Lord and putting him first in our lives, but it speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. He tells us, For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.

When our Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead, he became the firstfruits. He was that grain of wheat that was planted in the ground, John 12:23. And he is the one who is going to bring the harvest. Now it's interesting to note that the Feast of Firstfruits took place the day after the Sabbath following Passover. The Sabbath day was always the seventh day. This means we are on the first day of the week. Our Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week. And today we do not recognize as a special day the Sabbath day, rather we gather to worship on the first day of the week, as did the New Testament church.

Our Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead. He became the firstfruits. Now what does this mean? This means that God has accepted him for the whole harvest. Are you and I one day going to be raised from the dead? Yes. How do we know? Because Jesus is the firstfruits. He is the firstfruits of them that sleep. When the believer dies, it's only sleep. The body dies, the body goes to sleep, the soul goes home to be with the Lord. One day there shall be a resurrection. The resurrection is a harvest. Paul says, "The body is is sown in weakness," planted in the ground like a seed in weakness. It's going to be raised in power. "It is sown in corruption," it's going to be raised in incorruption. "It's it it is sown in humiliation," it's going to be raised in glory. The cemetery is going to be a harvest place one of these days because Jesus Christ is the firstfruits.

Now, being the firstfruits, he has guaranteed the whole harvest. And the sheaf that was brought to the priest was exactly like the harvest in the field. The harvest at that time would have been the barley harvest. And they would have brought a sheaf of barley to the priest, and he would have waved it as a wave offering before the Lord, saying the entire harvest is guaranteed.

But you'll notice something interesting, the sheaf is just like the harvest. One day we shall be like the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are told that Jesus Christ is the firstfruits, we are guaranteed that we shall be like him. One day we shall have a body like unto his glorious body. The scriptures tell us, "We do not know what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Now, when is this harvest going to take place? We don't know. We don't know when our Lord Jesus is going to come back. But he just simply tells us here that Jesus Christ is the firstfruits. 1 Corinthians 15:23, "Every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits," that's already happened. "Afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

Now when is his coming going to be? We don't know. I know this much, there's going to come an awful harvest of judgment one of these days. In Revelation 14:14-20, God speaks about a terrible harvest of judgment that's coming. My friend, you are either going to participate in the harvest of blessing, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and raises his people, or you're going to participate in a harvest of judgment. The Bible teaches that there are two resurrections. There is the first resurrection, which is a resurrection unto life and blessing. There's a second resurrection, which is a resurrection unto death and condemnation. And if you've trusted Christ as your savior, then you will participate in that beautiful, wonderful first resurrection when Jesus Christ shall come for his people.