The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. Exodus 34:18
Did you ever wonder why the Jewish people call the first month of their year Nisan ( or Nissan) and not Abib as the book of Exodus records? It was a cultural change, made during the years the Israelites spent in Babylon during the captivity. That is why you will see Abib in the Pentateuch and other history books, but Nisan in the captivity and post-captivity books of Esther and Nehemiah. But whatever you call it, that month had a special week – the days of unleavened bread. And that unleavened bread has a couple of nice lessons for us today.
Unleavened bread was flat. It had no raising agent, no leaven, or yeast. Leaven in the Scriptures speaks of pride, the original and most deadly sin. For an entire week, the Israelites were eating bread that reminded them not to allow the leaven of pride to dominate their lives and corrupt their relationships with each other and with their God. You and I need to be reminded of that today.
At the original Passover, as the Israelites were packing up their belongings and hitting the highway to freedom, there was no time for bread dough to rise. Eating unleavened bread for a week every year reminded those Israelites that they originally ate it during a hasty departure. You and I have a hasty departure to keep in mind, too, but it is one to anticipate, not one to remember. The rapture! Maranatha, friends, the Lord is coming! ‘For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry’ – Hebrews 10:37.
Unleavened bread – our reminder to walk humbly before our God and to rejoice in our soon returning Lord. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/WW76JI-NWM4