Topical Bible: The Feast of the Passover: Leaven: Punishment for Eating

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The Feast of the Passover, a pivotal observance in the Jewish calendar, commemorates the Israelites' deliverance from Egyptian bondage as described in the Book of Exodus. Central to this feast is the command to abstain from leavened bread, symbolizing the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, as well as the purity and sanctification required by God.

Biblical Commandments Regarding Leaven

The prohibition against leaven during Passover is explicitly stated in the Scriptures. In Exodus 12:15 , it is written: "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel." This command underscores the seriousness with which God views the observance of His statutes.

The removal of leaven, or chametz, from one's home and diet is not merely a ritualistic act but a profound spiritual exercise. It serves as a reminder of the need for holiness and separation from sin, as leaven often symbolizes corruption and impurity in biblical literature.

Punishment for Eating Leaven

The consequences for consuming leaven during the Feast of the Passover are severe. As stated in Exodus 12:19 , "For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel." This punishment of being "cut off" is understood as a form of excommunication, signifying a break in the covenant relationship with God and the community.

The gravity of this punishment reflects the importance of obedience to God's commands and the communal nature of Israel's covenant with Him. It serves as a deterrent against negligence and underscores the collective responsibility of the community to uphold God's laws.

Theological Significance

From a theological perspective, the prohibition of leaven during Passover is rich with symbolism. Leaven, which causes dough to rise, is often associated with pride and sin, which can permeate and corrupt. The Apostle Paul draws on this imagery in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 , where he admonishes the Corinthian church: "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

In this New Testament context, the removal of leaven is paralleled with the call to live a life free from sin, made possible through the sacrifice of Christ, the true Passover Lamb. The observance of Passover, therefore, becomes not only a remembrance of historical deliverance but also a call to spiritual renewal and purity.

Conclusion

The Feast of the Passover and the associated prohibition of leaven serve as a powerful reminder of God's deliverance, the call to holiness, and the serious consequences of disobedience. Through the lens of the New Testament, these themes find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, inviting believers to partake in the spiritual reality of the Passover with sincerity and truth.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 12:15,19
Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Christ Our Passover
... burnt offering, and so, though impure, and full of leaven, I may ... wilt find this Paschal
Lamb to be an hourly feast, as well ... Christ our Passover is slain for us ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/christ our passover.htm

1 Cor. v. 1, 2
... [6.] "For our Passover also hath been sacrificed for us, even Christ; wherefore
let us keep the feast: not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xv 1 cor v.htm

Leviticus
... use of salt compulsory, honey and leaven prohibited (ii ... in the year, beginning with
spring"the passover, regarded as preliminary to the feast of unleavened ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/leviticus.htm

The Second Oration on Easter.
... Passover, the Passover, and again I say the Passover to the ... This is to us a Feast
of feasts and a Solemnity ... Then the removal of leaven; that is, of the old and ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlv the second oration.htm

Homilies on the Gospel of John.
... for Peter, [550]310; ate the Passover by anticipation ... 602]186; intended to be the
teachers, leaven, salt, light ... Dedication, great national Feast of the, [740]222 ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homilies on the gospel of.htm

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians ...
... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the ... 'Know ye not that a
little leaven leaveneth the ... him, then shall eat' of the passover (Exodus 12:44 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/john bunyan on the terms.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... "For in the day." Adam lived to God no longer than while he kept himself from eating
forbidden fruit; in that very day he died; first a spiritual death in his ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... in a curious place, among immortals, wearing a crown, playing upon a harp, eating
and drinking ... Now the seal was the contents and sum of the passover which the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm