Abraham’s Promise

The Spring Feasts Passover Unleavened Bread First Fruits PesachPesach HagHag HaMatzah HaMatzah SfiratSfirat Haomer Haomer

Shavout

Sukkot Rosh HaShanah Yom Kippur PesachPassover HagUnleavened HaMatzah Bread SfiratFirst Haomer Fruits

Pentecost

Tabernacles Trumpets Day of Atonement Spring Feast Days Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits Leviticus 232323: 23 :::4444“These“These areareare thethethe LORD’s appointed feasts, thethethe sacred assemblies youyouyou areareare tototo proclaim atatat their appointed timestimes: ::: 555TheTheTheLORD’s Passover begins atatat twilight ononon thethethe fourteenth daydayday ofofofthethethe first monthmonth. ... 666OnOnOnthethethe fifteenth daydayday ofofof that month thethethe LORD’s Feast ofofof Unleavened Bread beginsbegins; ;;;forforfor seven days youyouyou must eateateat bread made without yeastyeast. ...”””” 999TheTheTheLORD saidsaidsaid tototo Moses, 101010 “Speak tototo thethethe Israelites andandand saysaysay tototo themthem::::‘When youyouyou enter thethethe land III amamam going tototo give youyouyou andandand youyouyou reap itsitsits harvest, bring tototo thethethe priest aaa sheaf ofofof thethethe first grain youyouyou harvestharvest.... 111111 HeHeHeisisis tototo wave thethethe sheaf before thethethe LORD sososo ititit will bebebe accepted ononon your behalfbehalf; ;;;thethethe priest isisis tototo wave ititit ononon thethethe daydayday after thethetheSabbathSabbath. ... 121212 OnOnOnthethethe daydayday youyouyou wave thethethe sheaf, youyouyou must sacrifice asasasaaa burnt offering tototo thethethe LORD aaa lamb aaa year oldoldold without defect, 131313 together with itsitsits grain offering ofofof twotwo- ---tenthstenths ofofof ananan ephah ofofof fine flour mixed with oiloiloil— oil ——ananananoffering made tototo thethethe LORD bybyby fire, aaa pleasing aromaaroma— ——andandandanditsitsits drink offering ofofof aaa quarter ofofof aaa hinhinhin ofofof winewine. ... 141414 YouYouYoumust notnotnot eateateat anyanyany bread, ororor roasted ororornewnewnew grain, until thethethe very daydayday youyouyou bring thisthisthis offering tototo your GodGod....This isisis tototo bebebe aaa lasting ordinance forforfor thethethe generations tototo come, wherever youyouyou livelivelive. live ... Feast of Passover The Hebrews name for Passover is “Pesach” which means to spring, jump, or pass over. The Passover is a historical remembrance of one of the most significant events in Jewish history. It remembers the time when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. It remembers when God sent plagues to persuade Pharoah to release the Israelites from their bondage.

It remembers the last plague, the death of all the first born in Egypt. God commanded the Israelites to slay a lamb and smear the blood over the door so when He passed over the land causing the death of the first born, he passed over the Israelites and spared the first born of Israel. Passover was the first of the feasts ordained by God to be observed by the Jews. Jews have continued to observe this feast since the first Passover 3,500 years ago and it remains the most important feast for the Jews down to today.

The Passover Seder (Seder means “order”) meal is based on directives given in Exodus 12 and included:

Lamb – to remind them of the blood sacrifice of the unblemished lamb that saved them as God passed over them.

Unleavened bread – to remind them of the haste of departure.

Bitter herbs – to remind them of the bitterness of slavery. During the Seder, four cups of wine or pure grape juice are sipped at designated times.

The first cup – the cup of sanctification opens the Seder to set this meal apart from all others as special to the Lord. The second cup – the cup of deliverance recalls the ten plagues. The third cup – the cup of redemption emphasizes the redemption Israel received from the sacrifice of the lamb. The fourth cup – the cup of praise commemorates the acceptance of the Israelites as God’s people. Jesus our Passover lamb God will provide the lamb

Isaiah 535353: 53 :::7777HeHeHe was oppressed andandand afflicted, yetyetyet hehehediddiddid notnotnot open hishishis mouthmouth; ;;;hehehe was ledledled likelikelike aaa lamb tototo thethethe slaughter, andandand asasas aaa sheep before herherher shearers isisis silent, sososo hehehe diddiddid notnotnot open hishishis mouthmouth. ... John thethethe BaptistBaptist: :::John 111: 1:::29292929TheTheThe next daydayday John sawsawsawJesus coming toward himhimhim andandand said, “Look, thethetheLamb ofofof God, who takes away thethethe sinsinsin ofofof thethethe world! Behold thethethe lamb ofofof GodGod. ... IIIPeter 111: 1:::18181818ForForFor youyouyou know that ititit was notnotnot with perishable things such asasas silver orororgold that youyouyou were redeemed from thethethe empty way ofofof lifelifelife handed down tototo youyouyou from your forefathers, 191919 butbutbutwith thethethe precious blood ofofof Christ, aaa lamb without blemish ororor defectdefect. ... 202020 HeHeHewas chosen before thethethe creation ofofof thethethe world, butbutbut was revealed ininin these lastlastlast times forforfor your sakesake. ... 212121 Through himhimhim youyouyou believe ininin God, who raised himhimhim from thethethe dead andandand glorified him, andandand sososo your faith andandand hope areareare inininGodGod. ... Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the next night following Passover and lasts for seven days.

The Israelites flight from Egypt began hastily the day following the Passover, and the bread they took with them did not have time to rise, thus was unleavened.

In the observance of the feast day of Hag HaMatzah or Unleaved Bread, the unleavened bread became a symbol of their freedom and redemption from slavery in Egypt.

Leaven was also a metaphor for sin as the leaven in bread represented impurity or sin, thus unleavened bread represented purity and without sin. Messianic Symbolism

John chapter 6 Jesus refers to Himself as bread:

John 666: 6:::32323232Jesus saidsaidsaid tototo them, “I“I“I telltelltell youyouyou thethethe truth, ititit isisis notnotnot Moses who hashashas given youyouyou thethethe bread from heaven, butbutbut ititit isisis mymymy Father who gives youyouyou thethethe true bread from heavenheaven. ... 333333 ForForForthethethe bread ofofof God isisis hehehe who comes down from heaven andandand gives lifelifelife tototo thethethe worldworld. ...”””” 343434 “Sir,” they said, “from nownownow ononon give ususus this breadbread. ...”””” 353535 Then Jesus declared, “I“I“I amamam thethethe bread ofofof lifelifelife. life ...HeHeHe who comes tototo mememewill never gogogo hungry, andandand hehehe who believes ininin mememe will never bebebe thirsty ...... 404040 ForForFormymymy Father’s will isisis that everyone who looks tototo thethethe SonSonSon andandand believes ininin himhimhim shall have eternal life, andandand III will raise himhimhim upupup atatat thethethe lastlastlast daydayday.day ...””””

Bethlehem in Hebrew means “House of Bread” Paul in I Corinthians 6 used the Passover lamb and unleavened bread to characterize Jesus’ sacrifice and our salvation as well as the need to purge ourselves of the leaven or sin in our lives.

111Corinthians 666: 6:::6666Your boasting isisis notnotnot goodgood. ...Don’t youyouyou know that aaa little yeast works through thethethe whole batch ofofof dough? 777GetGetGetridridrid ofofof thethethe oldoldold yeast that youyouyou may bebebe aaa newnewnew batch without yeastyeast— ——asasasasyouyouyou really areareare. are ...ForForFor Christ, ourourourPassover lamb, hashashas been sacrificedsacrificed. ... 888Therefore letletlet ususus keep thethethe Festival, notnotnotwith thethethe oldoldold yeast, thethethe yeast ofofof malice andandand wickedness, butbutbut with bread without yeast, thethethe bread ofofof sincerity andandand truthtruth. ...

The unleavened matzah bread is a prophetic reminder of the Messiah, especially His sinlessness and the need to remove the sin in our own life.

Just as the unleavened bread symbolized freedom and redemption from slavery in Egypt for the Jew, so it also symbolizes the freedom and redemption we have from sin through Jesus. Isaiah 535353: 53 :::4444Surely hehehe took upupup ourourour infirmities andandand carried ourourour sorrows, yetyetyet wewewe considered himhimhim stricken bybyby God, smitten bybyby him, andandandafflictedafflicted. ... 555 But hehehe was pierced forforfor ourourour transgressions, hehehe was crushed forforfor ourourour iniquitiesiniquities; ;;; IIIPeter 222: 2:::23232323When they hurled their insults atatat him, hehehe diddiddid notnotnot retaliateretaliate;;;;when hehehe suffered, hehehe made nonono threatsthreats. ...Instead, hehehe entrusted himself tototo himhimhim who judges justlyjustly. ... 242424 HeHeHehimself bore ourourour sins ininin hishishis body ononon thethethe tree, sososo that wewewe might diediedie tototo sins andandand livelivelive forforforrighteousnessrighteousness; ;;;bybyby hishishis stripes youyouyou have been healedhealed. ...

Feast of Early First Fruits – Sfirat Haomer

The feast day was observed the day after the Passover Sabbath. Early First Fruits commemorated the very first harvest of the year. The literal Hebrew meaning of Sfirat Haomer: “a promise to come.” The early fruit trees were ready to harvest and a offering from them was brought to the temple as a special sacrifice. A sheaf of barley was harvested and brought to the Temple where the High Priest would wave it in every direction before the Lord and the people. The observance acknowledged God’s provision for them and His sovereignty over all the earth. First Fruits was a reminder that since God had blessed them with the early harvest, He would certainly bless them with a future harvest. Paul in I Corinthians 15 ties together the Old Testament observance of First Fruits with the resurrection of Jesus

IIICorinthians 151515: 15 :::20202020But Christ hashashas indeed been raised from thethethedead, thethethe first fruits ofofof those who have fallen asleepasleep. ... 212121 ForForForsince death came through aaa man, thethethe resurrection ofofof thethethe dead comes alsoalsoalso through aaa manman. ... 222222 ForForForasasas ininin Adam allallall die, sososo inininChrist allallall will bebebe made alivealive. ... 232323 But each ininin hishishis own turnturn: ::: Christ, thethethe firstfruitsfirstfruits; ;;;then, when hehehe comes, those who belong tototohimhimhim. him ... First Fruits speaks of a resurrection, a seed of grain was planted in the ground and then sprang forth with life just as Jesus was buried and then resurrected from the dead and lived. John 121212: 12 :::23232323Jesus replied, “The hour hashashas come forforfor thethethe SonSonSon ofofof Man tototo bebebe glorifiedglorified.... 242424 IIItelltelltell youyouyou thethethe truth, unless aaa kernel ofofof wheat falls tototo thethethe ground andandanddies, ititit remains only aaa single seedseed. ...But ififif ititit dies, ititit produces many seedsseeds. ... 323232 But I,I,I, when III amamam lifted upupup from thethethe earth, will draw allallall menmenmen tototo myselfmyself....”””” 333333 HeHeHesaidsaidsaid this tototo show thethethe kind ofofof death hehehe was going tototo diediedie. die ... Thus Jesus is the first fruit of all the dead; the substance of the shadow of the feast day. Jesus would be the first to overcome death. As the Feast of First Fruits implied, there would be a later harvest and as the Feast of First Fruits gave assurance to the Israelites of a future harvest, so also does the resurrection of Jesus give assurance of a future resurrection for all of us. PesachPassover Purim HagUnleavened HaMatzah Bread SfiratFirst Haomer Fruits

Pentecost

Hanukkah

Tabernacles Trumpets Day of Atonement Several other important events occurred on Nisan 17, the day of First Fruits.

♦ Noah’s Ark safely rested on Mt. Ararat (Genesis 8:4) ♦ Hebrews (family of Jacob) entered Egypt (Exodus 12:40-41) ♦ Moses led the Israelites through the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 3:18, 5:3) ♦ Israel entered and ate the fruits of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12) ♦ Jericho delivered to the Israelites (Joshua 5:13) ♦ The Cleansing of the Temple by Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:1-28) ♦ Queen Esther saved the Hebrew people from elimination (Esther 3:12, 5:1) ♦ Resurrection of the Messiah

All of these events speak of deliverance