The Bible’s first mention of unleavened bread is in Genesis 19:3 at Lot’s exodus. Exodus has thirteen occurrences of unleavened bread at Israel’s exodus. Unleavened bread in both Scrolls is associated with an appointed time, safety found behind a door, haste in leaving, and divine deliverance from YHWH and His weapons of indignation. Why was unleavened bread eaten with Passover and for seven days after Passover? Since YHWH commanded Israel to eat unleavened bread as part of the Passover, I covered its symbolism in Blog 27: The Passover Meal. In Blog 45, we will look deeper into its imagery and role when Israel fled from the Egyptian Pharaoh for seven days.

There was a matter of haste for both Egypt and Israel to separate. The Egyptians knew Israel must leave Egypt before the nation and its people cease to exist. When Israel asked the Egyptians, they gladly gave their wealth and drove them out in fear. For Israel, they ate the Passover meal in haste, dressed for travel, but they did not leave their houses until morning, lest their firstborns die. On the morning of Abib 14, Israel’s tribes spoiled the Egyptians and later gathered in Rameses under Moses’ command. So careful was YHWH’s watchful care that not even a dog barked at the excited milieu of the tribes. As Abib 15 began that night, the armies of YHWH left Egypt with a high hand and fled as far as Succoth. None had picked up a weapon against Egypt, for YHWH had fought for them. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough they brought out of Egypt, for they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait for it to leaven. YHWH had spared their family’s firstborn by grace, and by His grace, they left Egypt in haste under Moses’ command.

One thing was sure in all the Israelite’s minds as they raced away on the hardened northern Sinai trading route. The Pharaoh of Egypt had let them go into the wilderness, but fresh in their memory loomed the fact that during the plagues, Pharaoh had changed his mind nine times. They were fleeing for their lives, for their freedom, lest Pharaoh suddenly overtake them and return them to bondage. The two pillars of the promise (Gen. 15) led Israel out into the way of the wilderness of Yam Suph (Exo. 13:18, the same trans-Sinai highway Moses took when he fled from Egypt to exile in Midian¹), across the Sinai Peninsula, following the natural network of wadis². Not one of the Israelites was feeble, so YHWH drew them on day and night (Psa. 105:37; Exo. 13:21-22). For them and their herds and flocks, YHWH’s presence and providence graced Israel, preceding them and providing the showers that pooled in the desert (Psa. 68:7-10). With no time to wait for their dough to become leavened (corrupted and soured by yeast), the Israelites ate unleavened breadcakes (uncorrupted and sweet). Their bread became a symbol of their haste in flight from their captors and their trust in YHWH’s grace and providence.

Besides being on the Passover menu, unleavened bread was the necessary food staple for the next seven days. To be sure, for seven days, Israel avoided eating anything leavened or having any leavening in their living quarters for fear of being “cut off” from being a citizen of Israel. The day they left Egypt eating unleavened bread became a day of remembrance, celebrated as a festival to YHWH, an everlasting ordinance throughout their generations. Observance of this feast for seven days in the land, the first and seventh days as holy convocations, included eating nothing leavened and eating unleavened bread within their dwellings. Seven indicates consuming what unleavened bread symbolizes completely.

Why was eating unleavened bread so important? God had required a state of covenant purity for Israelite households to partake of the Passover. The removal of defilement (ceremonially unclean) and covenant identity by circumcision was mandatory for Israelites to participate in the Feasts of YHWH. Eating unleavened bread for seven days added to the set-apartness expressed by circumcision and coming under the lamb’s blood. A holy God must be worshiped by a holy people. Removing leavening was an act of purifying the thoughts and intents of the heart to receive the Word of God. Paul emphasized this to the Corinthians.

“Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Co. 5:6-8).

In Exodus 13:3-10, YHWH explained why purging out leavening and consuming unleavened bread was essential to the seven days of unleavened bread. A prideful heart cannot walk with God, but a humble heart can. By eating the Passover, YHWH imputed His righteousness to Israel by grace. Israel became united to their Savior, open to His voice. We eat unleavened bread that the Word of God may be in our mouths because it is written in our hearts (Mat. 12:34). His words are truth, purified seven times (Psa. 12:6; 33:4; Pro. 30:5). The word of YHWH is flawless and His way perfect (Psa. 18:30). Seven days of eating unleavened bread signifies the complete transformation by YHWH’s command, “Walk before Me and be you perfect.” Without eating unleavened bread, we are cut off from life, just as we are cut off without Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.

But eating unleavened bread was much more. It is a sign on our hands and a memorial between our eyes that YHWH brought us out of bondage to death with a strong hand. The unleavened bread of His Word is to influence all we do and think. We eat it so His law of life may be in our mouths. In Israel’s exodus story it characterizes the Tree of Life. It is Yeshua, the bread of life, broken for us. It is the Messiah’s doctrine, His new Torah. When we believe in Him, ingesting the living Bread from heaven, we will not die but be raised up (Jhn. 6:43-51).

Takeaway:
Eating unleavened bread is always associated with the appointed time in Abib when Israel came out of Egypt (Exo. 23:15; 34:18; Lev. 23:6). Israel ate unleavened bread at Passover and for seven days after Passover. The unleavened bread at Passover represented Yeshua’s body, broken for us. By consuming the Passover, His life-presence is within us. “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (Jhn. 6:63). During seven days of unleavened bread, we consume Yeshua’s Words, so they become part of our thinking and doing. Belonging to Him, we learn to trust in His grace on our journey out of exile.

Fun Factors:
The three places in Scripture commanding eating unleavened bread:

Exo. 13:3-10 has a 115-word sum of 26127, which can be divided into two parts, 26 and 127, that, when added, equals 153, the 17^th triangular number. (153 relates to the Spirit working victoriously in us.)

Lev. 23:6-8 has a 37-word sum of 11349, which can be divided into two parts, 11 and 349, that, when added, equals 360, a circle. 11349 = the sum of two squares, 57² + 90², 57 = 3 × 19 and 90 = 5 × 18.

1Co. 5:6-8 has a 50-word sum of 23414, which can be divided into two parts, 23 and 414, that, when added, equals 437 or 19 × 23. Number 23 is the sum of “live,” chiah, and 414 is the number of months of Yeshuah’s life and the sum of Psalm 36:9’s “fountain of life.” The sum 23414 equals 2 × 23(22² + 5²).

The total word sum (115 + 37 + 50) is 202, the sum of two squares, 11² + 9², the power of light + justice.