By Dr. Lawrence Butler, The Bridge Church, Pembroke.
Leviticus 23:6-8 Observation - (Lev 23:6-8) “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” First let us observe who is speaking, and we realize it is the Lord. He is speaking to the Israelites, giving them a command of worship, listing details of the manner and style of worship.
Interpretation – This feast followed directly after the Passover. This is God’s plan for worship. The Passover spoke of redemption, upon which all other spiritual blessings rest. This feast speaks of communion with Christ. The unleavened loaf symbolizes a life void of corruption, or in other words, a holy life. A holy life can only occur after sins have been forgiven and the sinful nature removed.
Then fellowship with Christ can begin
Coorelation – How does this relate to other scriptures? The Old Testament clearly established the requirement that there was only one God and that He only must be worshipped. There was never a time when God endorsed the intermingling with other religious worship by the Israelites. This also became the standard in the New Testament.
(1Co 10:21) “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.”
Application – For us this means that we must first be born again, set free from the sinful nature of man.
This must then be followed by fellowship with Christ. This relationship can only occur if we maintain a holy walk, or live a holy life. This does not mean we will never fail, but it does mean that we are certainly repentant when we recognize that failure. True repentance means confessing and forsaking. This allows fellowship with Christ to be renewed. (1Co 5:68) “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Leaven was emblematic of sin and must be removed if we are to walk with Christ.