Day 3--Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread)

(Today is the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I originally wrote and posted this to my previous blog on 04/06/2007.)

Readings:

Shemot (Exodus) 22:25-23:19
Bemidbar (Numbers) 28:19-25

The first portion of the reading in Shemot (Exodus) lists various specifics as to how we are to love YHWH and how we are to love our neighbor and even how to love our enemy:

Exo 23:5 "When you see the donkey of him who hates you lying under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall certainly help him.

There is also this important instruction:

Exo 23:13 "And in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth.

Not only are we not to follow after or worship other gods, but we are not even to say their names. In English this is a difficult instruction to follow because days of the week, months of the year and even many everyday words contain the names of foreign gods. But we can watch our tongue, change our habits and use alternatives, such as "the third month of the Gregorian calendar" instead of the title named for a false god. To give praise and honor only to YHWH, we need to be very careful about every word we speak.

Pro 8:13 "The fear of YHWH is to hate evil. I have hated pride and arrogance, And the evil way, And the perverse mouth.

Mat 12:34 "Brood of adders! How are you able to speak what is good – being wicked? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Mat 12:35 "The good man brings forth what is good from the good treasures of his heart, and the wicked man brings forth what is wicked from the wicked treasure.
Mat 12:36 "And I say to you that for every idle word men speak, they shall give an account of it in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 "For by your words you shall be declared righteous, and by your words you shall be declared unrighteous."

The Festival of Unleavened Bread is the first of three pilgrimage festivals during the Scriptural year. In the land of Israel, all males are to go up to the temple in Jerusalem to keep these festivals:

Exo 23:14 "Three times in the year you are to observe a festival to Me:
Exo 23:15 "Guard the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib – for in it you came out of Mitsrayim – and do not appear before Me empty-handed;
Exo 23:16 and the Festival of the Harvest, the first-fruits of your labours which you have sown in the field; and the Festival of the Ingathering at the outgoing of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labours from the field.
Exo 23:17 "Three times in the year all your males are to appear before the Master YHWH.

It is because of this instruction that Shaul was anxious to get back to Jerusalem in time for the upcoming mo'ed (appointed time):

Act 18:20 And when they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he declined,
Act 18:21 but took leave of them, saying, "I have to keep this coming festival in Yerushalayim by all means, but I shall come back to you, Elohim desiring so." And he sailed from Ephesos.

Today, the temple no longer stands and many cannot afford to make the sojourn to Jerusalem for the festivals, but we can still observe the festival of YHWH to the best of our ability with all of our heart:

1Co 5:8 So then let us observe the festival, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.