Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
The leaven itself is a small thing, as Paul says bodily exercise profits little; but God ordained this ceremony to keep alive the memory of His people's redemption, so to neglect it was gross crime. We must measure the importance of the law's rites by their purpose, not by the outward form.
AI summary
Beginning the year with spring, when the earth renews itself, was a fitting shadow of Christ's coming. Yet here is the deeper lesson: when our heads swim with care and our hands are full of urgent business, we must not let religion slip away or excuse ourselves from devotion. The sacred rite binds us to God even in our haste.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 12:1-20
The feast of unleavened bread for seven days is distinct from the Passover itself, kept in later times to commemorate the hasty exodus when Israel had no time to leaven their dough. The search for leaven was to be thorough and methodical, conducted by lamplight through every room and crevice of the house.
AI summary