What is the meaning of Exodus 23:15? You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you God’s instruction is not a suggestion but a command rooted in His covenant faithfulness. • Exodus 12:17 reminds Israel, “you are to keep this day as a perpetual ordinance.” • Leviticus 23:6 weaves the feast into Israel’s annual calendar, showing His ongoing expectation. • Obedience here is an act of gratitude, echoing John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Keeping the feast is therefore an act of love, loyalty, and remembrance, not empty ritual. At the appointed time in the month of Abib The timing matters. Abib (later called Nisan) is the first month of Israel’s religious year. • Exodus 13:4 fixes the date, linking worship to a historical moment. • Genesis 1:14 speaks of “appointed times” set by God; worship follows His calendar, not ours. • Deuteronomy 16:1 circles back: “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover.” The feast anchors Israel’s year to God’s saving act, guarding them from spiritual amnesia. you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days Seven full days drive the lesson home. • Exodus 12:15 commands removal of all leaven—an intensive, house-clearing exercise. • 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 applies the symbol: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed… let us keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Leaven pictures sin’s permeating influence; eating unleavened bread rehearses living a cleansed, set-apart life. because that was the month you came out of Egypt The feast is history class in edible form. • Exodus 12:42 calls that night “a night of watching… for bringing them out from the land of Egypt.” • Deuteronomy 16:3 labels unleavened bread “the bread of affliction,” so they never forget the cost of redemption. • Acts 7:36 retells the exodus to show God’s power to save; the feast keeps that narrative alive. Remembering rescue fuels present obedience and future hope. No one may appear before Me empty-handed Worship involves tangible response. • Deuteronomy 16:16-17 ties this command to the three annual pilgrim feasts, adding, “each man must bring a gift in proportion to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.” • Proverbs 3:9 urges, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your harvest.” • 2 Corinthians 9:7 affirms the principle: “God loves a cheerful giver.” Offerings recognize God as Provider and keep the heart attached to Him rather than to possessions. summary Exodus 23:15 calls God’s people to obedient, timely, wholehearted remembrance of His saving power. The Feast of Unleavened Bread links their calendar, cuisine, and contributions to the moment He liberated them. By clearing out leaven, feasting for seven days, and bringing gifts, they rehearse holiness, gratitude, and generosity—patterns still vital for every believer who has been redeemed by the true Passover Lamb. |
    |