Exodus 12:17
“And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever”.
Unleavened bread is made without leaven or yeast. Leaven is the agent which causes the bread to rise. This looks different than the bread we’re used to as it remains flat. The symbolism is that they had to get out of Egypt immediately. It took time for the bread to rise. They didn’t have time to wait. God instituted this holiday so the people would look back and marvel at the event. It also caused them to look back at the their ancestors who were slaves. God delivered them in a dramatic fashion. When the opportunity presented itself, they had to leave immediately. They didn’t have time for food preparation. They had to pack quickly. The celebrants ate of the unleavened bread in remembrance. They had this unsatisfying meal to remember what their ancestors went through, as well as remembering the great deliverance of God.
What can we learn from this? Besides what was just mentioned, I could learn that there are times when God wants me to act. We aren’t to wait or ponder. The phrase is “strike while the iron is hot.” This is difficult for us, as we like certainty before we act. This doesn’t mean we act ignorantly. In these instances, we know the right thing to do. Our problem is we have a natural pause. Even when we are sure of the right thing we pause anyways. There’s a passage which says, “if anyone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.” This is disobedience. Lord, help us to respond properly in the moment.