It's Not a Party Without Unleavened Bread

Exodus 23:14-19

So God sets up three annual festivals for the Israelites to celebrate.

First is the Feast of Unleavened Bread- while I might have prefered Feast of the Funnel Cake, the feast is to commemorate coming out of Egypt. The Israelites are to abstain from bread made with yeast for seven days. They are to celebrate it in the month of Abib- I'm not sure when that is, but it coincides with their escape. They are instructed to not come before God empty handed.

Second is the Feast of Harvest- they celebrate with the first fruits of the crops grown in the field- which I guess means they sacrifice the firstfruits?

Third is the Feast of Ingathering- this happens at the end of the year when the crops are gathered in.

Those Israelites knew how to party.

Maybe they took these offerings and shared them for a big blowout (hence the feast)- that at least sounds like a celebration.

God instructs further- three times a year you appear before Me. Don't mix the blood of a sacrifice with any yeast. Don't keep the fat of festival offerings over night. Give God the best of the first fruits of your soil. Don't cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

I'm not sure if these rules would have made more sense to the Israelites than they do to me. Why no yeast? What's wrong with the fat? What's the milk deal?

Or if it was simply enough to know that God said so. And is it simply enough for me too?

Or is that what God wants? Does he want me to be baptized- or understand why? Does he want me to love my neighbor- or know why I should? And does that knowledge help us figure out which "commands" were intended for that specific culture- and which principles hold true for us today?

So today, in the spirit of the Israelites I'll refrain from goat's milk and no yeast in my blood offerings. Let's get this party started.