Day 15 with Moses: God’s bread doesn’t need your yeast.

“And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12:33-34, 39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let’s begin today with two bread stories.

First I want tell you a story my father told about when he was a young boy. You see, his parents were immigrants from Armenia, so his mother was a genuine Armenian cook. As a matter of fact, she (believe it or not) was the one who brought yogurt to America. She made yogurt for her family and would also sell it to others (they lived in the Los Angeles area). The people who bought her yogurt had never eaten such a thing, but they liked it. She was also a maker of Armenian flatbread (lavash). She would take some of these large flat loaves of bread, cooked in her in-the-ground bread oven my grandfather had fashioned for her, and roll them in damp towels for the purpose of sandwich making. She sent her sons and daughter to school each day with a homemade bag lunch consisting of a rolled sandwich. From what my father described, she probably put whatever leftovers she had on hand and rolled it up in the bread for their wonderful lunch.

But you see, there was a problem. In that day and time different ethnicities weren’t as celebrated as they are today. And, among children and young people, there has always been the desire to fit in. Therefore, my father, having this odd looking sandwich none of the other children understood, would go off by himself to eat his lunch. When I think of that story I can imagine his large chubby hands holding that wonderful sandwich. He was so very hungry, but desperately trying to avoid being mocked.

So that was my story about flatbread.

Now I’m going to tell you another story about yeast bread.

When I was in school, I can remember how wonderful some parts of the lunches would smell while being prepared. Fried chicken was always a welcome smell; and the baking pizza (on Fridays), was also a wonderful aroma. But, when I think of the smell of school lunches, what first comes to my mind is how the yeast rolls (made fresh almost daily) would smell while they were being cooked.

Now, as a little background, you need to understand that in elementary school I basically ate lunch every day. I was hungry and I ate. But, when I went to high school (our high school was 8th through 12th grade), I became self-conscious about eating at school, as I was chubby. So, rather than being self-conscious about eating (isn’t it horrible the things we do to ourselves?), I didn’t eat lunch basically through most of my high school years.

Now back to those yeast rolls.

The yeast rolls would start cooking around 10 o’clock; and the smell of those big fluffy rolls would go through my small high school. I would smell those yeast rolls, knowing I wasn’t going to eat them. It was a sort of torture. Yeast rolls smell incredible when they are baking.

By the way, yeast is an interesting ingredient. As you may be aware, yeast is a single-celled fungus. It can take a small mixture of bread ingredients and turn it into a large wonderful loaf (or those rolls!).

Interestingly, Jesus used yeast as a metaphor to represent both a good influence and a bad influence.

Jesus, in speaking of the teaching of the Pharisees, used yeast as a metaphor for what was not good.

“Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:6-7, 12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

However, the Lord also used the metaphor of leaven (in a good light), referencing how the Kingdom of God works.

“Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The apostle Paul used yeast to represent evil attitudes in believers.

“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today we find Moses (and the rest of the people exiting Egypt) being presented with a bread and yeast situation.

You see, the Egyptians had become terrified of the Hebrews, associating them with the terrible plagues which they had endured. Therefore, their exit from Egypt would be hasty, not particularly orderly and unplanned. Due to this fact—and due to the fact that bread was most likely cooked fresh daily—they were caught in a situation where their bread would not have time for the yeast to rise before cooking it. Therefore, they took their bread bowls and left in haste.

We also see that, having no time to make provisions for themselves, they stopped not long after exiting Egypt and baked the unleavened bread. This experience became memorialized in the Feast of Unleavened Bread instituted by the Lord. The purpose of the feast was to remind the people—and future generations—of what the Lord had done in suddenly bringing them out of a 430 year bondage.

Sometimes, we get very impatient waiting for the fulfillment of a promise the Lord has given. But generally, when He moves, it’s “suddenly.” In those times, you may have really had your mouth set for that fluffy yeast roll. But, when the Lord is in the process, make no mistake, you will be satisfied with His flatbread. In this case, the yeast represents your carnal desires and/or plans. Let them go. Eat the Lord’s wonderful rolled sandwich!

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

God’s bread doesn’t need your yeast.

#40dayswithmoses