Are We Still Slaves?
Imagine for a moment that you were a Hebrew in Egypt during the time of Moses. Every morning, as the sun rises from the land of your fathers, you set to work dipping your hands into the mud. The sun beats down, baking both brick and bricklayer. Water is scarce; there is a constant sting of thirst in your throat. Your meals seem always to have a thin coating of sand upon them. You feel all too sharply that you are dust.
This had been the reality for more than 200 years. For perspective, America is only 243 years old. There was not a single person alive who has known anything different from how things exist today. It was into this that a man came seemingly out of nowhere declaring, “God has heard your cry.” Is it any wonder the people struggled to believe?
In order that Egypt, the people of Israel, indeed the whole world might know who the LORD is, Moses confronted Pharaoh. “Who is this usurper of my power?” Pharaoh must have thought. “Who is the LORD that I should listen to Him?” Bring it on. Pharaoh knew that there was none greater than himself. Why should he tremble any before ruler, much less a god of slaves? “I will not let the people go.”
What followed can only be described as a battle of the gods. God started small, hitting Pharaoh only with plagues even his magicians could replicate. But it wasn’t long before Pharaoh found himself out of his league. By the third plague, even the magicians were saying, “This is the finger of God.” But such a thing was impossible! None was greater than Pharaoh. So, Pharaoh hardened his heart, losing himself deeper and deeper into the delusion that he was the all-powerful ruler of Egypt. Flies, boils, hail, darkness—no amount of evidence would ever persuade him. Nothing that the enemy threw at him would ever dissuade him. Even when his own son was taken from him, though he relented for a time, his anger was rekindled, and he took up his chariot and called upon his soldiers to follow him recklessly into a sea held up by nothing more than the breath of the One he denied. Pharaoh’s own pride became his downfall.
By contrast, the leader of Israel is known to us today as the meekest person on earth. Rather than asserting his own authority when opposed by his siblings, he did not reply. And when God’s anger was kindled against them, Moses pleaded for mercy.
Between Pharaoh and Moses, we see a glimpse of a much deeper battle in the Passover story than initially meets the eye. Though Pharaoh had died in the sea, the spirit of Pharaoh seemed to have taken root in the people of Israel. Korah and friends vied for power. The people complained that God’s ways would lead them to death; that the ways of Egypt with its leeks and melons were better. Sure, they were slaves, but at least they were alive and fed. For forty years, God humbled them in the desert, purging them of this spirit step by step through manna and commandment. And yet still we can’t seem to rid ourselves of the leaven of Egypt.
Leaven of Egypt
What is the meaning of leaven? What is the leaven of Egypt? We see leaven appear in a number of contexts—some negative, some positive. In the first place, it is contrasted with the unleavened bread that the children of Israel baked as they were thrust out of Egypt. Removing leaven from the home and eating unleavened bread was to be a reminder of the great deliverance that God had worked for them there.
We find in the Gospels leaven spoken of in reference to the teachings of the Pharisees. Paul speaks of the leaven of malice and evil, contrasted with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
On the positive side, we find that Yeshua speaks of the Kingdom of God as being contrasted to a little leaven that is mixed through a whole batch of dough making the whole thing leavened, essentially unfit for holiness. What’s more, though for most sacrifices leaven is forbidden, there is one at Shavuot in which leaven is actually required (Lev. 23:17). It would seem the wisdom of Ecclesiastes holds true—there is a season for unleavened bread and a season for leavened bread.
Most of us are familiar with the comparison of leaven to sin. I would like to refine that analogy further. Leaven puffs up. It is not simply any mistake we make; it is pride—deceiving ourselves to be much more than we in reality we are. It is the sin of Pharaoh.
Paul echoes this theme in his first letter to the Corinthians. When speaking of the sexual immorality within the congregation, Paul criticizes them not only for the act itself but for their arrogance and pride in committing it.
“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” 1 Corinthians 5:6
Over and over again throughout Scripture we see that God is merciful to him who humbles himself and is contrite of heart. But he who stands proudly in his own folly - how can he be saved (c.f. Luke 18:24-26)? He will not accept instruction or correction, nor will he submit Himself to the King who created Him. The man of arrogance cannot partake in the deliverance of Passover.
If we go now back to the Gospels, we can add one other dimension to this picture, one that should strike at the heart of we who pride ourselves in our knowledge of Torah. Yeshua said to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Matthew makes clear that Yeshua is talking about their teaching. Doctrine. The Pharisees were so caught up in their traditions and interpretations that they could not recognize when God was doing something new. They held to the old wine in the old wineskins, incapable of learning anything different. They held onto the power they so loved, incapable of perceiving their being wrong. We like to critique what we perceive as the specific doctrine of the Pharisees, but I would suggest it is the attitude that is more dangerous.
Fast forward to Paul again. Leading up to Paul’s use of the leaven metaphor, Paul criticizes the church for divisions. "I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos” or “I follow Cephas.” In the Middle Ages, believers would substitute names like John Calvin or Martin Luther. This problem hasn’t gone away because we ourselves still claim to be a follower of {insert favorite Torah teacher here} and use this to argue with others who follow {insert other Torah teacher here}. The Corinthians perceived themselves to be wise and divided themselves into this camp or that based on their perceived knowledge of God and Scripture. And they boasted about it.
A pastor I know once said that one of the reasons we make differences between ourselves is so that we might have some marker by which to elevate ourselves above all others. “He is a Christian? Well, I am a better Christian and here is why.” “He is a Messianic? Well, I am a better Messianic and here is why.” “He takes a label? Well, I am above labels and here is why.”
Lest you think yourself exempt, let me point out that Paul listed “I follow Christ” right alongside the others. Why? Does He not go on to confirm that it is Christ alone we should follow? Indeed. The problem lies in what the phrase implies in this context. “I follow Christ but you don’t.” “I follow the Bible alone, but you have added on your human traditions and interpretations.” This is not a statement of walking humbly before our God; it is a statement of brazen pride over and against those who walk differently.
Paul answers, “Is Christ divided?” Never. Yet, we have made these divisions within the body of Messiah. We have declared this person or that denomination as inferior simply because their interpretation of Scripture does not match ours. But, the body of Messiah is one. The denomination matters not, so long as their faith is in Messiah, they are a member of His body, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
I must pause here for a moment to clarify what I am saying and what I am not. What I have written thus far could easily be interpreted to mean that truth is subjective and that all opinions on Scripture are equally valid. That is not what I am saying at all. For certain, there is one objective truth, and we should seek to learn whatever we can of that truth, to sharpen our swords with one another, and continually grow in our relationship with the Father. What I am saying is while doctrine is important, whether we are right or wrong on any particular doctrine is garbage compared to knowing Yeshua Himself. What I am saying is that what unites us is far greater than anything that divides us, and we must never lose sight of that. There are seasons for debating doctrine and there are seasons for humbling ourselves before our King and Redeemer, knowing not one of us deserves the grace and mercy He has lavished upon us.
Circumcised Hearts
Let us return to the wilderness for a moment. There God gives us a curious command: “Circumcise your hearts.” Wait, what? How does one do that? It’s not like the Israelites had been introduced to the concept of heart surgery at this point. So, what does this mean? The answer is given in the very next phrase:
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” Deuteronomy 10:16
Let’s take some time to unpack this.
As we talked about before, Israel left Egypt, but Egypt had not quite left Israel. Frequently, we see them acting stiff-necked and stubborn, unwilling to bend before the power and grace of their Redeemer. This manifests itself in rejections of authority, complaining, fear of death, and idolatry. Their fleshly desires for power and pleasure outweighed their desire to know the God of the universe. Their trust in earthly princes and material wealth blinded them to the provision of the Creator of all things.
So, God commands them to circumcise their hearts. Just as they were physically circumcised to partake of the Passover lamb and leave physical Egypt, so too they must be circumcised in their heart in order to be delivered from the spirit of Egypt that lived on inside them.
In giving them this command, God reminds Israel where they came from. The commandment comes just after the retelling of the incident with the golden calf and the carving of the commandments into stone. We are reminded that we are rebellious. And prefacing the commandment, God reminds us that we were the smallest of peoples. We came from nothing. Who were our fathers that the God of the universe, even the of heaven of heavens, should set His heart upon them and their children?
The commandment is bookended by these remarks of God’s extreme greatness. “God of gods, Lord of lords, the mighty, and the awesome God”—words that could compete for some of the loftiest language used of God in the Bible. The passage goes on to describe God’s justice, particularly for the lowly. And then we’re given an additional commandment, to “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Remember where you came from and do not hold yourself above even the stranger.
For as previous chapters have described in detail, all that we are is due wholly to God’s grace and goodness. He is our praise. Not our knowledge or our doctrine or our influence or anything else we might boast about. God alone. And Him alone we shall fear and serve and hold fast to.
What we see here is like the commandment to remove leaven from our homes. We are to remove every trace of pride, to humble ourselves and be no longer stubborn, and submit ourselves to God. In Him alone shall we make our boast. Not in our ability to follow Him, but in His infinite grace toward us. Such grace that even while we were enemies of God, He would send His son to die for us.
A Different Kind of King
If Pharaoh imbodied the arrogance that stands in opposition to God and makes our hearts sink in the flood, Yeshua embodies the humility with which we are to walk before God. He did not fight as Pharaoh did, but rather submitted (even to human authority). He did not harden his heart or despise the lowly, but rather went out of his way to meet with those His own people despised.
As the Scripture says, Messiah died for us “while we were still sinners,” reconciled to God “while we were enemies” (Romans 5:8, 10). We were dead. How can I say this in a way that hasn’t lost its meaning due to endless repetition? We were extremist members of the opposite political party, guilty of treason. We were the poorest of poor, literally incapable of pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps. We were slaves.
When the time came for the greatest Exodus, for the redemption of our very souls from sin and death, God did not come with signs and wonders and a mighty hand. He did something different. Yeshua descended from His throne and took on the flesh of man. He who was deity became a mere baby in the womb of a woman. He walked in our footsteps, struggled against the temptations of the flesh (without succumbing), suffered hunger and thirst, experienced joy and sorrow. He shared in all things, even unto death, even death on a cross. And He called us to follow, to take up our cross and die unto ourselves.
These words are repeated so often that it can be easy to lose their meaning in the busyness of life. We’re tempted to skim over them because we’ve heard them before time and again. But as Passover draws near, there is no better time to remind ourselves of these truths and make these words fresh in our lives. Now is the time to humble ourselves before our God and to “know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
So, what are some practical ways we can learn to humble ourselves in the days ahead?
· Take a moment to pause and consider the vastness of the world. Lie down and look up at the endless sky on a sunny day. Try to count the stars on a clear night. Be still and know that God created all that. Yet, He set His heart to love you!
· Take some time each day to read and meditate on the words of Yeshua. Read the Gospels. Or 1 Corinthians (the whole letter makes a great Passover meditation). Maybe pick up a Lenten devotional. Put aside the dictionaries and in-depth commentaries for this exercise (there is plenty of time for that on other days). For now, let the simplicity of the God’s Word speak to you.
· Step away from controversy and don’t let doctrine divide. Reach across to someone who has a different understanding of Scripture and find common ground on the foundation of Messiah. Remember that ultimately we each have nothing to stand on but the blood of the Lamb.
· Find someone with whom you do not normally associate and speak with them. Invite them over for dinner. Step outside your clique and social comfort zone to share God’s love.
· Consider stepping off of social media for this season leading up to Passover. They call it a “platform” because we use it as a way to elevate ourselves and make our voice heard by the masses. For some, it can also be a place of conflict and controversy. And for others, it can be an addiction, distracting ourselves from the slow moments of life—the moments that threaten to have us reflect. Slow down and learn to find your self-worth in God alone.
· Finally, open yourself up to the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray that He would transform you, purge you of the leaven that eats away at our lives, and make you a ready vessel for His indwelling.
Mercy
One more story before I close. In 2 Chronicles, there is a lesser-known story about a time when the children of Israel kept Passover in the second month. You can find it in chapter 30, and I would encourage you to read the whole thing for yourself. Hezekiah organized the priests and Levites for this Passover, but they kept running into obstacle after obstacle. Hezekiah had invited all of Israel to come to the table of the Lord, entreating them to not be stiff-necked and find compassion from God. The invitation was open. But not everyone came.
The priests could not get themselves all consecrated in time. So, they delayed till the second month. Still, the majority of the people were yet unclean and they “ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed” (2 Chronicles 30:18). And then my favorite part:
For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 2 Chronicles 30:18b-20
When we look around at our brothers and sisters in Christ (and at ourselves) doing the best we can to seek God with all our heart (though coming to different understandings of how to do so), may we remember these words. I know for certain my efforts fall short. So, I pray that God would have mercy on me with my shortcomings, my doubts, my legalisms, my compromises and hypocrisies, my stubbornness, my lack of discernment, my idolatry. I pray for that same mercy on each of my brothers and sisters in Messiah. And I take comfort in what I read in Scripture, knowing that our God is a merciful and gracious God. And He loves me. Even while yet a sinner, an enemy of the Most High God, He loved me.
Unleavened Souls
There are times to dig deep into scholarship and original languages and investigate some of the intricacies of Scripture. There are times to get out our (metaphorical) sabers and hash out our differing opinions on what the Bible says about how we’re supposed to live from day to day. In these days leading up to Passover, this is not that season.
This is the time to let go of our sacred cows, to strip away anything that might cause us to think more of ourselves than we ought, to tear down the dividing walls between us and remind ourselves of our common foundation. This is a time to become unleavened souls, humbling ourselves, remembering where we came from, feeling the smallness and insignificance of who we are. Feeling the immeasurable love and grace and mercy, our Creator must have to look down upon the earth and regard us, much more redeem us and save us and take us for His own. Especially as we approach the Passover table, this is a time to know nothing except for Christ/Messiah and Him crucified.
Because on this night of watching only one thing matters:
The blood is on the doorpost
The family is in the house
Redemption is at our doorstep
Tonight we shall become free.
