Bedikat Hametz – The Search for Leaven
woke up the other day hearing in my spirit the warning, “Get out of the land.” I looked up the phrase, and the Lord brought me to Genesis 19:4. Lot is speaking to his sons-in-law, passing along the warning that was given to him by the two angels, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” Unfortunately, when Lot told his sons-in-law the warning, they thought he was joking and chose to stay instead.
Often when God says, “Get out of the land.” we begin to negotiate. We do this because we don’t necessarily see the need for change, or maybe…we really don’t want to change. We all have valid excuses for lingering in the land, but there is always a reason for God calling us out of something.
The warning the Lord woke me up with felt more like I needed to get something out of my life, rather than to get out of my city. It had the concept of God being able to get the people out of Egypt, but not Egypt out of the people, because their hearts were still there. Many times God delivers us from something, but our hearts still long for the very thing we’ve been delivered from. Because we were created with free will, we have freedom of choice. However, there is an outcome to every single action we take, and quite often our choices lead to physical and/or emotional suffering. Can you see why He wants to get us out of the land, and the land out of us?
Beware, lest we love what God is trying to destroy.
Beloved, what we hold onto is really holding onto us, and if left unchecked, it has the potential of growing into something the Lord needs to destroy before it destroys us. Sin is deceptive; if it looked like a gremlin we would run, but it usually doesn’t. Therefore, when God is finally forced to destroy it, we feel the sting because we are still there in the midst of it.
In the Bible, leaven is symbolic of sin. It doesn’t just have to be the big stuff; it can be the little stuff too. 1Corinthians 5:6 says, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” What does the Lord desire to get out of you? Maybe He is speaking to you about a bad habit, negative emotions, time management, procrastination, worry, over indulgence, or maybe He just wants you to clean out your schedule so you can spend more time with Him. The bottom line is, God has your best interest in mind, so if He is telling you to get it out -- just do it. It’s so much easier that way.
Here are some interesting facts about leaven, aka yeast.
- Yeast is a fungus. Gross! It is a tiny plant-like microorganism that exists all around us – in soil, on plants and even in the air. The main purpose of yeast is to serve as a vehicle in the fermenting process. It has existed for so long that it is referred to as ‘the oldest plant cultivated by man.’
- It all started in Egypt. Of course! Leaven is the sin of Egypt, hence why God delivered His children out of there. Research shows that ancient Egypt was the home of modern bread. Archaeologists digging in Egyptian ruins found grinding stones and baking chambers, as well as drawings of 4,000-year-old bakeries and breweries. In Exodus 12:8, God says not to eat bread with leaven. We are not to eat the sin of Egypt.
- It needs a simple sugar to multiply. Sin is deceptively sweet. (See Hebrews 4:13.) If you add yeast to warm water and do not add a simple sugar the cells will not multiply or bud.
- It multiplies by fermenting. As I said earlier, if left unchecked sin has the potential of growing into something the Lord needs to destroy before it destroys us.
It’s no coincidence that the Lord would give me with this warning, “Get out of the land.” during the season of Passover – when God delivered His children out of Egypt.
As I write, Jewish people all over the world are cleaning their homes of leaven. The reason for the weeklong removal of leaven comes from Exodus 12:19. This creates a spring-cleaning frenzy in most Jewish households. This symbolizes the believer’s spiritual house cleaning, which gives us the opportunity to discard the unwanted junk and funk in ourselves.
The night before the Passover there is a ceremony called Bedikat Hametz – The Search for Leaven. The whole family participates. The search for leaven is symbolic of seeking and destroying every evil inclination that lies in our heart.
Here’s a basic outline of the ceremony. Traditionally, the woman of the household has purposely overlooked 10 small pieces of leaven while cleaning the house. These pieces are hidden someplace in the house and need to be found and discarded. After sunset, a candle is lit and a blessing is read. Next, the father picks up a feather, a wooden spoon, and a white linen cloth and begins the “search for leaven” using only the light of the candle. If all ten pieces are not found, he must search again and again until they’re all discovered.
These four items have remarkable symbolism:
The Leaven symbolizes sin and our need for spiritual cleansing.
The candle symbolizes the Word of God and illuminated the sin in our lives.
The feather is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who gently brings conviction of sin.
The wooden spoon symbolizes the wooden cross that Jesus died upon to bring us forgiveness.
When the father finds a piece of leaven, he uses the feather to gently brush it onto the wooden spoon. When all ten pieces are found, he takes the wooden spoon, all the leaven, and the feather and wraps them in the linen cloth, and places them outside until morning. The next morning he goes to the synagogue and puts the cloth and all its contents into a fire to be burned. This ceremony is symbolic of removing and destroying the sin in our lives.
You see, it’s not enough to remove the sin; it must be destroyed. There is a reason why we do what we do. We must get to the root so we can fully experience the freedom Jesus offers. If it is not destroyed it may come back to tempt us again. Jesus says, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24-26)
Deliverance is exchange. Something is being removed and being replaced with something different. Jesus invites us to come out saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…Take My yoke upon you, learn from Me and you will find rest for your soul.” (Matthew 11:28-29) That is the goal, rest for our soul. Metaphorically, a yoke describes a burden or bondage. (Strong’s Concordance #2218) Jesus takes our yoke from us and exchanges it for His.
Beloved, His yoke has the power to transform our lives!!! His yoke equips us so that we are able to bring every thought and every action captive, as we cast down everything that exalts itself against the perfect will that God has ordained for our lives. (See 2Corinthians 10:5.)
Scripture teaches us in Isaiah 10:27 that it is the anointing oil that will break the yoke. Where does the oil come from? It comes from Jesus Christ – the Messiah. The word Messiah means “Anointed One.”
Have you ever had oil on your fingers and tried not to get it on anything? It’s nearly impossible. Likewise, as we spend time with Him, abiding in Him, listening and learning from Him, His oil will saturate us, breaking the yokes that we are still wearing.
As we are held in His arms of love, we will understand the type of Perfect love that casts out all fear – even the fear of letting go. We will become confident in this Love; we will allow Him to even search out the things we would rather keep hidden deep in our closet. Finally and fully, we will be able to embrace the design of Thy will be done.
You may have tried many times before only to have it intensified seven times. The situation may seem hopeless because you have struggled for so long now and never experienced lasting victory. God’s mercies are new each day. Beloved, this isn’t just a new day; this is the season of the Spring Feasts of the Lord - the Jewish New Year*! If you are willing, God is able to bring you into the rest that Christ promised. No situation is too big or too little for Him, and no situation is impossible. Amen
*According to the Jewish Religious Calendar (Exodus 12:2)
