Why does God have against yeast?

[Michaelrh1325]

Several times in the OT we will read "must be made without yeast." Why is this?

 

[ChristianT]

Yeast was a symbol of sin, and so a perfectly holy God would have no room for sin, so as a symbol of that, He ordered them to eat of a "sinless" form of bread.

 

[hedrick]

You don't give references, but to my knowledge this was associated with Passover. Yeast was not used because in their haste, they didn't have time to let the bread rise.

Ex 12:39: They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

Unleavened bread was then used in celebrations of the Passover. That involved removing leaven from the house.

Many NT uses of leaven or yeast are positive, e.g. Christians being the leaven that will convert all of humanity. However 1 Cor 5:8 refers to the Passover tradition, and Mark 8:15 and parallels uses it to symbolize evil. The Word commentary on Mark says:

“Leaven” (ζύμ&#951 like “yeast” is naturally associated with bread. Its property of gradually pervading the dough serves as a positive (e.g., Matt 13:33//Luke 13:31) though more often as a negative (e.g., 1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9) point of reference. The feast of unleavened bread and the requirement that a grain offering be without leaven (Lev 2:11) may have contributed to the negative connotation in Jewish circles that it has here, in Paul’s use, and in the use by the Rabbis to symbolize the evil inclination within human beings (Str-B, 1:278–79; cf. H. Windisch, TDNT 2 [1964] 902–6).

 

[Michaelrh1325]

Thanks for clarifying guys

 

[x141]

Like all things from the beginnng of the book, there are two, a heavenly and an earthly. The leaven that quickens and the leaven that corrupts. One looks like the path and one does not. There is a Cain and an Abel or light and darkness to all things in scripture just as there are two sons. One son is our perception the other is the Truth. This is our salvation that is yet with sin, and this is our wandering in the wilderness. The depths of scripture far exceed anything that wanders between the two mountains of blessing and cursing.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Yeast was a symbol of sin, and so a perfectly holy God would have no room for sin, so as a symbol of that, He ordered them to eat of a "sinless" form of bread.

Matthew 16:11
How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Matthew 16:12
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

 

[wayseer]

Yeast is NOT a symbol of sin. I get really depressed and saddened when such skewed thinking arises.

Yeast was not used because, as hedrick has explains, it takes time to work and there was 'waiting time'. It is a reminder to Jews that they should alway be prepared for a last minute flight.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

No, its moreso about false doctrine and hypocrisy that leads one to sin.

1 Corinthians 5:6
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:


Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

The Word of God is spoken in a mystery by way of similitudes, metaphors, and parables etc.

 

[Fireinfolding]

No, its moreso about false doctrine and hypocrisy that leads one to sin.

1 Corinthians 5:6
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:


Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

The Word of God is spoken in a mystery by way of similitudes, metaphors, and parables etc.

I agree with you bro

This was what I was looking at too, trying to make better comparisons, some of which you have quoted already as well


Exodus 12:15 a Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread;

1Cr 5:8... the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We are his house, put away leaven out of your houses

Exodus 12:15b even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Mat 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Says put away "leaven" out of your "houses"

1Cr 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Exdodus 34:25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

1Cr 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Just as it says...

Luke 12:1 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

1Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

Theres a few more but you can find the patern speaking to the same in various ways. Putting way, putting off or purging, or laying aside that leaven from our house, even ourselves.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

I agree with you bro

This was what I was looking at too, trying to make better comparisons, some of which you have quoted already as well


Exodus 12:15 a Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread;

1Cr 5:8... the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We are his house, put away leaven out of your houses

Exodus 12:15b even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Mat 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Says put away "leaven" out of your "houses"

1Cr 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Exdodus 34:25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

1Cr 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Just as it says...

Luke 12:1 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

1Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

Theres a few more but you can find the patern speaking to the same in various ways. Putting way, putting off or purging, or laying aside that leaven from our house, even ourselves.

Thanks for the additional proof by way of scripture Sis, always appreciated. Peace.

 

[x141]

Leaven as doctrine.

Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.


But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 

[Noxot]

here is the good leaven:

Matt 13:33 (YLT)
Another simile spake he to them: `The reign of the heavens is like to leaven, which a woman having taken, hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.'

Luke 13:20-21 (YLT)
And again he said, `To what shall I liken the reign of God? It is like leaven, which a woman, having taken, did hide in three measures of meal, till that all was leavened.'

and I think this kind of leaven is the true doctrines of God. those from above and not those from below, as the pharisee and sadducee are. yeah let us become a new lump so that Wisdom herself and the true heavenly Church herself may implant within us the doctrines from above. since we are to be born again, we must not have the wicked leaven of the world but we must have this new leaven that comes from God. but first we must be unleavened, because you don't want to mix the wicked leaven with the new leaven.

yes you do not want the old leaven of the letter! you want the new leaven of the Spirit. you must first be unleavened bread before you can be leavened correctly, this is surely a sign of having to be born again not of the will of men, but of the will of God.

John 3:3 (ESV)
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

yeah we can not see the doctrines of God unless we are in Christ and do his commandments such as to not eat of the old leaven or any kind of other wicked leaven. it is not men who tell us who Christ is, it is the Father who shows us. yeah the doctrines are hidden in Christ.

 

[stan1953]

Several times in the OT we will read "must be made without yeast." Why is this?

Deut 16:3 is probably the main reason. The Passover was the main reason that Pharaoh let the Israelites go. They were to always remember His deliverance both from the Angel of Death and their captivity & slavery by Egypt.