Loaves offered with leaven. The feast of Pentecost came at the end of the wheat harvest. Two large loaves made from wheat flour were "waved" before the Lord. The harvesting of grain had been completed.

The wave loaves contained leaven.

We have noted previously in our study that the feasts of the Lord commenced with Passover, during which unleavened bread was eaten. There was to be "no leaven found in your houses" throughout Passover Week (Exodus 12:19).

The prohibition was strict: "for whoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or born in the land" (Exodus 12:19).

Leaven typifies sin, in the symbolism of Passover Week. The stern prohibiting of leaven teaches us that God is exceedingly strict concerning the sincerity of our repentance, our turning away from the world, when we accept Christ and are baptized in water. The disciple must enter the crucifixion of Christ so the old leaven of sin can be destroyed out of him (Romans 6:6).

Now we find the Pentecostal bread—loaves waved before the Lord as an indication they were intended for His use alone—being baked with leaven. The Pentecostal experience is holy. The priestly anointing is intended for those people whom God has reserved for Himself among the nations of mankind.

When we first come to Christ we must repent and turn away from all sin (leaven) of which we are aware. We identify ourselves with Christ on the cross in order that the body of sin in us may be rendered powerless.

At the same time, we identify ourselves with Christ's resurrection so we can give undistracted attention to walking in newness of life with Him. By this dual identification (with His death and His resurrection) we become free to choose to be a servant of righteousness, to act, speak, and think in a righteous manner.

We are to consider the old leaven as being gone permanently, having been left by faith in the waters of baptism with everything else of the world and of our first personality. Such is our position in Christ.

In actual experience we must deal with the actions of our flesh. The Holy Spirit leads us in putting to death the deeds of our body (Romans 8:13). The Day of Atonement, the sixth of the seven feasts of the Lord, portrays the provision God has made for forgiving our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

Now there is a new leaven working in our life. The new leaven is the Substance of Christ in us.

To be continued.