As today is April 18th, 2022, those following the traditional Jewish calendar have now entered into the days (week) of unleavened bread, when God commanded that the Israelites REMOVE all leaven from their houses, and that whoever would eat of leavened bread during this week would be CUT OFF from Israel. Usually "cut off" is understood to mean "killed", although I suppose one could make a case for "cut off" meaning simply excluded or thrust out from living among God's people...

Anyhow, it was a strict punishment. And all for just breaking a mere symbolic expression of removing sin from our lives. So... Is God unnecessarily strict?

I want to give a different perspective on this. Even though the command to remove leaven and not eat of it during this week does not seem like a specifically weighty, important, or foundational moral commandment, the act of carrying out this physical symbolic act I believe when carried out, aligns our hearts more strongly and definitively with removing greater sins from our lives as well. It is a physical act that can give us a way to "cross over the line" into the domain of obedience and denial of sin.

Secondly, it seems this could be a simple, physical way that God can test to see if His people want to follow and obey Him. Although it is only the symbol of removing sins from our lives, it is a black and white way that God's people can show they love Him and want to obey Him. And since the commandment is so simple and clear, anyone who would dare to REBEL against it is saying they really don't care about following God, and though apparently small, it is direct rebellion and disobedience to God, which does merit wrath. The same goes towards the defiant man who chose to gather wood and work on God's set apart holy Sabbath day of rest - direct rebellion. One who is rebellious in small things will be rebellious in greater things as well, and one who is faithful in small things will be faithful in greater things as well.

And thus, the punishment of being cut off - killed or excluded from Israel, can actually begin to make more sense.

God is the head and leader of His people, and it is completely expected that His people obey and follow Him in all respects.

Shalom - peace - as you seek to walk in His ways and obey His commandments.

-Greg