BREAD . . .
“She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.” 2 Samuel 13:8
Who doesn’t like the smell of freshly baked bread? Bread has been a food staple for thousands of years. That’s why we find it mentioned over 225 times in the NIV Bible. Bread was a part of most meals eaten in Bible times. The baking of bread was often a daily chore. Ancient bread was made much like it is today. The housewife blended wheat or barley flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and water or milk to make a thick batter. After rising and kneading, the bread was ready for the oven. The bread was often slapped against the side of the oven and peeled off when baked. Genesis 18:6 (CEV) says, “Abraham went quickly to his tent and said to Sarah, ‘Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread.’”
Eating unleavened bread (bread that did not rise because there was no yeast) was an essential part of the Passover. Exodus 12:8 says, “That same night they are to eat . . . bread made without yeast.” Eating unleavened bread signified that the people would leave Egypt in haste. Since that day the Jews celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread at Passover time.
Inside the tabernacle there was a table set aside to hold 12 loaves of unleavened bread. Here again it signified the presence of the Lord and brought to mind the great rescue from Egypt.
Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life. As such, he is the nourishment we need. His word sustains us and fills our hunger. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).
From: Precious Words of the Bible by Reynold R. Kremer