Daily Devotional
Purge the Old Leaven
These readings join grief to judgment. Israel weeps before God in Judges, yet their earlier rashness and later violence do not become holy merely because tears accompany them. The psalm teaches that the Lord is righteous, not our passions, vows, or tribal zeal. Ezekiel shows the dreadful sign of a polluted people: “And the glory of the Lord went out from the house and rested on the cherubim;” when uncleanness is cherished, the dwelling of God is not honored by ceremonies, but deserted by His glory. Therefore Paul does not permit the church to be proud, tolerant, or sleepy when grave sin is openly kept in its midst. Mourning must lead to judgment, and judgment aims at salvation.
“And the glory of the Lord went out from the house and rested on the cherubim;”
— Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks
“wherefore let us keep the feast: not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
— John Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians
For Reflection & Discussion
What old leaven must you put away this week by a concrete act of repentance—confession, ending an immoral attachment, or making restitution?
Is there open sin in your household or congregation that you have treated lightly; what faithful step of correction or appeal must you now take?
How will you keep the feast with sincerity and truth today: by set prayer, fasting from excess, guarding your tongue, or giving alms to the poor?
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