Leviticus 24:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Verse two adds, Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. God through Moses commanded the people of Israel to bring pure olive oil to light the lamps of the tabernacle so they could burn continually. We today are to let the light of Christ shine continually in our lives, and faith provides the oil to allow us do so . Verse three says, Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. It was the responsibility of the priests to keep the lamps burning, just as it is our responsibility as the priesthood of believers to keep the gospel light burning bright today. It was a daily requirement for them and it still is for us. Verse four adds, He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually. The priests were to keep the lamps in good shape, and we must make sure that the gospel remains pure and in good shape today. Verse five says, And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. Then verse six adds, And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. The priests were also to follow God's instructions for the display of the bread dedicated to God. As followers of Christ, we are in charge of caring for the bread of life, the gospel of Christ, today. Verse seven states, And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Incense was to be put on the bread as a memorial for God and it was to be an offering made by fire to God. This bread had nothing to do with meeting physical needs, but had only to do with meeting spiritual requirements of God. Accepting Christ has nothing to do with physical needs, but has everything to do with meeting spiritual needs, because until we accept Him as our Savior and Lord we cannot be obedient to God. Verse eight declares, Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. This bread was to be set in order before the LORD every sabbath, and it was an everlasting covenant. Jesus is the bread of life today, and He is before the heavenly Father as an everlasting covenant for those who put their faith in Him. Verse nine adds, And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute. The priests could eat of the bread, but even then it was to viewed as most holy and I believe was to therefore be eaten with their hearts and minds focused on God. When God does provide for us physically today, we must still keep our hearts and minds dedicated to bringing honor and glory to Him in the way that we use His gifts.
Leviticus 24:10 says, And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp; The son of an Israelite woman was striving with a man of Israel. She would have violated the command of God to not merry so from another country. Verse eleven adds And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) The woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord and was brought before Moses. We are told that the woman was of the tribe of Dan. Verse twelve states And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them. They evidently locked the man up while seeking God's guidance. When we have someone who has blasphemed God, we should always seek His guidance for how we deal with him or her. Verse thirteen declares, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Then verse fourteen adds, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. God told Moses to have the people bring the man outside the camp and have those that had heard him curse God to lay their hands on his head and then for the people to stone him. He was not condemned by rumor, but by witnesses, and this was a very serious offense worthy of death. Verse fifteen declares, And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. Then verse sixteen adds, And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death. God said that all who blasphemed the name of the LORD bore their sin, whether an Israelite or a stranger and they should be put to death. There would be a great reduction in the population if this were done today, and I believe that God is still as,serious about this sin. Verse seventeen says, And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. This would more accurately be interpreted murders any man, and it was definitely capital punishment. Verse eighteen states, And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. If a man killed the animal of someone else, he was to replAce it with the same type animal. Verse nineteen declares, And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; If a personified someone else, they were to be likewise injured. This may seem rather severe, but I believe that these laws were given to ensure that people treated the possessions of others and other people themselves as valuable. Verse twenty continues Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. I know that we have heard an eye for an eye, but this also limited what could be done. Verse twenty-one says, And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. An animal that was killed was to be replaced, and a man that murdered someone was to be put to death. Verse twenty-two declares, Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God. The law was to apply to the people of Israel as,well as to the stranger, because it was God's law, and God's law still applies to everyone today, because it is God's law. Verse twenty-three concludes, And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses. Moses told the people of Israel what God said they should do, and they did it. This is what we as followers of Christ should always do. We should always listen to what God tells us to do, and then we should do it.
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