Introduction
‘The LORD said to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD must be tended continually. ‘Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the LORD. This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the LORD.’ Leviticus 24:1-9
ORDINANCES OF LIGHT AND BREAD
God tells Moses to command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light, Leviticus 24:1-2. These were the lamps which gave light for the tabernacle, Exodus 25:31-40 / Exodus 27:20-21 / Hebrews 9:2. It was always to be burning, Leviticus 24:2, which signified that God’s work never ceased, Zechariah 4 / Revelation 1:12-20.
Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps from evening till morning, continually, Leviticus 24:3. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, Leviticus 24:3. The lamps on the pure gold lampstand, Exodus 25:31-40, must be tended continually, Leviticus 24:4.
Twelve cakes of bread are to be set upon the table within the tabernacle, Leviticus 24:5 / Exodus 25:23-30, this was food for the priests. Each cake represented the offering of a tribe.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In the service of the temple the preparation and arrangement of the cakes was committed to the Levites, 1 Chronicles 9:32 / 1 Chronicles 23:29 / 2 Chronicles 13:11.’
They are to be arranged in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the LORD, Leviticus 24:6. The pure gold table would be the showbread table, Exodus 25:23-30. By each stack some pure incense, that is, frankincense is to be sprinkled upon these loaves, which signified a memorial before the Lord Leviticus 24:7 / Leviticus 2:2.
Unger, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The frankincense was burned at the end of each week (instead of the loaves) in order that Aaron’s sons might feast on the loaves, as we do memorially of Christ’s death and second coming in the Lord’s Supper.’
This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant, Leviticus 24:8 / Exodus 25:23-30 / Numbers 4:7.
Meyrick, in his commentary, says the following, concerning how the loaves each sabbath were replaced by the fresh loaves.
‘Four priests went in, two to take off, two to put on, they faced each other two and two. Those with the new loaves stood on the north side, those who took off the old on the south side. They acted in unison so that always there were loaves on the table.’
Edgar, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It was a weekly offering definitely and emphatically prescribed in the Old Testament. This is exactly what Paul urged on the Corinthians: ‘Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by in store, as God has prospered him!’ 1 Corinthians 16:2.’
The twelve cakes of bread are to be set upon the table within the tabernacle, this was food for Aaron and his sons because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the LORD, Leviticus 24:9 / Leviticus 2:3.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It could have been only by a stretch of the law that Ahimelech gave a portion of the showbread to David and his men, on the ground that they were free from ceremonial defilement, 1 Samuel 21:4-6 / Matthew 12:4.’
THE HOLINESS OF GOD’S NAME
‘Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so, they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them. Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death. ‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. Anyone who injures their neighbour is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.’ Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.’ Leviticus 24:10-23
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The reason for the injection at this point of the story of the blasphemer probably came about from the fact that the occasion for this law arose while Moses was giving instructions about the oil and the fine flour.’
The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, Leviticus 24:10 / Exodus 12:38, went out among the sons of Israel and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel struggled with each other in the camp, Leviticus 24:10. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed, Leviticus 24:10 / Matthew 9:3. So, they brought him to Moses, Leviticus 24:10.
Keil and Delitzsch, in their commentary, say the following, concerning blasphemy.
‘The Jews interpreted this blasphemy as a flippant use of the name Yahweh. The desire to avoid using the name of Yahweh in vain led them to omit the name ‘Yahweh’ from their vocabulary completely. They substituted ‘the Name’ in its place in conversation and in composition.’
We are told that the son’s mother is called Shelomith, and she was the daughter of Dibri the Danite, Leviticus 24:11. The trouble started with a mixed marriage, which was later forbidden in Deuteronomy 7:3-4 / Nehemiah 13:25 / 2 Corinthians 6:14. This was not to be the last time that the ‘mixed multitude’ would be the cause of trouble in the camp, Numbers 11.
Since this was the first time this kind of incident happened, the man was placed in custody until Moses could go before the Lord for advice, Leviticus 24:12.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The offender may already have been pronounced guilty by the rulers, Exodus 18:21-22, and the case was referred to Moses in order that the punishment might be awarded by the divine decree. No law had as yet been enacted against blasphemy except by implication, Exodus 21:17 / Exodus 22:28.’
We don’t know what actually happened or took place between this young man and an Israelite. The source of the altercation is not important but what is important is what God told Moses do. God tells Moses to take the blasphemer outside the camp and everyone who actually heard him blaspheme are to lay their hands on his head, Deuteronomy 21:6 / Matthew 27:24, and the entire assembly is to stone him, Leviticus 24:13-14 / Leviticus 20:2.
There are various ways in which a person was stoned to death, the most common way in Bible times, especially for adultery was a hole was first dug and then the person was placed in the hole with their arms at their side, then they were partially buried up to their shoulders, or breasts if were a woman. Next the charges were read out and the stoning begun. It was actually an organized and court sanctioned affair. The size of the stones were usually ones that could be held and thrown by one hand, John 8:7.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The commonest form of capital punishment. It was probably preferred as being the one in which the execution was the act of the whole congregation.’
God says anyone who curses their God will be held responsible, Leviticus 24:15. Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD, Exodus 6:3, is to be put to death, regardless of if they are a foreigner or native-born, Leviticus 24:16. It was the responsibility of the entire congregation to carry out the sentence so that no one person would be the executioner, Leviticus 24:16.
God continues and says anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death, Leviticus 24:17. Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution, life for life, Leviticus 24:18. Anyone who injures their neighbour is to be injured in the same manner, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury, Leviticus 24:19-20.
In other words, the punishment must fit the crime, Exodus 21:23-25 / Deuteronomy 19:21 / Matthew 5:38-42. The death penalty wouldn’t be given to anyone who told a lie but the death penalty would be given to anyone who voluntarily murdered someone, Numbers 35:16. If someone voluntarily took the life of someone, they had their right to life taken from them.
Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death, Leviticus 24:21. The seriousness of the punishment demonstrates the seriousness of the sin which applied to both Israel as a nation and any stranger, Leviticus 24:22 / Leviticus 16:29.
Moses speaks to the Israelites, and they did as God commended, they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him, Leviticus 24:23, and for the moment, the Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses, Leviticus 24:23 / Hebrews 10:28-31.
