June 26, 2013
UNDERSTANDING OUR GOD
Leviticus 24
Joe Ciavarra
Central Truth
Worship, holiness, and sanctification are integral components of Old Testament law.
Key Verse | Leviticus 24:22
"There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as for the native, for I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 24:22)
Leviticus 24
The Lamps
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold 1 24:4 Hebrew the pure lampstand before the LORD regularly.
Bread for the Tabernacle
5 You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah 2 24:5 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters shall be in each loaf. 6 And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold 3 24:6 Hebrew the pure table before the LORD. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the LORD. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the LORD regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. 9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the LORD's food offerings, a perpetual due.”
Punishment for Blasphemy
10 Now an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, 11 and the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them.
13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
An Eye for an Eye
17 Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. 21 Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. 22 You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God.” 23 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Dive Deeper | Leviticus 24
When I was asked to write a Journey devotional, a friend on Watermark staff suggested that the Book of Leviticus would be a great place to get an understanding of who God is. So when I was assigned chapter 24, I approached it with the goal of getting to know God better.
The Book of Leviticus, written by Moses, is unique in that it is largely a record of God's direct instructions to Moses for the people of Israel. Because God is holy, He wants them to be holy and sanctified so that they may understand who He is, worship Him appropriately, and lead their lives according to His law. Chapter 24 also shows that blasphemy and disobedience to Old Testament law carry severe penalties. God states there will be one standard for the stranger as well as for the native; judgment applies to all people. This concept makes sense to me. Punishment to fit the crime. Case closed! But, thankfully, the story doesn't stop there.
In the New Testament, the one standard for all is again introduced, but this time it relates not to judgment but to salvation. In Romans 1:16, Paul writes, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." God makes provision for us through the perfect sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. This concept does not make sense: undeserved grace and mercy for me, a guilty sinner.
So now I ask myself, do I better understand our God? Yes, every day as I spend time in His Word I get to know Him more. Then, I have to answer the question: how am I doing with this closer relationship, this better understanding? Do I put Him first, or does Joe still get in the way? Most of the time, I am still in the way, but the journey is not finished. And every day, I thank Jesus Christ, my Lord, for who He is.
Discussion Questions
1. Who is God? What does He want from you? Do you know Him?
2. Who is Jesus Christ? What has He given you? Do you know Him?
3. Who is the Holy Spirit? What does He do for you? Do you know Him?