Journal Through the Bible: Week 20 Tuesday

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Leviticus 24:1-25:7

The people were to be holy, righteous, and set apart. Their hearts were to be ready to worship the God that was leading them to the land He had promised them. In the middle of these instructions for celebrating holy days (now rendered as the word holidays) and the ones for keeping supplies handy for the consumables used in the tabernacle is the story of the man who blasphemed God while fighting with another man. So much for loving the Lord thy God with all they heart, soul, and mind, and thy neighbor as thyself! The man was placed in confinement until the Lord passed sentence upon him.

Does God make any promises in this passage?

• Not explicit, but the implication for the sabbath year of rest on the land is that God would make the harvest prior to the sabbath sufficient to provide food for two years.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• In the worst moments of His life, the time of suffering upon the cross or the agony of spirit in the Garden prior to the event, Jesus never cursed God for what He was going through. He was never guilty of blasphemy against His Father.

Does this passage teach anything about future events?

• It does not teach us anything about what will be in our eternal home but it tells us plenty about what will not be there: death, blasphemy, hatred, strife, injury.
• As caretakers of God's earth, it is possible that the New Earth will observe a sabbath year of rest each seventh year.

Does God issue any commands?

• God reminded the people through Moses that they were to donate olive oil for the continual lighting of the candlestick in the tabernacle.
• God commanded them to resupply the table of shewbread with 12 loaves each week and told them how to line them up in two rows with frankincense.
• God commanded that Shelomith's son, who blasphemed the name of God, be stoned.
• God commanded that a murderer be put to death.
• God commanded that anyone who killed an animal (presumably one owned by another) make restitution by giving a similar beast to the owner.
• God commanded that if someone intentionally caused injury to a neighbor that he be similarly injured.
• God commanded that the laws He gave should be followed by strangers in the land the same as the citizens.
• God commanded them to observe a sabbath year of rest for the land each seventh year where they would neither sow nor reap their fields or prune their vineyards. Even volunteer fruit was not to be harvested.