Leviticus Lesson 19

Leviticus

Lesson 19

Well, we have finished the Lessons on the Feasts of Israel and we are coming to the final few chapters of the Book of Leviticus. And, you possibly think that there is nothing more to "learn" from this book. But, believe it or not, there are still many necessary truths and understandings that we can and should and will learn. So, let's continue studying what God told His people, the young Jewish nation, (and us) as we continue our study of the Book of Leviticus.

And, since we are ready for Chapter 24, yes, you guessed it, we need to read that chapter.

So, your assignment now is to read Chapter 24 (printed here for you or you can use your own Bible). And, as you read, your assignment, on this first reading is a very simple one; it is to just read the chapter and discover the "dividing point" in the chapter. "Dividing point"? Yes. This chapter actually covers not one but TWO main topics. Your job is to discover what the two topics (subjects / main thoughts) are and what verses discuss each of them. When you find the division or break between the two topics, draw a line between the verse that separates topic one from topic two. Then, on that line, write what that section is about. I will draw the first line, since it is obviously at the beginning of the chapter. Then all you have to do is find the second division. Then, give BOTH of the divisions a name (title / summary statement). Ok, now that you know your "assignment", let's read.

Leviticus 24

Main subject of verses 1- = _____________________

24:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. 3 "Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually; [it] [shall] [be] a statute forever in your generations. 4 "He shall be in charge of the lamps on the pure [gold] lampstand before the Lord continually. 5 " And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths [of] [an] [ephah] shall be in each cake. 6 "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure [gold] table before the Lord. 7 "And you shall put pure frankincense on [each] row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 8 "Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, [being] [taken] from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 "And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it [is] most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute."

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father [was] an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this Israelite [woman's son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. 11 And the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name [of] [the] [Lord] and cursed; and so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name [was] Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they put him in custody, that the mind of the Lord might be shown to them. 13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 "Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard [him] lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 "Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: `Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 `And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name [of] [the] [Lord], he shall be put to death. 17 `Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 `Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. 19 `If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him-- 20 `fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 `And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 `You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I [am] the Lord your God.' " 23 Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they took outside the camp him who had cursed, and stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Ok, I see that you have finished your assignment. And, I assume you found the break in the chapter between the two main topics. And that break was between verses ____ and ____.

What was the topic ("title" or summary statement) that you gave to the subject covered in verses 1-9?

_______________________________________________

What was the topic ("title" or summary statement) that you gave to the subject covered in verses 10 -23?

_______________________________________________

Great! Now, let's look at each of these two sections in more detail.

First let's look at the section (verses 1-9), which I titled: "Pure Oil and Fine Flour (Bread) Presented to the Lord." I assume your title or summary statement was similar to that, though, of course, you do not have to use the exact same words. But, if you said something similar, then you understood correctly what that section was about. Good for you. Good observing and good thinking.

Now, thinking about verses 1-9, it is time for another assignment. Reread those verses, and this time, as you read, mark the following 5 things: (Note: marking 5 things at one time is probably not a good idea. So, I would suggest that you read this passage 2 times.... the first time marking items 1 and 2 and the second time marking items 3, 4, and 5.)

1. Mark every reference to the Lord (God) by placing a BLUE TRIANGLE on each occurrence of the word, Lord.

2. Mark every reference to the Jews (Children of Israel) by placing a BLUE STAR OF DAVID on every occurrence of the word, Israel (or words such as they, them, etc. used in place of that word).

3. Mark every occurrence of the word oil (or words used in place of the word) with a GOLDEN OVAL (to represent a drop of oil).

4. Mark every occurrence of the words Lamp, lamps, lampstand, etc. by drawing a picture of a lamp or lampstand on every occurrence of this word or words used to mean the same thing (them, it, etc.)

5. Mark every occurrence of the words flour, cakes (bread, loaves, them, etc.) by drawing a picture of a cake or loaf of bread on the word.

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Now, based on what you have read and marked, answer the following questions:

What was the oil in the lamps (24: 2) _____________

and how is it (the oil) made? (24:2) ___________________

Of what were the lamps made? (24:4) _________________

Where was the lamp located? (24:3) = Outside of the _________________ in the ________________ ,

How long was this keeping of the lamps to be done? Circle the correct answer from the choices below:

a. while they were wandering in the wilderness

b. for a few years

c. until they got tired of doing this

d. until they decided to offer something else

e. continually, perpetually, as a statute forever in your generations

Of what were the loaves of bread (cakes) made? (24:5) ________________

How many loaves were made each week? (24:5) __________

Where were the loaves placed? (24:6) On the " ______________________ before the Lord"

When were the Loaves placed on the pure gold table? (24:8) On every _____________ .

How long was this placing of the loaves before the Lord to be done? Circle the correct answer:

a. while they were wandering in the wilderness

b. for a few years

c. until they got tired of doing this

d. until they decided to offer something else

e. continually, perpetually, as a statute forever in your generations

Now it is time for you to do some thinking.

What does the Olive oil "picture" or shadow as a type? Circle the correct answer from the choices below:

a. something that burns but of no special significance.

b. the Holy Spirit

Why were the lamps to be burning continually (every day) instead of just every now and then? What is this telling the Jewish nation? (Circle your answer from the choices below):

a. Nothing, it was just a nice thing to do.

b. It was busy work to remind them that they have to work work work all the time to keep God "happy."

c. To remind them that God's Holy Spirit will continually illuminate, guide, guard, and protect them

What do the 12 cakes of fine flour picture or represent? Circle the correct answers from the choices below (hint: more than one may be correct):

a. nothing of significance.

b. Aaron had a big family and needed lots of bread.

c. the 12 Tribes of the Nation Israel

d. the Bread represents Jesus, the Bread of life, and the fact that God Jesus can and will supply the needs of the 12 tribes of the Jewish nation

Why were the 12 cakes of flour to be set out EVERY week? i.e.. What was this picturing?

(Circle the correct answer from the choices below.)

a. nothing of significance, it was just something to do during their worship services

b. because there would always be hungry priests

c. to remind them that God had made an everlasting covenant with them, His people, the Jewish nation, and that He (God) would never forsake them or fail to supply their needs.

Of course, I know you correctly answered those questions. But, just in case you want to check yours with mine. This is how I answered those questions:

Answers:

The oil in the lamps was pure olive oil and it was made from pressed olives

The lamps were made of pure gold

The Lamp was located Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting,

They are to do this e. continually, perpetually, as a statute forever in your generations

The bread was made of fine flour.

12 Loaves were placed "on the pure [gold] table before the Lord" on every sabbath.

and they are to do this e. continually, perpetually, as a statute forever in your generations

The olive oil pictures b. the Holy Spirit

The 12 loaves of fine flour represent c. the 12 Tribes of the Nation Israel AND d. the Bread also represents Jesus, the Bread of life, and the fact that God Jesus can and will supply the needs of the 12 tribes of the Jewish nation

The Lamp was to be kept burning continually c. To remind them that God's Holy Spirit will continually illuminate, guide, guard, and protect them.

The 12 loaves (cakes of flour) were to be set out every week c. to remind them that God had made an everlasting covenant with His people, the Jewish nation and that He would never forsake them or fail to supply their needs.

Wow! Fantastic! You are getting really good at reading and understanding the Bible. And, yes, we could talk more about such things as the frankincense, why the table and the lamp were pure gold, why the oil was "pressed", the location of the lamp and the table, the arrangement of the bread on the table, why the bread (cakes) were made of "fine flour", and etc. And, yes, ALL of those things are important and significant. But, alas and alack, time flies and we must continue on.

So, let's do that. Let's continue on and look now at the 2nd section in this chapter, the section that I titled: "Blasphemy and Cursing and what God says to do about it." Again, you did not have to title it with the same words, but if you had something similar to this, then you correctly understood what this 2nd section is teaching.

And, as we continue on, I am sure you know that it is time for another assignment -- indeed, I can imagine that you already know what the assignment is going to be. You are wanting to read the next section (verses 10-23) and mark the words Blasphemy and Cursing. Right? Right !

So, let's do that now. Read Leviticus 24:10-23 and, as you read,

1. Mark every occurrence of the word BLASPHEMED (and words used in place of that word to mean the same thing -- blasphemes, etc.) by putting a BIG BLACK X on each occurrence of that word.

2. Also, mark every occurrence of the word CURSED (and words used in place of that word to mean the same thing -- curses, etc.) by putting a BIG BLACK EXCLAMATION MARK on each occurrence of the word.

Of course, as always, you can use any symbol or color that you prefer. These are only suggestions.

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Finished? Good. And, WOW, that was a very serious passage of Scripture! VERY serious!!! God obviously does NOT take kindly to blasphemy and cursing!

In fact, this is so serious that we need to spend some time on this topic of Blasphemy and Cursing and what God thinks about it and says to do about it.

But, before we do that, we need to be sure that we understand what these words mean. If you have a dictionary or other "Bible Study Tools", you should look these words up. But, for those of you who do not have these "tools", I will briefly summarize what these words "mean" from the "tools" that I have. As you read these definitions underline in BLACK words or phrases that will help you to remember what these words mean. (I will underline the first "meaningful" phrase to show you how to do this.)

BLASPHEMY

From Smith's Dictionary:

Blasphemy in its technical English sense, signifies the speaking evil of God and in this sense it is found in Psalm 74:18; Isaiah 52:5; Romans 2:24 etc. But according to its derivation it may mean any species of calumny and abuse: see 1 Kings 21:10; Acts 18:6; Jude 1:9 etc.

From Webster's Dictionary:

Great irreverence shown to God or sacred things, especially in words or writings: an intentionally impious act or speech. Synonyms: Blasphemy, profanity -- (both) agree in the idea of irreverent speech. Blasphemy is indignity offered to God or sacred things; profanity includes all irreverent references to holy things.

From Strong's Concordance:

Blasphemed = Strong's # 5344 ... naqab Pronounced naw-kab'

a primitive root; to puncture, literally (to perforate, with more or less violence) or figuratively (to specify, designate, libel):

Translated in the KJV as--appoint, blaspheme, bore, curse, express, with holes, name, pierce, strike through.

CURSE / CURSED etc.

From Webster's Dictionary:

1. A prayer that harm may come upon a person; also a profane oath.

2. that which is cursed.

3. evil or harm that comes as if in answer to someone's prayer.

4. the cause of great harm or evil; as, ignorance is a curse.

CURSED, CURSING ... 1. to pray that harm may come upon; now, usually, to snear at; to blaspheme, to damn. 2 to bring great evil upon; to afflict .... to swear.

Synonyms: Curse, imprecation, execration, malediction, oath. Curse implies desire or threat of evil, declared solemnly or upon oath. Imprecation denotes a calling down of evil or calamity; execration, an expression of intense hatred. Malediction is a term for bitter reproach or proclamation of evil against someone. Oath, as here compared, denotes a blasphemous calling to witness of God or sacred things.

Antonyms: Blessing, benediction.

From Strong's Concordance

Curse = Strong's # 779 ... 'arar' Pronounced aw-rar'

a primitive root; to execrate:

Translated in KJV = bitterly curse.

From Strong's Concordance

Blasphemer / Reviler / Cursed = Strong's # 7043 ... qalal Pronounced kaw-lal'

a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etc.) or figuratively (easy, trifling, vile, etc.):

Translated in KJV = abate, make bright, bring into contempt, (ac-) curse, despise, (be) ease(-y, -ier), (be a, make, make somewhat, move, seem a, set) light(-en, -er, -ly, -ly afflict, -ly esteem, thing), slight[-ly], be swift(-er), (be, be more, make, re-)vile, whet.

From BDB / Thayer's Lexicon

Cursed (Blasphemer / Reviler in Lev 24:14,15 & 24:23) is Strongs # 07043 Hewbrew word: qalal {kaw-lal'}

a primitive root; TWOT - # 2028; ...

Translated in AV (KJV) = curse 39 times, swifter 5, light thing 5, vile 4, lighter 4, despise 3, abated 2, ease 2, light 2, lighten 2, slightly 2, misc 12; 82

(definitions include:)

1) to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be slight, be abated (of water)

1a2) to be swift

1a3) to be trifling, be of little account

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be swift, show oneself swift

1b2) to appear trifling, be too trifling, be insignificant

1b3) to be lightly esteemed

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to make despicable

1c2) to curse

1d) (Pual) to be cursed

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to make light, lighten

1e2) to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonor

1f) (Pilpel)

1f1) to shake

1f2) to whet

1g) (Hithpalpel) to shake oneself, be moved to and fro

OK. So now you have a better understanding of what these words, Blasphemy and Curse, mean. In fact, you noticed that sometimes they are used interchangeably. But, just to be sure that you have a handle on these words, in the space provided below, briefly summarize what these words mean.

BLASPHEME / BLASPHEMY =

CURSE / CURSED =

Now, based on what you have learned about these words, let's look again at verses 10-23 and answer the following questions:

Do we know the name of the person who did the Blaspheming and Cursing? __________

What do we know about this person? In the space below, make a list of all that you learn about the individual (his sex, his parents, Whom did he blaspheme and curse, etc.):

What does God specifically say about cursing and blasphemy (24:15-16) ...

Whoever ______________________________________________

and

whoever ______________________________________________

and

when he (anyone) blasphemes the ____________________, he shall be ______________

Does this mean, then, that God disapproves of this and will hold the person responsible who does this? _______

Does this law apply ONLY to Jews or does it also apply to Gentiles (Non-Jews)?

How do you know that this law applies to both Jews and Non-Jews (i.e.. Gentiles)? What scripture verse tells you this? Write the number of the verse and the verse itself in the space provided below:

Leviticus 24: ___ says:

By the way, there is another place in the Bible where this "taking of the name of the Lord in vain" (as it says in the KJV) is forbidden. Do you recall where it is?

Yes, it is in the Ten Commandments.

And specifically it is the Commandment which says: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Deut 5: 11). We have an entire study on the 10 Commandments on our website so we will not go into any more details now. But, suffice it to say, God is VERY serious about this and does NOT want anyone to Blaspheme or Curse Him or Misuse His Name in any way.

And also, in case you are wondering if you got those questions "correct", here are my Answers to some of the questions:

No, we do not know the name of the person in this section who cursed and blasphemed God

but we do know that he was a male (probably a young man) and that his father was an Egyptian and his mother was a Jew (Israelite). We also know that he was fighting another Israelite and that he Blasphemed and Cursed GOD (Yahweh). We also know that for this he was brought to Moses, was held in custody, and that God told Moses what the people were to do to him (which was to stone him to death!). And, we know that the people obeyed God and did stone him to death!

In 24:15-16 we learn that Whoever curses his God shall bear his (own) sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. And when he (anyone) blasphemes the name [of] [the] [Lord], he shall be put to death.

YES, God will hold each and every person responsible for the sin of cursing and blasphemy.

This law applies to both Jews and Gentiles (Non-Jews). Leviticus 24:16 very clearly states and confirms this when it says: `And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger (i.e. gentile / non-Jew) as well as him who is born in the land (the Jew). When he blasphemes the name [of] [the] [Lord], he shall be put to death.

This command to not "take the Name of the Lord in vain" is also given in the 10 Commandments.

Did you get them correct? I knew you did! But, now, to continue with our lesson

And Hmmmmm, it is time to think and to pull some of these thoughts together and come to some conclusions:

Why is it so BAD to blaspheme and curse the Name of the Lord God ? And why is there a death penalty associated with it?

Do you do this? Do you use the name of the Lord carelessly? Do you curse or blaspheme or misuse the Name of the Lord God?

Do you know of anyone who does this?

Is this done on TV?, -- in the Movies?, -- in conversations at the office? -- in "casual" conversations with others? etc.?

If we listen to TV programs or movies or whatever and hear these "words", are we guilty of saying / thinking them, too?

Does God want us to fill our minds with such words? (i.e.. should we be watching such TV programs? -- listening to music with such words? -- watching movies with these words? -- fellowshipping with people who talk like this? )

Do people today frequently "take the name of the Lord in vain" ?

What does God think about this?

If people still obeyed God and enforced the death penalty for doing this today, would you still be alive?

Would your best friend still be alive?

Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking "Oh, that was for then. This is now and everybody does it and God does not care. It is OK with God. He understands that we don't really mean it when we misuse His name. It is just a way of talking these days. No one really thinks about it."

Oh?

You mean that when I was on the airplane the other day and the flight attendant, while conversing with the person in the seat across the aisle from me, said "Oh, ***, look at this mess!" as he looked at a spilled drink on the floor. (And, yes, he used the name of God in that sentence where I inserted the ***.) Did he think that he was not misusing the Name of the Lord? -- that he was not taking God's name in vain? -- and that God really didn't care if he said that or not?

Is he guilty of breaking the commandment that says: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Deut 5: 11).

Do the verses in Leviticus 24 apply to him which state: 15 ... `Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 `And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name [of] [the] [Lord], he shall be put to death.

Yes, of course, those who do this ARE guilty today! And, yes, of course, these commands still apply today! No one, Jew or Non-Jew (Gentile) is to blaspheme, curse, or misuse the Name of the Lord. Why? Because God does not change! Malachi 3:6 a states "I the Lord do not change ... So, God's thoughts are the same then as now. Just because it is almost 3500 years since these commands were given, does not make a bit of difference to God. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What He thought then, He still thinks now. What was right or wrong then is still right or wrong now.

But, people today DO blaspheme, curse, and misuse the Name of the Lord. They do it all the time! Even "Christians" do this!

So, what is the difference? Why are people not stoning the offenders to death today and should they? (Give your thoughts in the space below).

So, is this still a valid command? Is Blaspheming, cursing, and misusing the Name of the Lord still WRONG? ______

Of course it is! And there still is a death penalty associated with it. However, today, the death penalty is not being meted out by our neighbors and by those who hear us do this. And, indeed in this age of "grace", they are not expected to KILL us when we do this.

But, God hears and knows and is keeping a record. And, UNLESS we confess this to Him as the sin that it is and renounce it and stop doing it, God WILL punish us for this (along with our other sins) when we (unsaved / unforgiven / and unredeemed) stand before His Great White Throne -- and the punishment will be the eternal living death of eternity in hell.

For Christians who are doing this! -- Gasp and Arg! We will not be standing at the Great White throne, because we have been forgiven and redeemed from the death penalty of sin, but there also will be a time when we will have to account for our every action and for every word (including these words) and this "accounting" will be at our Judgment (the Bema Judgment). What will happen? Well, we will not "die" for this (because Christ already paid the death penalty for us for doing that and for all the other sins that we committed), BUT, we will loose rewards and this will affect our "assignments" and our eternal service for the Lord.

A word to the wise ... !

Think about what you are saying and hearing.

Well, once again, time has passed rapidly and we need to end this lesson. And, as you have surely noticed, there is much more in this Chapter which we could discuss. For example, in connection with the death penalty for blasphemy and cursing, we also notice that the "Death Penalty" for other reasons was also discussed. And, the penalty for various types of injuries was discussed.

Oh, I wish we had time to go into those other important topics in more detail, but those are topics which are more involved than we have time for now, especially when you include the Scriptures (cross-references) from other locations in the Bible which would add significant additional information. But, as we bring this lesson to a close, you might want to reread the verses which referred to these things: (Lev. 24:17- 22) just to refresh your memory and to remind you that our Holy God is VERY concerned about many things including these: 17 `Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 `Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. 19 `If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him-- 20 `fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 `And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 `You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I [am] the Lord your God.' "

But, as I said, we do not have time to discuss the Death Penalty for killing a man.... or the penalties for killing animals ... or the penalties for doing various other types of harm to people and animals. But, do know that God does not take any of these things lightly. Life, all life, is precious and valuable and is not to be treated casually.

And God's Name is also precious and valuable and is NOT to be treated casually or lightly. Indeed, misusing, cursing, or blaspheming God's Name has a consequence -- and that consequence is DEATH !

When will you die? Well, today, a person usually does not immediately die when he or she curses, misuses, or blasphemes the Name of God. That flight attendant did not drop dead on the airplane, nor did the passengers rise up and stone him. Ditto re. the "actors" in the movies or on the TV programs. And ditto re you and your friends and your office workers and others that daily do this. For the time being they SEEM to be getting away with it. And they may think they are getting away with it. But, there will be a day of reckoning!!! And that reckoning will result in the death penalty being bestowed or rewards and assignments being lost and curtailed IF they (or you or I) have not confessed this as sin and forsaken and renounced this activity.

Again, a word to the wise should be sufficient.

In fact, stop NOW and think about this. If this has been your habit, your way of "talking" and "expressing yourself" and if you have been misusing the name of the Lord, using His name casually and "flippantly" (remember, this is not flippant to God), and if you now understand that this is wrong and is indeed a SIN that is punishable by the death penalty, and if you would like to confess this to God and ask His forgiveness --- then stop now and do that. Spend some time NOW talking to God about this. Take as much time as you need. This IS important!

And we will end this lesson for now so you can spend the rest of the time talking with God and getting this settled between you and Him --- and we will continue with Lesson 20. See 'ya then.

. .

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