Today’s passage: Leviticus 24
Helpful thoughts:
- Today’s chapter could be divided in two halves:
- Preparation in the tabernacle (The lamps and the bread).
- An occasion for laws concerning punishment.
- There were twelve loaves set out as “The Bread of the Presence.” They symbolized the covenant between the Lord and the twelve tribes of Irsael.
- The death penalty was given to the one who cursed and blasphemed. Verses 16 and 22 make it clear, it had nothing to do with his Egyptian background (Not based on his ethnicity), and everything to do with his sin. Should an Israelite do the same, the same punishment would have been warranted.
- The judgments against crimes would not have to be the exact pain inflicted (Not a literal broken arm in exchange for a broken arm) but the phrase, “as he has done it shall be done to him” gave a limit to the punishment. The punishment needed to fit the crime.
Questions to consider:
- To where did Moses turn when he needed wisdom in judgment? To whom should we go when we need to learn what to do? How does this evidence a humility in ourselves and a trust in the truth of God’s Word?
- How does this passage speak to the idea of justice in this world? What is necessary for justice to be carried out? What did Israel have to do with God’s command here? What happens in a society when those in authority withhold justice?