Leviticus 24 · The Lantern

The Oil for the Lamps

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron order it from the evening to the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

He shall order the lamps upon the pure lampstand before the LORD continually.

The Showbread

And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve its cakes: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

But let us now see what is the making of these shewbread loaves which are commanded to be "always placed before the Lord". "Of two tenths", it says, "let there be one loaf".

The Old Covenant had its loaves of proposition, but they, as belonging to that covenant, have come to an end. The New Covenant has its heavenly bread and cup of salvation to sanctify both body and soul. For as the bread is for the body, the Word suits the soul.

The twelve loaves on the table of the tabernacle then are the twelve apostles and all those in the church who follow their teaching. Since until the end of time they do not cease to renew the people of God with the nourishment of the word, they are the twelve loaves of proposition which never depart from the table of the Lord.

And you shall set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.

And you shall put pure frankincense upon each row, so that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

Punishment for Blasphemy

And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;

And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him to Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

And they put him in ward, so that the mind of the LORD might be shown them.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Bring forth him that has cursed outside the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.

And he that blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemes the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

An Eye for an Eye

And he that kills any man shall surely be put to death.

And he that kills a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.

And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he has done, so shall it be done to him;

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he has caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

And he that kills a beast, he shall restore it: and he that kills a man, he shall be put to death.

You shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.