L
E V I T I C U S
CHAP. XXIV.
In
this chapter we have, I. A repetition of the laws concerning the lamps and the
show-bread, ver. 1-9. II. A violation of the law against blasphemy, with the
imprisonment, trial, condemnation, and execution, of the blasphemer, ver.
10-14, with ver. 23. III. The law against blasphemy reinforced (ver. 15, 16),
with sundry other laws, ver. 17, &c.
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Laws
Concerning the Lamps.
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B.
C. 1490.
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1 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that
they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps
to burn continually. 3 Without the vail of the testimony, in the
tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the
morning before the LORD
continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.
4 He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD
continually. 5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve
cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 6 And thou
shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on
the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto 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 Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall
eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings
of the LORD
made by fire by a perpetual statute.
Care is here taken, and orders are given, for the decent furnishing of the
candlestick and table in God's house.
I. The lamps must always be kept burning. The law for this we had before,
Exod. xxvii. 20, 21. It is here repeated, probably because it now began to be
put in execution, when other things were settled. 1. The people were to
provide oil (v. 2), and this, as every thing else that was to be used
in God's service, must be of the best, pure olive-oil, beaten, probably
it was double-strained. This was to cause the lamps to burn; all our
English copies read it lamps, but in the original it is singular in v.
2--to cause the lamp to burn; but plural in v. 4--he shall
order the lamps. The seven lamps made all one lamp, in allusion to which
the blessed Spirit of grace is represented by seven lamps of fire before
the throne (Rev. iv. 5), for there are diversities of gifts, but one
Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 4. Ministers are as burning and shining lights in
Christ's church, but it is the duty of people to provide comfortably for them,
as Israel for the lamps. Scandalous maintenance makes a scandalous ministry.
2. The priests were to tend the lamps; they must snuff them, clean the
candlestick, and supply them with oil, morning and evening, v. 3, 4.
Thus it is the work of the ministers of the gospel to hold forth that word
of life, not to set up new lights, but, by expounding and preaching the
word, to make the light of it more clear and extensive. This was the ordinary
way of keeping the lamps burning; but, when the church was poor and in
distress, we find its lamps fed constantly with oil from the good olives
immediately, without the ministry of priest or people (Zech. iv. 2, 3); for,
though God has tied us to means, he has not tied himself to them, but will
take effectual care that his lamp never go out in the world for want of oil.
II. The table must always be kept spread. This was appointed before, Exod. xxv.
30. And here also, 1. The table was furnished with bread; not dainties nor
varieties to gratify a luxurious palate, but twelve loaves or cakes of bread, v.
5, 6. Where there is plenty of bread there is no famine; and where bread is
not there is no feast. There was a loaf for every tribe, for in our
Father's house there is bread enough. They were all provided for by the
divine bounty, and were all welcome to the divine grace. Even after the revolt
of the ten tribes this number of loaves was continued (2 Chron. xiii. 11), for
the sake of those few of each tribe that retained their affection to the
temple and continued their attendance on it. 2. A handful of frankincense was
put in a golden saucer, upon or by each row, v. 7. When the bread was
removed, and given to the priests, this frankincense was burnt upon the golden
altar (I suppose) over and above the daily incense: and this was for a
memorial instead of the bread, an offering made by fire, as the handful of the
meat-offering which was burnt upon the altar is called the memorial
thereof, ch. ii. 2. Thus a little was accepted as a humble
acknowledgment, and all the loaves were consigned to the priests. All God's
spiritual Israel, typified by the twelve loaves, are made through Christ a
sweet savour to him, and their prayers are said to come up before God for a
memorial, Acts x. 4. The word is borrowed from the ceremonial law. 3.
Every sabbath it was renewed. When the loaves had stood there a week, the
priests had them to eat with other holy things that were to be eaten in the
holy place (v. 9), and new ones were provided at the public charge, and
put in the room of them, v. 8. The Jews say, "The hands of those
priests that put on were mixed with theirs that took off, that the table might
be never empty, but the bread might be before the Lord continually."
God is never unprovided for the entertainment of those that visit him, as men
often are, Luke xi. 5. Every one of those cakes contained two tenth-deals,
that is, two omers of fine flour; just so much manna every Israelite gathered
on the sixth day for the sabbath, Exod. xvi. 22. Hence some infer that this
show-bread, which was set on the table on the sabbath, was intended as a
memorial of the manna wherewith they were fed in the wilderness. Christ's
ministers should provide new bread for his house every sabbath day, the
production of their fresh studies in the scripture, that their proficiency
may appear to all, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 5.
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The
Blasphemy of Shelomith's Son; The Punishment of Shelomith's Son.
B. C.
1490.
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10 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; 11 And the Israelitish woman's
son blasphemed the name of the LORD,
and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was
Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) 12 And
they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD
might be showed them. 13 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 14 Bring forth him that hath cursed
without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his
head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt
speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall
bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth 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 blasphemeth the name of the LORD,
shall be put to death. 17 And he that killeth any man shall surely
be put to death. 18 And he that killeth a beast shall make it
good; beast for beast. 19 And if a man cause a blemish in his
neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; 20 Breach
for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a
man, so shall it be done to him again. 21 And he that
killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be
put to death. 22 Ye 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. 23 And Moses spake 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.
Evil manners, we say, beget good laws. We have here an account of the evil
manners of a certain nameless mongrel Israelite, and the good laws occasioned
thereby.
I. The offender was the son of an Egyptian father and an Israelitish mother (v.
10); his mother was of the tribe of Dan, v. 11. Neither he nor his
father is named, but his mother only, who was an Israelite. This notice is
taken of his parentage either, 1. To intimate what occasioned the quarrel he
was engaged in. The Jews say, "He offered to set up his tent among the
Danites in the right of his mother, but was justly opposed by some or other of
that tribe, and informed that his father being an Egyptian he had no part nor
lot in the matter, but must look upon himself as a stranger." Or, 2. To
show the common ill effect of such mixed marriages. When a daughter of Israel
would marry an idolatrous malignant Egyptian, what could be the fruit of such
a marriage but a blasphemer? For the children will be apt to take after the
worse side, whichsoever it is, and will sooner learn of an Egyptian father to
blaspheme than of an Israelitish mother to pray and praise.
II. The occasion of the offence was contention: He strove with a man of
Israel. The mixed multitude of Egyptians that came up with Israel (Exod.
xii. 38) were in many ways hurtful to them, and this was one, they were often
the authors of strife. The way to preserve the peace of the church is to
preserve the purity of it. In this strife he broke out into ill language.
Note, When quarrels begin we know not what mischief they will make before they
end, nor how treat a matter a little fire may kindle. When men's passion is up
they are apt to forget both their reason and their religion, which is a good
reason why we should not be apt either to give or to resent provocation, but
leave off strife before it be meddled with, because the beginning of it is as
the letting forth of water.
III. The offence itself was blasphemy and cursing, v. 11. It is
supposed that his cause came to be heard before the judges, who determined
that he had no right to the privileges of an Israelite, his father being an
Egyptian, and that, being enraged at the sentence, 1. He blasphemed the
name of the Lord. He blasphemed the name, that is, he blasphemed
God, who is known by his name only, not by his nature, or any similitude. Not
as if God were a mere name, but his is a name above every name. The
translators add of the Lord, which is implied, but not expressed, in
the original, for the greater reverence of the divine Majesty: it is a shame
that it should be found on record that the very name of Jehovah should be
blasphemed; tell it not in Gath. It is a fond conceit of the
superstitious Jews that his blasphemy was in pronouncing the name of Jehovah,
which they call ineffable: he that made himself known by that name never
forbade the calling of him by that name. It is probable that finding himself
aggrieved by the divine appointment, which separated between the Israelites
and strangers, he impudently reproached both the law and the Law-maker, and
set him at defiance. 2. He cursed either God himself (and then his cursing was
the same with blaspheming) or the person with whom he strove. Imprecations of
mischief are the hellish language of hasty passion, as well as of rooted
malice. Or perhaps he cursed the judges that gave sentence against him; he
flew in the face of the court, and ridiculed the processes of it; thus he
added sin to sin.
IV. The caution with which he was proceeded against for this sin. The
witnesses or inferior judges brought him and his case (which was somewhat
extraordinary) unto Moses (v. 11), according to the order settled
(Exod. xviii. 22), and Moses himself would not give judgment hastily, but
committed the offender into custody, till he had consulted the oracle in this
case. Note, Judges must deliberate; both those that give the verdict and those
that give the sentence must consider diligently what they do, and do nothing
rashly, for the judgment is God's (Deut. i. 17), and before him there
will be a rehearing of the cause. They waited to know what was the mind of
the Lord, whether he was to be put to death by the hand of the magistrate
or to be left to the judgment of God: or, rather, they wanted to know whether
he should be stoned, as those were to be that only cursed their parents
(ch. xx. 9), or whether, the crime being so much greater, some sorer
punishment should be inflicted on him. Note, Those that sit in judgment should
sincerely desire, and by prayer and the use of all good means should endeavour
to know the mind of the Lord, because they judge for him (2
Chron. xix. 6) and to him they are accountable.
V. Sentence passed upon this offender by the righteous Judge of heaven and
earth himself: Let all the congregation stone him, v. 14. God
could have cut him off by an immediate stroke from heaven, but he would put
this honour upon the institution of magistracy to make use of it for the
supporting and vindicating of his own glory in the world. Observe, 1. The
place of execution appointed: Bring him forth without the camp. To
signify their detestation of the crime, they must thus cast out the criminal
as an abominable branch, and separate him from them as an unclean thing and
unworthy a place in the camp of Israel. 2. The executioners: Let all the
congregation do it, to show their zeal for the honour of God's name. Every
man should have a stone to throw at him that blasphemes God, reckoning himself
nearly concerned in the reproaches cast on God, Ps. lxix. 9. Thus also the
greater terror would be cast upon the congregation; those that once helped to
stone a blasphemer would ever after dread every thing that bordered upon
blasphemy, that looked like it or looked towards it. 3. The solemnity of the
execution; before the congregation stoned him, the witnesses were to lay
their hands upon his head. The Jews say that this was used in the
execution of no criminals but blasphemers; and that it was done with words to
this purport, "Thy blood be upon thy own head, for thou thyself hast
occasioned it. Let no blame be laid on the law, judges, juries, or
witnesses; if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it."
VI. A standing law made upon this occasion for the stoning of blasphemers, v.
15, 16. Magistrates are the guardians of both tables, and ought to be as
jealous for the honour of God against those that speak contemptuously of his
being and government as for the public peace and safety against the disturbers
of them. 1. A great stress is laid upon this law, as in no case to be
dispensed with: He shall surely be put to death; they shall certainly stone
him. Those that lightly esteemed God's honour might think it hard to make
a man an offender for a word (words are but wind); but God would let them know
that they must not make light of such words as these, which come from malice
against God in the heart of him that speaks, and must occasion either great
guilt or great grief to those that hear. 2. It is made to extend to the
strangers that sojourned among them, as well as those that were born in the
land. God never made any law to compel strangers to be circumcised and embrace
the Jewish religion (proselytes made by force would be no honour to the God of
Israel), but he made a law to restrain strangers from speaking evil of the God
of Israel. 3. He that was put to death for blasphemy is said to bear his
sin, in the punishment of it; no sacrifice being appointed, on the head of
which the sin might be transferred, he himself was to bear it upon his own
head, as a sacrifice to divine justice. So his own tongue fell upon him
(Ps. lxiv. 8), and the tongue of a blasphemer will fall heavily.
VII. A repetition of some other laws annexed to this new law. 1. That murder
should be punished with death (v. 17, and again v. 21),
according to an ancient law in Noah's time (Gen. ix. 6), and the very law of
nature, Gen. iv. 10. 2. That maimers should in like manner be punished by the
law of retaliation, v. 19, 20. Not that men might in these cases be
their own avengers, but they might appeal to the civil magistrate, who should
award suffering to the injurious and satisfaction to the injured as should be
thought fit in proportion to the hurt done. This law we had before, Exod. xxii.
4, 5. And it was more agreeable to that dispensation, in which were revealed
the rigour of the law and what sin deserved, than to the dispensation we are
under, in which are revealed the grace of the gospel and the remission of
sins: and therefore our Saviour has set aside this law (Matt. v. 38, 39), not
to restrain magistrates from executing public justice, but to restrain us all
from returning personal injuries and to oblige us to forgive as we are and
hope to be forgiven. 3. That hurt done wilfully to a neighbour's cattle should
be punished by making good the damage, v. 18, 21. Thus the divine law
took not only their lives, but their goods also under its protection. Those
beasts which belonged to no particular person, but were, as our law speaks, ferae
naturae--of a wild nature, it was lawful for them to kill; but not those
which any man had a property in. Does God take care for oxen? Yes; for our
sakes he does. 4. That strangers, as well as native Israelites, should be both
entitled to the benefit of this law, so as not to suffer wrong, and liable to
the penalty of this law in case they did wrong. And, it should seem, this is
it that brings in these laws here, to show how equitable it was that strangers
as well as Israelites should be punished for blasphemy, because strangers as
well as Israelites were punishable for other crimes. And there may be this
further reason for the recognition of these laws here, God would hereby show
what provision he had made for man's safety, in punishing those that were
injurious to him, which should be an argument with magistrates to be jealous
for his honour, and to punish those that blasphemed his name. If God took care
for their comfort, they ought to take care for his glory.
VIII. The execution of the blasphemer. Moses did, as it were, sign the warrant
or it: He spoke unto the children of Israel to do it, and they did
as the Lord commanded Moses, v. 23. This teaches that death is the
wages of sin, and that blasphemy in particular is an iniquity to be
punished by the judges. But, if those who thus profane the name of God
escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to
escape his righteous judgments. This blasphemer was the first that died by the
law of Moses. Stephen, the first that died for the gospel, died by the abuse
of this law; the martyr and the malefactor suffered the same death: but how
vast the difference between them!
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