Leviticus 24:10-22—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.'"
God put together the Scriptures as He saw fit. Many times, to the human eye and understanding, He put certain passages together that kinda make us say, “Why did He put this story of a blasphemer right after the commands about the oil and showbread, and the commands about the year of Jubilee?” Well, the short answer to that question is this: Because he wanted to. That’s the only reason I can come up with. “Make the oil for the lampstand from beaten olives. Put the showbread on the table every Sabbath. Don’t blaspheme against Me or you will die. Keep the year of Jubilee.” That makes sense to God—and if it makes sense to Him, who are we to argue?
OK, so what do we know from verse 10? We know that this man’s mother was an Israelite and his father was Egyptian. And since they are here only two years removed from that exodus, he obviously came out with the mixed multitude that left Egypt the night of the first Passover. What do we see him do in verse 11? He blasphemes. Now, there is a reason why I kept the italicized words italicized. In verse 11, we see that the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name—what comes next immediately? of the LORD. These words are italicized, meaning what? The translators inserted these words in an attempt to make the text more understandable. However, I do not really think (nor did the translators of the NASB think) that this needed to be done. Allow me to show you why.
When we talk about the name of God, what do we always say this name is? יְהֹוָה (YHVH). And yes, most people Anglicize it and spell/say it “Jehovah.” And we’re not going to go into all that right now; we’ve already discussed that in Exodus 20:7. What I do want us to see is this—there is another title that Jews have for the One True God, and that is הַשֶּׁמ(HaShem)—this Hebrew word literally translates as “The Name.” And it is by this title that many Jews do not even try to pronounce the name יְהֹוָה (YHVH) or even אֲדֹנָי (Adonay). They will simply refer to God by the title הַשֶּׁמ(HaShem)—The Name. Zola Leavitt Ministries—
“Since ancient Hebrew did not use any vowel markings, the actual pronunciation of the sacred Name is simply not known. In ancient Temple times, only the Kohen Gadol (high priest) would utter the Name during Yom Kippur.
The Jewish tradition is to not pronounce the sacred Name at all, but to
substitute the word Adonai ("my Lord") in its place. Thus, when
reading Torah, you do not attempt to vocalize the Name, but say Adonai instead.
When not reading Torah or the Siddur, most observant Jews refer to the sacred
Name simply as Hashem or "the Name" (Leviticus 24:16).
In Hebrew the sacred Name is called Shem HaMeforash, "the ineffable
Name." Attempts to provide an exposition of the Name have come to be known
as Shelosh Esreh Middot, or the Thirteen Attributes of God and are usually
based on exegesis of Exodus 34:6-7 (mystical speculation about the Name is found in Kabbalistic literature).”
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/YHVH/yhvh.html
So then, we see that the young man of mixed heritage blasphemed The Name (הַשֶּׁמ(HaShem))—not simply His Name, but THE NAME.
Then in verses 12-21, we see God proscribe the punishment for blaspheming The Name—specifically, that punishment was death. Today, the man would probably get his own show on Bravo, or alongside the women on "The View". But, when a people fears YHVH, blasphemy is not tolerated, and the person is duly punished. But notice something else here: God elevates Himself—and man, who is made in His image—over all the rest of creation. If you kill an animal, you replace that animal. If you disfigure another person, you get likewise disfigured—break a bone, your bone gets broken; put out and eye, your eye gets put out; knock out a tooth, you lose a tooth. BUT! Kill a man—you die. Genesis 9:6—“Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.” Blaspheme The Name—you die. Exodus 20:7—“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” And it didn’t matter that this man was half Egyptian. God did not give one set of commands to Israelites and another, separate set to foreigners. Leviticus 24:22—“You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.” Period, paragraph. If ANY person within the camp uttered blasphemy against God, they were to be taken outside the camp, the congregation was to lay their hands on the guilty party, and that person was to be crushed under a pile of rocks to show that God does not tolerate insubordination in those who claim to be His people.
So then, what do the
people do top this insubordinate riff-raff? Leviticus 24:23—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. They did what they
needed to do—they put this man out of their misery. They destroyed the man who
had flung σκύβαλον (skubolon)—rubbish, to say it
politely—at the face of Almighty God. These people were quick to rid themselves
of the one who had slandered their God. So why is the church today so slow to
take action? Why does the church embrace every hip new trend that comes along, that
claims to be “Christian”? Why do the Mark Driscolls and Perry Nobles and Steven
Furticks become so popular for using language and methods that are so foul and
perverse? Why do “Christians” embrace the heresies of the prosperity preachers,
who teach that God is at your every beck and call, and that the cross is
nothing more than an ATM that use can call on to give you more material wealth?
Or they bring in Eastern Mysticism, and Transcendental Meditation, and they
teach that those things that the Bible calls “sin” aren’t really sins, and that
the only sin anyone can commit is when they call sin “sin”. And the sad part
is, when you examine their teachings, and their doctrines are found to be
wanting of any truth, their acolytes claim that the one doing the examining is
the one causing division. But in all reality, the one who is bringing in the
destructive heresies is the one who is truly causing division. The one who is teaching against Christ is the
one we should be taking outside the church and leaving them to their own
devices until one of two things happens: they will either (a) see their
pernicious errors and come back in repentance and sorrow, or (b) they will
creep more closely to Satan’s side.
Paul told the Corinthians they needed to do that very thing. A man was having relations with his stepmother, and instead of removing that one from their midst, they were actually encouraging it. 1st Corinthians 5:1-2—1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. Look at what Paul is telling them. He’s saying “Get that sinful person out from among you!” Then what are they to do once they remove them? 1st Corinthians 5:4-5—4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Then once he is put out of the church, and handed over to Satan that he may see the fullness of his sins, we are not to have any fellowship with such a one. 1st Corinthians 5:11—But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. Steven Lawson—
“The church in Corinth is not to associate; they are not to fellowship with the so-called brother who has been put out of the church. There are to be ramifications for his continued choices of sin. He is to be cut off from all privileges of fellowship among the believers. He is to be painted into a corner where he is there, by himself with the devil.”
[note--I wrote this before all that came about with him came to light. His actions do not change the truth of his words. And actually, they seem to be rather prophetic, seeing as he is now being shunned by many]
Now you may be asking, “But that’s for sexual sins. This man in Leviticus was killed for blasphemy.” But I say there is no difference. Is not the one who claims to be saved, by default, taking to himself the name of the Lord Christ? Is he not claiming to be Christian and, therefore, under the headship of Jesus? So then, if this one who has taken the name of Christ continues in his sin, refuses to turn away from that sin, and is one that John describes as being among those who went out from us, but were not of us (1st John 2:19). These have, in fact, “taken the name of the LORD in vain.” These are the ones that the church today does not want to offend. They don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. They don’t want to look like the “bad guys.” So they will rather offend God than offend man. They are friends of the world rather than friends of God (James 4:4-6). Matthew Henry—“He who will act upon this principle, to keep the smiles of the world, and to have its continual friendship, cannot but show himself, in spirit, and in his actions too, an enemy to God.”
So now that brings us to Leviticus chapter 25. This chapter has four major themes: (1) the seventh-year Sabbath for the land, (2) the Year of Jubilee, (3) Redemption of people and property, and (4) the treatment of the poor among them. We are not going to go through this chapter so much verse-by-verse, but rather we will treat the various themes, since they are interwoven with each other.
The first theme we’re going to look at is the seventh-year Sabbath for the land. Leviticus 25:1-7, 18-22—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. 6 And the Sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, 7 for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food…18 So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. 20 And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?" 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.”
Now, this was a command that was not for the time when it was spoken. Notice what God says in verse 2. “When you come into the land which I give you…” This was for when they would take the land of Canaan. In Exodus, God equates this seventh-year Sabbath for the land with the seventh-day Sabbath for the people, their servants and their livestock. Exodus 23:10-12—“10 Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.” The people were to rest on the seventh day of the week. Their servants were to rest on the seventh day of the week. Their livestock were to rest on the seventh day of the week. But what about the land? Doesn't the land need to rest also? So the people were to store up produce from the sixth year—which God promised would be enough for three years—eat that through not only the seventh but also the eighth year (they were to sow seed in the eighth year), and then eat the harvest of the ninth year. What was God trying to teach the people? The same thing He tried to teach them with the manna in Exodus 16—trust in Him to supply their food. That’s all they had to do with the manna. Just trust that God would provide it, one day after another (and twice on Friday)—and God would give them all they needed.
BUT. As I asked the question before, so I ask it now. Doesn't the land need to rest also? Yes it does. Unfortunately, there would come a time during Israel’s history when would not allow their land to rest and lay fallow. And God would punish them for this insubordination. Turn to 2nd Chronicles 36:11-14—11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. 13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. Zedekiah was an evil king, four generations removed from Josiah. After Josiah came Jehoahaz, then Jehoakim, Jehoachin, Zedekiah. And it was under Zedekiah that Judah’s captivity under the yoke of the Babylonians was completed. It began under Jehoakim; it was finished under Zedekiah. Now before we get too far into the Babylonian captivity, let me point out something. In Leviticus 24, we talked about blaspheming, and taking the name of YHVH in vain. Now look what Zedekiah did in verse 13. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. There are some who would say, “Well, but he made that oath under duress. Besides, Nebuchadnezzar was an evil man; certainly God wouldn’t punish him for making an oath under such extreme circumstances.” But He did. God did hold him accountable, and for this Judah was taken away captive to Babylon.
And lest you ask why God allowed Babylon to take Judah captive, let me point out this fact: God did not simply allow Judah to be overrun by the Chaldeans—He empowered the Chaldeans to overtake her. 2nd Chronicles 36:15-17—15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. Read the first part of verse 17 again. He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans. Who brought the king of the Chaldeans against Judah? God did! God fought against the people of Judah! And He used the Chaldeans, a most vile and despicable people, to inflict punishment upon them! But that is the lesson for us—if you fight against God, God will fight against you. Do you really want to fight God? How on earth do you think you would ever win that battle? And yet here, God, Judah’s only refuge turned His back on her. He would not fight for her. He fought—actively fought—against His own people. Can you think of any fate more sad than to be abandoned by God? To know that He is handing you over to be subjected to such a yoke as Babylon would put upon the neck of Judah?
And yet it was not simply the sin of a broken oath that brought about Judah’s calamity. The other main motivating factor that led to God’s judgment on the house of Judah was this: they had not allowed their land to lay fallow and enjoy her Sabbaths. 2nd Chronicles 36:18-21—18 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. When the writer speaks of the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah he is speaking of the prophecy found in Jeremiah 25:9-12 (Jeremiah prophesied during that period of time recorded in the parallel passages of 2nd Kings 22-25 and 2nd Chronicles 34-36). Now, commentators and scholars have debated whether the “seventy years” in 2nd Chronicles 36:21 means (a) that the land had missed seventy sabbaths over a period of 490 years, and the 70 year captivity was meant to repay one year for each seventh-year Sabbath which they neglected (70 X 7 years), or (b) they had neglected ten seventh-year Sabbaths, and God was granting the land 70 years to make up for the 70 lost Sabbaths. Whichever the case may be, God Himself punished the people for breaking the Sabbath He had declared the land should be allowed. And He did so by using a people like the Babylonians.
Now, while we’re talking about God cursing the people for their neglect in not allowing their land to lay fallow, let’s look at Leviticus 26. The 26th chapter of Leviticus outlines the blessings and cursings God would bring about for the people’s obedience or disobedience, respectively. We are not going to go through the whole chapter right now, but we do need to see how the Babylonian captivity was in fact a result of their neglect of the seventh-year Sabbath. God tells the people that if they rebel against Him, He will send warnings and pestilence and robbers to steal their harvest. And then He tells them that if they still don’t obey, and if they still don’t allow their land to lay fallow, He paints them about as vivid a picture of the aforementioned Babylonian captivity as He possibly could without simply mentioning the Babylonians by name. In Leviticus 25:18 He promises “So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety.” But listen to what He promises in Leviticus 26, and see if this sounds familiar. Leviticus 26:27-35—“‘27 And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. 32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. 34 Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest—for the time it did not rest on your Sabbaths when you dwelt in it.’” (we will read more about this when we get there) He tells them exactly what is going to happen if they ignore the Sabbath for the land—and then when they do neglect it, he causes to pass exactly what He promised. This is a God who tells the truth, and when He promises something will happen—whether good or bad—mark His words, it will happen!!
