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Leviticus 24 Overview

Leviticus 24 is one complete thought. The next thought begins with “And YHVH spoke to Moses in Mount Sinai saying…” in chapter 25. 

Leviticus 24 is divided into three subsections: caring for the menorah, baking and placing the show bread, and punishment for the blasphemer. Each new section begins with the Hebrew word vav meaning “and,” which expresses a new thought, but is also a continuation of the previous thought. What do these three sections have to do with each other?

The menorah is a spiritual picture of Yeshua and the redeemed believer. It is also a prophetic picture of Yeshua who is the tree of life to which each redeemed Israelite is attached and draws his spiritual sustenance through the Spirit of Elohim. (Yeshua is the vine and the saints are his branches, John 15:1.) The gold in the menorah represents pure, godly character of righteousness. A menorah produces heat and light through its flame. Light represents the fruit of the Spirit of Elohim, and heat represents the power of the gifts of the Spirit. This is how a saint reaches the world: he is a light in the darkness around him and lets his light shine through the fruit of the spirit, and then reaches the world through the supernatural power gifts of the Spirit. The menorah also represents the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot when YHVH gave his people his Torah instructions in righteousness, and then latter wrote his Torah on their hearts by his Spirit in Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost.

The show bread is a picture of redeemed Israel (the twelve tribes) bringing the bread of life, the Word of Elohim, to the world. The bread was covered in frankincense representing the prayers of the saints not only praising YHVH, but interceding for those who are spiritually lost.

The death of the young blasphemer is what happens when parents don’t raise their children correctly by reaching out to them with the truth of Torah—they blaspheme Elohim and are killed in judgment. Perhaps the Israelite woman had married an Egyptian who was not a believer in Elohim and the Torah and thus she was unequally yoked with a heathen unbeliever. Perhaps they were both followers of Elohim, but they raised their child incorrectly by not teaching him the lover and fear of Elohim—giving him the spiritual bread of life (represented by the table of  showbread). Either way, the Israelite woman (a picture of the church) was not discipling her child in the word of Elohim and not being a spiritual light to him (represented by the menorah) and she lost her child because of it. How many redeemed believers (and church leaders) spiritually abort their children because they didn’t properly disciple or raise them in the Torah-Word of Elohim?

Leviticus 24:10–23, The punishment must meet the crime.This section of Scripture teaches us that the greater the sin, the greater penalty. Less intense sins (like cursing, v. 11) require a lighter penalty (v. 15), while the sin of blasphemy against Elohim (v. 11) required the death penalty (v. 16). This passage then goes on to mention various other sins showing the same principle. While the Bible presents the view that all sin is evil, will separate man from Elohim, and ultimately brings a death penalty, it also teaches that temporal penalties for sins vary depending on the gravity of the sin. This information is important to know so that earthly judges when adjudicating the law will judge fairly when meting out sentences for crimes committed.

Leviticus 24:15–16, Curse…blaspheme.Cursing Elohim received had specified penalty attached to it, while blaspheming Elohim was a capital crime. What is the difference between sins cursing and blasphemy?

Curse is the Hebrew word qalal meaning “(lit.) to be light, or (fig.) to trifle, make light of, despise.”

Blaspheme on the other hand is the Hebrew word nawkab meaning “(lit.) to violently puncture, perforated, or (fig.) to blaspheme, curse, pierce, strike through, puncture with holes.” Blasphemy is a more intense or violent form of cursing showing purposeful and malicious intent on the part of the perpetrator.