The Holy Name

Leviticus 24 opens with the daily and weekly care of the holy place. The people supplied pure olive oil beaten for the light, so the lamps could burn continually before Yahweh. The priest also baked twelve cakes and set them in two rows on the pure gold table, with frankincense as a memorial. Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually. The bread represented the twelve tribes held in God's presence by an everlasting covenant.

The narrative that follows is sobering. During a fight, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man blasphemed the Name and cursed. Moses did not act on his own; the man was held in custody until Yahweh's will should be declared to them. God commanded that he be put to death, showing that to curse God was a grave offense against the holy One who dwelt among them.

God then stated principles of justice: whoever takes a human life must face justice, and injury must be repaid in kind, life for life and eye for eye. This principle limited penalties to what was fair, and it applied to the community's courts, not personal vengeance. You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born. Jesus later taught His disciples not to retaliate personally, but to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-39). He Himself is the light of the world and the bread of life (John 8:12; 6:35).