“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.…these things ought not to be so” (Jas 3:10).
When we first look at Leviticus 24, it appears to be a bunch of leftovers. Suddenly the Lord reminds the people to donate “pure oil of pressed olives for the light” (v 2), and to make sure the high priest fills “the pure gold lampstand” (v 4) each evening and morning. Oh, and also “take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it.…You shall set them in two rows…on the pure gold table before the Lord” (vv 5-6). Don’t forget “pure frankincense on each row” (v 7), and “Aaron and his sons…shall eat it in a holy place” (v 9). Notice the emphasis on the word “pure.” But haven’t we been told all this? Yes, but God never tires of making sure that His people are equipped with the light of testimony and the food of fellowship. We must maintain a bright light of witness in our dark world. Like the menorah in the tabernacle, we’re the only light the world has, and “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor 4:3-4). But we also need to feed! How crucial that we’re not just giving out but taking in. Shining God’s light and eating God’s bread are essential priestly work and, like the priests, we need to do it daily. Now the rest of the chapter is a striking contrast. A man with a Jewish mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight and cursed God in doing so (Lev 24:10-16, 23). Judgment was sure; the man must be executed. Such a blight could not be allowed to spread. This is the first and only occasion where we hear of this happening, but it shows how serious it is to take the Lord’s name in vain, something our society should learn. So it’s blessing or cursing; you choose!