Leviticus 24 Devotional

A Name Kept Holy

“You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’””Leviticus 24:22 (BSB)

The chapter opens inside the tent, where the lamps burn continually before the LORD and twelve loaves are set out every Sabbath on behalf of Israel (24:2-8). Then the scene moves to the camp, where a fight breaks out and a man curses the Name of the LORD (24:10-11). The people hold him until God makes his will clear, rather than deciding on their own (24:12).

The verdict is death outside the camp, and it is hard to read. It shows how seriously God regards contempt for his name. The laws that follow apply one standard to the foreigner and the native alike, matching each penalty to the injury done (24:16-22). God's justice has no favorites. Jesus taught his disciples to begin their prayers by asking that the Father's name be honored as holy (Matthew 6:9). The God who keeps a lamp burning for his people is worth speaking of with reverence, and your words about him are a daily way to honor him.

To think about: How do you speak about God when you are frustrated or careless, and what would honoring his name look like in your words today?