leviticus 24 and 25

Read Leviticus 24 and 25 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions for today’s chapters are:

Lev 24:1-4 {p} The law of the tending the menorah
Lev 24:5-9 {s} The law of tending the showbread
Lev 24:10-12 {p} The Egyptian’s son who blasphemed YHVH
Lev 24:13-23 {p} The law of the death penalty
Lev 25:1-7 {s} The law of the seventh year Sabbath of the land
Lev 25:8-24 {s} The law of the 50th year of Jubilee
Lev 25:25-28 {s} the law of redemption of land in the year of Jubilee
Lev 25:29-34 {s} The law of redemption of houses in the year of Jubilee
Lev 25:35-38 {s} The law of lending to the poor of the children of Israel
Lev 25:39-46 {s} The law of redemption of servants of the children of Israel
Lev 25:47-26:2 {p} The law of the redemption price of the children of Israel

Today’s reading forms a chiastic structure with yesterday’s reading:

Lev 23:1-26:2
1a) Lev 23:1-24:9, The law of the Sabbath + Feasts + Menorah + Showbread;

1b) Lev 24:19-12, The son of the Egyptian who blasphemed the LORD;

central axis) Lev 24:13-22, The law of the death penalty;

2b) Lev 24:23, The death of he who blasphemed the LORD;

2a) Lev 25:1-26:2, Israel shall keep YHVH’s Sabbaths + reverence YHVH’s sanctuary.

Notice that the central axis, is that which brings death.

Surrounding the central axis is the B pair. Notice that the one who blasphemed had an Israelite mother but an Egyptian father. Why is this detail in Scripture? It is Scripture’s way of pointing out that this man was not of the children of Israel but of Egypt! Leaving aside for now the importance of fathers in passing the spiritual legacy and heritage to the next generation (Scripture says that the son does as he sees his father doing, not as he sees his mother doing), let us remember that Israel is a type of the family and children of God, the kingdom of heaven, while Egypt is a type of the children of the world and the kingdom of darkness! It was the son of an Egyptian who blasphemed the LORD and incurred death.

Is not this the gospel? Those who remain in their nature as Egyptians, i.e., unconverted, do not enter the kingdom of heaven and do not receive resurrection life by grace through faith, but they remain in their death because of their sins.

Surrounding all of this, is the law of the Sabbath, and the law of the Sabbaths! Sabbath is a beautiful picture of rest in Messiah, of grace through faith (Israel has to exercise faith and trust in YHVH to not work on the 7th day and to not sow their fields in the 7th year, and to cancel debts in the Jubilee!). The 7th day, the 7th year, and the Jubilee, all the Sabbaths, prophesy of the 7th millennium of REST we will enjoy under the kingship of Messiah Yeshua! Not only that, but the law of the Jubilee is the law of redemption from bondage!

What is Scripture saying? Literally, the physical structure of this chiastic structure is proclaiming death swallowed up in life, in Messiah, in grace, in rest, in not working to earn salvation, in trust, in faith, in honor and obedience of the LORD for He is God (yes, obedience walks hand in hand with faith and rest)!

The law of the Sabbath is the law of grace, in other words! It is not what we have been taught, if we have been taught Sabbath rest is a heavy burden and a dead obligation! When we rest every 7th day with joy, we proclaim our salvation by grace through faith as a free gift! We proclaim His coming until He comes!