Daily Bread for Feb 9, Lev 24-25

Today's readings are Lev 24-25.

Lev 24:1-4 speaks of the lamps in the Tabernacle which are to remain lit continuously, a symbol that the light of the world will never go out. Likewise, the bread is a "perpetual due"(Lev 24:5-9) showing the "bread of life" is limitless and never-ending.

Punishment for blaspheming the name of the Lord is severe (Lev 24:10-14). God will not be mocked or taken casually. We also see that the laws of God apply to the Jew and those who are not Jewish (Lev 24:16). This includes everybody! In this universal law, we see that being apart from the people of God does not exempt one from His judgment. There is no one who can say, “He is not my God.”

When judgment comes, the punishment must fit the crime (Lev 24:17-22). Not only is God's perfect justice established but we see the just and fit punishment of death for sin. In these cases, the penalty for blasphemy and disobedience to God applies to everyone (Lev 24:22-23). The only way to escape doom, since all have sinned, is to obtain mercy and grace from the Judge.

Lev 25:1-7 repeats the divine cycle of six and one we saw in Genesis 1-2, six periods of work/productivity, one period of rest. Just as God worked, then rested, so must His people. This applies to their daily lives, their yearly cycles, and even their crops. It is all meant to emulate an eternal promise:  His children work now, then obtain rest later.

Everything belongs to God, even the land. He has given them the land to live on but, just as everything else in creation belongs to Him, so does the land. If God gives a gift, like He does with the land, the only One with the authority to reallocate that gift is God. Any other arrangement made between men is temporary. So, every seven years, the land reverts to whom He initially gave it (Lev 25:8-12). This not only reminds us of who owns the land but also reflects our time on earth as being temporary. Our permanent home is with Him, in heaven. We are nomads, sojourners here.

Even the crops that come from the land belong to God. He is to be honored and obeyed in how the crops are grown and used (Lev 25:13-22). The land is to be given a rest for a year, after six years of productivity, in that same godly cycle of six periods of work and one period of rest.

Provision is made for the redemption of the poor and the freeing of slaves (Lev 25:35-55). This is a reminder that the nation of Israel went to Egypt poor, was enslaved, then set free. But it's also an homage to the truth that God's people are meant to be free in Him. It points to a day when all who call upon Him as Lord and Savior will be made rich in the Spirit and set free from sin.