Don't Blaspheme God’s Name

Rev. Jeffrey Ries, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Leviticus 24:1-23.

The LORD speaks to Moses concerning two furnishings in the tabernacle: the golden lampstand and the table for the bread of the presence. These proclaimed Christ as the light of the world and the bread of life. When a man who was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man blasphemed the name of the LORD, the people made sure that they dealt with him according to the LORD’s Word. The LORD revealed that such a curse bore the penalty of death, for to blaspheme God’s name was equal to seeking to take His life. The LORD gives the law of retaliation in order to make sure justice is done and limit the sinful desire for revenge. Christ is the One who has borne the curse of the Law for us sinners.

“The Holiness of God” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Leviticus. Because God desired to dwell among His sinful people for their blessing rather than their destruction, He gave them the sacrifices and regulations of Leviticus to bestow His holiness upon them. In this way, the book of Leviticus points us to Christ who is our great High Priest who offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to make us holy before God.