Jesus, God in flesh, made seven I AM statements as recorded in the John’s gospel;

• I am the bread of life. 6:35, 48, 51.
• I am the light of the world. 8:12; 9:5.
• I am the door of the sheep. 10:7, 9.
• I am the good shepherd. 10:11, 14.
• I am the resurrection and the life. 11:25.
• I am the way, the truth, and the life. 14:6.
• I am the true vine.

The fact that this “I am” statement is given before the Savior’s earthly ministry emphasizes that Jesus Christ would fulfill his divine mission to atone for the sins of humankind.  It is interesting to me that the first two I AM statements of bread and light parallel the priests’ work of keeping the lights burning continually with sustaining bread always available “as lasting covenants” between God and His People.  Jesus came and declared HE was the Light of the World that dispels all Darkness.  He is the Bread of Life that sustains all who believe and hunger and thirst for righteousness.  With Jesus; there is no reason to stumble around in the dark!

When God gives a name for His people to call Him it conveys His dominion over all things, the source of His power, and His eternal nature: I AM. He is the self-sufficient, self-sustaining God who was, who is, and who will be. This eternal nature is conveyed better in the Hebrew than in the English.

I AM, God spoke to Moses.  Remember the time Moses fled Egypt and lived in Midian for forty years? It was in Moses’ self-imposed exile that God came to him and spoke through a burning bush. Moses asked God for His name, so he will have an answer when the people of Israel ask. In English, God’s answer is translated as “I AM WHO I AM … tell them I AM has sent me to you.”  I AM also means I exist, I have existed, and will always exist.  The name of I AM is how God chose to introduce himself, becoming so sacred that in Judaism, the name is not to be spoken. The significance of God’s self-given name encompasses all that He is, and how we are to relate to Him.  So, it is no wonder the punishment is harsh when anyone curses God by His Name. 

God is the Giver of Life.  When another human decides to take a life God has created; God intervenes.  So, with these understandings, let’s read on…

Leviticus 24

Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord

The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. ³ Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. ⁴ The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually.

⁵ “Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. ⁶ Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. ⁷ By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. ⁸ This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.”

A Blasphemer Put to Death

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) ¹² They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. ¹⁵ Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

¹⁷ “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. ¹⁸ Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. ¹⁹ Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. ²¹ Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. ²² You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.’”

²³ Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In this chapter, the Lord gave Moses instructions concerning three holy things: the holy oil for the lampstand, the holy bread for the table, and the holy name of the Lord, which all the people were to honor.  We are reminded of one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses that specifically says; “Do not take the Lord’s Name in vain.”  Do not swear by God’s Name saying “God is my witness” for example, as explained in Exodus 20:7.

THE OIL – The people of Israel were to provide the oil for the priests to keep the lamps burning.  There was a method of extracting olive oil by heat, but beating or crushing the olives and straining out the impurities produced the best olive oil. The God of Israel deserves the very best.  God gave His best to us!

Warren Wierbe writes of the parallel of Jesus;

“Jesus is the light (Luke 2:32; John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 9:5), and only through Him can we see and appreciate spiritual things. The apostle John compared local churches to individual gold lampstands that are supposed to shine and bear witness in their cities (Revelation 1:12, 20. (See also; Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15).  Many a local church has had its light go out before both God and the world because of the unfaithfulness of the leaders and/or members. They failed to pray, give, and allow the Holy Spirit to use them. If the light is to be kept burning, somebody must provide the oil.” –Wiersbe Study Bible

THE BREAD – From the priest’s viewpoint, the loaves of bread sustained life and maybe reminded him that what God called him to be and do was basic, for real people. Being somewhat isolated in the tabernacle day after day; the priests could easily get “out of touch” with the people they were representing before God.  Isolation is easy prey for the devil to convince them of their importance as priests and lead them to believe that they were better than everyone else. 

Bread is common.  So, why bread on the table of the Lord God in the Holy Place? The presence of bread in the tabernacle assures us that God is concerned about the practical things of our lives and that there’s no such thing as “secular” and “sacred” in the Christian life. Believers live one life for God alone.

FUN FACT:  Later, we will read of young David who is escaping King Saul who has gone insane because God’s Holy Spirit was no longer on Saul.  David and his men were hiding out in the Temple and were hungry.  They ate the “holy bread”!  Read this story in 1 Samuel 21:1-6.  Yes, God’s Word ties together from beginning to end!  Fascinating!

The main emphasis of Leviticus 24 is: Our God is a holy God and we must honor Him, whether in bringing our offerings and gifts to Him or by respecting His very name. The Lord doesn’t execute blasphemers today, but there is coming a day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts will be revealed, and then God will “render to each one according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6). 

We must pause to respond to God with repentance followed by humbled praise for His forgiveness of all our sins.  God seeks hearts who seek Him to be made holy and pure. God’s Holy Spirit who lives in all believers of Jesus; calls us to repentance by convicting us of sin; confronts us with Truth; comforts us with healing; and then compels us to live life to the full with God in the lead!  As we respond to God in His way; His gift of peace descends and falls over our whole being.  What a great and gracious God we have!  Thank you, Jesus, for your mission to save the world, forgiving all who repent— of whom I am one of them.

Lord,

Thank you for who you are to us! Thank for reminding us who we are to you! Thank you for helping us see that you, dear Jesus, were there at the beginning and will be there at the end of the ages.  From Genesis to Revelation, you are the God who was, is and always will be.  And you are the God who is Present and sits beside me to guide my thoughts.  Lord, God of all; Come and fill all of me.

In Jesus Name, for our good and Your Glory, Amen!