Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God.” So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
– Leviticus 24:10-23
Devotion
The name of the Lord was to be kept Holy by the people of Israel, as it should today. When Shelomith’s son fought with another man of Israel and blasphemed the Name of the LORD, the son was put in custody to determine what punishment fit the crime. The verdict? Death.
It should be noted that the punishment of death was not due to the fighting, but due to the blasphemy of the Name of the LORD. This verdict of death for profaning the Holy name of the LORD is the same as that for murder in the following section.
The law provided that the sentence matched the crime. Equal restitution was required for the crime. In God’s court of judgment, blasphemy of God’s Holy name was a direct attack on His character and Holiness and was to be punishable by death.
The Big Question
Do you revere God’s name as much as you revere another person’s life, or does profaning his name often times go unnoticed?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.