Daily Prayer Devotional for Women and Men

Devotional

(From Scripture Union)

A CANDLE IN THE NIGHT

Pray

Thank you, Gracious God, that I can always enter into your presence freely, knowing that I am welcome.

Read

LEVITICUS 24

Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord 24 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[a] 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[b] 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.

Footnotes Leviticus 24:5 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms Leviticus 24:7 Or representative

Meditate

Consider

Is there anything that dims your light?

Think Further

Christian, in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress,1 was shown a fire burning against a wall in the house of the Interpreter. Someone kept pouring water upon the fire to quench it, but it burned higher and hotter. The Interpreter then revealed the secret: on the other side of the wall was someone else continually pouring oil to animate the fire. An important part of the priests’ duties is to keep the light shining on a lampstand of pure gold before the Lord, even through the darkest night. Oil often stands for the work of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. This is what enables us to keep the lamp of our testimony burning, whatever the enemy may throw at us.

As we read stories of Christians being falsely accused under blasphemy laws in some countries, what are we to make of the death sentence on a man for taking the name of God in vain in a dispute with an Israelite (vv. 10–17)? Several factors in the story are worthy of note. First, the people took care to ascertain God’s will in the matter (vv. 11, 12). There was no distinction between foreigners and Israelites (v. 22). God’s immutable attributes are bound to his name; his commandments are not empty suggestions (vv. 15, 16). Finally, bearing in mind the concept of progressive revelation, we must remember that this was appropriate at that time and in that place – we must not judge the past with what pertains today.

The way it applies to us is on the basis of New Testament revelation. There we read of how Jesus Christ demonstrated grace to the woman caught in adultery. Grace does not reduce the sinfulness of sin in the sight of God. Noteworthy is the conclusion of that story: ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’2

Apply

‘This little light of mine, / I’m gonna let it shine!’3

Pray

Lord Jesus, I lift up those serving you in places where your name is not honored, where it is dangerous to speak of your name. I ask for protection, for courage, and for victories won for eternity.