Chapter 24

Lamps were to be kept burning with olive oil, right outside the veil.  They were to burn from evening to morning, continuously, always, for all their generations.  What is that holiday about this...the feast that was added...It was Hanukah, when the lamp miraculously burned in the second temple during the Maccabean revolt.  They made it a holiday because it burned so long on so little oil.

Shewbread, I think.  12 loaves on the golden table, two piles of six each.  Triangle.  Large loaves, about 4.4 liters per loaf.  Not sure how many cups that is, but I think it is a lot.  It was to be replaced every Sabbath day.  Aaron and his sons were to eat the "week old bread"?  and then place fresh on the table?  That seems to be how it is understood.  I know that David and his men will decide to eat this bread at a future time when David is on the run, and I know that Jesus uses this as an example of how the Sabbath is for man in the NT, as it always has been.

Vs 10 begins a narrative of an event.  First one of those we've seen in Leviticus in quite a while.  But the book is at least to some extent historical. 

Penalty for blasphemy is stoning, circumstances don't matter.  This woman's son is brought outside the camp. all those who heard him blaspheme God's name, or "the Name", lay their hands on him, and then all the congregation stones him until he is dead.  Serious stuff.

There is a long explanation of how punishment for crimes will be an eye for an eye.  As one does so shall it be done to him.  If he breaks another's arm, his arm is to be broken and so on.  Animals killed are to be replaced with a like animal, and so on.  At the end of this, it says they brought the son out and stoned him as commanded.  Why is all the information about eye for eye inserted before the story is finished?  Is blasphemy being equated with violence against God.  God was blasphemed, so the earthly equivalent for man is stoning? 

MSB has no comment about it.  It does mention that the son was restrained until his punishment could be determined.  MSB points out that no punishment for these sins was in place.  No prison, no time served.  The penalty if you were guilty was death.  Today.

2022 - Vss 17-22 we could call the "eye for an eye" section.  But it seems that the main idea of this section is to absolutely, strongly discourage violence as a way of settling disputes.  It would also strongly discourage fighting for any reason.  God does not like violence for interpersonal disputes.  Israel will take Canaan from those who live there by force and by violence.  So God makes a distinction between organized violence in war and one on one violence.  He uses the first, but prohibits the second.