The Blasphemous Son

In the Nadab and Abihu narrative, we learned that we need an eternal atonement to atone for our flesh.  We need a Messiah.  Lev 24:10-23 contains the second narrative, that of the blasphemous son.

The first and second narratives share certain details:  1) The sons die because they defile the tabernacle and are removed from the camp 2) A son with 2 ethnicities dies because he blasphemes the Name of YHWH and is removed from the camp.  But that’s not all.

The first narrative interrupts the instruction and process of consecrating the tabernacle.  The second story interrupts the instructions for feasts days – chapter 23 explains the annual feasts and chapter 25 explains the cyclical feasts (schmita and jubilee).  This seems an abrupt and unnecessary interruption.  So what’s going on? 

The story begins and ends with YHWH speaking, and references to “the one who cursed” and him being stoned.  In the middle there’s a whole bunch of  “as he has done, so it is done to him” – eye for eye, tooth for tooth, fracture for fracture, blemish for blemish, strike for strike, death for death.  And the exact center is: The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death (16b) That doesn’t clear things up much. What larger principle can we infer from these instructions?

First, the blasphemous son has mixed lineage – Israelite and Egyptian.  Our origins do not change the expectations or consequences of our behavior because the law is for the sojourner and the native. (Ex 12:49; Lev 24:22; Rom 11:23)

Second, and this is not as straight forward, the Name of YHWH isn’t defiled, it’s blasphemed.  Now, defiled would have been a perfectly acceptable verb and very helpful in connecting the two stories.  Instead, he blasphemes the Name.  I have a much larger study on blasphemy but for now, let me say that blasphemy is related to speech that tears down the community.  This example is no different.  The young man is cursing YHWH!  If that attitude is allowed to continue and spread, it will destroy the community.  It has to be removed.

Going a bit deeper, in verses 16, 17, and 21 we are given 2 times when someone “shall certainly be put to death.”  The first is a person who blasphemes the Name of YHWH and the other is a person who strikes a man to death.  In this, we see that blaspheming the Name has the same punishment as killing a man!  “As he does, so it is done to him…” 

With these two ideas, we see that we are all in this together – sojourner and native.  And that how we treat others is directly tied to how we feel about YHWH (1 Jn 4:20).

Lastly, why is the punishment stoning?  In some places YHWH says “he shall be put to death” but here the punishment for blasphemy is specified “all the congregation shall stone him.” Why?

Why the stoning?  We are the living stones. (1 Pet 2:5)  Blasphemy against YHWH will destroy the community so “as he has done, so it be done to him.”  The community of stones destroys him.

If this is the end of the story – this eye-for-an eye, tooth-for-a tooth mentality - what hope do we have? Don’t we all blaspheme His Name?  Don’t we all occasionally walk contrary to our professions of faith? Don’t we all we speak of things we ought not?  Of course we do!  We are flesh and the good we wish to do, we do not. (Rom 8:19)

We need a final solution to allow us to reconcile with one another eternally and completely.  We need a final solution to allow us to draw near to YHWH eternally and completely. But YHWH knew this.  He needed us to realize it. Messiah, the one appointed to reconcile all of creation, has always been his plan but we needed to recognize our need. (Just like Adam needed to recognize his need for a partner.)

Leviticus gives us instructions for drawing near to YHWH through our interactions with Him and our neighbors.  The true offering is hidden in the structure of the text. Nothing but the    precious blood of Messiah, as a lamb unblemished and spotless, foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world. (1 Pet 1:18-20)  So let us draw near with clean hearts and a pure conscience.  (Heb 10:22)

Eph 2:1-16 But now, in Messiah you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. For He is our peace, who has made both one (the flesh and the spirt), and having broken down the partition of barrier (given us access), having abolished in His flesh the enmity – the Torah of commands in dogma – so as to create in Himself one renewed man from the two, thus making peace, and to completely restore to favor both them unto Elohim in one body through the stake, having destroyed the enmity by it.

See the chiastic structure on the website.