For some reason, I don't know
what, but for some reason, we do our dead-level best to make
people comfortable in their unbelief, especially those who are dearest
to us in an earthly sense, children, parents, siblings. We want to
make them comfortable their unbelief. But this is how things stand. You're either a worshiper of
the Lord Jesus Christ or you're a blasphemer. There's no in-between
ground. I'm either a worshiper of the
Lord Jesus Christ or I'm a blasphemer. There is no in-between ground. My subject tonight is the death
of a blasphemer. In Leviticus chapter 24, we meet
with this word blasphemy for the first time in scripture.
Our text is Leviticus 24, verses 10 through 23. Blasphemy is the
cursing of God. And the cursing of God brings
death. eternal death under the wrath
of God. Let me remind you a little bit
of the background before we look at our text. There are only three
historical events recorded in the entire book of Leviticus,
just three historic events. Each event is significant and
directly connected with God's instruction concerning his worship,
concerning faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The first historic
event is the consecration of Aaron and his sons as the priest
of God in chapters eight and nine. The Aaronic priesthood,
of course, represents our Lord Jesus Christ, our great high
priest, specifically Aaron as the high priest of Israel, foreshadowed
Christ as our high priest. He is that one divinely chosen,
divinely equipped, divinely anointed, divinely approved, and divinely
accepted. Only Aaron could make intercession
as the priest in the Holy of Holies for the children of Israel.
and only Christ can make intercession for sinners before the throne
of God and give sinners acceptance with the holy Lord God. Because
he abides ever, he is able to save to the uttermost all who
come to God by him. Aaron's sons, of course, represent
the church and kingdom of God, that holy priesthood of believers
who serve God in the holy place day and night all the time. We
are that priesthood. Like Aaron's sons, we wear the
garments of the priesthood, the garments of salvation, perfect
righteousness, perfect holiness, provided for us, made for us,
given to us, and put upon us by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
These priests were specifically chosen men, and we are gods by
his own choice, by his election. They were priests because they
were Aaron's sons, and we are priests because we're God's sons
in Christ. They were accepted as priests
because of a slain sacrifice, and we are accepted as God's
priests because of Christ, our sacrifice, our Passover, who
sacrificed for us. They're priests who lived continually
upon the altar, and we, being born of God and taught of God,
live continually upon the Lord Jesus Christ. priests. They were
who served God and served his people continually and that's
the life of believers. It is a life as servants of God. A life serving God and serving
one another. The second historic event recorded
in Leviticus is found in chapter 10. It is the death of Aaron's
two sons Nadab and Abihu because they offered strange fire before
the Lord. We're not told what fire they
offered. The scriptures don't give us
any indication. We're not told where they got it. It doesn't
matter. They brought to God something God had not provided, something
God had not required, something of their own device and their
own invention. And God Almighty will not accept
what you and I produce. He will not accept the works
of the flesh. He will not accept anything except
Jesus Christ and his perfect righteousness. And the third
historic thing recorded in the book of Hebrews, we have in our
text this evening. Verses 10 through 23 of Leviticus
24. It is the stoning of Shelomith's
son for blasphemy. Those who blaspheme the name
of God curse him, denying that he alone is God. And they are destroyed by him. Though this unnamed wretch had
a Hebrew mother, his father was an Egyptian. and following the
path of his pagan father, he preferred both the gods and the
people and the ways of Egypt to the God of Israel, the God
of glory and the people of God. Now Moses has been giving us,
by divine inspiration, instructions about the worship of God. This
whole section, he's teaching us how to worship God in these
symbols, these types, these pictures in the Old Testament tabernacle.
He's spoken about the golden candlestick, speaking of Christ,
the light of the world, the only light there is by which men and
women know God and know themselves. He spoke about the golden table
of showbread, and Christ Jesus being himself the bread of life
for us. Those 12 loaves of bread, because
in Christ, there's bread enough and to spare for all God's Israel. And the bread being ordered and
maintained by the priest with pure frankincense sprinkled upon
it. The sweet incense of Christ, giving acceptance to God's people
by his merit, by the efficacy of his blood, his righteousness,
and his intercession. He spoke of the oil in the lamps.
And the bread on the table, things taken from the children of God. Speaking specifically of things
that were necessary to life. Telling us that God's people
come to God trusting Christ and as we do, we bring to him our
lives. We surrender ourselves to him. Faith in Christ. nothing less
than the surrender of my life to Jesus Christ the Lord. It
is the bringing of myself to Jesus Christ as my Lord. Now all that was done in the
tabernacle. All access to God was by these
appointed priests. The whole tabernacle service
was a constant display to all who observed it. of man's separation
from God by reason of his sin and God's holiness. It was a
display of God's absolute right as the God of glory to sovereignty
and dominion and authority. God alone has the right to prescribe
law, civil and spiritual. displayed salvation by God's
free sovereign grace through the merits of the substitute.
God has appointed, God has given, and God has accepted. It constantly
set before men our constant need of grace, our constant need of
Christ, our constant need of God's intervention and God's
provision. And then here in our text this
evening, There's a strange interruption. Moses seems to tell us something
that has nothing to do with what's in the context. He has been giving
us instruction about worshiping God, using pictures of Christ,
redemption, grace, and salvation. When we get to chapter 25, he
picks up with that very same thing, talking about Sabbath
days and other ceremonies. But here, he talks about an act
of blasphemy. Right in the middle of this wonderful
picture of redemption, grace, and salvation, we have a story
of one man and his blasphemy and his punishment. Let's read
together, verse 10. And the son of an Israelitish
woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of
Israel. And this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove
together in the camp. And the Israelitist woman's son
blasphemed the name of the Lord, the name of Jehovah, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses.
And his mother's name was Shalometh, Shalometh, the daughter of Debrai,
of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in ward, put
him in jail, put him in prison, that the mind of the Lord might
be shown to them. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp.
and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head. Every
one of them, come and lay your hands on his head. And let all
the congregation, every man and woman in Israel stone him, that
thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel saying, whosoever curseth
his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name
of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death. and all the
congregation shall certainly stone him, as well the stranger
as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name
of the Lord, shall be put to death. And he that killeth any
man shall surely be put to death. And he that killeth a beast shall
make it good, beast for beast. And if a man calls a blemish
in his neighbor, as he hath done, so it shall be done to him. Breach
for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he hath caused
a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. And
he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it. And he that killeth
a man, he shall be put to death. You shall have one manner of
law, as well for the stranger as for the one of your own country,
for I am the Lord your God. And Moses spake to the children
of Israel that they should bring forth him that had caught curse
out of the camp and stone him with stones. And the children
of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses." Here we have a nameless
mongrel, an Israelites, part Israelite, part Jew, and part
Egyptian. One who openly blasphemed the
Lord God in the camp of Israel. He openly blasphemed God in the
camp of Israel and was put to death because of it. Now why
do we have this interruption here? Why is this recorded in
this particular place by inspiration of the Spirit of God? Surely
the death of this blasphemer by divine order must have something
to do with Christ, the gospel of God, faith in Christ, God's
salvation, the worship of God, redemption, grace, salvation
by Christ Jesus. The man described in this story
is not named as if to suggest he's really insignificant. as
are all human beings. We don't know who he was. His
father's name isn't revealed either. Only his mother's name. Her mother was Shelomith of the
tribe of Dan. This unnamed blasphemer, an Egyptian,
was one who claimed place among the children of God, claimed
place in Israel, claimed place as a covenant child. Some have
suggested, and it was commonly taught among the Jews, that his
father was the Egyptian that Moses killed back in Exodus chapter
two. There's no indication of that
in scripture, but that's tradition. The scriptures simply don't tell
us who he was, or who his father was, just his mother. When the
sons of God marry the daughters of men, when those who are God's
sons and daughters Marry those who oppose God, who do not know
our God, who will not worship God. Nothing but trouble can
be the result. You needn't expect anything better.
Sometimes God graciously overrules such disobedience, but usually
it only brings pain and heartache and trouble. You will be wise
who have influence over young men and women, Teach them, teach
them, teach them, that you dare not unequally yoke yourself together
with an unbeliever, with one who will not worship God. You've got nothing in common.
Not if you're a believer. You've got nothing in common.
One's going this way, the other's going this way. Nothing but trouble's
going to come. Disobedience is always costly. The disobedience of parents is
often manifest in the ruin of their children, as was the case
here. Being depraved by nature, children
are always more apt to follow the influence of evil than of
good, to follow the ways of the Egyptian father than the ways
of the Israelite mother, for the praise of God. And yet, this
man was a man, not a child. He was a man. That means even
though he may have followed corrupt influences, he's a man. That makes him and him alone
responsible before God. He's a man. That makes him and
him alone responsible for his behavior. The son of Shelomith,
whose father was an Egyptian, got into a heated argument one
day with one of God's children. The fights may have been both
violent and physical, we're not told, but it was, to say the
least, a heated discussion. Remember, the camp of Israel
was a mixed multitude from the time they left Egypt all through
their days. This mixed multitude was a mixture
of Egyptians with Israelites. Egyptians who thought it to be
to their benefit to come out of Egypt with Israel. This mixed
multitude was often the source of Israel's trouble. They often
caused strife and division in the camp of Israel. So it is
today. The church of God on this earth
is always a mixed multitude of believers and unbelievers. Sheep
and goats, wheat and tares, Egyptians and Israelites. Egyptians who
claim to be Israelites, but they're still Egyptians. Goats who claim
to be sheep, but they're still goats. It's a mixed multitude. Mongrels always cause trouble. They're always demanding. They
never promote peace. They've always got a bone to
pick. They've always got a bone to
pick. This Mongol, the son of an Egyptian man and an Israelitish
woman, got upset because someone forgot to ask his opinion. Now
I'm just bringing this up to date for our current experience. I don't have any idea what he
got upset over, but I got a pretty good idea. It wasn't anything.
It wasn't anything. He just got upset, and his unbelief
and his blasphemy popped out when he got upset over something
else. You see, once a quarrel begins, who knows what the evil
is that will come from it. How great a fire a little matter
kindleth. When passion is hot, people get
both their reason and their religion pushed aside. They're never satisfied
to fight with one another alone. They have to get others involved
in the quarrel so they can justify themselves. Get folks together. I'll look better if I get somebody
on my side. We would be wise to avoid such quarrels. The beginning
of strife is like letting out water. Once the dam breaks, you
can't get the water back. The servant of the Lord must
not strive, Paul says, but be gentle unto all men. apt to teach, patient, in meekness
instructing those who oppose themselves. Maybe God will grant
them repentance. What was the strife about that
ended in a man being stoned to death by the whole camp of Israel? Stoned to death by the direct
commandment of God? Again, the Spirit of God doesn't
tell us. But I suspect it was something very important like
the temperature in the buildings too hot or too cold or Moses
is so grumpy he won't let children run in and out and play during
the worship service and won't let them run up and down the
pews and play after services. Maybe Sally's daughter didn't
ask Susan's daughter to spend the night with her in Sharon's
house. or Jack and Jerry went fishing and they didn't ask Jimmy
to go with them. That's usually the kind of nonsense adults fuss
about. That's usually the kind of idiocy
adults fuss about and divide over, and then bigger things
erupt. Whatever the strife was, it ended
in an eruption of blasphemy. Now I have to confess, I have
over the years read this passage of scripture, just like you probably
read it, thinking that this man in a heat of anger looked at
this Israelitish man and he said, God damn you. But that's not
quite the case. Horrible as that is, crude, ugly,
blasphemous as that is, We saw that in Mr. Obama's pastor in
Chicago. God damn America. Oh, what horrible,
horrible language. I've read dozens of commentaries
and sermons give that interpretation. But that's not what we have here. This event is related to us and
probably happened just after or even as Moses was giving instructions
recorded in this chapter about the worship of God. When this
mongrel Egyptian Israelites, this mongrel Israelite Egyptian
understood Moses' doctrine. When he understood what Moses
was declaring, when he understood the message that Moses was declaring
by inspiration of God as he set up all the furnishings of the
tabernacle, saying Christ alone is the way. Jehovah alone is
God. There's no coming to God but
by Christ because you're sinful and he's holy. You're fallen
and he's just. This mongrel said Jehovah be
damned. Jehovah be damned. He didn't say Ra be damned or
Horus be damned or Allah be damned. He said Jehovah be damned. That's
what unbelief says to God. It is man's effort to shove God
from his throne and destroy him. This Egyptian Israelites was
enraged that the God of glory be worshiped as God alone. Enraged
that Moses declared salvation by grace alone, through faith
alone in Christ alone. That which enraged him was the
gospel doctrine Moses set forth. That which is set forth throughout
the scriptures. You see the offense of the cross
didn't begin in Galatians chapter 5. The offense of the cross was
there in Genesis chapter 4. Cain despised Abel only because
Abel worshipped God by faith in Christ the Lord. That's all. Only because God accepted Abel
through the merit and mediation, through the doing and dying of
the Lord Jesus Christ, represented in the sacrifice Abel brought
to God. And God wouldn't spit on Cain's
offering. God wouldn't have it. He wouldn't
have his righteousness, his goodness, his uprightness. And Cain hated
God, and Abel was as close to God as he could get. Let me tell
you what God gives to Babylon. The name God gives to all Arminian
freewill works religion. You don't need to turn there
tonight and look at it, but you will know it in Revelation chapter
17. This is the name. God by inspiration. gives to all idolatry, all will
worship, all works religion, all Arminianism, all free willism,
all decisionism. This is the name, blasphemy. Blasphemy. Blasphemy. The religion of the world is
the religion of blasphemy. This man blasphemed the name
of Jehovah. What was this Mongol's blasphemy?
Remember, God's name, God's name is what he is. God's name is what he is. We don't use names like that
anymore to identify a person's talent or his background or character. We give names because they sound
prettier, sound different, or sound like something we like.
But the time was when men gave names that had meaning. And when
God gives his name, it has meaning. He said, this is who I am. I am. I am the eternal, self-existent
Jehovah. I alone am he which is and was
and is to come. The word blasphemed, I don't
guess I had ever really looked it up or paid much attention
to the meaning in the past. That word means pierced, bored
through, punctured, violently perforated, struck through, cursed. This man saw God's revelation
of himself. and he punctured it, he cursed
it, he violently shoved a hole through it. I won't have him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the
I am, he blasphemed. He is that one whose name is
the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved. He is that
one whom God, the triune Jehovah, has given a name above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven and things in the earth and things under the earth. And
every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ to the glory of
God. And though the priests of Israel
were favored with a place in the temple of God, as we've seen
in first nine verses of this chapter, When the Lord Jesus
came to the temple, they blasphemed him. They mocked
him. They beat him. They spit upon
him. They crucified him, blasphemously
acting against him. Christ is the revelation of God,
the embodiment of God, the name of God. To despise him and his
work is to blaspheme God. What a statement that is. To
despise Jesus Christ and his work is to blaspheme God. Now most everybody has an opinion
about Jesus and they think about Jesus and saying, oh how I love
Jesus. But as soon as you declare to
them the gospel of God's free grace, tell them about Christ's
sovereignty. Tell them about Christ's accomplishments. Tell them about Christ's irresistible
power and grace. Tell them about Christ's absolute
dominion. They'll back up and snarl, I
won't have a God like that, because they blaspheme God. I try never
to miss an open display of God's providence. And this is a wonderful
display of it. The fact that this thing took
place just as Moses was giving the children of Israel God's
law regarding his worship is not insignificant. It shows us
God's providence working with his revelation of himself. And
by this very thing, God confirms his authority as God. confirms
his word as he gave it to Moses, confirms the gospel of his grace
and confirm Moses as his servant and Israel as his people. The
Lord God himself gave a sentence of law for this blasphemy. The sentence of divine justice
that must be executed upon this man and upon all who refuse to
trust his dear son. The wages of sin is death. This man deserved to die because
he blasphemed God. When the spirit of truth has
come, when he comes in saving power to reveal Christ in a sinner,
the first thing he does is convince you of sin. Do you remember the
next words? Of sin. Because they drink too
much liquor. Because they smoke too much tobacco.
Because they dip snuff. Because they wear shorts. Because
they go to picture shows. Because they steal. Because they
lie. None of that. Of sin. Because this is the essence of
it. Because they believe not on me. They live in utter hatred
of God. They live in utter contempt of
God. That's what unbelief is. It is
man saying, God, get out of my way! And he comes first thing
and convinces men of their sin. The enmity of the heart against
God. Moses put this man in prison
so that he might know the mind of the Lord with regard to this
man. What an example. He sought God's
will. He sought God's, he's a man who
everybody heard him blaspheme. God, you've not told me what
to do about a man like this. We have instructions about other
things. You haven't told me what to do with a man like this. Lord,
what? What shall we do with him? I promise you, my brother, my
sister, If you and I are willing to obey God as you seek his will,
in all things he will show you his will. As you seek his will,
in all things he will direct your paths. Moses waited on the
Lord to direct him. He didn't act hastily and he
would not be pressed pushed by anyone else into acting hastily. He set him aside, locked him
up, and asked God what to do. Remember, this is not the sentence
of Israel, it's not the sentence of Moses, but it's the sentence
of God whose name was blasphemed. He that blasphemeth the name
of the Lord shall surely be put to death. He who cursed God was
cursed of God. I'm sure some of you have heard
such talk. It comes back to me time to time. Sometimes after God saves somebody,
they'll tell me what they've said. Often people say with regard
to your pastor, listening to me preach, attending church here,
I'm not going to listen to a preacher tell me my mama's in hell. My
daddy's in hell. My son deserves God's wrath.
My boy's in hell. I don't ever tell anybody that.
You've never heard me say that about your daddy or mama, brother,
sister, anybody else. You've never heard me say that.
But you hear the gospel preached and you conclude, if that's the
truth, then daddy's in hell. If that's the truth, my girl's
in hell. And I want it! I'd rather blaspheme
God. God says he must be stoned, stoned
outside the camp, away from the place of blessing, out of the
place of cursedness and uncleanness. Not only that, but everybody
in Israel got to put his hand on this fella's head and say
he's guilty. Everybody must stand in agreement
with God. Everybody take up a stone and
throw it at this man because we who are gods are in agreement
with God. And in the day of judgment, it
shall be so. Everybody will say amen to God's
judgments. And then God gives civil law
to be executed in Israel as well. He set before Israel a code of
civil law. It's amazing to me that men fail
to recognize this, but this law was made for man, not against
man, but for man, for the good of man to protect society. It has been since this day to
this day, since Moses' day to our day. The things we read here
in verses 17 through 22 are the basic code of law for every civilized
society in the world. And yet men stand in opposition
to it. And it's not made to hurt, to injure man, it's made for
the benefit and protection of man. Someone takes a life. You take his life. Why? That's
cruel, that's mean, that's barbaric. No, that's right, that's good. Because if you don't, nobody's
life is safe. The sword is intended for the
good of people, not to injure them. Read the 13th chapter of
Romans. The Lord God gave this law and
Moses executing the sentence of the law was not an act of
a private person seeking vengeance. We often see folks that go through
something in law, some crime being committed and say, well,
what do you think he should get? That doesn't matter. Are you
satisfied with the punishment of this man who raped your daughter
or broke into your house or murdered your husband? That's irrelevant.
That's irrelevant. What does the law require? What
does justice require? Without it, there's nothing but
chaos. Look at your newspaper when you
get home tonight and see if I haven't told you the truth. God gave
a code of law, a code of law for the benefit of society, for
the benefit of people, especially his own. But I can't send you
home with that. Let me tell you one more time
that he whom we have blasphemed, and cursed by her unbelief. Esteeming him stricken of God,
smitten and afflicted. The Lord Jesus died at Calvary
to save blaspheming sinners like you and me. The Son of God was made to be
sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him. He was taken without the camp
like the blasphemer, and he was nailed to the tree and put to
death, and God forsook him when he was made sin. that we might
follow him without the camp, looking to him and have life
everlasting, pardoned of all sin by the grace of God. Now hear me. God, for Christ's sake, forgives
all sin, all sin, every kind there is. No evil men commit, God won't
forgive if men trust His Son. Believe on the Son of God and
God says, your sins are forgiven you. They're wiped out, they're
gone. They're cast behind my back. But blasphemy. Blasphemy. Refusing to trust
God's darling Son. will land you in hell forever. Oh, God, give us grace to cling
to his son and trust his son and walk with his son and proclaim
to sinners free grace in his son. Amen.