Leviticus 24-25

The passages in today's reading covers a lot of ground: how a blasphemer was punished, Jubilee year economics including inflationary and deflationary pricing, debt management and prohibition of charging interest and how slavery is to be conducted. Earlier this week I was thinking about foul language and how it should have no place in a Christian's vocabulary, especially a Spirit-filled believer who is experiencing ongoing sanctification through the renewing of their mind each day by the power of the Holy Spirit and the washing of the word of God. In the English language there are four categories of objectionable words: swearing, cursing, obscenity and vulgarity. There are instances of both godly and ungodly cursing in scripture but today I want to focus on the first biblical instance of blasphemy.

Leviticus 24:10 (NKJV) "And the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed; so they brought him to Moses."

In this case the man who blasphemed or misused the name of the LORD was stoned to death due to the violation of the third commandment:

Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, if my words are full of evil there is a heart issue which requires one to put to death the fleshly things (thoughts) that do not honor or please God. Paul writes to the Colossian church encouraging them to destroy idolatry first, which is consistent with the order of importance of the decalogue, and then to rid themselves of anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language (Colossians 3:8). James additionally writes about taming the tongue in chapter 3 stating that the tongue corrupts the body setting the course of one's life and that no human can tame their tongue which is consistent with what Jesus teaches in Mark 7, but there is hope that in Christ alone we are made new and no longer slaves to sin, there is freedom and transformation through progressive sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-22). Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, therefore if anyone is in Christ - a new creature - and is filled with and chooses to yield to and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, then he is bridling his tongue which is good and pleasing worship. 

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