In Leviticus 24, God gave Moses various commands, which he communicated to the Israelites. As God was conversing with Moses, an incident occurred. Two men got into a fight. One was entirely of Israelite blood, while the other had an Egyptian father and an Israelite mother. During the fight, the one with the Egyptian father cursed and blasphemed the Name of God and was brought to Moses to hear God’s judgment concerning him. Beginning with Leviticus 24:14, The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.’”
Verse 23 concludes the incident with their obedience to God’s judgment. It is a sad but righteous outcome. If they stood in the guilty man’s position, many would defiantly protest that they had no control over what they said in the heat of a fight. But God did not make an exception, even then. This man and all people are responsible for the words that come from their mouths, no matter the circumstance (Matthew 12:36-37). Therefore, God commands His people to use their words beneficially (Ephesians 4:15, 25, 29). Whether in the middle of an argument or meditating under a tree in the serenity of a calm meadow, the words and attitude with which we speak are subject to God’s judgment, and reverence must be shown to Him.
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