Leviticus 24:1-9

Leviticus 24:1-9

[1] And the LORD  spake  unto Moses,  saying,  [2] Command  the children  of Israel,  that they bring  unto thee pure  oil  olive  beaten  for the light,  to cause the lamps  to burn  continually.  [3] Without  the vail  of the testimony,  in the tabernacle  of the congregation,  shall Aaron  order  it from the evening  unto the morning  before  the LORD  continually:  it shall be a statute  for ever  in your generations.  [4] He shall order  the lamps  upon the pure  candlestick  before  the LORD  continually.  [5] And thou shalt take  fine flour,  and bake  twelve  cakes  thereof: two  tenth deals  shall be in one  cake.  [6] And thou shalt set  them in two  rows,  six  on a row,  upon the pure  table  before  the LORD.  [7] And thou shalt put  pure  frankincense  upon each row,  that it may be on the bread  for a memorial,  even an offering made by fire  unto the LORD.  [8] Every sabbath  he shall set it  in order  before  the LORD  continually,  being taken from the children  of Israel  by an everlasting  covenant.  [9] And it shall be Aaron's  and his sons';  and they shall eat  it in the holy  place:  for it is most  of the LORD  made by fire  by a perpetual  statute. 

What does Leviticus 24:1-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The connection of these instructions with what precedes is this. The Israelites were not only to offer themselves to Yahweh on special days of the year, but they were to worship and serve Him every day of the year. The daily refueling and burning of the lamps and the uninterrupted presentation of the showbread to Yahweh represented the daily sanctification of the people to their God. [1]
The Israelites donated the oil for the lamps ( Leviticus 24:1-4). It symbolized them "... as a congregation which caused its light to shine in the darkness of this world ..." [2] These lamps burned through the night, and the priests refilled them daily (cf. 1 Samuel 3:3; 2 Kings 25:30). In this offering Israel offered its life to God daily for consumption in His service of bringing light to the nations (cf. Zechariah 4; Isaiah 42:6).
The flour for the twelve loaves of showbread, one for each of the tribes of Israel, was likewise a gift of the people that represented their sanctification to God ( Leviticus 24:5-9). The flour represented the fruit of the Israelites" labors, their good works. It lay before God"s presence continually in the holy place. The addition of incense to the bread ( Leviticus 24:7) represented the spirit of prayer (dependence) that accompanied the Israelites" sacrifice of work. The priests placed fresh loaves on the table of showbread each Sabbath day. Josephus wrote that there were two piles of six loaves each. [3]
"The devoted service (i.e, faithfully and rightly bringing offerings) of God"s people (i.e, people with their offerings, leaders with their actions) ensures that the way to God is illuminated and that provisions from him will continue." [2]3