Wesley Corpus

Chapter XXIV Laws concerning the lamps, ver. 1 - 4. The shew - bread, ver. 5 - 9. Blasphemy occasioned by that of Shelomith's son, ver. 10 - 16. The law of retaliation, ver. 17 - 22. The blasphemer stoned, ver. 23. To cause the lamps to burn - Heb. the lamp: yet Lev 24:4, it is the lamps: The seven lamps made all one lamp. In allusion to which, the Blessed Spirit is represented, Rev 4:5, by seven lamps of fire before the throne. For there are diversities of gifts, but one spirit. Aaron - Either by himself, or by his sons, Exo 25:37. The pure candlestick - So called, partly because it was made of pure gold, partly because it was to be always kept clean. Thou - By the priests or Levites, whose work it was to prepare them, 1Chr 9:32. Twelve cakes - Representing the twelve tribes. Two rows - Not one above another, but one beside another, as the frankincense put upon each, Lev 24:7, shews. Pure frankincense - Unmixed and uncorrupted, or of the best sort, to be burnt before the Lord. On the bread - And this was done every time that the bread was changed. For a memorial - For that part which properly belonged to God, whereas the rest belonged to the priests. From the children of Israel - And these cakes are said to be received from or offered by the children of Israel, bought with the money which they contributed. By an everlasting covenant - By virtue of that compact made between me and them, by which they were obliged to keep this amongst other commands, and, they so doing, I am obliged to be their God and to bless them. And this may be here called an everlasting covenant, not only because it was to endure as long as the Jewish polity stood, but also because this was to stand everlastingly, or continually, and therefore the new cakes were first brought before the old were taken away. It - The old bread now to be taken away. Made by fire - The incense was offered by fire, and that for or instead of the bread, and therefore the bread was reputed as if it had been so offered.