Then the Lord said to Moses: “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who
heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to
stone him. Say to
the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether
foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to
death. Leviticus 24:13-16
“Blaspheme” means to speak against God, divisively and
misleadingly. It can range from
criticism to cursing.
God
wanted to guide a group of nearly 2 million Israelites through the desert
during a harrowing time where emotions ran high and temperaments became
unhinged. The slightest bit of criticism
could unsettle the whole operation.
Not only was God concerned about the people and
preserving unity, but God cannot do wrong and anything critical against him was
said out of pure selfishness. Cursing
God puts the curser in the position of believing he’s better than God. He makes himself a false prophet and cannot
be tolerated.