Verses Lev. 24:1-9 unveil that for us, the holy people of God, to live a holy life, we need the arranging afresh of Christ as the divine light to shine over us and as the divine food to nourish us.

The pure oil of beaten olives for the light signifies the pure Holy Spirit coming out of the crucified Christ (cf. John 19:34), typified by the beaten olives, for the shining of Christ as the lampstand in God’s dwelling place. See note Matt. 26:36¹ and note Exo. 25:31^1b, par. 2.

Lit., cause the light of a lamp to ascend.

Or, tend it. So also in v. 4. The burning of the lamps continually (v. 2) signifies that Christ as the divine light (John 1:4; 8:12) shines continually in the house of God. The tending of the lamps continually (vv. 3-4) by Aaron, the high priest, signifies that Christ as our High Priest continually takes care of His divine light, causing it to shine for God continually.

This signifies that the resurrected Christ, the Christ who produced the church (typified by the two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour — Lev. 23:13, 17), is the element that constitutes the food in full (the number twelve signifies fullness — Matt. 14:20 and note Matt. 14:20¹) for all God’s people (represented by the twelve tribes, who are referred to in the twelve cakes) and for God to enjoy.

It is with the fragrance of His resurrection (frankincense) as a memorial portion that Christ becomes food to both God and us.

That the bread of the Presence was food for both God and the priests (v. 9) indicates that God’s priests are one with Him in His service; what they eat is what God eats, and what they enjoy is what God enjoys.

The word Sabbath brings in the thought of rest. This signifies that our enjoyment of Christ as our food should be set in order afresh that we may have rest with God continually.

This signifies that we, God’s serving ones, should enjoy Christ as a most holy portion of the food offered to God, in the church as the holy place.

This story signifies that the joining of a man of God with a man of the world brings forth a result that will profane God, causing the profaning one to be cut off (v. 16) from the enjoyment of Christ in His fullness as the shining light and nourishing food.

That the story of the blaspheming of the holy Name is recorded after the record concerning the arranging of the bread of the Presence signifies that in order to enjoy Christ in His fullness as our light and as our food (vv. 1-9), we need to sanctify the holy Name and not profane it (cf. Matt. 6:9). To sanctify the Lord’s name is to honor and respect the holy Name by separating it as something unique, not putting it with other, common names.

This chapter also reveals that we need to care for both the human life and the animal life (vv. 17-22). The human life is for the expression of God (Gen. 1:26), and the animal life is mainly for offering to God in the worship of God.

Lit., strikes the soul of a beast.

Lit., soul for soul.