Leviticus 24

“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.” Leviticus 24:14

This punishment shows how serious it is when we insult God, show contempt for Him, or exhibit lack of reverence for Him.  Our relationship with Him is the most important relationship for us to maintain in our lives.  Any sort of disrespect will damage the relationship, which ultimately hurts us.  Today, examples of blasphemy could be: using God’s name when swearing, disrespecting God or His ways, or denying that He is a part of our lives.  In John 15:15, Jesus says “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.”  It is so awesome that Jesus calls us His friends, as it demonstrates how close and personal our relationship with Him really is.   However, we also need to remember that He is our Heavenly Father and Creator, which means that we should always show Him the respect that He deserves, and never misuse His name or insult Him.  

“Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury.” Leviticus 24:19,20 

These guidelines were meant to protect the people from cruel and unusual punishment, and were not meant to be used as instructions for personal revenge.  In essence, God was trying to ensure that people received fair and appropriate punishment for crimes committed.