Daily Devotion | Leviticus 24:1–9 | 2026 March 20

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 24:1–9 | 2026 March 20

Scripture: Leviticus 24:1–9 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 March 20

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Alright, dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you. We thank God for His grace that we have come to a new day to study the daily devotion. Today’s passage is Leviticus chapter 24, verses 1 through 9. Let us pray. O God, we thank You, we thank You that You are willing to show such grace and mercy to us. Lord, You cause us to walk in Your provision and in Your light. Lord, we ask that You would help us, that in Your grace we may come to know Your lovingkindness more deeply, and experience Your faithfulness more deeply. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

After speaking about the appointed feasts, God spoke to Moses about two more matters. One is concerning the lamp, and the other is concerning the bread of the Presence. These are things that must be known for serving in the sanctuary. Because we know that in the sanctuary there is the golden lampstand and there is the table of the bread of the Presence. So what are these used for? In these two passages in Leviticus, it is explained.

First, let us look at the golden lampstand. What is the lampstand for? God commanded the Israelites to bring pure beaten olive oil for the light, so that a lamp may be kept burning continually. So this oil is olive oil used for burning. It is to be placed outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting. From evening to morning, it shall be tended regularly. That means someone must watch over the lamp, to see whether there is oil, and also whether the wick is damaged—if it is, it must be trimmed with scissors, so that the lamp may always remain bright. This is to be a statute forever throughout your generations. You shall regularly arrange the lamps before the Lord.

We have already talked before about the making of the lampstand, how it was hammered out of one piece of gold and its uniqueness. We will not repeat that. Now the command is that the lamp must always be burning. Once it is lit, it must remain lit continually.

We mentioned before that in the sanctuary it is a dark place, so there must be light to illuminate it. And in fact, we have also mentioned that this represents the darkness of this world. We live in a completely dark world. In this world there is only one lamp—that is the lamp of the golden lampstand. Only this lamp can tell us the truth about this world. And this lamp must always be kept burning; it must not go out.

We have mentioned this before, but I think it needs to be repeated again—our view of this world. In this world, we think it is bright, right? You can see things with your eyes. There are all kinds of good food and entertainment. You can satisfy your needs. Life seems joyful. It seems as if we do not need God. That is the state we think we are in.

But in the biblical imagery, the world is not like that. This world is full of darkness. There is violence, robbery, and injustice. All this darkness becomes very clear when we see it under the light of Scripture. The corruption, the evil, the injustice—all these are brought by darkness.

Because people are like blind men in this dark world. Everyone is constantly expanding their own rights and compressing others’ rights. In this world, who is the strongest? The one with the greatest force—the emperor, the one with the greatest violence—he becomes the strongest. And after obtaining power, what does he do? He keeps compressing others’ living space and expanding his own interests. This is the rule of this world.

This world seems to be a world without God, as if apart from humans there is no ruler. So people always want to become the strongest. But people overlook the most crucial question—where did this world come from? This world was created by God. Who governs this world? God governs it. If you ignore the existence of God, then you are like a blind man.

In a world created by God, Satan deceives people through human desires, causing them to act recklessly. That is the world we see. But the Lord Jesus came like a lamp, illuminating this dark world, letting us know the truth of this world, and enabling us, as God’s children, to long for the true heavenly homeland. Our home is not on earth. We are not immersed in worldly pleasures. What we long for is fellowship with God, the joy of the Spirit, the highest satisfaction in the Spirit.

This kind of understanding is only possible under the light of Jesus Christ and the revelation of Scripture. This is the meaning of the golden lampstand. It illuminates the dark world. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It enables us to see clearly the truth of this world, and to forsake the illusion of this world to follow the truth. This is what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross. It is like the golden lampstand in the sanctuary, leading us to understand the truth of the world.

From another aspect, this also concerns us as Christians. We must also shine like light before others. Scripture says we are to be light and salt. Here it focuses on being light. People see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven. What does that mean? It means when people see such a group of Christians, they know—there is God in this world. If there were no God, these people would not live like this. Their behavior would not be so noble.

In this way, we function as light shining before others, leading people to Jesus Christ. But if our behavior is poor, if our moral standard is even worse than that of the world, then we lose this testimony. The function of the lamp is to shine. The function of the church and of each of us is to shine in this world, so that people may see the beauty of Jesus Christ and the greatness of God.

Of course, we ourselves are not the light. We are vessels that carry the light. It is God who shines through us. But we must keep this vessel clean, so that it can better reflect God’s light. We must not be careless in our lives. A noble moral conduct, a life centered on the Ten Commandments, is something every Christian must follow.

Some brothers and sisters feel dizzy when they hear about the Ten Commandments. They think it is far from us. But do the Ten Commandments have anything to do with us? Has not Christ fulfilled the law? Yes, Christ has fulfilled all the requirements of the law. But the moral requirements in the Ten Commandments must be the center and guide of a Christian’s life.

We must clearly know what we are to do. What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of a Christian’s life? It is to obey the law. And what is the purpose of obeying the law? To become light and salt, to shine before others, so that people may see the goodness of God. That is our function, like the golden lampstand that provides light for the priests to serve in the sanctuary.

If there were no light there, how could the priests serve? How could they burn incense or arrange the bread? Everything depends on the light. In the same way, we are vessels that reflect God’s light, so that people may know eternal life.

If our behavior is no different from the world—if the world loves the world and we also love the world, if the world loves money and we also love money, if the world satisfies the desires of the flesh and we also do the same—then we lose the function of light. This is a very pitiful thing.

And the most important thing in this light is love. Why? Because in Revelation, Jesus says He will remove the lampstand. Why? Because they have lost their first love. So the love among Christians, the love that flows from obedience to God’s law—when we obey the law, we are living out love. These are not contradictory but unified. Only then can we become light. Without love, we lose the ability to bear witness.

In a world full of hatred, competition, and display of power, the role of Christians is to lay down our rights and interests, to sincerely repent, to tolerate and accept others’ weaknesses, and to live out a life of love. This is the glory of a Christian. This is why the lamp must be kept burning continually throughout generations.

Now let us look at the bread of the Presence. It says to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, six in a row. We have seen pictures of this—they are stacked in two rows on a small table. Each loaf is large. And pure frankincense is placed on them as a memorial portion, an offering by fire to the Lord.

But this “offering by fire” does not mean the bread is burned. It is symbolic. The bread is not burned. The frankincense represents the offering. Then every Sabbath the bread is set before the Lord as a perpetual covenant. And who eats the bread? Aaron and his sons eat it in a holy place. It is most holy.

Each loaf is made from about two kilograms of fine flour—very large loaves. Twelve loaves total a very large amount of bread, enough for many people to eat. So what does this bread signify?

First, it is a memorial and a sign of the covenant. It shows that God has made a covenant with Israel and will never forget them. He is willing to provide for them. Why twelve loaves? Because there are twelve tribes. God has made a covenant with each tribe. He has not forgotten any of them.

Each loaf is the same. It is not that stronger tribes get bigger loaves and weaker tribes get smaller ones. No. This shows that God’s grace is equal toward all. This is a great comfort to the weak—God does not give more mercy to those who seem strong. His mercy is the same for all.

Second, it shows God’s provision. Unlike some offerings that are completely burned, this bread is not burned. It is left for the priests to eat. This shows that God cares for the needs of His people.

So brothers and sisters, do not think that God is harsh, as if He only gives us hardship and does not provide for us. Although God may allow suffering to refine us, His intention is to provide for us. Even in suffering, He still shows mercy and kindness.

The bread of the Presence shows that God is a God who supplies. It is a sign of His covenant. What should have been burned is instead given to the priests to eat. This shows His grace.

Ultimately, this bread points to Jesus Christ. Christ gave His body for us. He said, “This is my body.” This clearly corresponds to the bread of the Presence. It is most holy and eaten in a holy place. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we enjoy God’s provision in Christ.

At the same time, we must also become bread for others. Just as we are to be light, we are also to be nourishment for others. Not that we have this ability in ourselves, but because we have received the bread of life, our lives are changed. Then we can become a source of life to others.

In our conversations, in our words, in our actions, there should be something that nourishes others, so that those who are spiritually hungry may be satisfied. We must be careful not to become poison to others or a stumbling block.

Some may say, “Others do not need this bread. They love the world.” But that is their matter before God. Our responsibility is to be ready, as Peter says—to always be prepared. When others are in suffering, we can speak words of grace and lead them to Christ.

We must also practically help others. If someone is in need, we should do our best to help. This is the most direct way to be bread for others. Our words, our actions, our lives—all should nourish others so that they may see Christ.

So may God help us on this spiritual path, that we may continually become a blessing to others and supply them. Alright, today’s sharing ends here. Thank you, everyone.