Leviticus 24 - Keep your lamp burning

Clear oil had to be provided to ensure that the lamps were kept continually burning. Now we are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we need to ensure that we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to feed on the word, pray and praise always. If we do not attend to our lives then we will find that our lamps go out.

In the second half of the chapter we read of a man being put to death for blaspheming the name of the Lord. Those who heard the man blaspheme were to lay their hands on his head. Ie they had to take responsibility for their accusation. The whole assembly were involved in the stoning. 

Immediately after this we read that "anyone who takes the life of another is to be put to death". Some may think this contradictory, both within itself, and with the previous section. If life is so precious why the death penalty? The key difference is this. The death penalty was enacted on behalf of God, as part of the Law, it was not man deciding to kill someone. Some may object to the death sentence on principle, but I think we also have to admit that there are many crimes where under current penalties justice is certainly not done.

Next we get the famous eye for an eye rules. These were given to ensure that retribution did not go beyond the nature of the crime. 

These laws applied to all, they could not apply harsher laws against foreigners. 
So there are actually many ways in which the Law was well ahead of its time in being "liberal". Conversely many of our so-called liberal societies have laws that are quite draconian and illiberal.