Leviticus 26:3-13

2. THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD 26:3-13
TEXT 26:3-13

3

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

4

then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

5

And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

6

And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

7

And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.

8

And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

9

And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you.

10

And ye shall eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old because of the new.

11

And I will set my tabernacle among you; and my soul shall not abhor you.

12

And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

13

I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 26:3-13

631.

Is there any connection between righteousness and the weather? Discuss for today.

632.

Threshing time will reach to vintage. What months are involved?

633.

Vintage time will reach to sowing. How much time is involved?

634.

Plenty of food and safety are promised by God. Did this ever occur in the history of the nation?

635.

Peace of mind, removal of wild beasts, no invasionswhat wonderful promises! How were they to be fulfilled? i.e. how do you imagine God was going to keep such promises?

636.

If there were to be no invasions, who are the enemies in Leviticus 26:7-8?

637.

What added element was to be present to enable a few to rout many?

638.

The promises here are but a ratification of the covenant God made many years before. Discuss. Cf. 2 Kings 13:23; Malachi 3:6.

639.

There will not only be enough to eat, there will be more than enough. Explain Leviticus 26:10.

640.

God actually promised to live among them, to walk in, with and among His people. How would He do this?

641.

Deliverance from Egyptian bondage was a very large event in Hebrew history. What was the one large lesson involved? What were the bars of your yoke?

PARAPHRASE 26:3-13

If you obey all of My commandments, I will give you regular rains, and the land will yield bumper crops, and the trees will be loaded with fruit long after the normal time! And grapes will still be ripening when sowing time comes again. You shall eat your fill, and live safely in the land, for I will give you peace, and you will go to sleep without fear. I will chase away the dangerous animals. You will chase your enemies; they will die beneath your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you, ten thousand! You will defeat all of your enemies. I will look after you, and multiply you, and fulfill My covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you won-'t know what to do with them when the new harvest is ready! And I will live among you, and not despise you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. For I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, with the intention that you be slaves no longer; I have broken your chains and will make you walk with dignity.

COMMENT 26:3-13

Leviticus 26:3-4 God did not require or expect perfect obedience. He wanted consistency in attitude toward him: walk and do My commandments. When it is the planned purpose of man to follow the ethical code of God, both man and God shall be pleased. It is most comforting to contemplate the fact that the One who controls the weather is the One we worship. What the gods of sun and rain could not do, Jehovah God could do and did do, i.e. send an abundance of sun and rain at the right time. Deuteronomy 11:14 speaks of the former and latter rains. The early rain is from about the middle of October until December, thus preparing the ground for receiving the seed, while the latter rain is in the months of March and April, just before the harvest. (Ibid) Cf. Ezekiel 34:26. For an agricultural people, no more encouraging promise could be made.

Leviticus 26:5 The corn crop will be so abundant that those who harvest it in the month of March will not be able to complete it until July, which is the time for the ripe grapes. Once again, the grape harvest will be so full that the wine will not all be pressed out until the month of October. As Amos said, the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sowed seed. (Amos 9:13) What a promise for those who were when they received it in the desert of Sinai!

Leviticus 26:6 To walk in His statutes is to love one another and thus insure peace. To keep His commandments is to honor the person and possessions of our neighbor and thus we will have no fear of robbery.

The stones from the shepherds-' slings will find their mark in the head of the lion or bear. The spears or arrows will swiftly reach the vitals of the leopard or tiger. Perhaps a disease will decimate their ranks and thus fulfill the promise of God to rid the land of wild beasts. Cf. Ezekiel 34:25.

Leviticus 26:7-8 There were seven nations in the land of Canaan when Israel came into their borders. These nations God promised to drive out. Their iniquity had caused the land to grow sick and to vomit them out. Perhaps the prosperity of Israel would be a cause of envy to the surrounding nations and would prompt them to attack. If so the outcome was already predictedyou shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. This same promise was repeated before in Deuteronomy 32:30; Joshua 23:10; Isaiah 30:17.

How completely God did provide for His people!Rain for food, a full harvest, personal protection, deliverance from wild beasts, victory over invaders. Is it any wonder when they turned their back on His goodness He delivered them into bondage?

Leviticus 26:9 Such provisions were a ratification and fulfillment of the agreement He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God had said He would multiply or increase the nation of Israel until it was as numerous as the stars of the sky or the sands of the sea, Cf. Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17; Exodus 23:26. Along with their larger population would be the generous provisions just mentioned. How could anyone refuse such love?

Leviticus 26:10 Even though they were to multiply so profusely, God will yet provide for them even more abundantly. The grain and goods will wax old because they cannot use it fast enough to exhaust the supply. The past year's crop will not be gone when the new crop is ready for storage.

Leviticus 26:11-13 The grandest gift was God Himself! I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Corinthians 6:16. The presence of the tabernacle in the midst of the camp with the cloud by day and fire by night was a constant reminder that God was in their midst. God wants them to know that He will feel at home with them. He has no aversion to them; He does not regard it below His dignity to sojourn among them, and to show them His favor.

What was true of the presence and power of God in the tabernacle is now true in us. We are the sanctuary of His dwelling; our bodies are His dwelling place. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Cf. Revelation 21:3. With what humble gratitude should we acknowledge His presence and goodness.

We appreciate so much these closing words of Ginsburg: The promises thus made to Israel of the extraordinary fertility of their land, of peace within and immunity from war without, and of the Divine presence constantly sojourning among them, if they will faithfully obey the commandments of the Lord, now conclude with the oft-repeated solemn appeal to the obligation they are under to the God who had so marvelously delivered them from cruel bondage and made them his servants. To remind them of the abject state from which they were rescued, the illustration is taken from the way in which oxen are still harnessed in the East. -The bands-' or -the rods-' are straight pieces of wood, which are inserted in the yoke, or laid across the necks of the animals to fasten together their heads and keep them level with each other. These -bands,-' which are then attached to the pole of the wagon, are not only oppressive, but exhibit the beasts as perfectly helpless to resist the cruel treatment of the driver. This phrase is often used to denote oppression and tyranny. Cf. Deuteronomy 28:48; Isaiah 9:3; Isaiah 10:27; Isaiah 14:25.

FACT QUESTIONS 26:3-13

638.

God did not expect perfect obedience. What did he expect?

639.

It is most comforting to contemplate what fact?

640.

There are two periods for rain. What were they?

641.

Explain Amos 9:13 as related to Leviticus 26:5.

642.

Show how walking in His commandments and statutes will give us confidence and protection.

643.

How do you imagine God planned to drive out the wild beasts from the land?

644.

The prosperity of Israel became a means for driving out the seven nations of Canaan. How?

645.

Show how the promises made here were but a ratification of earlier agreements.

646.

What was the grandest gift God gave the nation of Israel? Show how this relates to us.

647.

What were the bands, or rods, or bars of the yoke which God broke for Israel? What application is in this for today?