Promises of Blessing For Obedience
May 13, 2022
Commentary
This chapter clearly promises blessing for obedience and chastisement for not keeping God’s law. This same message is essentially repeated by Moses forty years later in Deuteronomy 28. The statues and instructions God gave Israel in Leviticus 26 and 27 illustrate four responsibilities that every believer has toward the Lord. The first is obeying His commandments Lev. 26:1-13. Moses gives four good reasons why they should obeythe Lord.
1. Because of who God is. (v. 1) – He reminded them by saying “I am the Lord your God.” When the Jews abandoned their worship of God and turned to worshiping idols or tried to worship both God and idols, the consequences were disastrous. As a result they broke the first two commandments.
2. Because of what God did. (vv. 2-3) – Even because of the weekly Sabbath the Jews were reminded that they were God’s special people. As they rested on the seventh day they could meditate on His goodness from the previous week and give thanks that He had strengthened them for another week
3. Because of where God dwells. – (v. 4) – “I will send rain to make your crops grow.” Israel (had the “glory cloud” hovering over the tabernacle) while the nations around them had man-made gods in their temples. Today our bodies are the sanctuary of God, and we must be careful us use them for God’s glory (I Cor. 6:15-20).
4. Because of what God promised. – Next He promised them peace and safety in their land (vv. 5-8). He promised to multiply their population (v. 9) and a fruitful harvest (v. 10). The greatest blessing promised was the presence of the Lord as all other blessings depended on it (vv. 11-13).
Application
Four good reasons are given by Moses as to why I should obey the Lord. When I lose the sense of the Lord’s presence and the privilege it is to serve Him I will begin to despise His Word and disobey His commandments.” Lord help me to be very sensitive to your presence moment by moment every day. I know that you have promised to be with me through the good times and the bad times.
Leviticus 26:1– 13 (NET)
1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, 4 I will give you your rains in their time so that the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, and you will live securely in your land. 6 I will grant peace in the land so that you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword of war will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new.
11 “‘I will put my tabernacle in your midst and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright.