Leviticus 26

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:32:07utc

VI. Blessing and Curse 26:1-46

This chapter can be divided into four sections:

Vs. 1-2 give a concise statement of the whole law, broken down in three commandments.

Vs. 3-13 give an overview of the blessings that will follow obedience to the commandments.

Vs. 14-43 give an overview of the curse that will be loosened upon Israel if they disobey the commandments and they conclude with a prophecy regarding the captivity.

Vs. 44-46 contain a promise of restoration.

The school of Higher Criticism bases its hypothesis which says that the Pentateuch was written after the captivity, among others, upon the last two sections of this chapter. We, however, hold to the authenticity of vs. 46, which says: "These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses." We find the parallel to this chapter in Deut. 28.

1. The Three Commandments vs. 1,2

Idolatry, such as was practiced by the nations that surrounded Israel, is foreign to us. For the Israelites it was the great temptation to which they were exposed and which, eventually, became their undoing. The making of idols and the reverence of them amounted to involvement with demons. In our Western culture the devil abandoned that practice for a long period of time, however, in our modern age the occult flourishes again in various manifestations which come close to the old pagan practices. Idolatry became the main reason for Israel's captivity. The remnant that eventually returned to Jerusalem never fell into this trap again. This does not mean that the demons were unable to regain their lost terrain. At the fullness of time, when God sent His Son into the world, demonic activity in Palestine was as strong as ever. Jesus cast out legions of demons from people. To the Jews of His time, Jesus said: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire."[ 1 ] Without the strong demonic influence of that time the crucifixion would never have become possible. We can also see the same influence behind the secularization and de-christianization of our age also. In these verses God forbids the Israelites to have intercourse with demons in any form or shape. This should be for us, as it was for them, a matter of obedience.

The second command, the keeping of the Sabbath, is even more foreign to us, unless we are Christians of Jewish descent, and unless we can see it in the context of our relationship to God as our Creator and our entering into His rest in Jesus Christ. This is the emphasis the writer to the Hebrews puts on it when he says: "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ....For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.' ... Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.' ... There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."[ 2 ] So, this too is for us a matter of obedience to God's law.

When vs. 2 says: "Have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD," this deals primarily with the tabernacle and later with the temple Solomon built. These were images of God's presence. We see this kind of reverence in Jesus, who lived on earth in the time when the "Shekina" was no longer a physically observable phenomenon. He gave proof of this reverence when He stayed behind in the temple as a twelve-year-old boy, saying to his parents: " 'Why were you searching for me?' he asked. 'Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?' "[ 3 ] And in His rebuke to the Pharisees and Scribes of His time, Jesus appealed to all the temple stood for: "Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? .... Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? .... He who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it."[ 4 ] The tabernacle and temple are an image of the throne of God, and when we have reverence for the images, we recognize God's right to sit on the throne.

In an indirect way these commandments show us how sin has made man so blind that he would even consider not to revere the images of God's glory. No heavenly being, who sees the glory of God would ever get it in his head not to honor God, but man, in his arrogant stupidity, thinks that he can pass by an image of God's glory and not take off his hat.

2. The Blessing That Follows Obedience Vs. 3-13

The consequences of obedience are evident on three levels:

a - in man's relationship to nature;

b - in man's relationship to his fellow men; and

c - in man's relationship to God.

a - The Consequences of Obedience in Man's Relationship to Nature

Obedience to the laws of God influences the climate of the land. This seems to us, modern men, like a primitive concept of natural phenomena. It could be, though, that modern man would do well to modify his scientific approach to those phenomena. As a matter of fact, there is no scientific explanation for bad weather. We can explain the "how," but not the "why" of these phenomena. We call certain occurrences "An Act of God." Why can we then not see the hand of God in the pattern of normal seasons and good weather? Years ago, when East Germany was still under a communist government, one particular year they had a very poor harvest, in spite of all the political propaganda. People blamed the condition of the country on the atheistic propaganda, so the government put up billboards with the slogan: "Without God and without sun, we harvest!"[ 5 ] But when the situation grew worse, the boards were removed. In a secular society the relationship between human moral behavior and the weather seems to have lost its meaning. The fact that it cannot be proved in no way annuls the principle. There is no doubt in my mind that the devil can manipulate weather, but God is the Creator who directs the wind, the sun and the clouds. Several times God has changed weather as an answer to prayer in biblical records and in other historical events. We can add our personal testimony to this.

The main point in these verses is that God guarantees enough food for people who want to be obedient to Him. A good harvest, however, means that God blesses labor; a harvest does not come spontaneously.

b - The Consequences of Obedience in Man's Relationship to His Fellow Men

A second blessing is security. God protects us against attacks by other men who are out to destroy us. "The sword will not pass through your country." God has the answer to the arms race. In this respect we face the same problem as with the weather: secularization. Then, there are the wild animals. In most parts of our modern world the problem has been reversed. Man needs no longer protection against wild animals, animals have to be protected against man. Man is no longer an endangered species, but the lion and the tiger are in danger of extinction. This law was issued when Israel was a pioneer nation to whom God promised protection at the opening and development of the promised land.

This does not mean that there would not be any enemies left, or that Israel would never be attacked. They would be a minority against an overwhelming foe. This we conclude from the words: "Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you." The relationship to the enemy is given in a ratio of 20:1 and 100:1. That sounds frightening enough. But God tells them that a minority plus God is an overwhelming majority, against which no enemy will be able to stand. The Lord Jesus applies this principle to weak Christians when He says: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."[ 6 ]

The following promise is fertility. Fertility, in modern times, is at best considered a mixed blessing. In Israel of old, birth control had not yet appeared on the horizon. The topic is a very complicated one to which we cannot do real justice in the context of this study. The perspective has changed throughout the ages. For Israel of old, having children was a matter of vital importance for the realization of the promise of possessing the land. The Roman Catholic Church has maintained that large families are a means to get souls into heaven. In some situations people may want large families for political reasons. In Irian Jaya, Indonesia, the Mountain Papua tribes endeavor to procreate large families in order to combat the transmigration of Javanese people into their area. In China and the USA birth control is practiced for economic and psychological reasons. The psychological factor plays, probably, a larger role in the USA than it does in China. It remains true, however, that when married couples decide not to have children, they lose one of God's greatest blessings. In Sheldon VanAuken's book A Severe Mercy, C. S. Lewis discusses this point in the strongest terms.

Fertility is a gift from God, but infertility does not always mean would a curse or even a withholding of blessing. Physical fertility is mentioned in the same breath with the confirmation of God's promise to Israel, because the fertility of the people meant the increase of the nation and the realization of the occupation of the land. This principle is expressed by the psalmist when he says: "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."[ 7 ]

We may certainly draw spiritual lessons from this. Spiritual fertility in the New Covenant is, undoubtedly, more important than physical procreation, because it means victory over the real enemy. Just as God promised the land to Israel, so He assured us that He would build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.[ 8 ] Spiritual fertility, the multiplication of spiritual offspring, is an important factor in the realization of this promise. The more spiritual sons and daughters we beget, the stronger the church will grow. God links the fulfillment of His promise to our fruitfulness. In vs. 9 we read: "I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you." We need such confirmation.[ 9 ]

c - The Consequences of Obedience in Man's Relationship to God

The last promise concerns God's fellowship with His people. God spoke these words to Moses on Mount Sinai, according to ch. 25:1. At that point the tabernacle had not yet been built, and the plans for the construction had not yet been revealed. God reaches forward to the time when He will enjoy this fellowship with men. Fellowship with God is not a one-way street. We are always amazed when we realize that God's desire for fellowship with us is stronger than our desire for fellowship with Him. The consummation of God's desire is found in the promise John hears pronounced in the book of Revelation. He says: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' "[ 10 ] The keyword in those words is consolation, as symbolized in the wiping away of tears. Considering the condition of man, it would have seemed understandable to us if God had abhorred man. As soon as man shows an inclination to obey God, however, as the prodigal son who set out to return to his father's house, the attraction of God's image in man to its original becomes so strong that God runs toward us, as did the father of the prodigal, even if we are still far away.

If it is so wonderful when fellowship between God and one single person is restored, how much more glorious will it be when God dwells among His people! It will mean a triangle of fellowship: a horizontal relation and a vertical one.

The basis of this relationship is redemption. God reminds His people of this fact in vs. 13: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high." Obedience is only possible for redeemed people, and fellowship cannot be detached from obedience.

The Curse That Follows Disobedience Vs. 14-43

We notice that the section that deals with disobedience is longer than the one about obedience. This does not necessarily show a negative tendency of the Bible, but it accentuates the importance of the warning. God does not delight in the fact that He must punish man's disobedience, and He wants man to take the warning seriously. Therefore He gives such a detailed description of the curse.

The first point that is stressed is man's rejection of God. It is not a matter of negligence. Note the words used: "reject my decrees," "abhor my laws," and "violate my covenant." The section deals with the moral consequences for people who consciously and purposely break off their relationship with God. These are people who break the law because they have surrendered their lives to do evil. At the end the Israelites fell into sin, worse than the Canaanites who had lived in the country before them. We are told that during the reign of Manasseh, "Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites."[ 11 ] The accusations against Israel are overwhelming.

The first consequence of their apostasy is sickness, then poverty and loss of independence and liberty, and finally, a psychopathic condition in which there is a loss of contact with reality: one flees for an enemy who isn't there. In vs. 18 we read: "If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over." In spite of its severe tone there is a hint in these words that God still hopes that the worsening of their condition will bring people to repentance, that they will come to their senses and return to God. If this is not the case, there will be crop failures and nature will turn itself against man; wild animals will attack him. In vs. 23 God, again, leaves open a door for conversion. We read: "If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me.…" God will increase the pressure if man reacts to punishment with an increase of resistance. The whole process indicates that God has a well calculated plan that intends to bring man to repentance. Vs. 27 speaks again about the possibility of return: "If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, …" the cannibalism that is described in vs. 28 turns out to be a divine punishment for man's hardness of heart. This is to us an indication of the nature of punishment in general. God is not responsible for cannibalism and He certainly has not created the concept. If man comes to the point where he is willing to eat his fellow men, it shows that God has withheld the last ray of light, so that man's intelligence and his natural instincts have become dull to the point where he does things that go against his human nature. The last trace of God's image in him disappears and the last distinction between man and animal is wiped out. Only he is man in the real sense of the word who has fellowship with God. Breaking this bond of fellowship, ultimately, leads to a complete loss of one's humanness.

God will not only wipe out idolatry but any remnant of true religion will also disappear. God says in vs. 31: "I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings." God is not interested in sacrifices brought by people with a divided heart. To Him a divided allegiance has the same value as rejection.

God permits the destruction of the land and the cities. He is not the One who destroys, but He uses people with hostile intentions and gives them free rein. Those people who cause the destruction will themselves be horrified about the results of their hostility. The implication of this is that the evil which man does reaps consequences that go far beyond the evil man's expectations. Destruction turns out to have a life of its own. When man works evil, he loses control, and he cannot calculate the end results.

The scattering among the nations, which we read about in vs. 33-35 refers to the Babylonian captivity. The Sabbath years in which the land would lie desolate supposes a return to normal life, once the Sabbath is finished. There is a relation between man's immorality and the neglect of the Sabbath years. The writer to the Hebrews confirms this when he says: "For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."[ 12 ] In our current age we have lost completely the notion that there is a relationship between man and the ground he cultivates, as there is a relationship between man's moral behavior and the earth from which he is taken. If we would see this connection in our twentieth century, the world would, probably, not have the pollution problems it struggles with presently.

Vs. 36-39 deal with the psychology of the captives. The psychopathic behavior of the person who is afraid for that which is not there indicates that there is no longer any kind of fellowship with God which would provide a sense of comfort, of security and of reality. Man's emotional equilibrium depends on his relationship with God, with his fellowmen, and with the earth. Man cannot detach himself from this ordinance of creation without punishment.

The chapter ends with hope for conversion. Confession of sin is placed in the light of history. Not only personal sins have to be confessed, but also the sins of the fathers. After all, the sins of the fathers had brought about the captivity. Daniel understood this clearly. In his confession, he first mentioned Jeremiah's letter to the captives,[ 13 ] and then he referred to the portion of Leviticus that is before us. He said: "All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth."[ 14 ] Daniel's confession is the only one preserved for us. We do not know if anyone else confessed the sins of the fathers the way Daniel did; even if Daniel was the only one, his confession was enough to bring about a turn in the captivity.

We cannot detach ourselves from the sins of previous generations; otherwise, we become like the Pharisees in Jesus' days, whom He called, "sons of those who murdered the prophets."[ 15 ] There is, of course, a difference between confession of personal sins and confessing the sins of previous generations. We are not personally responsible for that which we have not done ourselves. But if we do not take our place clearly at the side of the Lord and draw a line between ourselves and the sins of our fathers, then we become their accomplices.

Daniel was ashamed of what his ancestors and his people had done. God had called the hearts of the Israelites "uncircumcised." Circumcision was the outward sign for a man who belonged to the covenant with God. Circumcision of the heart meant that God's covenant was a matter of the heart of man. Fellowship with God ought to be the center of our existence; an uncircumcised heart stands for a continuation of the rebellion against God. When a man with an uncircumcised heart humbles himself before God he repents of his sin and is converted. But conversion does not eradicate the consequences of sin. The Sabbath years man owed to God had to be paid back and the land had to be given its rest. How all this fits together I do not know. Evidently, the Israelites had tried to get out of their land what they could and thus had prematurely exhausted the ground. Fertilizer was not known at that time. By mistreating their land as they did, they turned it into the desert it is now. One does not mistreat "Mother Earth" with impunity. But there may be other factors involved that we do not know about; it may have been more than poor methods of cultivation. Greed had disturbed ecology and restitution was inevitable. There are also obvious spiritual lessons to be drawn from these verses.

The vs. 42-46 must have been a source of eternal consolation for the Israelites who, centuries later, lived through the Babylonian captivity. After the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the disappearance of the ark, there were no longer any visible proofs of God's presence on earth. God had ceased to reveal Himself. In a spiritual sense, the world was dead; the Spirit of the Lord no longer hovered over the earth. In his first vision, the prophet Zechariah sees four riders and their horses which are sent to go throughout the earth. They report that the whole world is quiet and at peace. The context indicates that the peace they see is the peace of death.[ 16 ] About one thousand years before the Babylonian captivity God prepared consolation for His people and communicated this to Moses.

In this section, starting with vs. 14, key words that typify Israel's attitude are, "reject," and "abhor." These words are repeated in vs. 43. The word "abhor" is used once of God's attitude towards people whose hearts were hardened, in vs. 30. But after the conversion and confession that is mentioned in vs. 40, God immediately changes His attitude. As soon as He sees a trace of repentance in man, God's compassion is kindled. Even in His wrath, God is not "a hard man, harvesting where He has not sown and gathering where He has not scattered seed."[ 17 ] Punishment is meted out in the hope for conversion, and with the first indication of repentance, and immediate revelation of God's love follows.

In vs. 42 God says: "I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land." This covenant is mentioned again in vs. 44. The covenant is only binding for people who obey. This fact is often overlooked among people who adhere to "Covenant theology." Human disobedience makes God's covenant ineffective. Part of the blessing in God's remembering the covenant is that man realizes anew the oneness of the human race. After all, we are included in a covenant God made with our ancestors. In our short-sightedness, we often think that we have nothing in common with the people who lived before we came into the world. It seldom penetrates our thinking that we have a physical, cultural, and spiritual heritage from which we cannot detach ourselves without hurt. If we do not live in fellowship with God ourselves, we will not be able to distinguish between God's covenant with the forefathers and "the empty way of life handed down to [us] from [our] forefathers."[ 18 ] There has to be a covenant between God and us in order for us to appreciate God's covenant with the forefathers.

When man repents, God will remember His covenant with the ancestors at the same time that He remembers the land that was abandoned. The essence of the Exodus was that God became the God of redeemed people. This was also the essence of the entrance into the promised land. That is the testimony to the world for the eyes of all the nations.

The section we study is part of the conversation between God and Moses during the forty days he spent on Mount Sinai.

[ 1 ] John 8:44

[ 2 ] Heb. 4:1, 4, 7, 9-11

[ 3 ] Luke 2:49

[ 4 ] Matt. 23:17-22

[ 5 ] "Ohne God und ohne Sonne hohlen wir die Ernte ein!"

[ 6 ] Luke 12:32

[ 7 ] Ps. 127:3-5

[ 8 ] See Matt. 16:18 (KJV)

[ 9 ] While I was writing this we received word from our son that his wife was expecting their first baby. God has a great sense of humor!

[ 10 ] Rev. 21:3,4

[ 11 ] II Chr. 33:9

[ 12 ] Heb. 4:10

[ 13 ] See Jer. 29

[ 14 ] Dan. 9:11-13

[ 15 ] Matt. 23:31 (NAS)

[ 16 ] Zech. 1:7-17

[ 17 ] Matt. 25:24

[ 18 ] I Pet. 1:18