As Leviticus winds toward its conclusion, Chapter 26 stands as a call to faithfulness. God outlines two ‘if-then’ options. If you are faithful I (God) will do this… If you are unfaithful I will do this. The gracefulness of the Lord shines through. Even if they choose unfaithfulness; God makes provision for them to be restored once their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they return to Him (40ff).
My devotional time was spent with the opening call to faithfulness. I was captivated by God’s promises of care. “ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. “ ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 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. “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 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 (3-13).
First I noticed all the ‘I(s)’… all the things the Lord will do. This is not a situation where human ingenuity will provide. No, God is doing the providing. God sends the rain so crops grow. God creates wonderful yields. God grants peace and so on.
The promise for
I went back and looked at all the ways God’s blessing would flow: rain for crop; large yields; safety in the land; peace; no fear; no wild beasts in the land; a few Israelites will chase many marauders, should enemies advance; Israel will grow; and God’s dwelling will be among them… That is quite a list.
Life would be good J
Somehow this wonderful ‘God will take care of you life’ prompted thoughts of eternity. It is no accident that Revelation speaks of new heaven and new earth and New Jerusalem. Eternity is the perfect world that our world would have been had sin not entered and corrupted it. Someday, through faith in Jesus, I and all who love and believe in Him will experience God’s perfect care for eternity.
This side of eternity, today’s reading reminds me that faithfulness brings God’s blessings… God’s care. And when I stumble into unfaithfulness I can find restoration through humility and confession of my sins to the Lord. Such is the way of grace this side of eternity.
Oh, Lord, I long to walk in faithfulness to You. Yes, Your blessings are a ‘carrot,’ a prize that I long for, but I hope and pray that my love and faithfulness for You runs so much deeper than what I can get out of knowing You. I pray for a heart so devoted to You that no matter what You ask, be it Job’s life or Jeremiah’s life, I will gladly walk it because I am walking with You!
Lord, I pray for my heart that it understands You are the prize I long for… in Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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