Yet with all the discipline threatened (and ultimately delivered) to the little nation of Israel … in Leviticus 26 … God ends the Chapter with encouraging words!

“And yet for all that, when they (the Jews) be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.” Verse 44 …“AND YET!”

Oh … the resolute, unconditional Love of God! (I believe Love may be His Crowing Attribute! Especially when blended with His Holiness!)

Even when Israel was in dispersion, and she still is in a lot of ways … God vows “I will NOT cast them away!” He “will NOT utterly destroy them” either!

After all, God resolves: “For I am the Lord their God.”

Talk about faithfulness, actually Faithfulness (with a capital “F”)!

God’s commitment to Israel!

Her (that little Nation) brightest days are yet ahead!

At least according to the Books of Revelation, Isaiah, Zechariah, Micah and … the list goes on and on!

God is this headstrong … in relation to Israel, her continued existence as a people.

Jeremiah 31:35-37 is perhaps the best Summary of God’s Plan for Israel, “Israel Forever,” as the Lesson today is entitled. Read it, every word …

“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name. If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.”

Wow, as long as the sun shines!

Exodus 32:13 more succinctly encapsulizes the great thought. “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”

Those words again … “for ever!”

Yes, even in discipline … one will always find God’s Grace!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

We Gentiles this morning should be shouting “Hallelujah!”

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After a beautiful Paragraph of “blessings” promised for obeying God … Israel was then given a list of “chastisements” promised for disobeying God! Both in this captivating twenty-sixth chapter of Leviticus.

Here’s how the Section begins: “But IF ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and IF ye shall despise my statutes, or IF your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you …” Verses 14-16a, God being the Speaker. (As He is in virtually all of Leviticus!)

And what a “list” this is!

Sampling it, brace youself … “Ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.” Verse 17

And if Israel still does not repent, things worsen … “And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: and your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.” Verses 19-20

However, throughout this litany of curses God (seems to me) often offers the possibility of “turning back” to him, of “renewing Fellowship.” As in Verse 21 … “And if ye walk contrary unto me, AND WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO ME; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.”

“I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.” Verse 22

“And IF ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me,” certainly a Glimmer of Grace, Verse 23. There’s “choice” in this verse, offered to Israel.

Verse 24 … “THEN will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.” Notice the “if” and “then” of verses 23 and 24!

Hunger and famine (crop failure) will become (to the constantly “hardening of their hearts” people) this severe, starvation! “And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.” Wow!

All this because God hates idolatry! He abhors false gods and goddesses! “And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Verse 31

Still, if no sign of repentance occurs … “And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.” Verse 33, a displaced people!

One writer I studied earlier this morning suggests there is a parallel, a nexus, between the blessings and the curses of this chapter.

In other words, God “reverses” the blessings He has promised to an obedient people. Like this: from a fruit bearing land to a dry, barren land! From no enemies to powerful, overcoming enemies!And from “God’s Presence” to “God’s Absence!”

I am telling you right now, according to this Text … God is serious about holy living!

Leviticus 11:44 … “And ye shall be holy; for I am holy,” thus says the Lord God Almighty.

Any body listening, reading?

And He is the Same God today as He ever was. A God Who is Spotless, expecting a “sanctified” people.

Paul to his Corinthians converts, the Apostle’s ultimate goal for this difficult Church … “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2, pure and innocent!

Holy, Holy, Holy!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Yet this is the Same God Who will say to Israel … “IF my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Wow!

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Just before we examine Leviticus chapter 26 in more detail, I want to show you how the Holy Spirit “wraps” this Portion of Scripture (all 46 verses) in an “envelope” of Material (chapter 25 and chapter 27) concerning Redemption!

The layout looks like this …

Leviticus 25 … Redemption!

Leviticus 26 … Obedience resulting in Blessings!

Leviticus 27 … Redemption!

This writing technique is called “inclusio.” The Bible Theme of “Redemption” here “sandwiches” the responsibility of the redeemed of God … specifically to OBEY HIM in every area of life!

If He has “saved” you … then “obey” him!

So today we are going to study the “blessings” outlined in Leviticus 26:1-12. They are orderly arranged.

First, blessings concerning crops … “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; THEN I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 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 …”

Wow, this is clearly “cause and effect!” If you OBEY … THEN I will BLESS, thus says the Lord! Abundance in the field!

Next God promises “peace” from war, conflict! “And (thou shalt) dwell in your land safely. And I will give PEACE in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your ENEMIES, and they shall fall before you by the SWORD. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”

Remember Proverbs 16:7 … “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Here it is illustrated to the full!

Then next … God (to an obedient nation) pledges “to honor” Israel! “For I will have RESPECTRESENCE (literally in Hebrew, ‘turn My face’ in your direction, ‘smile’ upon you) unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.” This is Grace, the Favor of God resting upon a people!

And lastly, God’s very PRESENCE is promised! As back in the Garden of Eden, prior to the fall of man! “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I WILL WALK AMONG YOU, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” Sounds like God is pleased when we obey Him, ultra pleased!

Yet, even with all this divine “incentive,” Israel often (far too often) disobeyed and reaped God’s chastening Hand … rather than His positive Blessings!

Much like us today, I’d say.

One more thought this morning. In the Old Testament God generally shared physical, material blessings. But … important for us all these days … in the New Testament He most often promises spiritual blessings!

As in Ephesians 2 where God has “quickened us together with Christ; and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Dr. Harry Ironside years ago called this “living in the heavenlies!” As I said, spiritual blessings!

Actually Ephesians 1:3 says it more clearly: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ.”

Amen!

Not that God has not blessed us in many, many ways. But primarily and most supremely in this Age of Grace … spiritual blessings indeed!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

None of those Old Testament saints enjoyed the Holy Spirit to the degree and in the same permanent way we do today, a good example! We ae living after Pentecost, folks!

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS INDEED!

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Another classic Old Testament chapter … Leviticus 26.

It presents to Israel God’s Plan of spiritual development for the whole population!

And everything is based on OBEDIENCE, acquiescing to God’s Precepts, as outlined in Scripture, the Torah.

And if that obedience is violated, spurned, ignored … there will re repercussions!

This is sort of an “Obey Me or else” Portion of God’s Word.

Through the years I recall one Bible teacher who spotted in these 46 verses several “cycles of discipline” that God would bring upon His people. That is … if they erred in following His Ways, His Instructions. With each “cycle” (seems to me) becoming more severe than the previous one!

Tomorrow, the Lord willing,, we will begin a short journey through this enlightening Unit of the Bible.

By the way, even though we are studying Old Testament Law and the Jews … the same principle still applies to us Believers in this Age of Grace!

If we disobey the Lord, He still will “chasten us,” for our own good, our benefit and for His Glory!

Part of Revelation 3:19 … “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore.” With the Lord Jesus Himself speaking!

Wow!

Leviticus 26, sounds important!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

More tomorrow, the Lord willing.

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God loves the whole world. So says the first Bible Verse most of us ever learned, John 3:16.

And God’s love does not exclude anyone, particularly the people no one else seems to appreciate. Especially the “poor.”

While Matthew’s account of Jesus’ first beatitude says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” … Luke’s rendering of that beautiful Line is as follows: “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, BLESSED ARE YE POOR: for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 5:5 and Luke 6:20)

Wow, in Luke it is just “blessed are the POOR!”

And our Lord’s Ministry always considered the poor. (Actually at times He was rather rough on the wealthy! As in Matthew 19:23 … “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus’ half-brother James was that way too. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” True, these wealthy people were hoarding their riches and mistreating the poor … but still James was scathing! (James 5:1-3)

So unsurprisingly, Leviticus chapter 25 does not overlook this class of people, the “poor.”

Here we learn the Law, the Provision, of what’s come to be called the “Kinsman Redeemer.”

Basically it means that a loving (and financially able) relative could “buy back” for a displaced poor person (a cousin, say) any property he had lost. Or, being financially secure, he (the kind “redeemer”) could “pay” to set that loved one “free,” had Uncle Lazarus (just an illustration) become a “servant” (essentially a slave) to some lender. This Lazarus fervently (sometimes nearly hopelessly) working for that man/owner, to repay his obligation, indebtedness.

Wow!

To be a little more specific …

In Leviticus 25, verses 25-28 … the poor man’s LAND could be re-purchased for him. By the Kinsman Redeemer, if he had one.

In verses 29-34 his HOUSE could be so repurchased. (What joy! To have someone who loves you so much that he willingly buys back your home, lost due to some kind of financial duress.)

Then in verses 35-55 (to chapter’s end) the poor man HIMSELF could be set free from bondage (at a price, often hefty) from his master. (Proverbs 22:7 warns … “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”)

Probably the best Bible example of this Kinsman Redeemer Concept is found in the Book of Ruth. Where a man named Boaz was just that, a Redeemer to a little foreign Moabitess named Ruth. Who through her husband’s death had lost “everything.” She indeed was destitute! But Boaz (1. Related to her, 2. Very wealthy, and 3. Willing, even eager to help, in fact in love with her!) stepped in and redeemed everything that Naomi’s and Ruth’s family had lost. What a beautiful story!

But let me even say more. Hallelujah! Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer … to those of us who have been saved!

We who had lost everything! Being spiritually bankrupt! Facing dire penalties! But SOMEONE (John 3:16 again) loved us, became our Relative (via the Virgin Birth, God made flesh), and paid all our indebtedness (via His precious Blood at Calvary), and has restored all we lost (Salvation full and free) … all we lost, then a whole lot more!

Yes, Jesus was fully qualified to be the “REDEEMER!”

Psalm 19:14, a brief prayer, acknowledges this glorious fact. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my REDEEMER.”

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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