Welcome to the “But first, Bible” daily devotional podcast with Dave Miers.
Today we finish Leviticus with chapters 26-27 and continue in Mark’s gospel with chapter 2.
Leviticus 26 begins with these words,
Leviticus 26:1–2
[1] “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. [2] You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. (ESV)
As the book concludes, we are reminded again that the LORD is the God of Israel and they are to have no other gods but him.
Leviticus 26:3 then begins, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will…” What follows is a list of blessings for Israel if they walk in obedience to the LORD who saved them.
Leviticus 26:14 then begins, “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments… then I will…” What follows is a list of punishments if they break the covenant with the LORD and walk in disobedience.
If this, then this.
The blessings are great. The punishments are to be feared.
If you know anything about the history of Israel after the book of Leviticus, you know that they will fail to walk in obedience and that Leviticus foreshadows many of the consequences for their disobedience.
Is that it for Israel? Will the LORD finally forget them and reject them?
Their disobedience doesn’t have to be the end.
Have a look at Leviticus 26:40–45,
[40] “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, [41] so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, [42] then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. [43] But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. [44] Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. [45] But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” (ESV)
Israel will one day be in Exile in foreign lands, but the LORD will not forget them. In fact, the LORD will remember his covenant with their forefathers and they do have a future!
The God who saved them from slavery in Egypt will again save them and be their God. Leviticus has already shown us that God makes a provision for the people of Israel who acknowledge their sin and turn to God in repentance. The sacrificial system was the LORD’s way of making forgiveness of sin possible through the shedding of blood.
Ultimately the way that Israel, and all people, can be restored to the LORD is through trusting in Jesus – the One who DID walk in obedience and the One who once and for all was sacrificed for sin.
I hope that while reading through Leviticus for the last couple of weeks, you’ve seen the seriousness of sin, but also the way that this book prepares us all the more for God’s gracious provision for sin to be dealt with through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
We’ll be back tomorrow starting our next Old Testament instalment with the book of Numbers. As always, a new book is a new opportunity to encourage others to join in with this reading plan.
Until tomorrow, keep trusting Jesus.