Leviticus 26:14–45

Leviticus 26, which we have now reached, has an extremely solemn character. Verses 1-13 give a glowing picture of the earthly blessing and prosperity that would follow their obedience. Verses 14-39 give a terrible forecast of the evils that would follow if disobedience marked them.

God gave the promises to the patriarchs absolutely, without condition. But the Israelites have never had an unconditional possession of the land of Canaan. They entered on these terms: "If you walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments and do them, then I will give you rain"… "But if you will not listen to Me, and will not do all these commandments"… "I will bring the land into desolation… and I will scatter you among the nations" (Lev. 26:14-33)… So the Israelites never had more than a conditional hold on the land. And a conditional gift, of course, is no fulfilment of an unconditional promise.

Israel's promises end in misery. Jehovah judges Israel's disobedience as it deserves, and He judges more severely as their rebellion grows. Their soul hated His righteous rules, so He sends on the people "panic, wasting disease and fever" — not only the dread of a guilty conscience, but disease in its slow wasting form and in its fierce burning form… If this is not enough to humble them before Him, He will punish them sevenfold more, to break their pride… And if this fails to discipline their stubborn spirit, He will walk against them in displeasure, just as they walked against Him in self-will.

It is a long chapter. God promises blessings if the people obey… But "if you will not listen to me," (v. 14), He threatens them with the heaviest judgments, and in the end He drives them out of their land (v. 31-39). This is exactly what happened when Babylon carried them away captive (compare 2 Chron. 36:21 with Lev. 26:34). While Jerusalem lay desolate, the land enjoyed her sabbaths. Once every seven years there was to be a year of rest, but the people had no faith in God to observe it.

We very easily confuse two things which God's word clearly separates: God's government and God's grace. The evils that come from this confusion are many. It weakens our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government. It also weakens our sense of the purity, fullness and height of grace. It is quite true that in government God keeps the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering and mercy. But He shows these qualities from His throne of government. Never confuse that with the unconditional workings of pure and absolute grace.

All this is government. But in time God will bring Israel into the land of Canaan on the ground of grace alone — grace that never changes, exercised in divine righteousness through the blood of the cross… So they will never again be driven out. No enemy will ever trouble them… Their hold on the land will rest on the eternal stability of divine grace.

All was strictly provisional. It is, "If you walk… then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal. The blessings promised were earthly and material… There is no mention of heaven or of the life to come. What a contrast with the Christian's portion — blessed "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and with no "if" attached at all.

In Leviticus 26 we find what would follow for Israel if they kept the conditions they had accepted. Those conditions were the terms of their relationship with God, and of holding on to their blessings in the land. We also find the alternative if those terms were not met. "If you walk in my statutes … then I will give you your rains in their season" (Lev. 26:3-13); "But if you will not listen … then I will do this to you" (Lev. 26:14-39).

They trusted in themselves. So they accepted the condition of keeping His covenant as the basis of their standing and blessing. This became the ground of their obligations. They were in relationship with Him as His people on earth, with His law as the rule that bound them in every respect. Obedience is a duty; but to rest life or blessing on it was fatal. Law therefore became, for sinful man, a ministry of death and condemnation. It is of the highest importance to grasp that on that ground no sinner can live: he needs to be justified by faith in Jesus, the only Saviour.

Israel's promises end in misery. Jehovah judges their disobedience as it deserves, and He punishes them more and more severely as their rebelliousness keeps growing. When their soul abhorred His righteous ordinances, He appoints over them "panic, with wasting disease and fever." That is not only the dread of a guilty conscience. It is disease in its slow, wasting form and in its raging, sudden form. He also sends their enemies to devour their harvests and rout their armies. They even flee when no one is chasing them.

This section takes up the largest part of the chapter. God knew that Israel would not obey Him. They needed the plain warning, and it would in fact become an accurate prophecy of their history. How can we be so insensitive that we read plain warnings like this and foolishly ignore them? God means what He says, whether He is promising blessing for obedience or warning of great suffering for disobedience. Simply to believe God is the only safe attitude for anyone.

But Israel failed completely. This chapter set a solemn and appalling picture before their eyes in verses 14-33. Even so, they forsook the Lord and served other gods. So they brought on themselves the severe judgements threatened in this section. The bare record of them is enough to make the ears tingle. Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice.

We very easily confuse two things that the word clearly separates: God's government and God's grace. Many evils come from this confusion. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government, and of the purity, fullness and height of grace. It is quite true that in government God keeps for Himself the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering and mercy. But that must never be confused with the unconditional working of pure and absolute grace.

God does not close this searching word of His without remembering His covenant. As it says: His covenant with Jacob, His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here in this rare and emphatic way of His covenant with every one of them. They had sinned against Him so long and so deeply. Yet even from His own mouth there should be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day.

But all of it was strictly conditional. It is, "If you walk … then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal. The blessings promised were of an earthly and material sort. We can sum them up as fruitfulness, peace, victory and God's presence truly among them… Nothing here speaks of heaven or of the life to come. How great the contrast with the Christian's portion! God blesses the Christian "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3), and He attaches no "if" at all.

When their soul hated His righteous rules, He appointed over the people "terror, consumption and fever." That means not only the dread of a guilty conscience, but disease in its slow, wasting form and in its fierce, raging form… If this is not enough to humble them before Him, He will punish seven times more, to break their pride.

The words in the original imply "a burning heat," so there is no doubt they mean what we commonly call "fever"… Some translations render the same Hebrew word BURNING AGUE in Lev. 26:16.

Verse 16 begins the details of their suffering for disobedience… They would sow their seed, but their enemies would eat the crop. Their enemies would defeat them in battle and rule over them with hateful oppression. Fearful, they would flee when only imagining being pursued (v. 17).

But Israel failed altogether. They forsook the Lord and served other gods, despite the solemn and appalling picture set before their eyes in verses 14-33 of this chapter. So they brought on themselves the severe judgments threatened here — the bare record of which is enough to make the ears tingle. Under the heavy weight of these judgments they are suffering at this very hour. They are scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast — monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson on the moral government of God. Those nations would do well to study that lesson closely, and it would be good for our own hearts to ponder it too.

The law as such knows no grace. Its work must be to condemn every breach of it. Grace and truth came through our Lord Jesus. It is God's grace, without doubt, but it comes through Him — the one Mediator between God and men, who gave Himself a ransom for all… But all has been in vain, so that mercy might flow to the Gentiles until they too are cut off. They have sinned worse than Israel, and under far greater privileges. Then sovereign mercy will shine on Israel once more, and for ever.

The Lord would not only give the inhabitants of Jerusalem to the fire like the vine. He would also "set His face against them." What a warning that is to those who know His name and His necessary hatred of evil! And as if His declared, settled opposition were not definite enough, He adds that they will go out from one fire, and another fire will devour them.

The presence of God should always have been their shield and defence. No weapon formed against them could succeed. But only an obedient people could enjoy God's presence. The Lord could not put His approval on disobedience or wickedness by His presence. The nations around them might rely on their own skill and military resources. Israel had only the arm of the Lord to rely on, and that arm could never be stretched out to shield unholiness or disobedience.

To fear an enemy far mightier than yourself is not blameworthy. But to fear without cause — when you cannot be beaten — is real cowardice, and Scripture marks that spirit as shameful. It is solemn to learn that Scripture groups the "fearful" (cowardly) with the "unbelieving" among those condemned to the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). A bad conscience makes a coward. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

This section takes up the largest part of the chapter because God knew that Israel would not obey Him. They needed the plain warning that would in fact become an accurate prophecy of their history. How can we be so insensitive when we read plain warnings like this, that we foolishly ignore them? God means what He says, whether He promises blessing for obedience or warns of great suffering for disobedience. Simply to believe God is the only safe attitude for anyone.

These steps, as set out here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of the Lord's heart over His rebellious people! He disciplined them only as much as was needed to lead them to repentance. (1) God threatens sickness and slaughter by their enemies. The produce of the soil, the fruit of their labours, is left at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17). We read of this kind of dealing in the days of the Judges, when different nations invaded Canaan. In the days of Gideon they had to hide the fruits of their harvest, if they could, from the watchful eye of their enemy (Judges 6). If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped.

We are very likely to confuse two things that Scripture clearly distinguishes — God's government and God's grace. The evils that come from this confusion are varied. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government, and of the purity, fullness and height of grace.

All of it was strictly conditional. It is, "If you walk … then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal. The blessings promised were earthly and material. They can be summed up as fruitfulness, peace, victory and the realised presence of God among them... What a great contrast with the Christian's portion! The Christian is blessed in Christ "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3), and no "if" comes into it.

Then come the details of the prosperity that would follow. But it was all strictly conditional. It is, "If you walk … then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal. The blessings promised were of an earthly and material sort. They add up to fruitfulness, peace, victory, and God's presence truly known among them… There is no mention of heaven or of the life to come. What a contrast with the Christian's portion! Christians are blessed "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), and with no "if" attached at all.

These steps, as described here, are five in number. How they show the longing of the Lord's heart over His rebellious people! He chastised them only as much as it took to lead them to repentance. (1) First He threatens sickness, and slaughter by their enemies. The crops of the soil, the fruit of their work, would lie at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17)… If that had brought them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. But it failed, so He would send drought and the famine that follows (18-20). In the days of Ahab, Israel felt this to the full. They also proved that the Lord was willing to relax His hand in punishment when they confessed that He was God (1 Kings 18).

If the hearts of the children of Israel stayed stubborn after all the earlier dreadful blows, God would increase the punishment seven times more (v. 18). For He knows how to break the pride of man's arrogance. The beautiful blue sky would no longer bring the promise of blessing. Instead the heavens would be like iron, standing hard against Israel's bad condition. The earth would be like bronze, hard and unyielding, so that it would not produce (vv. 19-20).

He is gracious beyond measure. But we know Him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:30-31). If He punished the detestable practices of the doomed nations who had intruded into His land, He chastens His own people far more strictly. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

Some have speculated about the words that judgment would come on them seven times. But these "seven times" cannot mean the exact length of Israel's dispersion. They do, however, point ahead to the time of Jacob's trouble. That is the last seven years of the times of the Gentiles, when their judgments will be at their worst.

When they confess and humble themselves before God, He will remember His covenant with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He will remember the land. They will never be completely destroyed, for their God is the same Lord who brought them out of the land of Egypt, to be their God.

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of Jehovah's heart over His rebellious people! He chastises them only as much as is needed to lead them to repentance. (1) God threatens sickness and slaughter by their enemies. He leaves the produce of the soil, the fruit of their labours, at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17)... If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. But when that failed, He would send drought and the famine that follows (18-20). In the days of Ahab, Israel felt this to the full. They also proved that Jehovah was willing to relax His hand in punishment when they confessed that He was God (1 Kings 18).

All these dreadful punishments had already come. If the hearts of the children of Israel still remained stubborn, God would increase the punishment seven times more (v. 18). For He knows how to break the pride of man's haughtiness. The beautiful blue heavens would no longer bring a promise of blessing. They would be like iron, strongly resisting Israel's bad condition. The earth would be like bronze, hard and unyielding, so that it would not produce (vv. 19-20).

The uncircumcised nations around them might depend on their skill and their military resources. Israel had only the arm of Jehovah to depend on. That arm would never reach out to shield unholiness or disobedience. Their strength was to walk with God in a spirit of dependence and obedience.

If this is not enough to humble them before Him, He will punish sevenfold more, to break their arrogance. He will make their heaven as iron and their earth as bronze. They will refuse all heat and moisture and vegetation, so that their toil will be in vain.

Scripture speaks of copper as a symbol of complete defence... The unyielding character of this metal also suggests judgment: "I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as copper" (Lev. 26:19). Deuteronomy 28:23 puts the two the other way round.

For this reason the heavens would be bronze and the earth iron (v. 23). This would match their attitude. When they prayed for material blessings or relief, they could expect no loving answer from heaven. The heavens would be as closed as their own heart. The earth would be like iron, not soft enough to produce anything, because their hearts were also hard.

Pride, vanity, self-will are what turn the heavens into brass. The Lord is near to those with a broken heart. This is the burden of the "Lord's prayer" — God's glory comes first. If men ignore that, they need not be surprised that their prayer for daily bread seems to be ignored.

It is Moses again (Lev. 26) who lets Israel know how Jehovah will avenge the breach of His covenant. And yet suppose their "uncircumcised hearts" are humbled in this way, and they truly accept the punishment of their iniquity. Then He will remember His covenant with Jacob, with Isaac and with Abraham, and He will remember the land.

He will make their heavens like iron and their earth like bronze, refusing all heat and moisture, and all plant growth. So their work would be wasted. And if this is not enough to recall them, sevenfold more plagues should fall on them.

For He knows how to break the pride of man's haughtiness. The beautiful blue heavens would no longer promise blessing. Instead they would be like iron, standing hard against Israel in its bad condition. The earth would be like bronze, hard and unyielding, so that it would not produce.

We very easily confuse two things that Scripture clearly separates: God's government and God's grace. The evils that result from this confusion are many. It is sure to weaken our sense of how dignified and serious God's government is. It also weakens our sense of how pure, full and high grace is. It is quite true that God in government keeps the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering and mercy. But when He shows these from His throne of government, we must never confuse them with the free and unconditional working of pure and absolute grace.

Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and cast out, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson on the moral government of God. These nations would gain much by studying that lesson deeply, and our own hearts would be healthier for thinking it over too.

Here is a second thing, and please make a special note of it. God's government left the land barren and unable to produce, and this was how He chose to keep the land for the people. The people who belonged there had been scattered among the nations. So the way to keep the land for them was to make it unattractive to its conquerors or to the surrounding nations. The scarcity of rain did this in a remarkable way. In fact, one cannot imagine any other way of achieving it. This really is the finger of God.

It was Jehovah who blighted their selfish efforts. He was dealing with the unbelief, and the neglect that came from it, in the group that had returned. It was not because He did not love them, but because He did. "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Sometimes the Lord lets people go away without any rebuke. That is the plain and certain sign that every practical bond is broken.

Leviticus 26, which we have now reached, is an extremely solemn chapter. Verses 1-13 give a glowing picture of blessing and prosperity on earth. That is what their obedience would bring. Verses 14-39 give a terrible forecast of the evils that would follow if they lived in disobedience.

How ready the Lord was to bless His people! How full was the blessing He could give them! He would have delighted to walk among them. But they would not. So He had to deal with them in judgment. Yet how slow to anger! He would only deal blow after blow when each preceding one had failed to bring them to repentance.

If these punishments did not soften their hearts into obedience, they could expect their troubles to increase sevenfold again (v. 21). God would send wild beasts among them. The beasts would destroy great numbers of their children, their livestock and their adults too (v. 22). Their highways would lie deserted, with no one passing through.

If that is not enough to humble them before Him, He will punish seven times more, to break their arrogance. He will make their heaven like iron and their earth like bronze, holding back all heat and moisture and growth. Their work would then be useless... And if this failed to discipline their stubborn spirit, He would walk as contrary to them in displeasure as they walked to Him in self-will.

Most of the chapter warns of the dreadful evils their disobedience would provoke. Those evils would fall on them with sevenfold intensity. In the days of Ezekiel, Israel's sad history of law-breaking was reaching its climax. Through him the Lord spoke of "my four disastrous acts of judgment... sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence" (Ezekiel 14:21). In our chapter the same four appear. Only the sword comes fourth here instead of first.

Now God's government allows the enemy to besiege Samaria, and "a great famine" follows in the city. The people are driven to terrible straits, and there the solemn prophecy spoken more than five hundred years before comes true. Moses had warned God's people about turning away from Him. The time would come when their enemies besieged them and brought them so low that tender, delicate women would eat their own children in secret (Leviticus 26:21-29; Deuteronomy 28:49-57). This abomination had at last come to pass.

Under the heavy weight of these judgments they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of the Lord's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud to all the nations of the earth a most impressive lesson about the moral government of God. Those nations would gain much by studying that lesson closely, and our own hearts would do well to ponder it too.

First, there must be the confession of their iniquities. Second, the acceptance of the punishment that their iniquities have brought upon them. Notice that this second condition comes twice, and clearly it matters a great deal... A man may confess his sin. But if he still kicks against the punishment it brings, his confession is only on the surface and lacks real sorrow. This is as true for us today as it was for Israel long ago. God's dealings with His children are always in love, but they are also in strict righteousness.

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of Jehovah's heart over His rebellious people! He disciplines them only as far as it takes to bring them to repentance. (1) First comes the threat of sickness, and of slaughter by their enemies. Their crops, the fruit of their labours, are left at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17)... If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. But when that failed, He would send drought and the famine that follows (18-20).

Had Israel walked in obedience, they would have been unbeatable. "I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land."

The presence of God should always have been their shield and defence. No weapon formed against them could succeed. But only an obedient people could enjoy that presence. Jehovah could not put His presence behind disobedience or wickedness... Their strength was to walk with God in a spirit of dependence and obedience.

And if this was not enough to call them back, seven times more plagues would fall on them. The very beasts of the field would rob them of their children and cut off their cattle. This would cut their numbers down without limit and leave their very streets deserted.

Most of the chapter gives warnings about the dreadful evils their disobedience would provoke. These would fall on them with sevenfold intensity. In Ezekiel's day the sad history of Israel's law-breaking was reaching its climax. Through him the Lord spoke of "my four disastrous acts of judgment... sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence" (Ezek. 14:21). In our chapter the four judgments appear, only the sword comes fourth instead of first.

The prophet hears the awful sentence. Evil reaches its last excess, and God strikes the land with one of His judgments. At that point the three men whose prayers for others appear at critical moments in God's dealings with man could save no one but their own souls by their righteousness. The question here is God's government in this world, not grace for eternal life. If famine were sent, if wild beasts, if a sword, if a pestilence, not even Noah nor Daniel nor Job would save son or daughter beyond themselves.

This section takes up the largest part of the chapter because God knew that Israel would not obey Him. They needed the plain warning that would in fact become an accurate prophecy of their history. How can we be so insensitive that we read plain warnings like this and foolishly ignore them? God means what He says, whether He is promising blessing for obedience or warning of great suffering for disobedience. Simply to believe God is the only safe attitude for anyone.

The law as such knows no grace; its function must be to condemn every breach. Grace and truth came through our Lord Jesus... And sovereign mercy shall once more shine on Israel, and for ever.

Why should they experience the bitterness and shame of exile? Why waste away in the land of their enemies? The Lord was their God. Exile could never come from His inability to shield them from the invader, but it might come from His unwillingness to do it. The lawgiver next goes on to say when that might be the case. He describes the different steps in God's dealings in chastisement with the people. Those steps would end in captivity, and they could only hope to return from it after real confession of their sins.

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of the Lord's heart over His rebellious people! He chastised them only as much as was needed to lead them to repentance. The first step is sickness, with slaughter by their enemies. Their crops, the fruit of their labours, are left at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17)... If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. When it failed, He would send drought and the famine that follows (verses 18-20). In the days of Ahab, Israel felt this in full. They also proved the Lord's willingness to relax His hand in punishment when they confessed that He was God (1 Kings 18).

And if this failed to discipline their stubborn spirit, He would walk as contrary to them in displeasure as they walked to Him in self-will. He must strike them Himself, sevenfold for their sins. He would bring a sword on them to carry out the vengeance of the covenant. As they gathered into their cities out of the good land, He would send the plague on them and hand them over to the enemy. Their efforts to unite for strength would only and surely bring on them death and disgrace as a people.

We are very prone to confuse two things which the word clearly distinguishes — God's government and God's grace. The evils that result from this confusion are many. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government, and of the purity, fullness and height of grace. It is quite true that God in government keeps for Himself the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering and mercy. But He exercises these attributes from His throne of government. We must never confuse that with the unconditional acting of pure and absolute grace. In this chapter God in government meets the earliest and faintest stirrings of a broken and repentant spirit with long-suffering mercy.

But Israel failed completely. A solemn and terrible picture stood before their eyes in verses 14-33 of this chapter. Even so, they abandoned the Lord and served other gods. They brought on themselves the severe judgements threatened here, and the bare record of them is enough to make the ears tingle... To all the nations of the earth they read aloud a deeply impressive lesson on the moral government of God. Those nations would profit by studying that lesson closely, and it would be good for our own hearts to ponder it too.

God does not close this searching word without remembering, as it says, His covenant with Jacob, His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here with unusual emphasis of His covenant with every one of them. So even from His own mouth — the One they had sinned against so long and so deeply — there would be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day.

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of Jehovah's heart over His rebellious people! He chastises them only as much as it takes to lead them to repentance. (1) The first step threatens sickness, with slaughter by their enemies. The produce of the soil, the fruit of their labours, would lie at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17)... If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. That failing, He would send drought and the famine that follows (18-20).

And if this failed to discipline their stubborn spirit, He would walk as contrary to them in displeasure as they had walked to Him in self-will. He must strike them Himself, in person, sevenfold for their sins, and bring a sword on them to carry out the vengeance of the covenant. And as they gathered into their cities out of the good land, He would send the plague on them and hand them over to the enemy.

SEVEN. Spiritual completeness, generally in good but occasionally in evil. It is the compound of three and four, and the highest single indivisible number. There are seven days in a week. Every seventh day was a day of rest. Every seventh year was a year of rest for the land. Every seven times seven years brought the jubilee.

But Israel failed completely. A solemn and appalling picture stood before their eyes in verses 14-33 of this chapter. Even so, they abandoned the Lord and served other gods. They brought on themselves the severe judgements threatened in this section, and the bare record of them is enough to make the ears tingle. Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a deeply impressive lesson on the subject of the moral government of God.

It goes on assuming they would break the terms. It runs on until the cities lie in ruins, the land and its sanctuaries are desolate, and the nation is scattered among the nations, in their enemies' land. And then, even while they are in their enemies' land, God speaks. He says, "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."... After they have destroyed themselves, the Lord turns back to His own unconditional promises to their forefathers. While they are in their enemies' land, He does not forget them or cast them off completely.

It is very important to remember that there is a government of God with respect to His children. It is not a question of whether they are justified and forgiven. This government assumes that they are righteous in His sight, as to salvation; Job 36. But the Lord always keeps His eye on them, blesses them, and makes them conscious of His favour when they are walking rightly in the enjoyment of God. If we do not walk rightly, He warns us. If we do not listen to the voice of God, He chastens us, to rouse the soul that is falling asleep and has begun to forget God. And His goodness, His amazing patience, His love for us, are never worn out!

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the yearnings of Jehovah's heart over His rebellious people, disciplining them only as much as it would take to lead them to repentance. (1) First comes the threat of sickness, along with slaughter by their enemies. The invader would be free to take their crops, the fruit of their work (verses 16-17)... If that had succeeded in bringing them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped.

And if this failed to discipline their stubborn spirit, He would oppose them in displeasure just as they opposed Him in self-will. He must strike them Himself seven times over for their sins, and bring a sword on them to carry out the vengeance of the covenant. As they gathered into their cities out of the good land, He would send the plague on them, and deliver them into the hand of the enemy. Their efforts at union for strength would only and surely bring them death and degradation as a people.

This was the angel of that conditional covenant which was now established. So on the one hand he would make good all God's promises to the people. On the other hand he would punish the people's sins against God. Later we see him appear at Bochim, to avenge on them the wrong done to this covenant (Judges 2:1).

The law as such knows no grace; its function must be to condemn every breach. Grace and truth came through our Lord Jesus.

He would send the sword of their enemies against them, and when they took cover in their cities they would be attacked by pestilence and become easy prey to the cruelty of their enemies (v. 25). Their supply of bread would be cut off, and family conditions so reduced that only one woman out of ten would have an oven, which she would have to share with others (v. 26), so that the little they had to eat would not satisfy them.

In the days of Ezekiel, Israel's long history of law-breaking was reaching a climax. Through him the Lord spoke of "my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence" (Ezek. 14:21). In our chapter those same four judgments appear, only the sword comes fourth instead of first.

We easily confuse two things the word clearly separates: God's government and God's grace. This confusion does various kinds of damage. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government, and of the purity, fullness, and height of grace.

He punished the vile practices of the doomed nations who had intruded into His land. He disciplines His own people even more strictly. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

Then, when they confess and humble themselves before God, He will remember His covenant with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will remember the land too. They will never be wiped out, for their God is that Jehovah who brought them out of the land of Egypt to be their God.

Then follow the details of the prosperity that would follow. But it was all strictly provisional. It is, "If you walk … then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal. The blessings promised were earthly and material. They can be summed up as fruitfulness, peace, victory and the realised presence of God among them. … There is no mention of heaven or of the life to come. How great the contrast with the Christian's portion — blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3), and that without any "if" at all.

If this failed to discipline their stubborn spirit, He would walk as contrary to them in displeasure as they walked contrary to Him in self-will. He must strike them Himself sevenfold for their sins. He would bring a sword on them to carry out the vengeance of the covenant. And as they gathered into their cities out of the good land, He would send the pestilence on them, and they would be handed over to the enemy. Scarcity of bread would do its withering work in their crushed condition.

Bread is often spoken of in Leviticus as the staff of natural life (Lev. 26:26; Psalm 105). In the same way, Jesus alone is the manna that came down from heaven. He is the spiritual food, the "Bread" for His people today, and the Giver of life to those who do not have it.

In cities there were people who worked as bakers, with built-up ovens. Everywhere else, every household normally had its own simple oven.

Their supply of bread would be cut off. Family conditions would be so reduced that only one woman out of ten would have an oven, and she would have to share it with others (v. 26). So the little they had to eat would not satisfy them.

We know well that God does not want His people to suffer. He is not stingy, and if the rain is withheld, the fault lies with His people and not with Him. He had made this clear to them, so that they understood well that when heaven was "shut up" it was discipline.

Now, in the government of God the enemy is allowed to besiege Samaria, leading to "a great famine" in the city. The famine drives the people to terrible straits, and the solemn prophecy spoken more than five hundred years earlier comes true.

It goes on assuming the second case would happen. The cities are ruined. The land and its holy places are left desolate. The nation is scattered among the nations, into their enemies' land. And then, even while they are in the enemies' land, God says, "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." … The Lord then turns back to His own unconditional promises to their forefathers, after they have destroyed themselves.

How ready the Lord was to bless His people! How full was the blessing He could give them! He would have delighted to walk among them. But they would not have it. So judgment had to come. Yet how slow to anger! He would only deal blow after blow when each earlier one had failed to bring them to repentance. At last exile had to be their lot.

He said it to Israel again and again: they walked contrary to Him, and that was why they were miserable. God knows that walking with Him is what secures the happiness and holiness of His people. A way of their own will always end in misery. And even now, after all He has revealed of Himself in Jesus — even now He says to faith, "Walk before me."

The furnace of wrath grows hotter against guilty Israel, and the Lord says, "I Myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins." They would eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters. The high places and sun-pillars they had honoured would be cut down. Their own dead bodies would be heaped on those of their idols, and His soul would abhor them.

He is gracious beyond measure. But we know Him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:30-31). He punished the vile practices of the doomed nations who had pushed into His land. He chastens His own people even more strictly. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

Some have guessed at the meaning of the words about judgments coming on them seven times. These "seven times" cannot mean the exact length of Israel's scattering. They point ahead instead to the time of Jacob's trouble. That is the last seven years of the times of the Gentiles, when their judgments will be at their worst.

We are very prone to confuse two things that Scripture keeps clearly apart: God's government and God's grace. This confusion does harm in many ways. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and solemnity of government, and of the purity, fullness, and elevation of grace. It is quite true that in government God keeps the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering, and mercy. But we must never confuse that with the unconditional working of pure and absolute grace.

With verse 40 a ray of light begins to shine. A door of hope opens, if two things happen. First, they must confess their iniquities. Second, they must accept the punishment their iniquities have brought on them. This second condition comes up twice, you notice, and it clearly matters a great deal. Both things appear in Daniel's prayer (Dan. 9), so he got a speedy answer. A man may confess his sin. But if he still kicks against the punishment it brings, his confession is only surface-deep and lacks real, deep sorrow. This is as true for us today as it was for Israel long ago. God's governmental dealings with His children are always in love, but they are also in strict righteousness.

Leviticus 26, which we have now reached, has a very solemn character. Verses 1-13 give a glowing picture of the earthly blessing and prosperity that obedience would bring. Verses 14-39 give a terrible forecast of the evils that disobedience would bring.

These steps, as detailed here, are five in number. How they tell of the longings of the LORD's heart over His rebellious people, chastising them only as much as was needed to lead them to repentance.

Verses 27 and 28 practically repeat verses 23 and 24. How wearying it must have been for God to find Israel rebellious again and again, despite His many disciplinary dealings! But His chastisement would then bring something dreadful: they would eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters (v. 29). Compare 2 Kings 6:26-29.

He is gracious beyond measure. But we know Him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:30-31). He punished the vile practices of the doomed nations who had intruded into His land. How much more strictly does He chasten His own people. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

If the Lord's dealings still would not reform them, and they kept walking contrary to Him, then He would walk contrary to them. He would punish them seven times for their sins... Should that fail too, the Lord would walk contrary to them in fury. The people, brought to the last extremity, would eat their own children... That happened at last in the days of Zedekiah. Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem brought the predicted miseries, as Lamentations 1 and 2 describe.

But, sad to say, Israel failed altogether. They had a solemn and appalling picture set before their eyes in verses 14-33 of this chapter. Even so, they forsook the Lord and served other gods, and so brought on themselves the severe judgements threatened in this section... They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson on the moral government of God. These nations would gain much by studying that lesson. And our own hearts would do well to ponder it too.

When they are brought this low, into misery and shame, the goodness of God leads them to repentance. What a lesson to all the nations! Yet the nations never learn it, until Israel shows the way. Israel is forgiven by grace, at the very time when they cannot forgive themselves before the LORD and His anointed.

If the Lord's dealings still did not correct them, and they went on walking contrary to Him, then He would walk contrary to them. He would punish them seven times for their sins. He would bring a sword to avenge the covenant, along with the two things that so often come with it: hunger and disease. Should that too fail, the Lord would walk contrary to them in fury. The people, pushed to the very last extreme, would eat their own children. And Jehovah would destroy the idols, showing them up to be idols.

Verses 27 and 28 repeat almost exactly what verses 23 and 24 said. How tiring it must have been for God to find Israel rebelling again and again, in the face of all His discipline! But His discipline would then bring the awful experience of eating the flesh of their own sons and daughters (v. 29)! Compare 2 Kings 6:26-29. Instead of turning to God in repentant faith and praying to Him, they would take the horrible alternative: murdering their children to satisfy their bodily hunger!

Now, in the government of God, God lets the enemy besiege Samaria, and "a great famine" follows in the city. Desperate need grips the people inside, and the solemn prophecy spoken more than five hundred years earlier comes true. Moses had warned the people of God about this. If they turned away from Him, the time would come when their enemies would besiege them. Need would press them so hard that tender, delicate women would eat their young children in secret (Lev. 26:21-29; Deut. 28:49-57). This abomination had at last come to pass.

The same horror occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Lam. 4:10) and also, according to Josephus, during the siege by Titus in A.D. 70.

We very easily confuse two things that the Bible keeps apart: God's government and God's grace. The evils that come from this confusion are various. It is sure to weaken our sense of how dignified and serious God's government is. It also weakens our sense of how pure, full, and high His grace is. It is quite true that God in government reserves to Himself the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering, and mercy. But when He shows those attributes from His throne of government, we must never confuse them with the unconditional actings of pure and absolute grace.

Then they will confess and humble themselves before God. On that, He will remember His covenant with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He will remember the land. They will never be completely destroyed, for their God is that Jehovah who brought them out of Egypt to be their God.

These steps, as set out here, are five in number. How they tell of the longing of Jehovah's heart over His rebellious people! He disciplines them only as much as is needed to lead them to repentance. (1) He threatens sickness, along with slaughter by their enemies, and the crops of the soil, the fruit of their labours, left at the mercy of the invader (verses 16-17). If that had brought them to repentance, God's dealing in government would have stopped. But when that failed, drought and the famine that follows would come (18-20).

The usual word for the high place is bamah. It means what is high or raised up, and then the hills where people built altars. Such places stood in Canaan before the Israelites entered it, and they had orders to destroy them. If the Israelites had such places, God would destroy them and cut down their images.

God would destroy those places. In those very places some would die, and their bodies would lie on the lifeless forms of their broken idols (v. 30). It is as much as to say, "Where is the help they expected the idol to give to its deluded victim?"

Should that too fail, the Lord would walk contrary to them in fury. Then (5) the people, driven to the last extremity, would eat their own children. And the idols — shown to be nothing but idols — Jehovah would destroy. The people He had once regarded as the apple of His eye He would abhor. He would lay their cities waste and bring their sanctuaries to desolation.

In Leviticus 26 God threatens the people if they fail in their conduct… "But if you will not listen to me" (v. 14) — He warns them of the heaviest judgments, and at last He will cast them out of their land (v. 31-39). This is exactly what happened to them when Babylon carried them away captive (compare 2 Chronicles 36:21 with Leviticus 26:34). The land enjoyed her Sabbaths while Jerusalem lay desolate. Once every seven years there was to be a year of rest, but the people had no faith in God to keep it. Because they would not believe God and let the land rest, God found this way to enforce obedience to His law.

Israel made and worshipped idols. Israel rebelled, despising their nearness to Jehovah. Israel braved His discipline. Israel brought waste on their cities and desolation on their land. But away in exile they will confess their sin and accept its punishment from Jehovah. He will remember His covenant with their fathers, and remember their land. Mercy will glory over judgment. Jehovah's end is this: He is full of tender compassion and pity.

How ready the Lord was to bless His people! How full was the blessing He could have given them, since He would have delighted to walk among them. But they refused. So judgment had to come. Yet how slow He is to anger! He sent the next blow only when the one before it had failed to bring them to repentance. At last exile had to be their lot.

You might have thought it hard to find blows heavier than those the Lord had already brought on His people in the first half of our chapter. But Israel grew stubborn and kept on in their sin, so here we see Him deal even more terribly with their hard rebellion. He is gracious beyond measure... If He punished the vile practices of the doomed nations who had pushed into His land, He disciplines His own people even more strictly. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

We learn from Huldah the prophetess's answer to Josiah the king (2 Kings 22:16-17) that this part of God's word was in the book which Shaphan the scribe read aloud to the king. We are told that the destruction of Jerusalem, especially because of idolatry, was predicted in that book, and that it would certainly be carried out. Deuteronomy 28 predicted the sorrows that would follow the people's sins. But Leviticus 26:31-32 plainly foretells what Deuteronomy 28:52 only hints at — the destruction of their cities and their sanctuaries, especially because they practised idolatry.

God calls His house at Jerusalem the place of His sanctuary... This is not simply God permitting the people to be trodden down as discipline for their sins. For that to happen, the temple itself is let fall, as it was at the time of the captivity in Babylon. It has to be so, for God to show that He has completely handed His people over to the fruit of their ways. While He owns His honour there, He must stand up and defend them, even while He disciplines them. But once the temple is destroyed and their city laid flat, He does leave them to the full-grown fruit of their sins — though He may still intend to bring them back.

Their pretence of honouring Him with sacrifice and feast day, with song or harp, was hateful to Him, because it all went together with self-will, turning away from His word, and setting up idols.

The people He once treasured as the apple of His eye He would come to detest... That took place at last in the days of Zedekiah. The sorrows foretold here came true during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, which Lamentations 1 and 2 describe.

We very easily confuse two things that the word keeps clearly apart: God's government and God's grace... It is quite true that in His government God keeps the sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering and mercy. But when He shows these qualities from His throne of government, we must never mistake them for the unconditional working of pure and absolute grace.

Once they are brought down to the lowest misery and disgrace, the goodness of God leads them to repentance.

From Huldah the prophetess and her answer to King Josiah we learn that this part of God's word was in the book which Shaphan the scribe read aloud to the king. The destruction of Jerusalem, especially because of idolatry, was foretold in that book, and it would certainly happen. Now Deuteronomy 28 predicted the sorrows of the people because of their sins. But Leviticus 26:31-32 plainly foretells what Deuteronomy 28:52 only hints at: the destruction of their cities and their sanctuaries, and that especially because of their idol worship.

This chapter is a summary of all the later prophecy of Holy Scripture concerning Israel. It is just as truly a summary of Israel's history. This is so strictly true that we can describe the history of that nation, from the days of Moses until now, in a single way. It is simply this chapter translated from the language of prediction into the language of history.

This is all that the enemy could do. He could not make it yield its fruit to him. We already see this in the long sabbaths of rest the land has had while Israel has been banished from it. It would not yield its strength to any of the nations, and the people now in possession are simply plunderers, and nothing else. But for the time being this suits the Lord's purpose. They are, as it were, His watchmen against anyone else coming in who might mean to make the land his own. Waves of invaders still sweep over it, and it stays under a government that makes anything like prosperity impossible. All this is only the sign that the land is still waiting for her true inhabitants.

Please make a special note of this. God's government, visiting the land with barrenness and dryness, was the way He chose to preserve the land for the people. The rightful inhabitants were scattered among the nations. So the way to keep the land for them was to make it undesirable to its conquerors and to the nations around it. The scantiness of the rainfall accomplished this in a very remarkable way. Indeed, one cannot imagine any other way of reaching this end. It is truly the finger of God.

He would go on to devastate their cities and sanctuaries, to the astonishment of their enemies living there. Their land would not escape either. They had despised His sabbaths in days, in years and in jubilee years, so there would be a judicial sabbath: the land would be desolate while Israel was in the enemies' land. The land that flows with milk and honey would lie desolate and have rest. This was in place of the rest it did not have when the tribes lived there.

God does not close this searching word of His without remembering His covenant — as it is said, His covenant with Jacob, and His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here in this strikingly emphatic way of His covenant with every one of them. So even from the mouth of the One they had sinned against so long and so deeply, there would be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day. "And I will," says He, "remember the land."

But the Israelites have never had an unconditional possession of the land of Canaan. They entered on these terms: "If you walk in My statutes and observe My commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season," and other promised blessings... So the Israelites never had more than a conditional hold on the land. And a conditional gift is clearly no fulfilment of an unconditional promise.

Another phrase found only in Ezekiel and the books of Moses is, "I will draw out a sword after them." Compare Ex. 15:9 and Lev. 26:33 with Ezek. 5:2, 12 and Ezek. 12:14. Notice that in both Lev. 26:33 and Ezek. 12:14 the threat of drawing the sword comes with the threat of dispersion, expressed in the original in the very same words.

There is no record of the Sabbatical year and the year of Jubilee ever being kept. Lev. 26:34-35 predicts what would happen if the Israelites did not let the land keep the sabbaths. It reads almost like a prophecy: the land should lie desolate "because it did not rest on your Sabbaths." In Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10; Dan. 9:2 the desolation lasts seventy years. The land was to rest one year in every seven, so the 70 years answer to 70 × 7 = 490 years... In this, as in everything else, it seems they failed to obey. But God will make the Jubilee good to them in grace when they own their Messiah.

Cities would be laid waste and their place of worship destroyed, the land becoming so desolate that even their enemies would be astonished. The people of Israel would be scattered among the nations. They would not lose their identity, but they would be persecuted without mercy wherever they went. All these things have taken place. For centuries the land lay desolate, though in 1948 the Jews regained part of it with a government of their own.

Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud to all the nations of the earth a most striking lesson about the moral government of God. Those nations would profit by studying that lesson closely, and our own hearts would do well to ponder it too.

With verse 40 a ray of light begins to shine. A door of hope is opened, if two things come to pass. First, there must be the confession of their iniquities. Second, the acceptance of the punishment that their iniquities have brought upon them... A man may confess his sin. But if he still fights against the punishment it brings, his confession is only surface-deep, and lacks the depth of real sorrow for sin.

In chapter 26 God sets them in the land on the condition of their obedience, and warns them of the consequences. But notice what God remembers when they repent. It is not the covenant of Sinai, nor the covenant of Moses, but His own unchangeable covenant with Abraham. That covenant drew Him back — not to their righteousness, but to His own faithfulness for the sake of their fathers.

I now turn to one more instance of the power of the visible and its effect on Israel — the way it turned them aside from keeping the Sabbatical year. Here it is all the more striking and solemn, because Jehovah had made special provision to meet the case (see Lev. 25:20-21). The desire of His heart was that the land should keep a sabbath to the Lord. Nothing could be more clear, or more beautiful in what it pictures. Did Israel hold to the mind of Jehovah in this? Jehovah promised to command His blessing on them in the sixth year, so that it would bring forth fruit for three years. As far as they were concerned, that promise was in vain. The visible work of man's hands, their sowing and reaping, was greater and better to them than His blessing.

There is no record that Israel ever kept the Sabbatical year or the year of Jubilee. Lev. 26:34-35 predicts what would happen if the Israelites did not let the land keep the sabbaths. It reads almost like a prophecy: the land should lie desolate because it did not rest during your sabbaths. In Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10; Dan. 9:2 the actual desolation is said to be seventy years. And as the land was to have rested one year in every seven, it follows that the 70 answers to 70 × 7 = 490 years.

The sabbath year was the same truth written large, so that everyone could read and see it. It brought the land into prominence: "a year of rest for the land," of which Jehovah was landlord, and Israel His tenants — holding it only as long as He allowed.

The land was to enjoy its sabbaths, as a lasting sign that it belonged to the Lord. So it, as well as man, must share God's rest. Here, however, the poor and the beasts of the field are prominent. God had care for both. Whatever the distance between them, both alike are His creatures. This reminded the children of Israel that they were only tenants.

Their land too would not escape. They had despised His sabbaths — in days, in years, in jubilees. So there would be a judicial sabbath: the land would lie desolate while Israel was in the enemies' land. The land that flows with milk and honey would lie desolate and rest. It would take the rest it never had while the tribes lived there.

Leviticus 26 holds threats for the people if they should fail in their conduct. "But if you will not listen to me" (v. 14) — He threatens them with the heaviest judgments, and at last with driving them out of their land (v. 31-39). This is exactly what happened when they were carried captive to Babylon (compare 2 Chron. 36:21 with Lev. 26:34), and the land enjoyed its sabbaths while Jerusalem lay desolate. Once every seven years there was to be a year of rest. But the people had no faith in God to keep it. Because they did not believe God, He found this means of enforcing obedience to His law.

A promise follows this threat: "If they confess their iniquity… then I will remember my covenant with Jacob" (v. 40-42). That is, they would be brought back.

Their land would not escape either. They had despised His sabbaths — in days and years and jubilee years — so there would be a judicial sabbath: the land would lie desolate while Israel was in the enemies' land. The land flowing with milk and honey would lie desolate and have rest, in place of the rest it did not get when the tribes lived there.

The land was the Lord's, as all land is, but here the Lord asserts His claim to it. By giving up his right of ownership every seventh year, the Israelite admitted who he held it from. For that year he was not the owner: the harvest belonged to anyone as much as to him, and it was appointed as a Sabbath to Jehovah. That year Jehovah fed everyone freely with what grew up under His hand without human farming. Israel's whole hold on the land depended on this recognition of the divine lordship. Because they broke this command, the land was to enjoy the Sabbaths that had been taken from it, lying empty while the people were driven out.

In His parable of the tenant farmers, the Lord directly links their rejection of Himself with their rejection of Jehovah's rights over the vineyard He had rented out to them. Here the idea carried by the Sabbatical year is extended and developed (Matt. 21:33-41). The prophets had been His servants, sent to collect His fruit: "Finally He sent His Son to them, saying, 'They will respect My Son.' But when the tenants saw the Son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill Him and have His inheritance.'" So comes the righteous sentence on them.

So God's word through Jeremiah came true: the land of Israel would be left desolate, to enjoy the sabbaths it had not enjoyed for years. The people were greedy. They wanted crops in the seventh year as well as in the six years God had given them.

Once every seven years there was to be a year of rest. But the people did not have faith in God to keep it. Because they did not believe God and would not allow the sabbath years, God found this way of enforcing obedience to His law.

There is no record of the Sabbatical year and the year of Jubilee ever being kept. Leviticus 26:34-35 predicts what would happen if the Israelites did not let the land keep its sabbaths. It reads almost like a prophecy. In Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10; Dan. 9:2 the actual desolation is said to be seventy years. And as the land was to have rested one year in every seven, it follows that the 70 years answer to 70 × 7 = 490 years. Now the kingdom began in 1095 B.C., and Jerusalem was taken in 606 B.C., which is just 490 years. It seems that in this, as in everything else, they failed to obey. But the Jubilee will be made good to them in grace when they acknowledge their Messiah.

Verses 34 and 35 expect that they would ignore the commands about the sabbath, especially about the land. So God would give the land a long sabbatical rest, when they were driven out and it lay desolate. We all know how long a rest that land has had until quite recent years.

God does not close this searching word of His without remembering His covenant — as it says, with Jacob, and His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here with unusual emphasis of His covenant with each one of them. So even from His own mouth, the One they had sinned against so long and so deeply, there would be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day. "And I will," says He, "remember the land."

Leviticus 26, which we have now reached, has a very solemn character. Verses 1-13 give a glowing picture of the earthly blessing and prosperity that would follow their obedience. Verses 14-39 give a terrible forecast of the evils that would follow, if disobedience marked them... But it was all strictly conditional. It runs, "If you walk … then I will give." Everything depended on their obedience, and that "If" proved fatal.

Fear of their enemies would be so great that the sound of a shaken leaf would make them run. They would expect injury or death when no one was pursuing them (v. 36). They would be no help to one another in their selfish anxiety to deliver themselves alone. In the lands in which they had sought shelter they would in effect be "eaten up" (v. 38).

Instead of the courage He once gave them against all odds, they would fall into abject terror... Those left of them in their enemies' lands would pine away in their own iniquities, and in the iniquities of their fathers with them (38, 39).

The presence of God should always have been their shield and defence. No weapon formed against them could prosper. But only an obedient people could enjoy that presence. Jehovah could not sanction disobedience or wickedness by His presence. The uncircumcised nations around them might depend on their skill and their military resources. Israel had only the arm of Jehovah to depend on. He would never stretch out that arm to shield unholiness or disobedience. Their strength was to walk with God in a spirit of dependence and obedience. As long as they walked that way, a wall of fire surrounded them, protecting them from every enemy and every evil.

To fear an enemy much mightier than yourself is not blameworthy. But to fear without cause — when you are unbeatable — is cowardice indeed, and Scripture marks such a spirit as shameful. It is solemn to learn that Scripture places the "cowardly" with the "unbelieving" among those condemned to the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). An evil conscience makes a coward. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

But Israel failed altogether. Despite the solemn and appalling picture set before their eyes in verses 14-33 of this chapter, they forsook the Lord and served other gods. So they brought on themselves the severe judgments threatened in this section... Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson about the moral government of God. These nations would gain much by studying that lesson closely. And it would be healthy for our own hearts to ponder it too.

A promise follows this threat: "But if they confess their iniquity… then I will remember my covenant with Jacob," and so on (vv. 40-42). That is, God would bring them back.

Instead of the courage He once gave them against all odds, they would fall into abject terror.

The presence of God should always have been their shield and protection. No weapon formed against them could prosper. But only an obedient people could enjoy that presence. The Lord could not use His presence to approve disobedience or wickedness. The uncircumcised nations around them might depend on their own skill and weapons. Israel had only the arm of the Lord to depend on. That arm could never be stretched out to shield unholiness or disobedience. Their strength was to walk with God in a spirit of dependence and obedience.

To fear an enemy much stronger than yourself is not blameworthy. But to fear when there is no reason to — when you cannot be beaten — is cowardice indeed, and scripture brands such a spirit. It is solemn to learn that scripture lists the "fearful" (cowardly) with the "unbelieving" among those condemned to the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). An evil conscience makes a coward. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

It is not the wrongdoer alone, but Israel. The greater God's blessing to His people, the greater their responsibility. God's grace is rich: it deals with all our evil and puts it away. Yet whatever dishonours Him, after He has blessed us like this, makes us nothing before the enemy. The worst evil disappears before the power of redemption. But take an evil a man would count very small. If he holds on to it or overlooks it, it later becomes a source of weakness beyond measure in the presence of Satan. Is this a reason for distrust? Not in the least. It is the greatest possible reason for watchfulness and care.

Fear of their enemies would be so great that the sound of a shaken leaf would make them flee. They would expect injury or death when no one was chasing them (v. 36). They would be no help to one another in their selfish anxiety to save themselves alone.

Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of the Lord's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson on the moral government of God. Those nations would gain much by studying that lesson deeply. Our own hearts would do well to think it over too.

Brought down in this way to the lowest misery and degradation, the goodness of God leads them to repentance. What a lesson to all the nations!

How ready the Lord was to bless His people! How full was the blessing He could give them, delighting as He would have done to walk among them. But they would not. So God had to deal with them in judgment. Yet how slow He was to anger! He sent each new blow only after the one before it had failed to bring them to repentance. At last exile had to be their lot.

Fear of their enemies would be so great that the sound of a shaken leaf would make them flee. They would expect injury or death when no one was pursuing them (v. 36). They would be no help to one another in their selfish anxiety to deliver themselves alone. In the lands where they had sought shelter they would be, in effect, "eaten up" (v. 38). Their iniquity would bring more and more suffering in their enemies' lands.

This is so exactly true that we can describe the history of that nation, from the days of Moses until now, in one way. It is simply this chapter translated from the language of prediction into the language of history.

Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they stand as monuments of Jehovah's truth and justice, which never bend. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a striking lesson about the moral government of God. Those nations would gain much by studying that lesson closely. It would do our own hearts good to think about it too.

Yet the whole nation was not to perish. God would not cast them away, nor would He abhor them to destroy them utterly and break His covenant with them. For He was Jehovah their God.

This chapter predicts that the people would pass through judgment, devastated by sword, famine and disease. Yet they would go on existing in their enemies' land. Israel's preservation throughout the long period of these executed judgments is a miracle. It cannot be explained in any other way.

Leviticus 26 shows the results of Israel's disobedience. It brings out all their sad history until they "perish among the nations" (v. 38). But it adds something more. If they confess their sins while scattered — "if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, then I will remember" — what? My covenant at Mount Sinai? No, but "My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham I will remember, and I will remember the land" (vv. 41, 42). Restoration, then, will be on the ground of the still unfulfilled covenant with the fathers.

The value of a covenant made with those who have died comes out here. The wrongdoing of later generations cannot set aside a covenant made with people who have already passed away, a covenant that was not cancelled before their death.

We are very prone to confuse two things that Scripture clearly distinguishes: God's government and God's grace. This confusion causes many evils. It is sure to weaken our sense of the dignity and seriousness of government. It also weakens our sense of the purity, fullness and height of grace.

Then comes the effect of the broken covenant, described at length: judgments in stages, growing greater as they keep refusing to repent, ending in total scattering, and in their being consumed in their enemies' land.

But why should they experience the bitterness and degradation of exile? Why waste away in the land of their enemies? Jehovah was their God. Exile could never come from His being unable to shield them from the invader. But it could come from His being unwilling to do it.

The destruction that began was so sweeping that nothing would remain for them but wasting away in their iniquities and groaning to one another. Jehovah Himself was treating the sanctuary as common by His judgment, just as they had by their transgressions and their detestable practices. What a picture of despair! The sorrow lies too deep for tears, and an overwhelming sense of guilt forces people to abandon hope.

He has Himself assured us that He "visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." But He then adds a most necessary guard against what would otherwise be misread: "of those who hate Me." And elsewhere the Lord condemns in the strongest terms the proverb Israel had taken up from just such a misreading: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." (Ezekiel 18) He not only says, but swears, that they will have no reason to use such a proverb. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father will not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on him. And the repentance of anyone will turn away his doom.

They also confessed the iniquities of their fathers, and they did so because the Lord's hand had been on them for this very reason. It was because of the sins of their fathers that they had suffered captivity in Babylon... So they went down to the root of all the evil, and told out before God their fathers' sins as well as their own. Their humbling on that day, therefore, was no mere surface work.

God calls this nation to blessing, yet He threatens it with the most awful judgments and disasters. And all of these have become historical facts. Jewish history, over many weary centuries, records how these solemn words kept coming true. So this chapter gives us very valuable and powerful evidence of inspiration: it foretold the curses, and history fulfilled them to the letter.

When they are brought down like this to the lowest misery and shame, the goodness of God leads them to repentance. What a lesson to all the nations!

With verse 40 a ray of light begins to shine. A door of hope opens, if two things happen. First, they must confess their iniquities. Second, they must accept the punishment that their iniquities have brought on them. Notice that God mentions this second condition twice. That marks it as very important. You can see both things in Daniel's prayer (Dan. 9), and he got a quick answer. A man may confess his sin. But if he still fights against the punishment it brings, that shows his confession is only on the surface. It has no real depth of sorrow for sin. This is as true for us today as it was for Israel long ago. The way God governs His children is always in love, but it is also in strict righteousness.

They also confessed the iniquities of their fathers. They did so because the Lord's hand had been on them for this very reason. It was because of the sins of their fathers that they had suffered captivity in Babylon... So they went down to the root of all the evil, and told out before God their fathers' sins as well as their own. Their humbling on that day, therefore, was no mere surface work.

They will confess how thoroughly contrary to God they have been, and that God has been right in being contrary to them (vv. 40-41). They will be humbled as never before, to accept the full responsibility of their guilt. Zechariah 12:10-14 implies this, when they look on Him whom they pierced and break down in genuine repentance and faith.

Happy is it when the soul bows to the hand of God, accepting the punishment of our sins. It is the place of blessing. Israel's blessing began there... And so, after they had failed in the kingdom, as they had failed in the wilderness, their blessing lay in Babylon as before it lay outside the camp. They must accept the punishment of their sins and go there.

Does anyone object that this blessed change is sometimes made conditional on Israel's repentance? The answer is that the objection has no real force. Jehovah has promised, with no conditions, that He will work in their hearts at the moment known only to Him. And this chapter itself confirms it — a chapter full of accusation and furious anger against them for their wickedness. Yet here there is no condition but an express prediction, "And they shall confess their iniquity"... Where His word does lay down a condition, He Himself makes that condition good in their souls.

Leviticus 26 shows what came of Israel's disobedience. It traces their whole sad history until they "perish among the heathen" (v. 38). But it adds that if, in their dispersion, they will confess their sins... then God will remember — what? My covenant at Mount Sinai? No, but "My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the land" (vv. 41, 42). So their restoration rests on the covenant with the fathers, a covenant God has still not fulfilled.

It signified the separation of a people from the world to God... Contrary to God's design, circumcision became a mere formal act, when Israel disregarded the covenant itself. God then speaks of Israel as having "uncircumcised hearts." Stephen charged the Jewish council with being "uncircumcised in heart and ears."

Refusing the flesh is not just neglecting the body in a way the world can see. It is refusing the flesh in all its inward workings in the heart — its self-confidence, self-righteousness, vanity and lusts — as something the cross has condemned.

With verse 40 a ray of light begins to shine. A door of hope opens, if two things happen. First, there must be the confession of their iniquities. Second, the acceptance of the punishment that their iniquities have brought on them. Notice that this second requirement comes twice, and clearly it is very important. You can see both things in Daniel's prayer (Daniel 9), and so he got a speedy answer. A man may confess his sin. But if he still kicks against the punishment it brings, his confession is only on the surface and lacks real depth of sorrow. This is as true for us today as it was for Israel long ago. God's dealings with His children in government are always in love, but they are also in strict righteousness.

Happy is it when the soul bows to the hand of God, accepting the punishment of our sins. It is the place of blessing. Israel's blessing began there... after they had failed in the kingdom, as they had failed in the wilderness, their blessing lay in Babylon.

Here we find God in government, meeting with patient mercy the very first and faintest breathings of a broken and repentant spirit.

When they acknowledged their fault, then He would remember the covenant made with their fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was a covenant made without condition, and with the land.

Does anyone object that this blessed change is sometimes made conditional on Israel's repentance? The answer is that the objection has no real force. Jehovah has promised without condition that He will work in their hearts in this way, at the moment He alone knows... Yet here there is no condition but an express prediction, "And they shall confess their iniquity"... Where His word lays down such a condition, He Himself makes it good in their souls.

In chapter 26 they are set on the condition of their obedience in the land, with warnings given of the consequences. But you may notice what God remembers when they repent. It is not the covenant of Sinai, nor the covenant of Moses, but His own unchangeable covenant with Abraham. That covenant drew Him back — not to their righteousness, but to His own faithfulness for the sake of their fathers.

Leviticus 26 declares that in case of the wilful sin of the people God would remember the covenant made with the fathers before the law, and keeps silence with regard to the covenant of Sinai.

God does not close this searching word of His without remembering His covenant with Jacob, and His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here in this unusually emphatic way of His covenant with every one of them. They had sinned against Him long and deeply. Yet from His own mouth there would be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day... So God falls back on what He is Himself, after He has fully set out the sorrows that fell on the people because of what they were.

Here the value of a covenant made with those who have died comes out. The sin of later generations cannot set aside a covenant made with people who have passed away, a covenant that was never cancelled before they died.

Does anyone object that this blessed change is sometimes made to depend on Israel's repentance? There is no real force in the objection. God has promised unconditionally that He will work in their hearts in this way, at the right moment, which only He knows. Even this chapter confirms it — a chapter of accusation, denunciation and furious anger against them for their wickedness. Yet here there is no condition, but a plain prediction: "And they shall confess their iniquity." God may go beyond in goodness and mercy; He never falls short. Where His word lays down such a condition, He makes it good in their souls.

God gave the land to the descendants of Abraham "forever," or as another place puts it, "for an everlasting possession." Israel's hold on Canaan was certainly not that. But has the Lord forgotten His promise?... In the same prophecy the Lord speaks of the conditional hold on the land, and foretells the casting out of Israel if they disobey. Yet He also points forward to the time when the promise made to Abraham will be truly fulfilled.

One day the time will come for the nation to return to their land, and it will be fruitful again... The earliest visible sign that the second coming of Christ to deliver His people is near will be the earth yielding its increase (Ps. 67:6). For God, according to His promise, will then have remembered the land.

This restoration will be a work of pure grace, founded on God's absolute and unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... So while Nehemiah confessed the sins of his people, he threw himself on the mercy and unconditional promises of God. In this way he rose above law, and reached, by faith, the source of all blessing — the heart of God Himself.

Their land too would not escape. They had despised His sabbaths in days and years and jubilees. So there would be a judicial sabbath: the land would lie desolate while Israel was in the enemies' land. The land flowing with milk and honey would lie desolate and have rest, in place of the rest it did not have while the tribes lived there.

There is no record that Israel ever kept the Sabbatical year or the year of Jubilee. Leviticus 26:34-35 predicts what would happen if the Israelites did not let the land keep the sabbaths. It reads almost like a prophecy: the land would lie desolate "because it did not rest on your Sabbaths." Jeremiah 25:11-12, Jeremiah 29:10 and Daniel 9:2 all put the actual desolation at seventy years. And since the land was to have rested one year in every seven, it follows that the seventy answer to 70 × 7 = 490 years. Now the kingdom began in B.C. 1095, and Jerusalem fell in 606. That is exactly 490 years. It seems to confirm the silence in Israel's history about their giving the land the sabbaths God required.

With verse 40 a ray of light begins to shine. A door of hope opens, if two things come to pass. First, there must be the confession of their iniquities. Second, the acceptance of the punishment that their iniquities have brought upon them. Notice that this second requirement comes up twice, and clearly it is a very important matter. Both things appear in Daniel's prayer (Daniel 9), so he got a speedy answer. A man may confess his sin. But if he still kicks against the punishment it brings, that shows his confession is only on the surface and lacks real depth of sorrow.

Verse 43 goes back to emphasise the ruin they had brought on their land. So it also shows the greatness of the grace of God that will yet restore them. The verse repeats that they will "accept their guilt." They make no excuses, and blame only themselves for despising God's judgments and abhorring His statutes.

The Land — "My Land," whatever its state or divisions. It is Jehovah's Land, and if the people fail in every way, it falls into His hands. He had only entrusted it to Israel — the Gentiles have no right except through Israel's sin, and none at all as against the Lord.

Does anyone object that this blessed change is sometimes made conditional on Israel's repentance? The answer is that the objection has no real force. The Lord has promised, with no conditions attached, that He will work in their hearts in this way when the due moment comes — a moment known only to Him... Here there is no condition, but a plain prediction: "And they shall confess their iniquity." God may do more in goodness and mercy; He never does less. He does make good the condition in their souls where His word lays down such a condition.

All this is government. But by and by, God will bring Israel into possession of the land of Canaan on the ground of unqualified and unchangeable grace. It is grace exercised in divine righteousness through the blood of the cross. It will not be by works of law... Therefore they will never again be driven out of their possession.

Leviticus 26 sets out the prophetic history of the people in a solemn way. It does not do this by a picture now, but by direct statement. It warns of the direct effect of testing them on the ground of their own responsibility, which is the principle of law. God does not close this searching word of His without remembering His covenant with Jacob, and His covenant with Isaac, and His covenant with Abraham. He speaks here with rare emphasis of His covenant with every one of them. They had sinned against Him long and deeply. Yet from His own mouth there should be a threefold witness for His mercy in that day… So God falls back on what He is Himself, after fully detailing the sorrows that fell on the people because of what they were.

Leviticus gives us the whole imposed order, as set up in the land on this foundation. So in chapter 26 we find them placed on the condition of their obedience in it, with warnings of the consequences. But notice what God remembers when they repent. It is not the covenant of Sinai, nor the covenant of Moses. It is His own unchangeable covenant with Abraham. That covenant drew Him back — not to their righteousness, but to His own faithfulness for the sake of their fathers.

Yet the whole nation was not to perish. God would not cast them away, nor would He abhor them to destroy them utterly and break His covenant with them. For He was Jehovah their God… The value of a covenant made with those who have died comes out here. The sin of later generations cannot set aside a covenant made with those who have passed away. That covenant was not cancelled before their death.

This chapter predicts that the people would pass through judgment, devastated by sword, famine and plague, and would still go on living in their enemies' land. Israel's survival through the long period of these judgments is a miracle. Nothing else explains it.

In every case where foreign groups find themselves strangers in another land, they are in time absorbed without a trace. There is one solitary exception: the Jews. That is a miracle repeated many times over, for many are the nations among whom they are scattered.

Does anyone object that this blessed change is sometimes made conditional on Israel's repentance? The answer is that the objection has no real force. Jehovah has promised without condition that He will work in their hearts in this way when the right moment comes, a moment known only to Him… God may exceed in goodness and mercy; He never falls short. Where His word lays down such a condition, He Himself makes it good in their souls.

All this is government. But in time, God will bring Israel into possession of the land of Canaan on the ground of grace that has no conditions and never changes — grace exercised in divine righteousness through the blood of the cross. It will not be by works of law, but by the grace that reigns through righteousness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So they will never again be driven out of their possession.

When they admitted their fault, He would remember the covenant made with their fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That covenant was made without any condition, and it included the land. Then He would remember the covenant made with their ancestors, under His name of Jehovah, when they came out of Egypt. God will take up both titles when He restores them: Almighty, the name of His relationship with the fathers; and Jehovah, the name of His relationship with the people, seen as taken to Himself when they came out of Egypt.

Here the value of a covenant made with people who have died comes out. The sin of later generations cannot set aside a covenant made with people who are gone, a covenant that was never cancelled while they lived.

They cannot and will not plead any excuse for themselves. Still, God will not cast them away, for that would mean breaking His unconditional covenant with them (v. 44). But "for their sake" He would remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom in wonderful grace He has brought out of the land of Egypt so that He might be their God in the sight of all. How this magnifies the wonder of the grace of His heart! So He adds, "I am the LORD" (v. 45).

After they have destroyed themselves, the Lord turns back to His own unconditional promises to their forefathers. Even in their enemies' land He does not forget them, and He does not cast them off completely.

The answer is that there is no real force in the objection. Jehovah has promised, without condition, that He will work in their hearts when the right moment comes — a moment known only to Him. Even this chapter confirms it, a chapter full of accusation, condemnation and fierce anger against their wickedness. Here there is no condition, but a plain prediction: "But they shall confess their iniquity…" God may go beyond in goodness and mercy; He never comes short; and He declares here that this is how it will be. Where His word does lay down such a condition, He Himself makes it good in their souls.

This unconditional prediction fits the covenant with their fathers completely, for that covenant was unconditional by nature. In that it stood in sharp contrast with the covenant of law, of which Moses was the mediator… Why take all this care? To give the firmest confidence to people just awakened to feel and admit their long ages of rebellion, and even of turning away from God.

All this is government. But in time God will bring Israel into the land of Canaan on the ground of complete and unchangeable grace — grace shown in divine righteousness through the blood of the cross. It will not be by works of law, nor by the institutions of a system that was bound to pass away, but by that grace which reigns "through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So they will never again be driven out of what is theirs.