Ancient societies, including the Israelites, all included sections of blessings and curses alongside their laws. We see this pattern continue in Leviticus, where a section dedicated to blessings and curses now follows all the legal descriptions in the book.
God’s Promised Blessings
God gave His people the law, not as a burden, but as a blessing. It is a gift for the greatest Mind in the universe to provide people with rules for living.
It makes sense that when we follow His directions, things will go well for us. We will be blessed.
“If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Your threshing shall overlap the vintage, and the vintage shall overlap the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full and live securely in your land.
And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword shall go through your land.
You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword” (Leviticus 26:3-7).
In ancient Egypt, the Nile River was revered as a god because it was essential for the cultivation of crops and the provision of food. In contrast, people who follow God trust the Creator of all to provide for their needs, rather than relying on a false god or a river.
Ask anyone living in a hostile environment if peace offers welcome relief from violence and threats; the answer will undoubtedly be yes. God, in His blessings to His obedient people, promises them peace from their enemies and peace with Himself.
The ultimate peace comes from Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27)
Paul expands on Jesus’ offer of peace and encourages us to pursue the Lord, the peacegiver.
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Expressions of God’s Judgment
Those whose attitudes and actions oppose God’s will will face His judgment rather than His blessings. God desires to empower a willing Israel, favorably disposed toward Him, to obey the covenant.
Conversely, He will reject Israel if they break the covenant and treat it lightly.
“But if you will not obey me and do not observe all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes and abhor my ordinances, so that you will not observe all my commandments and you break my covenant,
I in turn will do this to you: I will bring terror on you, consumption and fever that waste the eyes and cause life to pine away. You shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down by your enemies; your foes shall rule over you, and you shall flee though no one pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14-17).
For me, the most striking feature of these words is God’s declaration: “I will set my face against you.”
Hebrews reminds us: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Reflections
Sinclair Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here is a fascinating book, written in the last century yet remarkably relevant today. Though it explores political events, its core message can be applied beyond government to each of us.
Can we conceive that what God states in the blessings and curses section of Leviticus might happen here? Do we really think that serving Him brings His blessings, but turning from Him brings His judgment?
One thought that keeps returning to me is the possibility that America and the world are currently experiencing God’s judgment for having turned their backs on Him. There is no shortage of things to complain, fear, or worry about in the world today.
Is it conceivable that these unfolding events are, in fact, God’s judgment on those who refuse to follow Him, bringing to pass the judgments He speaks of in Leviticus and other biblical passages?
Most characters in Sinclair Lewis’s book never imagined the difficulties their nation would face. Similarly, it’s likely hard for us to believe that America could fall under God’s judgment and become “the bad guys” in Earth’s story.
Nevertheless, it is a possibility worth serious consideration. As we think about this, let’s consider Joel’s words with deep seriousness.
Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
Rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,
and relenting from punishment.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent
and leave a blessing behind him. (Joel 2:12-14)
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 