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Obedience Versus Disobedience

Is God asking too much when He wants obedience?

Leviticus 26

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • January 22, ad 2012

 

Prelude: 

  1. Remember how Leviticus 25 ends,
    1. with the Lord explaining to the children of Israel
    2. why they could not enslave one another, at least permanently,
      1. they were the servants of the Lord God, and
      2. He was the One who brought them out of the land of Egypt.
  2. That being the case,
    1. He then explained what they should and should not do,
    2. such as avoiding idolatry and obeying the Lord.

Persuasion: 

  1. Leviticus 26.1 • No Idolatry
    1. The Lord God redeemed them; why worship another god?
    2. He was their God.
  2. Leviticus 26.2 • Time with the Lord
    1. What did the children of Israel do on the Sabbath besides rest?
    2. What is the connection between the Sabbath and the sanctuary?
    3. Hear again Yahweh God reminding Israel of His identity.
  3. The Blessings of Obedience
    1. Leviticus 26.3–8 • Prosperity and Fearlessness
      1. The Lord wanted Israel to
        1. walk in His statues,
        2. keep His commandments, and
        3. perform them.
      2. What would be the blessings?
        1. Productive crops
        2. Fearless living
    2. Leviticus 26.9–13 • God’s Favor
      1. God’s favor would show up in:
        1. The numerical growth of Israel
        2. The confirmation of the covenant
        3. Abundant harvests
        4. The Family Promise of God
          1. His tabernacle would be among them
          2. He would not abhor them
          3. He would walk among them
          4. He would be their God
          5. They would be His people
            1. This promise spans the Bible, because
            2. God was using Israel to show the world
              1. what He wants with the world.
              2. Eze 37.26–28; 2Co 6.16; Rev 21.3
      2. He reminded them again what He had done.
        1. Why did He have to keep reminding them of who He was or is?
        2. Why did He have to keep reminding them of their deliverance?
  4. The Consequences of Disobedience
    1. Leviticus 26.14–17 • The First Phase: Fear
      1. God would appoint terror over them
      2. Bodily problems would bring sorrow
      3. Their enemies would eat their produce
      4. God would be against them and cause their enemies to defeat them
      5. Their enemies would reign over them
      6. They would flee for no reason
    2. Leviticus 26.18–20 • The Second Phase: Sevenfold Fruitlessness
      1. If the first action did not change them,
      2. He would give them a sevenfold problem with their harvests.
    3. Leviticus 26.21, 22 • The Third Phase: Wild Beasts
      1. If the second action did not change them,
      2. He would bring a sevenfold attack of wild animals.
    4. Leviticus 26.23–26 • The Fourth Phase: Famine
      1. If the third action did not change them,
      2. He would bring a sevenfold famine.
    5. Leviticus 26.27–35 • The Fifth Phase: Captivity
      1. If the fourth action did not change them,
      2. He would bring a sevenfold attack from their enemies.
    6. Leviticus 26.36–39 • The Sixth Phase: Overwhelming Fear
      1. For those not taken into captivity,
      2. He would cause the survivors in the land to experience overwhelming fear.
  5. Leviticus 26.40–45 • Repentance
    1. After all their insistence on sinning, and
    2. after all the punishment that God would put upon them,
      1. He would still wait for them to repent, and
      2. if they did, He would remember His covenant with their fathers.
  6. Leviticus 26.46 • This Is the Law

    46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses (Lev 26.46).

    1. The Book of Leviticus is the heart of what we call The Law of Moses.