"You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God. You must not make idols for yourselvesThis command prohibits the creation of idols, which were common in the ancient Near East. Idolatry was a significant temptation for the Israelites, as surrounding nations worshiped various gods represented by physical objects. The prohibition underscores the importance of worshiping the one true God, who is spirit and cannot be contained in a physical form. This command is reiterated in the Ten Commandments ( Exodus 20:3-4) and highlights the exclusive covenant relationship between God and Israel. or set up a carved image or sacred pillar;
Carved images and sacred pillars were often used in pagan worship practices. These objects were believed to house the presence of deities or serve as focal points for worship. The Israelites were to avoid such practices to maintain purity in their worship and to distinguish themselves from the idolatrous nations around them. The prohibition of sacred pillars is also mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:22, emphasizing the need for Israel to remain distinct and faithful to God. you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it.
Sculpted stones, like carved images and sacred pillars, were used in the worship of false gods. The act of bowing down signifies submission and reverence, which should be directed only to the LORD. This command serves as a reminder of the spiritual danger of idolatry and the need for Israel to worship God alone. The land itself was to be kept free from such objects, reinforcing the idea that the Promised Land was to be a holy place dedicated to the LORD. For I am the LORD your God.
This phrase asserts God's authority and identity as the covenant God of Israel. It serves as the foundational reason for the preceding commands. The LORD's unique relationship with Israel is based on His covenant promises, and His identity as their God demands exclusive worship and obedience. This declaration is a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament, reminding Israel of their special status as God's chosen people and their obligation to live according to His statutes. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe original audience of Leviticus, the chosen people of God, who were given the Law to guide their worship and conduct. 2. Mount SinaiThe place where God delivered the Law to Moses, including the commandments found in Leviticus. 3. MosesThe prophet and leader of the Israelites who received and communicated God's laws to the people. 4. CanaanThe land promised to the Israelites, where they were to live according to God's commandments and avoid the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations. 5. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who demands exclusive worship and obedience from His people. Teaching Points Exclusive WorshipGod demands exclusive worship and allegiance. Idolatry, in any form, is a direct violation of our covenant relationship with Him. Modern IdolatryWhile physical idols may not be common today, anything that takes the place of God in our hearts—such as money, power, or relationships—can become an idol. Cultural InfluenceJust as the Israelites were warned against adopting the idolatrous practices of surrounding nations, Christians today must be vigilant against cultural influences that lead away from God. Holiness and ObedienceObedience to God's commands is a reflection of our holiness and dedication to Him. Avoiding idolatry is part of living a life set apart for God. Identity in GodRecognizing God as "the LORD your God" affirms our identity as His people, called to live in a way that honors Him. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some modern forms of idolatry that Christians might encounter today, and how can we guard against them? 2. How does understanding the cultural context of the Israelites help us apply Leviticus 26:1 to our lives today? 3. In what ways can we ensure that God remains the central focus of our worship and daily lives? 4. How do the warnings against idolatry in the Old Testament connect with the teachings of the New Testament? 5. Reflect on a time when something other than God took priority in your life. How did you address this, and what steps can you take to prevent it from happening again? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:3-5The first and second commandments, which prohibit idolatry and the making of graven images, are foundational to understanding Leviticus 26:1. Deuteronomy 4:15-19Moses warns the Israelites against idolatry, emphasizing that God is spirit and should not be represented by physical forms. Isaiah 44:9-20The futility of idol-making is highlighted, contrasting the living God with lifeless idols. 1 Corinthians 10:14Paul instructs believers to flee from idolatry, showing the continuity of this command in the New Testament. 1 John 5:21John warns Christians to keep themselves from idols, reinforcing the timeless relevance of this command. People Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Bow, Carved, Cut, Engraved, Erect, Figured, Gods, Graven, Idols, Image, Imagery, Images, Pictured, Pillar, Raise, Rear, Sacred, Standing, Statue, Stone, Worship, YourselvesDictionary of Bible Themes Leviticus 26:1 1225 God, as Spirit
5211 art
5212 arts and crafts
8302 love, abuse of
8780 materialism, and sin
8799 polytheism
8840 unfaithfulness, to God Leviticus 26:1-2 8242 ethics, personal
8402 claims Library Emancipated Slaves
I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.'--LEV. xxvi. 13. The history of Israel is a parable and a prophecy as well as a history. The great central word of the New Testament has been drawn from it, viz. 'redemption,' i.e. a buying out of bondage. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt were 'delivered.' The deliverance made them a nation. God acquired them for Himself, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureLii. Trust in God.
15th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. vi. 31. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." INTRODUCTION.--We read in ancient Roman history that a general named Aemilius Paulus was appointed to the Roman army in a time of war and great apprehension. He found in the army a sad condition of affairs, there were more officers than fighting men, and all these officers wanted to have their advice taken, and the war conducted in accordance with their several opinions. Then Aemilius Paulus …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent A Reformer's Schooling
'The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace. …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Leviticus 26:1 NIVLeviticus 26:1 NLTLeviticus 26:1 ESVLeviticus 26:1 NASBLeviticus 26:1 KJV
Leviticus 26:1 Commentaries
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