And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, And if in spite of these thingsThis phrase refers to the preceding warnings and consequences outlined in Leviticus 26. The chapter details blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, emphasizing the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The "things" mentioned include various forms of discipline intended to bring the Israelites back to faithfulness. This reflects the biblical principle that God uses circumstances to guide and correct His people, as seen in Hebrews 12:6, which speaks of the Lord disciplining those He loves. you do not accept My discipline
Discipline here is understood as corrective measures taken by God to bring His people back to righteousness. The Hebrew word for discipline can also mean instruction or correction, indicating a purpose beyond mere punishment. This concept is echoed in Proverbs 3:11-12, where the wise are encouraged not to despise the Lord's discipline. The refusal to accept discipline is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, highlighting the stubbornness of the human heart and the need for repentance. but continue to walk in hostility toward Me
Walking in hostility implies a deliberate and ongoing rebellion against God. This phrase suggests a conscious choice to oppose God's will, reminiscent of the Israelites' repeated disobedience throughout their history. The imagery of "walking" is often used in Scripture to describe one's way of life or conduct, as seen in Psalm 1:1. Hostility toward God is not just passive indifference but active resistance, which ultimately leads to separation from Him. This rebellion is contrasted with the call to walk in the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:16, which leads to life and peace. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe primary audience of Leviticus, the Israelites were God's chosen people, whom He delivered from Egypt and to whom He gave the Law through Moses. 2. MosesThe prophet and leader of the Israelites, Moses was the mediator of God's covenant and the one through whom God communicated His laws and commands. 3. The Promised LandThe land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was to be a place of blessing if the Israelites obeyed God's commands. 4. GodThe sovereign Lord who established a covenant with the Israelites, promising blessings for obedience and consequences for disobedience. 5. CovenantThe binding agreement between God and the Israelites, which included laws, promises, and conditions for blessings and curses. Teaching Points The Seriousness of DisobedienceLeviticus 26:23 highlights the gravity of turning away from God. It serves as a reminder that disobedience has serious consequences, not just for the individual but for the community. God's Desire for RepentanceThe verse implies that God allows consequences as a means to bring His people back to Him. It underscores His desire for repentance and restoration rather than punishment. The Role of Discipline in Spiritual GrowthJust as a loving parent disciplines a child, God uses discipline to correct and guide His people. This is a call to view challenges as opportunities for growth and realignment with God's will. Covenant FaithfulnessThe covenant relationship requires faithfulness from both parties. For believers today, this means living in obedience to God's Word and maintaining a close relationship with Him. The Importance of Community AccountabilityThe communal aspect of the covenant reminds us of the importance of holding each other accountable in our faith journeys, encouraging one another to remain faithful to God's commands. Bible Study Questions 1. How does understanding the historical context of the Israelites' covenant with God enhance our interpretation of Leviticus 26:23? 2. In what ways can we see the principles of Leviticus 26:23 reflected in the New Testament teachings on discipline and repentance? 3. How can we apply the concept of covenant faithfulness in our daily lives as modern believers? 4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are living in obedience to God's commands, both individually and as a community? 5. How can we support and encourage one another in our faith journeys, especially when facing the consequences of disobedience? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter parallels Leviticus 26, detailing the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, emphasizing the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Jeremiah 7The prophet Jeremiah warns the Israelites about the consequences of their disobedience, echoing the themes of Leviticus 26. Hebrews 12This New Testament passage discusses God's discipline, drawing a parallel to the corrective measures described in Leviticus 26. People Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Accept, Act, Continue, Contrary, Corrected, Correction, Discipline, Disciplined, Hostile, Hostility, Instructed, Opposition, Reformed, Spite, Walk, Walked, Won'tDictionary of Bible Themes Leviticus 26:14-39 5827 curse
6026 sin, judgment on Leviticus 26:23-24 5764 attitudes, negative to God
5926 rebuke
8231 discipline, divine Leviticus 26:23-25 5493 retribution Leviticus 26:23-26 4438 eating
4843 plague
5435 ovens 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 26:23 NIVLeviticus 26:23 NLTLeviticus 26:23 ESVLeviticus 26:23 NASBLeviticus 26:23 KJV
Leviticus 26:23 Commentaries
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