March 03, 2010
Leviticus 26:27–35
IF—you still refuse to listen to me and still turn against me, THEN—I will show my great anger. I will punish you seven more times for your sin. You will eat the bodies of your children. (You will turn against family members.) I will destroy the places where you worshiped other gods and pile your lifeless bodies there. (The things you held in higher esteem than me and wouldn't give up? I will take them away. They will be useless to you.) I will hate you. (What strong words! When you see the progression of consequences to our refusal to submit to God, it is frightening.) I will destroy your cities and your holy places. (Everything that is important to you will be gone.) I will not smell the pleasing smell of your offerings. (I will ignore your "religious" rituals.) I will make the land empty, your enemies will live in it and be shocked by it. I will scatter you. I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will be empty and your cities a waste. (Everything will be gone. What you thought was "yours" I will remove. I (God) will personally see to it that every "thing" is gone. All will be shocked by it. Not only will everything be gone, but you will be forced out as well. You will be a prisoner in your enemies land.)
Leviticus 26:36–39
IF—any of you are still alive, THEN—you will lose your courage (all of your "I's" will be gone. Your I will, I can, I won't, I'm in charge of my life—gone.) You will be frightened by the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind. (Fear will take over and consume you.) You will run and fall even when no one is chasing you. You will fall over each other. (Panic and paranoia will take over and control you. You will lose all reasoning abilities. You will not be able to determine what reality is. There will be utter fear, panic, paranoia, and pandemonium.) You will not be strong enough to stand up against your enemies. (Your supposed power—gone. Total weakness. No strategies. No schemes.) You will die among other nations. Those of you left alive will rot away because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors. (Done. Finished. You followed in your ancestors steps. You never repented. You disobeyed my commands. You refused to listen to me.) I AM THE LORD! I have no other choice. A holy God cannot tolerate or allow continued and purposeful disobedience. I gave you every chance. I did everything I could do to get you to turn from your wicked ways. You refused. You have chosen to suffer the consequences. I AM THE LORD!
Leviticus 26:14–17 - Blessings removed, success gone, God's peace gone
Leviticus 26:18–20 - Stripped of pride, everything you try will fail
Leviticus 26:21–22 - Unexpected catastrophes and calamities
Leviticus 26:23–26 - Out of control, nothing will work, no satisfaction
Leviticus 26:27–35 - You will turn on each other, everything gone
Leviticus 26:36–39 - Fear, anxiety, panic, prison, destruction
There is always hope! But maybe—maybe the people will confess their sins and their father's sins. Maybe they will admit they turned against me and sinned which caused all of their consequences. IF—these disobedient people are sorry AND accept punishment for their sins, THEN—God will remember his agreement and He will not turn away from them. Leviticus 26:43 - "They will accept the punishment for their sins. They will learn that they were punished for their sins." THEN! THEN there will be restoration, health, and happiness again. I AM THE LORD!
There is always hope.
God waited patiently for his people to return. He caused accountability and consequences to happen. He did everything He could to get their attention ... ALL for the purpose of bringing them back to repentance. What God did for the Israelites He does for us as well. He wants us to return and come back to Him, and seek forgiveness. II Chronicles 7:14 - IF—THEN
There is always hope.
Blessings—verses—Consequences. The boundaries set by God are for our own good. If we break them we suffer. We either respond to His love or we face His discipline. It is our choice: Blessings—or—Curses. Deuteronomy 11:26–28 - "See, today I am letting you choose a blessing or a curse. You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God."
Next Entry: Numbers 1:1 - 2:34
Leviticus 26:27–35
IF—you still refuse to listen to me and still turn against me, THEN—I will show my great anger. I will punish you seven more times for your sin. You will eat the bodies of your children. (You will turn against family members.) I will destroy the places where you worshiped other gods and pile your lifeless bodies there. (The things you held in higher esteem than me and wouldn't give up? I will take them away. They will be useless to you.) I will hate you. (What strong words! When you see the progression of consequences to our refusal to submit to God, it is frightening.) I will destroy your cities and your holy places. (Everything that is important to you will be gone.) I will not smell the pleasing smell of your offerings. (I will ignore your "religious" rituals.) I will make the land empty, your enemies will live in it and be shocked by it. I will scatter you. I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will be empty and your cities a waste. (Everything will be gone. What you thought was "yours" I will remove. I (God) will personally see to it that every "thing" is gone. All will be shocked by it. Not only will everything be gone, but you will be forced out as well. You will be a prisoner in your enemies land.)
Leviticus 26:36–39
IF—any of you are still alive, THEN—you will lose your courage (all of your "I's" will be gone. Your I will, I can, I won't, I'm in charge of my life—gone.) You will be frightened by the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind. (Fear will take over and consume you.) You will run and fall even when no one is chasing you. You will fall over each other. (Panic and paranoia will take over and control you. You will lose all reasoning abilities. You will not be able to determine what reality is. There will be utter fear, panic, paranoia, and pandemonium.) You will not be strong enough to stand up against your enemies. (Your supposed power—gone. Total weakness. No strategies. No schemes.) You will die among other nations. Those of you left alive will rot away because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors. (Done. Finished. You followed in your ancestors steps. You never repented. You disobeyed my commands. You refused to listen to me.) I AM THE LORD! I have no other choice. A holy God cannot tolerate or allow continued and purposeful disobedience. I gave you every chance. I did everything I could do to get you to turn from your wicked ways. You refused. You have chosen to suffer the consequences. I AM THE LORD!
Leviticus 26:14–17 - Blessings removed, success gone, God's peace gone
Leviticus 26:18–20 - Stripped of pride, everything you try will fail
Leviticus 26:21–22 - Unexpected catastrophes and calamities
Leviticus 26:23–26 - Out of control, nothing will work, no satisfaction
Leviticus 26:27–35 - You will turn on each other, everything gone
Leviticus 26:36–39 - Fear, anxiety, panic, prison, destruction
There is always hope! But maybe—maybe the people will confess their sins and their father's sins. Maybe they will admit they turned against me and sinned which caused all of their consequences. IF—these disobedient people are sorry AND accept punishment for their sins, THEN—God will remember his agreement and He will not turn away from them. Leviticus 26:43 - "They will accept the punishment for their sins. They will learn that they were punished for their sins." THEN! THEN there will be restoration, health, and happiness again. I AM THE LORD!
There is always hope.
God waited patiently for his people to return. He caused accountability and consequences to happen. He did everything He could to get their attention ... ALL for the purpose of bringing them back to repentance. What God did for the Israelites He does for us as well. He wants us to return and come back to Him, and seek forgiveness. II Chronicles 7:14 - IF—THEN
There is always hope.
Blessings—verses—Consequences. The boundaries set by God are for our own good. If we break them we suffer. We either respond to His love or we face His discipline. It is our choice: Blessings—or—Curses. Deuteronomy 11:26–28 - "See, today I am letting you choose a blessing or a curse. You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God."
Next Entry: Numbers 1:1 - 2:34
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