Going Old School: Actions Do Have Consequences

Thanks for hangin’ in there people!  We’re almost through with our study on Leviticus.  As we’ve seen throughout the book, God reveals a lot of Himself to His people (which includes us).  He also goes to great length to show what living a good life in Him looks like, and how rewarding that can be.

Leviticus 26 continues that line of thought.  This chapter (and again in Deut. 28)  shows us that we have two paths to choose from: obedience and disobedience.  Throughout the Bible God warns the people over and over and over about worshipping idols.  It’s easy for us today to look back on those people and thing how stupid they are for worshipping something made of stone carved from wood.  I mean, come on!  But if it weren’t an important warning, would God have given it so many times (in the Old and New Testaments)?  The truth is we are just as prone to idol worship today as the ancients were.  If we’re honest, we’re even more prone to it.  Idolatry is making anything more important than God, and our lives are FULL of that temptation!  Think about it!  Money and wealth, beauty and good-looks, how successful we are, our reputations, how financially secure (or heck, physically secure)…the list could go on forever.  The point is that as long as we look to these false gods that promise everything we want and nothing we need, are we really so removed from our ancestors when it comes to idolatry?  What do you think?

Nestled in vv. 11-13, God makes a wonderful promise to His people (including us).

¹¹ I will live among you, and I will not despise you. ¹² I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

God is promising His people that if they strive to live with Him, some day they will.  He will walk among them, live with them, interact personally with them!  Imagine the joy that brought to this group of former slaves.  While in Egypt, they were treated worse than livestock, but God delivered them and gave them both freedom and dignity.

The same promise remains true for us today, too.  We are set free through Jesus’ sacrifice for us.  We don’t have to wallow in the guilt and shame of our past sins.  Through His grace, Jesus has forgiven us and forgotten our sins.  Like the Israelites, even though we’ve been set free, we must always be on guard against backsliding to our old sinful ways.  As Peter puts it (referencing Leviticus):

¹³ So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Leviticus 26:14-39 also outlines what would happen if the people chose to disobey and ignore God.  Many people use these verses to show that the Old Testament God is mean and vengeful, waiting for us to screw up so He can punish us.  But take another look.  God is using the natural consequences of sin to draw us into repentance; back to Him, not to get back at us!  Sin’s consequences might not always be immediately apparent and when disaster strikes we might not be able to identify the reason.  Maybe it’s the result of our own actions, or maybe something someone else did.  Perhaps it’s even a natural disaster.  The point is to not focus on the punishment or try to decipher if we’re being punished.  When disaster strikes we should turn to God and make sure we are right with Him.  When we turn to God, in the words of Paul, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7).

God promises to send His Spirit to light our lives and show us those areas we need to work on.  David was right when he called said “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Ps. 119:105).  Because disaster and calamity isn’t always the result of some sin we’ve committed,  we must be careful not to accept blame for something beyond our control.  We must also be wary not to blame God for everything bad that happens in our lives.  Misplaced blame and guilt is one of Satan’s favorite weapons, and it’s easy to be tempted into his “blame game.”  Remember the words of James, “¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong,and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” (Js. 1:13-14).

What God promised would happen (vv.33-35) if the people turned away from Him was played out in II Kings 17 and also II Kings 25.  The people continually (almost stubbornly) disobeyed God, and they were eventually conquered and carried of to far away lands by the Assyrians and later the Babylonians.  The nation was held captive in Babylon for 70 years, making up for all the years that the Israelites ignored the Sabbath year (II Chron. 36:21).

The last few verses of Leviticus 26 show us something else about God, too.  It shows us that God really is slow to anger, as He says (Ex. 34:6).  Even when the Israelites chose to disobey God and were scattered all over the world by their enemies, God still gave them the opportunity to repent and come back to Him.  His purpose in letting them get carried off was not to destroy them, but to help them grow.

Our daily life experiences and hardships can feel overwhelming at times.  If we don’t see God’s purpose in our lives that helps us grow, we often despair.  But when we’re going through difficult times and there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel, we would do well to remember God’s promise to each of us:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.” (Jer. 29:11-12)

Encounter: Is there something getting between you and God?  What is it?  Have you asked Him to help move it out of the way?

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Some references borrowed from the Life Application Study Bible (NLT) 2nd Edition published by Tyndale House Publishers.