LEVITICUS 63


     We will begin this lesson in Leviticus 26:12 "And I will walk
among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people."

     We have been studying in the last lesson of the blessings they
would receive if they walked in God's statutes and kept His
commandments. The presence of God has always been apparent where
people love and follow God. One of the greatest promises {in my
opinion} is the fact that He will be their God. If we keep His
commandments, He will be our God. The following 2 Scriptures tell the
wonderful relationship that a true believer has with God. Romans 8:15
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye
have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit
of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."  Not only, will
God walk with us and be our God, but we are actually accepted into His
family as His adopted children. Notice, in verse 12 above that He is
not only our God, but we are His people. I have said it before, but I
think it is hard to separate Physical Israel which verse 12 is
speaking to, and spiritual Israel which is all believers in Christ.
Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise."

     Leviticus 26:13 "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."

     We went into this in chapter 12 of Leviticus, how the man child
was born on the way to the promised land. The man child represents the
physical house of Israel and, also, the law that was given unto them.
This journey from Egypt to the promised land, birthed the nation of
Israel as the people of God. They had nothing to do with the freedom
from being bondmen in Egypt. God was their deliverer.

     Leviticus 26:14  "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will
not do all these commandments;"  Leviticus 26:15 "And if ye shall
despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye
will not do all my commandments, [but] that ye break my covenant:"

     They had a choice, just as we have a choice. They did not have to
follow God. If they did not, however, they would not know the
blessings of God either. I want to stress here, that they have the
choice. God would not force Himself upon them.  God will offer
salvation to us, but He will not go against our will and save us. We
must want to be saved for God to save us. In the next few verses, we
will see some of the cosequences of not following God.

     Leviticus 26:16 "I also will do this unto you; I will even
appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall
consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your
seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it."

     There is no peace in the world. This terror, is because they have
no help in time of trouble. It was a foolish thing, then, to turn away
and not obey God. In fact, it is even more terror today to not follow
in God's ways. The threat of nuclear war has the world literally
scared to death, just to name one terror. We read just how frightening
it will be on the earth before the LORD comes back. Luke 21:26 "Men's
hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."
Consumption is a lung disease that has to do with breathing. The word
that was translated consumption, here, does not have a translation
other than consumption. Ague means inflammation. This must be a
terrible inflammation, if it causes blindness. This sorrow of heart
is, because there is no hope for them. This life is very short and
full of trouble and sorrow, if there is no hope of the resurrection.
As if the troubles in the body and mind are not enough, the ground
will not produce for the person who rejects God. Even the little crop
that does come will be eaten by others.

     Leviticus 26:17 "And I will set my face against you, and ye shall
be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you;
and ye shall flee when none pursueth you."

     We see in this person, who has chosen the world over God, a
person most miserable. Fear would cause a person to flee when no one
followed. To be out of fellowship with God brings many problems. We
see worldly people away from God, being overrun and destroyed by these
very Israelites this message is given to, when they take the promised
land away from heathen people.

     Leviticus 26:18 "And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto
me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins."

     To whom much is given, much is required. These Israelites were
given the law, and the opportunity to be God's people. Any sin that
they would commit would be in full knowledge. The punishment being so
great, is because they deliberately turned their back on God and
sinned even with full knowledge that they were sinning.

     Leviticus 26:19 "And I will break the pride of your power; and I
will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:"

     God had offered them blessings above all the people around them.
If their pride keeps them from following Him, then He will break their
pride. If the heavens would not give forth her rain, this would be
what the heaven and the earth would seem like. God will get their
attention somehow. All through this, notice that the withholding of
rain is in God's hand, and not in Satan's. The earth and the fulness
thereof is God's.

     Leviticus 26:20 "And your strength shall be spent in vain: for
your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the
land yield their fruits."

     Your physical strength is nothing compared to God. All of the
strength in the world cannot make the earth produce, if God tells it
not to.

     Leviticus 26:21  "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not
hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you
according to your sins."

     Just as God sent the 10 plagues on Egypt, He will send them upon
His people who continuously sin. The world will see plagues, even
worse than the 10 plagues on Egypt, at the time of the wrath of God.
How wonderful to see again in these last few lessons, that those who
follow God's statutes will not feel the wrath of God.

     Leviticus 26:22 "I will also send wild beasts among you, which
shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you
few in number; and your [high] ways shall be desolate."

     This appears, if you are looking with physical eyes, that this is
very cruel of God to do this. Remember, though, they have a choice to
avoid all of this, if they keep God's statutes. While they are off
fighting in wars, the beasts will multiply and become a menace to
their families. The condition of the unbelieving throughout history
has been one of desperation.

     Leviticus 26:23 "And if ye will not be reformed by me by these
things, but will walk contrary unto me;" Leviticus 26:24 "Then will I
also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for
your sins."

     When I read of all the earthquakes, storms, A.I.D.S. and so many
other terrible things happening in our society today, I believe God is
trying to get us to repent and turn to Him. It is so evident that
nature is out of control. God is the controller of nature, as we have
been reading here. Even the ozone covering could be restored by God,
if we would see our necessity to repent and turn to God. Do you
suppose the terrible brutality against the Jews and the threat of
total destruction of the world we live in is the punishment to seven
times, because we have chosen not to follow God?

     Leviticus 26:25 "And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall
avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together
within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall
be delivered into the hand of the enemy."

     Over and over again, this says God will do these things. God is
the judge of the world. If we do not follow in the path that He has
made for us, we deserve these terrible things happening to us.

     Leviticus 26:26 "[And] when I have broken the staff of your
bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall
deliver [you] your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be
satisfied."

     This is a prophecy of the time when there will hardly be any
grain to bake into bread.

     Leviticus 26:27 "And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me,
but walk contrary unto me;"  Leviticus 26:28 "Then I will walk
contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven
times for your sins."

     You can see from this, that all these things happened unto them
to make them turn back to God. If they will not repent and turn to His
ways, He has no choice but to bring 7 times the problems upon them as
before. The following Scripture says it all.  Nahum 1:6 "Who can stand
before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his
anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down
by him."  There is only one answer to this delimma. REPENT.
II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land."




































                             Questions 63

1.  Quote Leviticus chapter 26 verse 12.
2.  What does the author believe to be one of the greatest promises?
3.  What does Romans chapter 8 verse 15 tell us of the relationship of
    Father God and the Christians?
4.  What special name can only God's children call Him?
5.  Whose seed are we, if we believe in Christ?
6.  In verse 13, God reminds them that He brought them out of where?
7.  The man child in chapter 12 of Leviticus is symbolic of whom?
8.  Who was the deliverer for these people?
9.  What is the complete turn around in verse 14?
10. Whose choice was it for them to follow God, or not to follow God?
11. What terrible things would be brought on them, if they did not
    follow in God's ways in verse 16?
12. What does Luke chapter 21 verse 26 tell us of the condition of the
    world in the end?
13. What is consumption?
14. What is ague?
15. Who shall reign over them, if they decide not to obey God?
16. What would cause one to flee, when no one is following?
17. Verse 18 says, they will be punished how many times for their sin,
    if they choose not to repent and follow God?
18. God will make the heaven as what to them?
19. What will the earth be as to them?
20. Will all of this affect their crops?
21. How many plagues did God bring upon Egypt?
22. Why should we not look at these plagues God sent as cruelty?
23. The author believes what terrible things happening today is God
    trying to get His people to repent?
24. Who is bringing all of these terrors?
25. What is verse 26 a prophecy of ?
26. What had all of these terrible things happened for?
27. Quote 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14.