King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025
Chapters: Leviticus 26-27
Message: Leviticus: Blessings, Judgments, and Vows
Hello My Friend,
As we come to the end of the reading of Leviticus we learn that blessings come from obeying God’s Word even through the darkest of days while judgments come from disobeying it. God gives us a choice and if we choose Him then He respects that and therefore would expect some respect from us in obeying His Word, [Psalms 138:6-8 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.]
There is something about the word obedient that triggers off a response that makes you want to stop in your tracks and sometimes do the opposite. I will be honest the synonyms for the word do not sound much better like submissive, servant, and compliant but if we dig a little deeper into the meaning of the word and look at things through God’s eyes we discover that being obedient is not such a bad thing, [1 Corinthians 7:21-24 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.]
When we are obedient to God we are faithful, loyal, attentive, respected and not to mention blessed. Yesterday we learned about the Sabbath year and year of Jubilee, today we learn that God will not only send blessings to those who obey Him, He will have respect for them as well.
[Leviticus 26:1-5 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. 2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.]
When God sends blessings it is often in the form of provisions, peace, and protection of our homes and nations, and not only do we benefit from it the world does as well. God is promising them that if they are obedient than their harvests in the land will be plentiful and they will be free from attacks on the enemy. Does God expect us to never mess up when we are obedient to Him? No. He knows that we will mess up but what He does expect is for us to be loyal, repentant, and faithful. God goes on to list the blessings that will come from their being obedient.
[Leviticus 26:9-13 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. 10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. 11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 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.]
What better reason to obedient to God than to not only have His respect but also have Him walk with us, protect us, and become one of His very own? If we are going to do anything for God, then we ought to respect Him by first receiving His Son as our Saviour, followed by believers baptism. Without Christ there is no life beyond this life, [John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.]
I am not going to lie, I know I fail God every day and am probably one of the worst Christians out there but I am loyal and faithful and try to be repentant so at least that counts for something. What He does not want us to do is ignore His Word because He sees it as despising His Word, anyone who does risks judgment. God, goes on to warn them of what will happen if they are disobedient.
[Leviticus 26:15-18 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: 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. 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. 18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.]
Let me tell you, even at our best, we are going to mess up thousands of times but we need to understand that this is not about our average sin nature sin, this is a complete and disregard for His Word yet expecting His blessings. Walking with God is a transformation as we learn His ways and follow them, if we are not transformed than we are obviously not doing something right. God goes on to say that anyone who has not been reformed by obeying His Word will be punished seven times more for their sin.
[Leviticus 26:23-26 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 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. 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.]
[Contrary; Opposite; contradictory; not merely different, but inconsistent or repugnant.] God goes on to tell them what would come of them if they walk contrary to Him. Why was God being so harsh? Just think about what they would be getting into; idol worship, sacrificing their own children to false gods,,not to mention immoral behavior like you would not believe. God goes on to foretell of some of the grimmest events that will take place by their turning on Him.
[Leviticus 26:29-34 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.]
Did you ever feel like you were working so hard but have nothing to show for it? That is what it feels like when those who are saved are not obedient to God. Unless what we are doing is for the glory of God we will never be satisfied with anything we receive and we will lose more and more of those blessings, [Mark 4:24-25 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.]
If God just let us live the way we wanted to live, then we would be out of control and really pulled in several directions. I say that because you know your flesh, and I certainly know mine and what my triggers are and yet there is always hope when God sends judgment. God, goes on to tell them that when they go against Him and He gives them up for their sin that He will be there for anyone who comes to Him.
[Leviticus 26:40-42 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.]
Do you see why no saved, born again Christian can lose their salvation? It has nothing to do with our own righteousness and everything to do with the promise that God made with those who trust Him. God has not and will not change, He promises judgment for disobedience but also reformation to those who repent.
[Leviticus 26:43-45 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. 45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.]
Nations that keep God in them are protected by God Himself, and let me tell you, the reason why American soil is not being attacked right now is because there are many Christians defending their faith. However, if we continue having women leading congregations into sin, aborting babies, and people attempting to change their gender it will not last, [Jeremiah 18:7-10 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.]
When we choose Christ we make a vow with Him, and promise to trust in Him alone for our salvation and He in turn promises to keep us out of hell, among other things. God actually estimates us for what we devote to Him, [Leviticus 27:2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. 3 And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.]
While salvation is in fact a free gift, we must understand that it was not free, Christ paid that price for us, when we receive Christ as our Saviour we belong to God, and that is when our works count. Even children that were dedicated to God were estimated, and the elderly as well, [Leviticus 27:6-8 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 7 And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.]
Think about what this entails, all the gifts and abilities we have come from God, and He gives them to us for His use. Between the ages of twenty and sixty we are in our prime, and can do more, which is why we are worth more during that age. That is not to say that one person is more valuable than another, it just means that God expects us to do more when we are physically able to do so. And by the way, if we belong to God, then everything we posses belongs to Him also and therefore we need to present it to Him as holy. God goes on to say that their homes and land is to be holy.
[Leviticus 27:14-15,17,20-21 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s.]
This is an example of one who is already saved and yet keeps confessing the same sins all over again. God, has forgiven us, and to keep coming to Him with the same sins over and over again is actually an insult to Him. The best way that we can fulfill our vow to Him is by becoming a living sacrifice, [Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.]
We are not all going to be preachers or teachers, and that is perfectly fine because God does not expect us to be. What He does expect is for us to be faithful to Him and whatever it is that we do devote to Him, it needs to be our very best.
[Leviticus 27:28-31,33 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. 29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.]
God, does not and will not force Himself upon anyone, so, if we choose Him then He expects faithfulness and not our left overs. When we choose Christ, we make a vow with Him, we promise to trust Him alone for our salvation and He promises to keep us out of hell, among other things. Thankfully, we are not saved by anything that we do but by the grace of God through our faith in His Son alone. To those who live in sin, God remembers the covenant He made with them and that is the only reason why they are not consumed, [Lamentations 3:22-24 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Leviticus 26:40,42 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is because of the great love of Your Son, Jesus, and His willingness to take on our sins to redeem us that we can receive eternal life through our faith in Him. It is truly amazing, the love You have for me and every soul, when I was lost, broken, and without hope, You found me, You took me in, accepted me, and made me one of Your own. I know I am not always in Your will, and I know I mess up every day but You are faithful and just to forgive me when I confess my sins to You. Lord, lead me and guide me in, give me an obedient heart that I might live a life that will bring honor and glory to You and Your respect. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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