According to our understanding, we may think that the book of Leviticus should end with the jubilee in chapter twenty-five. However, two chapters still remain. In chapter twenty-six we have the word of warning, and in chapter twenty-seven, the devotions concerning a vow. The fact that the chapter on the word of warning immediately follows the chapter on the jubilee indicates that, concerning the jubilee, we should not shout too much or be too excited. We need, instead, to have a sober mind to consider the situation. For this reason, the jubilee, a time of shouting, is followed by a word of warning. After this, there is an additional word, something like a postscript, in chapter twenty-seven. In this message we shall begin to consider the word of warning.
The word of warning in Leviticus 26 is not merely a human speaking. No, the way of speaking, the contents, and everything related to this word are not simply human but are the divine oracle. Only God can speak this way, and only God can present a word of warning in such a way and with such contents, contents that are truly marvelous, full of facts and foretellings.
In this word of warning we can see the destiny of apostate Israel. Israel had been chosen by God from the time of Abraham, the first of their fathers. God later redeemed them out of Egypt, brought them through the wilderness, and placed them in the good land, where He was with them for quite a while. However, the people of Israel became apostate, and, in a sense, God gave them up.
God apparently took His hand off them and left them to themselves. It seems that for twenty-seven centuries the hand of God has been kept away from His people. Actually, this has not been the situation. In this word of warning there is a kind of prophecy pointing out that the God who had chosen Israel has never given them up. His mercy upon them has never stopped. Eventually, His mercy will come in to bring them back to their fathers’ land.
The word of warning in Leviticus 26 is full of instruction; it is full of things that we need to study and learn. However, in the two messages on this chapter I shall simply present the basic points, leaving the rest to the enlightening Spirit who, I believe, will speak to you.
“You shall not make idols for yourselves, or set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, or place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am Jehovah your God” (26:1). Not having idols, not making them or bowing down to them, signifies that besides God we should have no other goals that we are seeking after, that we may not lose the position to enjoy our divine possession.
We are in the jubilee. But if we seek something other than God, we may lose the enjoyment of the jubilee. Whatever we seek as a goal other than God is an idol. For example, we may pursue a college degree in such a way that it becomes an idol, a goal we are seeking other than God. This, of course, does not mean that we do not need a proper education. The point is that we should not make a degree a goal that we are seeking other than God Himself. We should have one goal, a unique goal-God as our one aim.
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