2007-04-25 - Follow or Forsake

Leviticus 26:7, 8, "But you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword.Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword."

Leviticus 26 is a longer-type chapter, but I would like to encourage you to take the time and read it. It may have been a long time since you tried to glean from the book of Leviticus (Maybe you never have.), but it is God's word, there is instruction there for us, and I encourage you to read this instructive chapter.

The first 13 verses respect the blessings of obedience (keeping the Sabbath, "walk in My statutes and keep My commandments," 26:2, 3). Some of those blessings mentioned are: "eat your food to the full and live securely in your land," 26:5; "grant peace in the land," 26:6; "I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you," 26:9; "My soul will not reject you," 26:11; "I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people," 26:12. These verses promise, for the followers of the Lord who are faithful:; peace, security, success, and fellowship/communion with the Lord. The Lord will confirm His covenant with us (26:9), be our God, and we will be His people under His protection and care. That's the promise. The stipulation is that we walk in His statutes and keep His commandments. It is all very encouraging, thus far.

Then comes the rest of the chapter. Verse 14 says, "But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments," -- well, you know where this is going. I will not repeat the results of the Lord setting His face against us, as given in the chapter. I would have to be selective, and to be selective would prioritize some over others. I don't want to do that. There is a general principle at play here, that if we do not follow the Lord, things will not go well with us. It is a sobering passage. We all struggle with faithfulness, and our lack or inconsistency therein. This chapter is not only an encouragement to follow the Lord and seek His blessings;it is a warning to us of the dangers of not following the Lord, and turning from His revealed will for our lives and lifestyles.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand," John 10:27, 28. How much should this encourage us to go forward, and to strive in seeking the Lord and following His will for our lives. Being faithful to the covenant of our Lord with us, we are invulnerable from head to foot. This promise gives us the strength to persevere, even in the midst of trials. This promise gives us the motive to return to the Lord, if we have fallen away from serving Him. In Christ, there is safety. In Christ, there is the promise of blessedness. That promise is true, even for those who have walked away from their faith for a time. The Lord's desire is that we return to Him, seek Him above all things - and He has promised to forgive all our sins, Acts 3:19.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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