131_Divine warnings
Lev 26 1-13 “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling[a] among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
Not long ago, a farmer in the Midwest shared his brush with disaster. It was a dry summer, and rain had been scarce. His irrigation system kept things growing, however. One morning, walking through his field, he spotted a tiny leak from a minute crack in the irrigation system. “I’ll fix it later,” he thought. Days passed, and the crack widened. By the time he returned to fix it, the pipe was ruptured and half the field was parched. He lost half of his crops. Regretfully he admitted, “I was warned. I just didn’t take it seriously.”
Warnings—whether from a leaking pipe or the quiet voice of conscience—are meant not to condemn but to protect. God, in His goodness, warns us because he longs to preserve us, and not destroy us.
In Leviticus 26, God speaks tenderly but firmly to Israel. This chapter is both a trumpet and a shield—it announces danger, so that the people can take shelter in Him.
God had made a covenant with Abraham, a glorious, unilateral promise: to give him offspring, land, and a blessing that would bless the world. In Genesis 15, we see this covenant vividly enacted. As a smoking firepot with a flaming torch issuing from it moved between the pieces of the sacrifice, God ratified the covenant and made it clear that its fulfilment belonged to him alone. Abraham’s deep sleep ruled him out of any participation, like the sleep of Adam when Eve was created out of his rib. This was an unconditional promise of grace. Yet, as always, its enjoyment entailed faith in the one who had promised, and obedience to his instructions.
When God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He brought out his people so that they would be in relationship with him as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were. It was the same covenant relationship, marked by blessings and boundaries. They were promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but to enter into its possession and enjoy its abundance, complete trust was necessary.
In Leviticus 26, God outlines two possible paths for His people: the way of blessing and the way of warning. The blessings are breathtaking: He would dwell among them. He would give rains in season, bountiful harvests, peace in the land, and protection from enemies. These aren’t mere earthly perks; they are the fruit of walking in close fellowship with the Lord.
But the flip side of blessing is not indifference—it is warning. The God of grace warns his people of the consequences that accompany unfaithfulness to the covenant. These curses are not angry impulses but responses designed to awaken a straying heart. They mirror the blessings in reverse. Disobedience leads to drought, disease, fear, defeat, and ultimately exile. Instead of God walking with them, He walks against them. When they are finally removed from the land of promise and their sanctuary torn down, they will remember what’s lost when we trade God’s presence for self-will.
God’s words are layered with urgency. Each warning is more severe than the last—yet each one is still an invitation to return. “If after all this you still do not listen to me…” He says again and again. His discipline is not aimed at taking revenge but about repentance. It is a Father’s call to His wayward children.
The seriousness of the warning lies in the seriousness of losing God’s presence. Moses implored God, Exodus 33:15, “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Israel’s distinctiveness lay, not in their numbers, their power, or even the Promised Land—it was that God was with them.
In Leviticus 26:11–12, God promises his people that if they trust and obey him: “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Sadly, Israel often loved the world and forgot their God. They chased idols, lusting after the raw power and luxurious prosperity they saw around them – and forsook their life.
God’s warnings speak not only of what will happen but why. Rather than arbitrary punishments, they are natural consequences of choosing something less than Him.
Yet even then, hope is not extinguished. In verses 40–42, God offers restoration: “But if they confess their iniquity… then I will remember my covenant with Jacob… and I will remember the land.” God’s mercy shines brightest against the backdrop of judgment. He remembers, not their sin, but the covenant, if they repent.
God loves. Therefore He warns, He waits, He disciplines, and He restores. The purpose of His discipline is always to bring us back—not to push us away. As the writer to the Hebrews says, “The Lord disciplines those He loves.”
This is the consistent character of God throughout Scripture. First, He communicates clearly. Second, His warnings are not idle threats. Third, His discipline is progressive and patient. He gives numerous chances to repent. Fourth, He provides the incentives of love and goodness to motivate obedience, and not primarily fear. And finally, the greatest reward of obedience is not what God gives us, but God Himself.
Psalm 27:4 describes David’s longing for this reward: “One thing I ask from the Lord… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”
Sadly, Israel did not heed these warnings. Within 500 years of entering the land, they were driven out because of disobedience and unfaithfulness. Yet God never forgets His covenant. The door of hope was left open.
The covenant of the Law only exposed but could not fulfil the need of man for cleansing. Yet it prepared the way for the Savior. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, fulfilled the righteousness of the Law and bore our sins so that we could be made righteous in him. In Christ, we are no longer driven by fear of punishment, for we are drawn by God’s love for empty, helpless sinners.
Yet the cross is also a warning for the world. As one writer put it, “The heavy sufferings of the Son of God more loudly warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come than all the curses of the law.”
Let us heed God’s warnings with reverence. He is holy, and apart from him we will go astray. Feeling good is not the same as fellowship with God. Prosperity may mask spiritual decay. Keeping His living Word in our hearts, being led by His Spirit, is the only true sign of spiritual health.
Let us take heart in his grace. If we have wandered, let us return. Restoration is always possible. Confession and repentance always win God’s mercy. God warns because He loves. And His greatest warning is also His greatest invitation: Come back to Me, you who are heavy laden. Walk with Me. Live. God bless.