Message 59
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Scripture Reading: Lev. 26:1-20
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.
“You shall keep My sabbaths” (v. 2a). Keeping God’s sabbath signifies that we should know that the work of God was done entirely by Himself that we might enjoy it, and that there is no need for us to do any work.
We need to learn to enjoy what God has achieved. This, however, is a hard lesson, for we have been taught to work and to do many things. This item teaches us not to work but to respect, enter into, and enjoy what God has done for us. Although Christ has accomplished everything for us, we may not be in the enjoyment of this achievement. Instead of enjoying what Christ has done, we may keep on laboring, setting Christ’s achievement aside. This is offensive to the Lord. Therefore, we need to learn to receive, regard, respect, and enjoy what God has done and not try to do something for ourselves.
The people were also warned to reverence God’s sanctuary (v. 2b). The sabbath stands for a lot, and the sanctuary stands for even more. Reverencing God’s sanctuary signifies that we should regard with reverence all that God is and has accomplished in Christ as His dwelling, embodiment, and expression (John 1:14; Col. 2:9) and in the church as the enlargement of Christ for God’s dwelling and eternal manifestation (Eph. 2:22; Rev. 21:10).
The sanctuary in Leviticus 26:2 implies God’s dwelling, embodiment, and expression in Christ and God’s dwelling and eternal manifestation in the church. However, among Christians today these things are neglected, for many do not have the adequate knowledge of what God is in Christ as His embodiment and of what God has done in the church to make it the enlargement of Christ and the manifestation of God. Because neglecting these matters is against God’s economy, we need to be warned to regard them.
If we take the first three points as the main aspects of the warning, we shall obey God’s warning. In 26:3-13 we see that the obeying ones will be blessed. This signifies that we, the New Testament believers, are blessed by walking according to the Spirit, with six issues. We shall now consider these issues.
“If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, then I will give you rains in their season” (vv. 3-4a). Rains in their season signify that the Spirit, typified by rain, is given to the church or to the individual believers in due time.
In the Old Testament, God uses rain, called the early and latter rain (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Joel 2:23) to signify the Spirit. If we obey God by taking care of the three foregoing matters, we shall enjoy the Spirit as rain upon us.
Verses 4b and 5 tell us that if the people obey, “the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will yield their fruit. Your threshing will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will overtake the time of sowing; and you will eat your bread to the full and dwell securely in your land.” Verse 10 goes on to say, “You will eat old store long kept, and clear out the old to make room for the new.” This signifies that we dwell in Christ as our good land and enjoy the riches of Christ for our satisfaction and security. Spiritual satisfaction and security are always the issue of our obedience to God’s warning.
“I will give peace in the land, and you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I will eliminate savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your land” (v. 6). This signifies that the church is normally in a peaceful situation, having no savage beasts (Acts 20:29) or fightings, one with another, among the saints.
“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” (vv. 7-8). This signifies that the church will chase the enemies in the coordination of the Body.
According to verse 8, five will chase a hundred and a hundred will chase ten thousand. In the first case each one chases twenty, and in the second case each one chases a hundred. These figures imply the Body life and the coordination of the Body. The greater the coordination, the greater will be our chasing power. This is the Body principle.
“I will have regard for you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you” (v. 9). Fruitfulness in multiplication signifies that the church will be fruitful and multiply. The lack of increase or multiplication in the church is a strong sign that before God the church is wrong in some way. If there is no fruitfulness in multiplication, we need to find out what is wrong.
“I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not abhor you” (v. 11). God’s making His dwelling among the people signifies that God’s dwelling will be built up in the church for God’s delight that He may dwell among His people (cf. 2 Cor. 6:16-18).
In Leviticus 26:14-39 we see that the disobeying ones will be chastised that they may repent. This signifies that the believers who do not walk according to the Spirit but according to the flesh will suffer chastisement, not just once but on many levels with a number of punishments, that they may be forced to repent.
In 26:14-17 we have the chastisement on the first level. This is the appointing of sudden terror. This refers to a threat that comes in suddenly.
“I also will do this to you: I will appoint over you sudden terror, a consuming disease and a fever that will cause your eyesight to fail and your life to waste away; you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it” (v. 16). This signifies that we will be sick in the spirit and even in the body so that we lose our eyesight and our life, and the enemy will enjoy what we have done in emptiness.
“I will set My face against you, and you will be struck down before your enemies; those who hate you shall rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues” (v. 17). This signifies that we will become so weak that we will not be able to stand before the enemies but will flee from them. This is a description of a church that is weak because of disobedience to God’s warning.
In verses 18 through 20 we have the chastisements on the second level. Here God’s people are disciplined sevenfold. “And if after all this you will not listen to Me, then I will go on to discipline you sevenfold for your sins” (v. 18). Such a discipline is much more severe.
“And I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like brass” (v. 19). This signifies that the Spirit will not come to us from the heavens.
This word about the heavens being made like iron was fulfilled in the land of Palestine until World War I. History tells us that since this word was spoken and the children of Israel became disobedient to God’s warning, the heaven above the holy land became hard as iron, giving no rain. Also, because of the dryness, the soil was blown away. This situation is a fulfillment of God’s foretelling.
Leviticus 26:19b tells us that the earth would be made like brass. Verse 20 continues, “Your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.” This signifies that we will have no spiritual produce for our spiritual food. Without satisfaction in food, it is hard to live securely. Not having food or security is the result of disregarding God’s warning.
