Leviticus 26:1-13

If You Walk in My Statutes

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1“You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.

2You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

3If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments,

4I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.

5Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell securely in your land.

6And I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the land of dangerous animals, and no sword will pass through your land.

7You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.

8Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

9I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you.

10You will still be eating the old supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the new.

11And I will make My dwelling place among you, and My soul will not despise you.

12I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.

13I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk in uprightness.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The LORD tells Israel not to make idols, set up a carved image, or place a stone for worship. They are to keep His Sabbaths and reverence His sanctuary. The commands begin with exclusive worship and the rhythms that keep the people attentive to God.

If Israel walks in God's statutes, keeps His commandments, and carries them out, the land will give its produce and the trees their fruit. The threshing will reach the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will reach the sowing. Israel will eat its fill and dwell securely.

God promises peace in the land. He will remove dangerous animals, protect Israel from enemies, make the people fruitful, and establish His covenant with them. The old harvest will be cleared out to make room for the new.

The promise reaches its center in God's presence: He will make His dwelling among Israel, walk among them, and be their God while they are His people. He brought them out of Egypt, broke the bars of their yoke, and enabled them to walk upright.

Questions

1 What forms of worship were forbidden?

AnswerIsrael was not to make idols, carved images, or worship stones.

2 What would the land produce?

AnswerThe land would produce abundant crops, and the harvests would overlap with the next season's work.

3 What would God do among His people?

AnswerGod would dwell among them, walk among them, and be their God.

4 What did God break in Egypt?

AnswerHe broke the bars of Israel's yoke and enabled them to walk upright.

What This Means for Us

God promises Israel fruitful land and safety within this covenant, but the heart of the promise is that He will dwell among His people. The One calling for obedience is the One who has already broken their slavery.

Jesus also joins love, obedience, and God's presence in John 14:15–24. He promises the Spirit and says that He and the Father will make their home with those who love Him. This does not promise us a trouble-free life or a larger harvest. It gives us reason to obey even when doing so is costly: we belong to Him and are not left alone.

Prayer

God, keep our worship free from idols and our gratitude rooted in your presence. Give us lives that reflect freedom from oppression, faithful rest, and trust in your provision. Amen.

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