Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 26-27 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 26: 3-5 : … [Obedience and Blessing] … 3 “‘If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey My commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
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Leviticus 26: 14-17 : … [Disobedience and Cursing] … 14 “‘But if you will not listen to Me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject My decrees and abhor My laws and fail to carry out all My commands and so violate My covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.
My Journal for Today: Reading and meditating onward in Leviticus, today in Chapters 26-27, we read about God’s promises to His people concerning their obedience OR their disobedience. And in Verse 13 of Leviticus 26, God openly reminds His children of how HE, their God and keeper, had delivered them. His word: ... 13 I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out 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 with heads held high.
Certainly God’s chosen people, the Israelites, could not deny God’s deliverance, … nor His promises. So, if you were followers of Moses and Aaron in those days, which plan (reviewing the choices copied for you above) would you choose. >>> DUH!!! >>> No brainer, right?! … But if you’ve read the rest of the Old Testament, you know what happened. God’s people … over … and over … and over … and over again were disobedient.
But are those of us who’ve been grafted into God’s family, … His chosen people via the New Covenant and our belief in the hope and promises of the Lamb of God, any different than these Old Covenant believers? Unfortunately, I think not!
Personally, given the choices above – God’s promised outcomes for obedience and disobedience - I’m choosing the first one. But then I look at who I am and my track record for obedience in faith; and I see – IN ME – the truth of Paul’s declaration as a New Covenant Prophet (see Romans 3: 23 that “… for all have fallen short of the glory of God.” I, like all of us, do fall short; but then I’m shored up by the rest of Romans 3: 22-24, which states, 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Note that I, as an occasional disobedient sinner, because I have faith in the redeeming grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Messiah, am covered by His blood and New Covenant. But does this give me license to sin in the face of His grace. Hardly!! … And that was also covered by the Apostle Paul to the same Roman believers. Go back and read and meditate on all of Romans 6 [linked here for your study]; and you will see that it is only when we follow Jesus’ command to His disciples in Luke 9: 23 (and I hope you know that one by heart), that we will find our true purpose and experience all of God’s reward for our obedience.
So, I’m going to pray here that I recognize that God only smiles on our obedience. Yes, He will forgive our disobedience; but personally I’d rather keep Him smiling and receive the benefits of obedience to His commands and promises.
How about you?
My Prayer Today: … LORD, help me to be an obedient follower and disciple so that I my feel You smiling on me in this life and into the next. Amen
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