Leviticus 26:22
I will send wild animals against you to rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and reduce your numbers, until your roads lie desolate.
I will send
The phrase "I will send" indicates a direct action from God, emphasizing His sovereignty and control over creation. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "שָׁלַח" (shalach), which means to send or dispatch. This reflects God's active role in the covenant relationship with Israel, where blessings and curses are contingent upon their obedience or disobedience. It serves as a reminder of God's authority and the seriousness of His commands.

wild animals
The term "wild animals" in Hebrew is "חַיָּה" (chayyah), which refers to living creatures, often untamed and dangerous. In the ancient Near Eastern context, wild animals were a real threat to communities, symbolizing chaos and disorder. This imagery is used to convey the consequences of breaking the covenant, where the protection of God is withdrawn, allowing natural threats to prevail. It underscores the importance of divine protection and the vulnerability of humanity without it.

among you
The phrase "among you" signifies the presence and impact of these wild animals within the community. It highlights the personal and communal nature of the consequences of sin. The Hebrew preposition "בְּ" (be) suggests an intimate and pervasive presence, indicating that the effects of disobedience are not distant but directly affect the people’s daily lives and environment.

and they will rob you of your children
This phrase is a stark warning of the loss of future generations, a devastating consequence for any community. The Hebrew word "שָׁכַל" (shakal) means to bereave or make childless, emphasizing the deep sorrow and loss that comes from disobedience. Children are seen as a blessing and heritage from the Lord, and their loss signifies a severe breach in the covenant relationship, affecting the continuity and legacy of the people.

destroy your cattle
Cattle were a vital part of ancient Israel's agrarian society, representing wealth, sustenance, and economic stability. The Hebrew word "כָּלָה" (kalah) means to complete or finish, indicating total destruction. This serves as a metaphor for the collapse of economic and social structures when God's protection is removed. It is a call to recognize the source of all provision and the need for faithful stewardship of God's blessings.

reduce your numbers
The reduction of numbers signifies a decrease in strength and influence. The Hebrew root "מְעַט" (ma'at) means to diminish or lessen. This reflects the broader theme of Leviticus 26, where blessings lead to increase and disobedience leads to decrease. It serves as a reminder of the communal aspect of faithfulness, where the actions of individuals affect the entire community.

until your roads are desolate
The desolation of roads symbolizes the breakdown of society and communication. Roads in ancient times were vital for trade, travel, and connection between communities. The Hebrew word "שָׁמֵם" (shamem) means to be desolate or deserted, painting a picture of isolation and abandonment. This imagery serves as a powerful warning of the ultimate consequence of turning away from God, leading to a life devoid of purpose and connection. It calls believers to remain faithful and uphold the covenant to ensure the flourishing of their community and relationship with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
The primary audience of Leviticus, the Israelites were God's chosen people, whom He delivered from Egypt and to whom He gave the Law through Moses.

2. The Wilderness
The setting for much of Leviticus, where the Israelites received the Law as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land.

3. Moses
The prophet and leader of the Israelites, who received the Law from God and communicated it to the people.

4. God
The sovereign Lord who establishes His covenant with the Israelites, promising blessings for obedience and consequences for disobedience.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Disobedience
Leviticus 26:22 highlights the severe consequences of turning away from God's commandments. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness with which God views disobedience and the natural consequences that follow.

God's Sovereignty and Justice
The verse underscores God's sovereignty and justice. He is not only a God of love and mercy but also of justice, who holds His people accountable to the covenant.

The Call to Repentance
The warnings in Leviticus 26 are not just punitive but are intended to lead the Israelites to repentance. God's desire is for His people to return to Him and restore their relationship.

The Importance of Community Faithfulness
The consequences described affect the entire community, highlighting the importance of collective faithfulness and accountability within the body of believers.

Trust in God's Protection
While the verse warns of danger, it also implicitly calls believers to trust in God's protection, which is assured when they walk in obedience to His commands.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Leviticus 26:22 reflect the nature of God's covenant with Israel, and what does this teach us about the importance of obedience in our relationship with God today?

2. In what ways do the consequences described in Leviticus 26:22 serve as a warning for both individual and communal disobedience in the church?

3. How can we apply the principle of divine justice found in Leviticus 26:22 to our understanding of God's character and His expectations for His people?

4. What parallels can we draw between the warnings in Leviticus 26 and the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament regarding the consequences of turning away from God?

5. How can the church today foster a culture of accountability and faithfulness to prevent the kind of disobedience warned against in Leviticus 26:22?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter parallels Leviticus 26, detailing blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, emphasizing the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

2 Kings 17
Describes the consequences of Israel's disobedience, including being overrun by foreign nations, which aligns with the warnings in Leviticus 26.

Hosea 13
Illustrates the destructive consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness, using imagery of wild animals, similar to the threats in Leviticus 26:22.

Romans 1
Discusses the consequences of turning away from God, showing a New Testament perspective on the principle of divine retribution for disobedience.
Temporal Rewards and PunishmentsR.M. Edgar Leviticus 26:1-46
Promises and ThreateningsR.A. Redford Leviticus 26:3-39
Divine RetributionW. Clarkson Leviticus 26:14-39
Prophetic MaledictionsJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 26:14-39
People
Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Animals, Beast, Beasts, Bereave, Bereaved, Cattle, Cut, Deserted, Desolate, Destroy, Destruction, Field, High-ways, Lie, Livestock, Loose, Numbers, Reduce, Roads, Rob, Streets, Waste, Wild
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 26:14-39

     5827   curse
     6026   sin, judgment on

Leviticus 26:21-22

     4605   animals, religious role

Library
Emancipated Slaves
I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.'--LEV. xxvi. 13. The history of Israel is a parable and a prophecy as well as a history. The great central word of the New Testament has been drawn from it, viz. 'redemption,' i.e. a buying out of bondage. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt were 'delivered.' The deliverance made them a nation. God acquired them for Himself, and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Lii. Trust in God.
15th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. vi. 31. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." INTRODUCTION.--We read in ancient Roman history that a general named Aemilius Paulus was appointed to the Roman army in a time of war and great apprehension. He found in the army a sad condition of affairs, there were more officers than fighting men, and all these officers wanted to have their advice taken, and the war conducted in accordance with their several opinions. Then Aemilius Paulus
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

A Reformer's Schooling
'The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace.
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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