and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit. Your labor will be wastedThe phrase "Your labor will be wasted" speaks to the futility of human effort when it is not aligned with God's will. The Hebrew root for "labor" (עֲבוֹדָה, avodah) often refers to work or service, emphasizing the toil and effort put into daily life. In the context of Leviticus, this futility is a direct consequence of disobedience to God's commandments. Historically, this reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where blessings and curses were contingent upon obedience. Theologically, it serves as a reminder that without God's blessing, human efforts can become fruitless, echoing the curse of the ground in Genesis 3:17-19. and your land will not yield its produce
The phrase "and your land will not yield its produce" underscores the dependence of agricultural success on divine favor. The Hebrew word for "yield" (תִּתֵּן, titen) implies giving or producing, and "produce" (יְבוּל, yebul) refers to the yield of the land. In ancient Israel, agriculture was central to survival and prosperity, and the land's fertility was seen as a direct blessing from God. This warning highlights the covenantal promise that obedience would lead to abundance, while disobedience would result in barrenness. It serves as a spiritual metaphor for the believer's life, where spiritual fruitfulness is contingent upon abiding in Christ (John 15:4-5). nor will the trees of the land bear their fruit
The phrase "nor will the trees of the land bear their fruit" further emphasizes the theme of barrenness as a consequence of disobedience. The Hebrew word for "bear" (תִּשָּׂא, tissa) means to lift or carry, and "fruit" (פְּרִי, peri) symbolizes the results or outcomes of one's labor. Trees, often symbolic of life and prosperity in Scripture, failing to bear fruit signifies a breakdown in the natural order due to sin. This imagery is consistent with the broader biblical narrative where fruitfulness is a sign of God's blessing (Psalm 1:3) and unfruitfulness a sign of judgment (Matthew 21:19). For the believer, it serves as a call to remain faithful and obedient to God, trusting that true fruitfulness comes from Him alone. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe primary audience of Leviticus, the Israelites were God's chosen people, receiving the Law through Moses. 2. The Promised LandThe land of Canaan, promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where the Israelites were to live and prosper under God's covenant. 3. MosesThe prophet and leader who delivered God's laws and commandments to the Israelites, including the blessings and curses outlined in Leviticus 26. 4. God's CovenantThe agreement between God and the Israelites, which included blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. 5. Agricultural ImageryThe use of land and produce as symbols of God's provision and the consequences of disobedience. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceDisobedience to God's commands leads to futility and unfruitfulness, both physically and spiritually. The Importance of Covenant FaithfulnessGod's covenant with His people requires faithfulness; breaking it results in loss and hardship. Spiritual FruitfulnessJust as the land was to yield produce, our lives should yield spiritual fruit through obedience to God. Dependence on God for ProvisionTrue provision and success come from God; without Him, our efforts are in vain. The Call to RepentanceWhen facing the consequences of disobedience, God calls us to repentance and restoration. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of "strength spent in vain" apply to our spiritual lives today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our lives are spiritually fruitful, as described in John 15? 3. How does understanding the blessings and curses of the Old Covenant help us appreciate the New Covenant in Christ? 4. What are some modern-day examples of "land not yielding produce" due to disobedience, and how can we address them? 5. How can we apply the principle of sowing and reaping from Galatians 6:7-8 to our daily decisions and actions? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter parallels Leviticus 26, detailing the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God. Isaiah 5The imagery of a vineyard that does not produce fruit is used to describe Israel's failure to live up to God's expectations. John 15Jesus speaks of abiding in Him to bear fruit, drawing a spiritual parallel to the physical fruitfulness mentioned in Leviticus. Galatians 6:7-8The principle of sowing and reaping is echoed, highlighting the spiritual consequences of our actions. Hebrews 12:11Discusses the discipline of the Lord, which can be seen as a form of correction similar to the curses in Leviticus 26. People Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Consumed, Crops, Field, Fruit, Fruits, Increase, Produce, Profit, Soil, Spent, Strength, Tree, Trees, Uselessly, Vain, Won't, YieldDictionary of Bible Themes Leviticus 26:14-20 8032 trust, lack of
8833 threats Leviticus 26:14-39 5827 curse
6026 sin, judgment on Leviticus 26:15-20 9210 judgment, God's Leviticus 26:18-20 4510 sowing and reaping
8845 unfruitfulness Leviticus 26:19-20 1349 covenant, at Sinai 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 ScriptureLii. 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 Links Leviticus 26:20 NIVLeviticus 26:20 NLTLeviticus 26:20 ESVLeviticus 26:20 NASBLeviticus 26:20 KJV
Leviticus 26:20 Commentaries
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