Sermon Notes

26 “You shall make for yourselves no idols and erect no carved images or pillars, and you shall not place figured stones in your land, to worship at them, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
3 “If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, 4 I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall overlap the vintage, and the vintage shall overlap the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full and live securely in your land. 6 And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword shall go through your land.
7 You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will look with favor upon you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will maintain my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make way for the new.
11 I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. 12 I[a] will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be their slaves no more; I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
26 “Don’t make idols for yourselves; don’t set up an image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and don’t place a carved stone in your land that you can bow down to in worship. I am God, your God.
2 “Keep my Sabbaths; treat my Sanctuary with reverence. I am God.
3-5 “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. You will thresh until the grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting time; you’ll have more than enough to eat and will live safe and secure in your land.
6-10 “I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them: Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand and do away with them. I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order. You’ll still be eating from last year’s harvest when you have to clean out the barns to make room for the new crops.
11-13 “I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people. I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely. (The Message, MSG)

Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the literary lynch pin of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). As the Pentateuch’s canonical center, Leviticus forms a narrative bridge between the legal and ritualistic traditions the people received from the LORD on Mount Sinai and the people’s embodiment of those traditions as they possess the Promised Land. Stated another way, the covenantal promises the people will ultimately enjoy when they live in the land of promise, are directly related to how well they keep, observe, and guard the instruction (law/torah) and rituals which make promise possible.
For the writers/compilers of Leviticus—Priests of the Babylonian exile writing from 586-533 BCE (not Moses as Jewish and Christian tradition holds)—holiness was the key that unlocked the blessings or curses of covenantal relationship. Because God is holy—God is literally set apart from and above anything and everything else—God’s people require ongoing, methodological, detailed instruction on how they are to respond to a holy God, and how they are to become holy themselves. Because God is holy—God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts—God’s people must be taught how God’s holiness necessitates the suspension of human compulsion to dictate how and when God moves, acts, or shows up. Because God is holy—God cannot be contained within our finite minds, limited imaginations, or imperfect aspirations—God’s people must learn to surrender ill-placed notions of sovereignty; the Divine is the only one in control of anything. The process of learning how to live holy in response to the God (JHWH) who holy, is what the Holiness Code—Leviticus 19-26—is all about.
The Holiness Code is the name that scholars give the second half of the book of Leviticus because it consistently mentions the centrality of “holiness” as the intrinsic character of God and the requirement of God’s covenantal people. For the Priestly writers/compilers, holiness is the most important theme in their theological worldview and what eventually becomes the subsequent Torah/Pentateuch of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The Hebrew word for “holy” (qodesh) is first mentioned in the Priestly creation account (Genesis 1:1-2:4) when God sanctifies—or makes holy—the seventh day. More than any other book within the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Leviticus lifts us holy things, holy places, holy times, and God’s people who are called to be “holy” people. The Holiness Code provides detailed teaching on how the holiness of God’s people embodies the mind, purposes, and actions of holy God.
This week’s lesson text (Leviticus 26:1-6; 11-13), is drawn from a portion of the Holiness Code that discusses covenantal blessings and curses, as well as vows and offerings (26:1- 27:34). Most biblical scholars agree that chapter 27 is a later addition to Leviticus based on 26:46. In the preceding chapter of the lesson text, (Leviticus 25), Moses indicates that the directive for commemorating weekly Sabbath will now extend to two separate yearlong observances. The first, the shemitta, is a period of sabbatical rest for the land, and its production, which Israel will celebrate every seven years. This rotation of a seventh year’s rest will reoccur for seven, seven-year-cycles, totaling 49 years. The culmination of this series of Sabbath rest periods is the “yobel,” or “jubilee” year, which Israel would celebrate in the fiftieth year. The “sabbath of the land” ensured the land—Israel’s primary source of sustenance and commerce—would enjoy a much-needed period of replenishment and renewal. Jubilee, by extension, would ensure that lands reverted to the original families of ownership, so that land ownership perpetually remained just and equalized. This is where the lesson text picks up the narrative.

1 “Don’t make idols for yourselves; don’t set up an image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and don’t place a carved stone in your land that you can bow down to in worship. I am God, your God. 2 “Keep my Sabbaths; treat my Sanctuary with reverence. I am God.
In the opening verses of the lesson text, the LORD speaks to Moses, and emphasizes two specific commandments from the Ten Commandments, also called the Decalogue, which distill the entire law code down to the second and fourth commandments. The second commandment prohibits idol worship in any form (Exodus 20:4-6) and impresses upon Israel the importance of worshipping God alone. The fourth commandment compels Israel to keep the sabbath and have respect for God’s dwelling place (Exodus 20:8-11). Verses 1 and 2 flow from the teaching in chapter 25 on the importance of rest and justice for the whole ecological system. Further, the phrase, “I am God,” reveals that Leviticus is a continuation of JHWH’s revelation of the divine Name and God’s character.
3-5 “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. You will thresh until the grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting time; you’ll have more than enough to eat and will live safe and secure in your land. 6 “I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. 7-10 [You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them: Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand and do away with them. I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order. You’ll still be eating from last year’s harvest when you have to clean out the barns to make room for the new crops.]
Verse 3 introduces the rewards for covenantal obedience which extends through verse 13. While verses 7-10 are not part of the printed lesson, they should be included so the narrative structure of the pericope is not broken. Further, verses 7-10 talk about the blessings that flow from seeing one’s enemies vanquished. While some people might ignore these verses because of the problematic nature pursuing and destroying one’s enemies, it does not do justice to the biblical text to ignore its difficult problematic aspects.
The blessings and curses that are introduced by verse 3: “If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, (NRSVue) are emblematic of Ancient Near Eastern legal treaties which also contained blessing and curse clauses. These clauses derive its efficacy in the relationship between obedience and blessings, or, disobedience and curses. According to the Priestly writer, the constituent blessings that arise from Israel’s obedience are:
1. Rain and fertility (verses 4–5)
2. Peace in the land (verse. 6)
3. Victory over enemies (verses 7-8)
4. Abundance and prosperity (verses 9-10)
5. God’s abiding presence (verses 11-13)
Likewise, the constituent curses that arise from disobedience are:
1. Famine and defeat (verse 14-16)
2. Drought and poor harvests (verses 18–20)
3. Wild animals that kill children and livestock (verses 21–22)
4. War, pestilence, famine (verses 23–26)
5. God’s abandonment of Israel to exile (verses 27–39)
It is important to note that the Priestly writers/compilers of Leviticus structure the blessings and curses of Leviticus 26 to underscore the relationship between obedience and reward. If Israel is obedient to the commands of God, they will receive rewards from the LORD. If Israel is disobedient to the commands of God, they will suffer punishment from the LORD.
Further, Israel’s obedience is related to the fruitfulness of the land. The blessings and curses will be experienced not only by the people, but by the land as well. The word “land” is repeated more than fifty times in Leviticus 26, underscoring how Israel’s future is inextricably linked to the land. Israel’s obedience or disobedience will result in the abundance of the land, its destruction, or its forfeiture to Israel’s enemies. This is why the LORD’s command to observe Sabbath in verses 1-2 is so crucial. (26:1–2) is so crucial. It was always God’s design that Israel tend and guard the land as good stewards. Consider what this means for contemporary 21st century Christians. Humans (and the land) are blessed when we obey God’s command to properly steward ourselves, others, and the land. Likewise, humans (and the land) are cursed if we disobey God’s command to observe sabbath rest, jubilees, and a “sabbath of the land.” The fruitfulness of the land was directly related to how the people were to survive and thrive in the land of promise.
11-13 “I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people. I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely. (“Made you walk erect,” NRSVue).
In the final verses of the lesson text, the LORD assures the people of God’s presence. This conditionality of blessings along with curses is a characteristic of Ancient Near Eastern treaties between Suzerains and vassals. All of the law codes in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament are patterned on ANE treaties between kings—who were known as suzerains—and their vassal (subjugated territories.) In the covenantal relationship between the LORD (JHWH) and Israel, God is the suzerain and Israel is the vassal. Verses 11-13 highlight three promises that served as the cornerstone of exilic Priestly theology, providing the narrative context for the entire book of Leviticus.
First, God will dwell in the midst of the Israelite community. This harkens back to the “tent of meeting” discussions in Exodus where God chooses to dwell in the midst of the camp. God is not far off. God chooses to be near, “literally to move into the neighborhood,” and covenants to journey with the people in the form of the cloud by day and fire by night which are hallmarks of God’s presence. Second, God chooses Israel as God’s people and God covenants to be their God. This ownership is not by physical birth, but by spiritual birth—God birthed Israel as the people of God in the crucible of the exodus and the Red Sea.
Third, the blessings and curses in Leviticus 26 are grounded within YHWH’s liberationist act of the delivering the Israelites from enslavement. God “broke the bars of the yoke” (NRSVue) through the exodus from Egypt, the deliverance at the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds, and giving of the law on Mount Sinai. Various combinations of these three divine promises are repeated throughout the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, functioning as a type of credal statement: “I will be your God, you shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of you.” God has made a people who were once bent over in enslavement to now “walk erect” (NRSVue) in front of their enemies and the world. Clearly, God honors those who honor God.

i. Brent Strawn, “Going Deeper: Holiness (Exodus 3:5)” in The Westminster Study Bible with Deuterocanonical /Apocryphal Books New Revised Standard Updated Edition, Emerson B. Powery, Stacy Davis, Mary F. Foskett, Brent Strawn, General Editors, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2024) 88.
ii. Samuel Ballentine, Leviticus: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, Kindle Edition) 301-302.
iii. The table of corresponding blessings and curses is drawn from Samuel Ballentine, Leviticus, 303-305.
iv. The Westminster Study Bible, 541.