October 24th
“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt– then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land.” Leviticus 26:40-42 NKJV
Leviticus 26 reveals some sobering aspects of God’s character and the conditions of his covenant relationship with the Israelites. The passage also reveals a plan for repentance that we can use today.
The covenant God made with the Israelites included the promise that he would bless the people, provided they:
· Did not make or worship idols
· Kept the Sabbaths and respected God’s sanctuary
· Kept God’s commandments
The resulting blessings were to affect every area of life (abundant crops, peace, fertility, God would walk among them, etc.). If the people chose not to obey God they would suffer punishment in 4 stages (14-20; 21-22; 23-26; 27-39). At the end of each stage, God would look to see if the people were ready to repent. If they were not, the discipline would continue. The consequences in the final stage included destruction and deportation to a foreign country.
In his grace, God offered a plan for repentance for the people. If they met his conditions, the punishment would stop. Here are the conditions God specified:
- Confess their sin and their fathers’ sin (i.e. unfaithfulness to God; having walked contrary to God’s laws)
- Humble their hearts
- Accept the guilt of their sins
- God promised he would not destroy them if they repented in that way.
As a loving father, God showed fairness and love by outlining the choices his children had and warned them of the consequences of rebellion. God revealed his just nature by promising a certain amount of discipline with each level of disobedience. At each level he re-evaluated the people’s hearts before bringing more disciplinary action. He showed his mercy and love by promising mercy if they turned back to Him, even at the height of their disobedience. He offered them hope, no matter how far astray they went.
Today we operate under the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ. The new covenant is superior to the old one in that the blood cleanses us completely from sin and frees us from having to depend on observance of the law for salvation. By trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we obligate ourselves to live for God. Every area of our lives must come under his lordship. We can no longer live like slaves to sin, but instead we must live like sons of God (Galatians 4:7).
If you have been living in rebellion against God, you can take steps of repentance similar to those in Leviticus 26:
- Confess your sin and your family’s sin
- Humble your heart by accepting the guilt of your sins
- Believe and receive Jesus Christ; allow his sacrifice to wash away the guilt
- Obey God’s commandments
If you go through these steps sincerely, you can be assured that God will forgive you and help you walk in purity from this point forward. God is merciful and loving. He will help you and welcome you back with open arms. For a detailed study covering the above steps, please see our study Freedom Journey.
Questions for further thought:
What do the punishments in Leviticus 26 reveal about God’s attitude toward sin?
Though God’s attitude toward sin hasn’t changed, how is it that we have peace with God, even after we’ve sinned? (Romans 5:1-11)
How can our ancestors’ sin affect us? (Exodus 34:6-7)
Prayer:
“Father in Heaven, thank you for the new covenant! Thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place. Thank you for welcoming me into your presence in peace. I praise you, Lord. I confess the sins that I’ve committed: __________________ (specify). Additionally, I confess the sins of my ancestors: _____________________ (specify) and any unknown sins they committed. I profess my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I ask that you wash me from the guilt of my sin and my ancestors’ sin. Thank you, Father! I receive your life now through the Holy Spirit (pause in silent prayer to receive). I will live my life for you and walk in faith daily as your son and servant. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”