36 And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues. – Leviticus 26:36
Balanced View
As students of the Bible, we need to recognize that all of it is God-breathed. As such, it is our responsibility to read the Bible in its entirety and to grapple with all of it, from Genesis to Revelation, and ask God what He wants to reveal to us about Himself. As we prayerfully read the Bible, we want to “interrogate” the text. Asking questions of the text as we read forces us to slow down and engage our minds, thereby increasing our understanding and retention.
It is natural to want to skim over passages that may seem less relevant or perhaps make us uncomfortable, but that doesn’t leave us with a “balanced” view of God. For instance, most of us dwell on and memorize God’s promises, but place much less emphasis on His threats or warnings. Also, if ninety percent of a passage is about the character of God and ten percent about the consequential blessing of man, we will tend to emphasize the ten percent that is about us. To keep our pride in check, it is healthy to remind ourselves of the gap that exists between God and fallen man.
Decisions & Consequences
Leviticus chapter twenty-six is perhaps one of those chapters many of us would naturally like to skim over. After briefly pointing out the blessings of obedience, God lays out very graphic warnings of the consequences of disobedience. The children of Israel have been given commandments, and now they must choose whether or not to take God seriously. Like Adam and Eve, they are faced with a choice. Does God mean what He says and are we willing to accept the consequences of disobedience? Read the chapter for yourself and look at the consequences. Panic, wasting disease, fever that will consume the eyes and make the heart ache, you will plant but your enemies will eat the produce, you will be struck down and ruled by enemies, despite hard work fields won’t produce, wild beasts will be let loose attacking children and livestock. If this doesn’t lead to repentance, then they will face pestilence and be delivered into hands of enemies, their supply of bread would be broken. If their hearts are still unmoved, they would then eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, their idol temples would be destroyed and they would be dispersed among their enemies and their cities would be laid waste.
Windblown Leaves
What could the remnant who survived such consequences expect for a reward? Fear. Cowardice. Faintness of heart. So much so that they would flee from a windblown leaf. Though not pursued by a sword-wielding enemy, they will stumble over one another in panic. How can a guilt-stricken man ever expect to stand in the presence of an almighty God if he can’t even hold his ground against a leaf blown off a branch? Obviously, he can’t, but it is amazing how easily we deceive ourselves.
Look closely again at the list of punishments for disobedience. The world would look at these and use them as ammunition against God. I will grant you this is not a pleasant list. Wasting diseases, pestilence, starvation, and cannibalism are not things a loving God would dole out, are they? Obviously, they are. We like to extol that God is love, but we want to reserve the right to define what love looks like. God is the author of love. He is the source of perfect love. The type of love that casts out fear. But He is willing to use fear to drive us to Himself.
Stubborn Hearts
When I look at Leviticus chapter twenty-six, I am amazed at the stubbornness and rebellious nature of man’s heart. The chapter begins with God commanding the Israelites not to make and worship idols, to keep His Sabbaths, and to revere His sanctuary. In contrast to the list of punishments threatened above, obedience would have resulted in timely rains, abundant produce, sufficient food, safety, peace, rest and boldness. In addition, they would have victory over their enemies, would be fruitful, and God would establish His covenant with them. Further, God would set His tabernacle among them and walk among them. On paper, the choice looks easy. But I can hear Satan whisper, “Does God really mean it?”. History proves He did mean it. And He still does.
God is a consuming fire. His wrath is real. The wise person doesn’t try to “tame” God but rather possesses a healthy fear of Him. I believe the church, and therefore society by extension, is suffering because we have domesticated God. Too often we don’t want to take God at His word. Instead, we want to make the Bible say what it doesn’t; or not say what it does. And like the Israelites, we suffer the consequences.
Rakes
Let’s pause for a moment and consider the darkness which man lives in. Doing so helps us to keep a proper perspective. What is the depth of our depravity? Think for a moment about the way God pursues His children in this chapter. Why are they being punished so? Not because of any flaw in the character of God. To the contrary, His intention is their restitution. He wants their disobedience to be replaced by obedience. Look at the drastic measures He is willing to take to see His children restored. In other words, the severity of God is just one aspect of His love!! An aspect whose exercise is necessitated because of our sin.
God doesn’t want His children fleeing from driven leaves. On the contrary, He wants them to live in the boldness that He gives to His children who are living in obedience to His will and in the security of His love. But He will take drastic measures to get us to that point.
Don’t accept a watered-down definition of love. Don’t embrace any other God than the God of the Bible. Just make sure your view of Him is balanced. And thank Him for not giving up on us.
22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God… – Romans 11:22a