I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
Leviticus 26:13
As the book of Leviticus winds down, God gives Israel a rehearsal of His relationship with them as a nation, reminding them that the focus of the covenant is His saving work to bring the nation into relationship with Him. It was God’s doing. He delivered them from the awful slavery of Egypt. He brought them out to give them the land of Canaan promised to Abraham. God gave them the Law through Moses so that they could please Him and enjoy His blessings.
Relationship with God was initiated by God. All the means and methods for the nation to enjoy these blessings were provided by Him in grace. But they then had to commit to all God had given in the Law. They had to keep covenant by following His laws, worshiping God and turning from idols, and living joyfully and peacefully in the blessings that His grace would pour on an obedient nation. He provided it all. They simply had to receive, commit, believe, and obey.
Unfortunately, the history of Israel in these matters was one of regular and long complacency and disobedience. They experienced blessings when they modeled commitment, worship, and obedience. But they didn’t always teach the next generation well. And so that disobedience would lead to the curses of the Law coming upon them. Even then, when the people repented and re-committed, God in mercy graciously returned them to the experiences of His blessings. God loves to redeem and restore broken sinners. And I know this personally! It is what Jesus did for me, though I am imperfect in my obedience. I repent and return to the gospel in confession of sin because it is the only way to know God’s peace! Through Jesus, God wants to free all people from painful, sinful bondage forever! That is the New Covenant Jesus brought so that we might not be bound in the yoke of sin’s slavery any longer.
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