What is the meaning of Leviticus 26:27? But if in spite of all this Leviticus 26 has already listed one painful judgment after another (vv. 14-26). Each step is corrective, not vindictive; the Lord keeps turning up the volume so the covenant people will finally hear and return. “Again and again the LORD… sent word to them through His messengers… but they mocked God’s messengers” (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Jeremiah echoes, “You struck them, but they felt no pain… they refused correction” (Jeremiah 5:3). Amos records five separate disasters ending with the refrain, “yet you have not returned to Me” (Amos 4:6-11). By saying “in spite of all this,” God is stressing that even His most patient, escalating discipline can be ignored by a hardened heart—something Hebrews 12:10-11 still warns believers about today. you do not obey Me Obedience is the covenant’s hinge. “If you do not obey the LORD your God, all these curses will come upon you” (Deuteronomy 28:15). Samuel told Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Jesus applies the same principle: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). James presses it further: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). In Leviticus, refusal to obey is not a minor slip but a deliberate breach of an agreed covenant. For the New-Covenant believer, obedience still matters—not to earn salvation, but to demonstrate faith that is alive (John 15:10; 1 John 2:3-6). but continue to walk in hostility toward Me “Walk” describes a settled lifestyle; “hostility” (v. 27; cp. v. 21, 23) means active resistance, not mere indifference. Isaiah laments, “They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10). Paul explains the heart behind it: “The mind of the flesh is hostile toward God” (Romans 8:7), and apart from Christ we were “alienated and hostile in mind” (Colossians 1:21). Persisting in such a walk moves a person from disobedience to outright enmity, inviting the intensified judgment spelled out in the next verses (vv. 28-33). The text therefore exposes the peril of rehearsed rebellion—day-by-day choices that cultivate a posture directly opposed to God’s rule. summary Leviticus 26:27 exposes the frightening possibility that, even after repeated divine warnings and corrective hardships, a person—or a nation—can still harden into habitual, hostile disobedience. The verse calls God’s people to hear early, repent quickly, and obey completely, lest mercy’s invitations give way to judgment’s necessity. |
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