◄ Leviticus 26:3 ►
If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments,
Study Bible
If you follow My statutes
This phrase emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's laws. In the context of Leviticus, the statutes refer to the detailed laws given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. These laws were meant to set Israel apart as a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). The statutes include moral, ceremonial, and civil laws that governed every aspect of life. Obedience to these statutes was a sign of faithfulness and devotion to God. The concept of following God's statutes is echoed throughout Scripture, such as in Psalm 119, which extols the blessings of living according to God's law.

and carefully keep My commandments,
The call to "carefully keep" underscores the need for diligence and intentionality in obeying God's commandments. This phrase suggests more than mere outward compliance; it implies a heart fully committed to God's will. The commandments here include the Ten Commandments and other directives given to Moses. The emphasis on careful observance highlights the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where blessings were contingent upon obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). This principle is reiterated in the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of the importance of keeping His commandments as a demonstration of love for Him (John 14:15). The careful observance of God's commandments is a theme that runs throughout the Bible, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who perfectly kept the law on behalf of humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God on Mount Sinai and communicated them to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, to whom the laws and commandments were given as part of their covenant relationship with Him.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where God delivered the Law to Moses, including the statutes and commandments referenced in this verse.

4. Covenant
The agreement between God and the Israelites, which included blessings for obedience and consequences for disobedience.

5. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which the Israelites were to inherit as part of God's promise, contingent upon their obedience to His laws.
Teaching Points
Obedience as a Covenant Requirement
The verse underscores the importance of obedience to God's statutes as a condition of the covenant relationship. Believers today are called to live in obedience to God's Word as a reflection of their covenant with Him through Christ.

Blessings of Obedience
While the specific blessings for the Israelites were tied to the land, the principle remains that God rewards obedience with spiritual blessings, peace, and provision.

Holistic Observance
The call to "carefully observe" suggests a comprehensive and intentional approach to living out God's commandments, not just a superficial adherence.

Heart Attitude
True obedience stems from a heart that desires to honor God, not merely from a sense of duty or fear of consequences.

Continuity of God's Law
While the ceremonial aspects of the Law were fulfilled in Christ, the moral and ethical teachings continue to guide believers in righteous living.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the covenant context of Leviticus 26:3 enhance our appreciation for the relationship between God and His people?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of obedience to God's commandments in our daily lives today?

3. How do the blessings and consequences outlined in Leviticus 26 compare to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament regarding obedience?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are "carefully observing" God's commandments in our personal and communal lives?

5. How does the concept of obedience in Leviticus 26:3 relate to the teachings found in James 1:22-25 about being doers of the Word?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter expands on the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, similar to the themes in Leviticus 26.

Psalm 119
Highlights the psalmist's love for God's law and the blessings of following His commandments.

John 14:15
Jesus speaks about the importance of keeping His commandments as a demonstration of love for Him.

James 1:22-25
Encourages believers to be doers of the Word, not just hearers, which aligns with the call to observe God's commandments.

Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus affirms the importance of the Law and the Prophets, emphasizing the continuity of God's commandments.
Sermons
The Blessedness of the RighteousJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 26:1-13
Temporal Rewards and PunishmentsR.M. Edgar Leviticus 26:1-46
Obedience and ProsperityS.R. Aldridge Leviticus 26:3-8
Commonness of the Idolatrous SpiritSpurgeon, Charles HaddonLeviticus 26:3-13
Idolatry InterdictedF. W. Brown.Leviticus 26:3-13
Incentives to ObedienceW. Clarkson Leviticus 26:3-13
Rain from GodJ. Spencer.Leviticus 26:3-13
Temporal Blessings Connected with ObedienceJ. Cumming, D. D.Leviticus 26:3-13
The Advantages of Faithfully Serving GodAndrew Thomson, D. D.Leviticus 26:3-13
The Advantages of Religion in a Nation's LifeW. H. Jellie.Leviticus 26:3-13
The Common Worship of the SanctuaryHoward James.Leviticus 26:3-13
The Philosophy of RainDr. Ure.Leviticus 26:3-13
The Unbroken Continuity of God's GiftsA. Maclaren, D. D.Leviticus 26:3-13
Promises and ThreateningsR.A. Redford Leviticus 26:3-39
People
Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Careful, Carry, Commandments, Commands, Decrees, Follow, Guided, Laws, Obey, Observe, Rules, Statutes, Walk
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 26:3-4

     4430   crops
     4816   drought, physical
     4970   seasons, of year
     8257   fruitfulness, natural

Leviticus 26:3-5

     4438   eating
     4510   sowing and reaping
     9130   future, the

Leviticus 26:3-12

     6703   peace, divine OT
     7258   promised land, early history

Leviticus 26:3-13

     1349   covenant, at Sinai

Library
Emancipated Slaves
I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.'--LEV. xxvi. 13. The history of Israel is a parable and a prophecy as well as a history. The great central word of the New Testament has been drawn from it, viz. 'redemption,' i.e. a buying out of bondage. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt were 'delivered.' The deliverance made them a nation. God acquired them for Himself, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Lii. Trust in God.
15th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. vi. 31. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." INTRODUCTION.--We read in ancient Roman history that a general named Aemilius Paulus was appointed to the Roman army in a time of war and great apprehension. He found in the army a sad condition of affairs, there were more officers than fighting men, and all these officers wanted to have their advice taken, and the war conducted in accordance with their several opinions. Then Aemilius Paulus …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

A Reformer's Schooling
'The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace. …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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