Leviticus 26:1 says, Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. This is about as clear of a warning against idolatry as there could be. There were to be no graven images, no standing imagine, nor any stone set up as an idol. This has not changed. Verse two adds, Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. The people of Israel were to keep the Sabbath and reverence God's sanctuary. Since as followers of Christ our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should live with reverence to God. Verse three continues, If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then verse four states, Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. God offered a conditional promise, stating if the people of Israel would obey Him, then He would bless them. This would happen in due season. If we obey God's laws, then He will bless us in due season. We cannot demand a blessing any time we want one, but must put everything in God's hands. Verse five adds, And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. God promised that their crops would be abundant when they obeyed Him. Verse six continues, And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. God promised the people of Israel peace, and if we are faithful in our relationship with God today, He will give us everlasting peace even in the chaos of the world. Verse seven says, And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. God promised them victory over their enemies, not because of their abilities in, but because of their God. If we are looking for victory today as Christians, we must look to God for guidance and strength. Verse eight adds, And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. Again, this ability to fight successfully was based on their faith in God and not their own ability, just as we must rely on God to be successful today. Verse nine continues, For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. God told the people of Israel that He would respect them if they were faithful to Him, just as He will those who put their faith in Jesus Christ today. Verse ten states, And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. Verse eleven adds, And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. God would provide for their needs and set His tabernacle before them and His soul would not abhor them as would be the case if they were not faithful to Him. Verse twelve continues, and I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. Such a great promise and it is still true for Christians today. By the Holy Spirit, God walks among us and we are His people. Verse thirteen concludes, 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. Just as God delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt all those years ago, He delivers us from the bondage of sin today.
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