The other day I was reading Leviticus and I saw an interesting picture of gospel discipline and repentance. Discipline has been on my mind lately because of the readings I’ve been doing, a few recent sermons at church and the topic of last week’s First Tuesday prayer service.
I think at times we are too simplistic about the nature of our trials and suffering and ignore the reality of a sovereign God and true gospel discipline. So it was very interesting to look at the pattern of God’s word to the Israelites on obedience, rebellion and repentance in Leviticus 26. First, I’d like to ask that you read the whole chapter so you have the full context for this discussion. The format of a blog does not allow me to quote at length and go line by line. Go ahead, it’s fine, this post isn’t going anywhere…
Now, I’d like to walk through this pattern and share how I see the gospel and how God uses discipline to bring us back to the cross in this chapter. The Lord starts out with a promise in Lev. 26:3:
If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.Lev 26:3–6
The Word is very clear here, there are blessings to be given if we live a righteous life, but of course we know we can’t do it in our own power. God then moves on to what will happen if His people do not live in this manner, if they rebel against his commandments. He states 5 times the punishments that will come upon Israel if they walk in disobedience.
But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, [...]Le 26:14–15
And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, [...]Le 26:18
Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. [...]
Le 26:21
And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins. [...]
Le 26:23–24
But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. [...]
Le 26:27–29
- In v. 15 God sets the standard higher than just following the rules – “if your soul abhors my rules“. The human soul hating His rules is obviously a deeper transgression than simply not doing it. Its possible to follow a rule that you hate, it’s much harder to love a rule that runs counter to your nature. Jesus spoke about this many times in the Gospels
- In this passage God makes it clear He is not dealing out random misfortune. He establishes Himself as a sovereign God using discipline to correct His people
- The repeated stages of warning point to a continual pursuit of His people, and not being willing to let us go at the first sign of rebellion. This makes me think of the story of Hosea
From here though, God delivers the good news to Moses:
“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”
Le 26:40–42 (emphasis added)
I could literally write pages on my observations of these three verses, but this a blog not a commentary. So, here are my brief observations on this passage. This is one of the most dense parallels of the gospel I’ve seen in the Old Testament. It contains the promise of redemption, but also the good news of the gospel.
Notice that it starts with the word “but”. After the long list of warnings and discipline that God promises he lays out the the good news by framing it as an alternative, very evocative of Ephesians 2:4-6. With this simple word God shows the Israelites how to turn from their sin and the resulting discipline and back to the covenant. He tells them to confess, and then to humble their hearts and make amends. The pattern is the same for us, we confess our sins and repent as part of our saving faith. These acts are humbling ourselves and submitting to God’s will. God reminds the Israelites here that it is their hearts that matter, that to be circumcised in the flesh makes no difference unless your heart is circumcised (see Romans 2:25-29 for Paul’s application of this for Christians). It is passages of Scripture like this that show us how to see Jesus and his gospel throughout the whole Bible.
So in the end, there are two important things to take away from this chapter. First, as illustrated here God uses discipline to turn our hearts toward Him and repent of our sin. Not all suffering and trials are discipline, but we should certainly look at our lives and our sin to determine if it could be so. In the end, this sort of discipline is blessing even if it is hard to see in the moment. Second, we should read the Old Testament through a gospel lens. The OT serves the purpose to show us that even when God gives us a way to Him (the law) we cannot possibly obtain it. The OT shows us the failings in ourselves and in the law in order to point us to the solution that does work, the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
Tags: discipline, gospel, Leviticus, repentance
