Leviticus 26:25

26:14-39 After God has set the blessing before them which would make them a happy people if they would be obedient, he here sets the curse before them, the evils which would make them miserable, if they were disobedient. Two things would bring ruin. 1. A contempt of God's commandments. They that reject the precept, will come at last to renounce the covenant. 2. A contempt of his corrections. If they will not learn obedience by the things they suffer, God himself would be against them; and this is the root and cause of all their misery. And also, The whole creation would be at war with them. All God's sore judgments would be sent against them. The threatenings here are very particular, they were prophecies, and He that foresaw all their rebellions, knew they would prove so. TEMPORAL judgments are threatened. Those who will not be parted from their sins by the commands of God, shall be parted from them by judgments. Those wedded to their lusts, will have enough of them. SPIRITUAL judgments are threatened, which should seize the mind. They should find no acceptance with God. A guilty conscience would be their continual terror. It is righteous with God to leave those to despair of pardon, who presume to sin; and it is owing to free grace, if we are not left to pine away in the iniquity we were born in, and have lived in.

And I will bring a sword upon you,.... War upon them by the sword of their enemies; they that use and kill with the sword, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; their neighbours that delighted in war, and bore an implacable, hatred unto them, and gladly embraced every opportunity of shedding their blood, and ravaging their country: that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant; the covenant made with them at Sinai, which they transgressed, and for which vengeance would be taken on them in this way, God so ordering it in his providence, though the enemy meant it not, Isaiah 10:5, and when ye are gathered together within your cities; from the fields and villages, fleeing from the enemy invading and destroying, to their fortified towns and cities for safety: I will send the pestilence among you; which shall destroy those that escaped the sword, and thought themselves safe in a strong city, and even the very soldiers in the garrisons, who were set for the defence of the city: and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy; so many being taken off by the pestilence, there would not be a sufficient number to defend the place, and therefore obliged to give it up, by which means those that escaped the pestilence would fall into the hands of the enemy.

Leviticus 26:25 . To avenge the quarrel of my covenant — That is, my quarrel with you for your breach of your covenant made with me. When you are gathered — Hebrews And ye shall be gathered into your cities, &c.; that is, you shall not dare to abide in the country, but shall be forced to flee from the sword of your enemies into your fortified towns, and leave your villages a prey to them.

22. I will also send wild beasts among you—This was one of the four judgments threatened (Eze 14:21; see also 2Ki 2:4). your highways shall be desolate—Trade and commerce will be destroyed—freedom and safety will be gone—neither stranger nor native will be found on the roads (Isa 33:8). This is an exact picture of the present state of the Holy Land, which has long lain in a state of desolation, brought on by the sins of the ancient Jews.

(25) That shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant. —Better, that shall avenge my covenant, that is, the sword, which shall avenge the breach of the Divine covenant; a war, which will devastate them because of their rebellion against the covenant God. Hence the Chaldee Versions render it, “that shall avenge on you the vengeance for that ye have transgressed against the words of the law.” And when ye are gathered together within your cities.—When, completely defeated in the battlefield, the Israelites escape from the avenging sword into their fortified cities, they will then become a prey to pestilence, so that the surviving remnant will prefer to deliver themselves over into the hands of the relentless enemy. (Comp. Jeremiah 21:6-9; Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 7:15.)

He would bring over them "the sword avenging (i.e., executing) the covenant vengeance." The "covenant vengeance" was punishment inflicted for a breach of the covenant, the severity of which corresponded to the greatness of the covenant blessings forfeited by a faithless apostasy. If they retreated to their towns (fortified places) from the sword of the enemy, the Lord would send a plague over them there, and give those who were spared by the plague into the power of the foe. He would also "break in pieces the staff of bread," and compel them by the force of famine to submit to the foe. The means of sustenance should become so scarce, that ten women could bake their bread in a single oven, whereas in ordinary times every woman would require an oven for herself; and they would have to eat the bread which they brought home by weight, i.e., not as much as every one pleased, but in rations weighed out so scantily, that those who ate would not be satisfied, and would only be able to sustain their life in the most miserable way. Calamities such as these burst upon Israel and Judah more than once when their fortified towns were besieged, particularly in the later times of the kings, e.g., upon Samaria in the reign of Joram ( 2 Kings 6:25 .), and upon Jerusalem through the invasions of the Chaldeans (cf. Isaiah 3:1 ; Jeremiah 14:18 ; Ezekiel 4:16 ; Ezekiel 5:12 ).

[Bible] 26:18. But if you will not yet for all this obey me: I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 26:19. And I will break the pride of your stubbornness: and I will make to you the heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass. 26:20. Your labour shall be spent in vain: the ground shall not bring forth her increase: nor the trees yield their fruit. 26:21. If you walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you for your sins. 26:22. And I will send in upon you the beasts of the field, to destroy you and your cattle, and make you few in number: and that your highways may be desolate. 26:23. And if even so you will not amend, but will walk contrary to me: 26:24. I also will walk contrary to you, and will strike you seven times for your sins. 26:25. And I will bring in upon you the sword that shall avenge my covenant. And when you shall flee into the cities, I will send the pestilence in the midst of you. And you shall be delivered into the hands of your enemies, 26:26. After I shall have broken the staff of your bread: so that ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and give it out by weight: and you shall eat, and shall not be filled, 26:27. But if you will not for all this hearken to me, but will walk against me, 26:28. I will also go against you with opposite fury: and I will chastise you with seven plagues for your sins, 26:29. So that you shall eat the flesh of your sons and of your daughters. 26:30. I will destroy your high places, and break your idols. You shall fall among the ruins of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 26:31. Insomuch that I will bring your cities to be a wilderness: and I will make your sanctuaries desolate: and will receive no more your sweet odours. 26:32. And I will destroy your land: and your enemies shall be astonished at it, when they shall be the inhabitants thereof.

[Reformed Biblical] r over you, that you shall not be able to avoid or resist them. Shall consume the eyes, by the decay of spirits, and affluence of ill humours. Leviticus 26:17 Leviticus 26:18 Leviticus 26:19 ## The pride of your pow er, i.e. your s trength, of which you are proud, your numerous and united forces, your kingdom, yea, your ark and sanctuary. ## Your earth as brass; the heavens shall yield you no rain, nor the earth fruits. Leviticus 26:20 ## Your strength shall be spent in vain; ploughing, and sowing, and tilling the ground. Leviticus 26:21 ## Contrary unto me, or, carelessly or h eedlessly with me, or ## before me, i.e. so as to be careless and unconcerned whether you please me or offend me. This is opposed to exact and circumspect walking with God, as Abraham did, Gen_17:1, and all are to do, Eph_5:15. Leviticus 26:22 By reason of the fewness of travellers and people, and the terror of wild beasts growing more numerous thereby. Leviticus 26:23 Leviticus 26:24 ## Contrary unto you, or, carelessly with you or towards you, i.e. I will put you out of my care and p rotection. Levi ticus 26:25 ## The quarrel of my covenant, i.e. my quarrel with you for your breach of your faith and covenant made with me. ## Into the hand of the enemy; because those few that sha