Proverbs

Living by Faith

Lesson #11 for March 14, 2015

Scriptures: [Proverbs 28:4-5,7,9; 29:13; Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:24; 1 John 2:15-17][i].

1.    Proverbs is a book about wisdom. Proverbs 28 and 29, which we are studying in this lesson, focus on the contrast between human wisdom and divine wisdom. Divine wisdom is centered in God’s law. God Himself is love. (1 John 4:8,16) His law is an expression of His love and His character. Love to God and love to our fellow humans are the two principles of the law. [(Matthew 22:34-40; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)]ii The Ten Commandments give more details about that law. But, Ellen White further explained: “But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of.” (Mount of Blessing 109.2) So, where should we look for a more complete expression of God’s law? When were God’s laws for human beings first given? Are His laws proscriptive or descriptive? Do they just describe the way things are supposed to work?

If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets 364.2.

2.    Why did Paul say the law was added? Which law was added? (Galatians 3:19-24)iii Why are there so many professed Christians who have such diverse views about theological matters and about God’s law? How much is included in the Christian’s walk? Inspiration sets out the pattern; but, we must make choices on a day-by-day basis to follow that pattern. Our study of Scripture will make it clearer and clearer what that pattern is.

3.    Read Proverbs 28:4,7,9iv. Compare James 5:16[v]. What do these verses tell us about the importance of obedience to God’s law? Would you agree that those who are disobedient to God’s law are wicked, unintelligent, even hateful, and an abomination to God?

4.    While we recognize that ancient Israel was far from perfectly obedient to God’s law, what was unique about their situation and their relationship with God? What made them “holy” or “set apart” from other nations? Why did God choose them? Was it to bless all mankind?

5.    It would not take a long time for a reasonably intelligent person to memorize the Ten Commandments. Is that all we need to know about God’s law? When Solomon-whom the Scriptures point out as the wisest man who ever lived-became king, he asked God for wisdom even though he was very aware of the Ten Commandments. (1 Kings 3:9vi) What are the relationships among wisdom, God’s law, and our behavior?

6.    Are Christian’s lives made easier and better when they try to observe God’s law?

7.    In his very pointed letter to the Galatians, Paul said that the purpose of the law is to lead us to Christ. (Galatians 3:24vii) He went on to say that it was added because we needed it. What is implied by those words? Is the primary purpose of God’s law to teach us about Himself?

What is implied by the expression, “the law is a transcript of God’s character”?

We have only glimmering light in regard to the exceeding breadth of the law of God. The law spoken from Sinai is a transcript of God’s character.

Many who claim to be teachers of the truth have no conception of what they are handling when they are presenting the law to the people, because they have not studied it; they have not put their mental powers to the task of understanding its significance. (Review and Herald, February 4, 1890 par. 1)

The law of love is the foundation of God’s government, and the service of love the only service acceptable to heaven. God has granted freedom of will to all, endowed men with capacity to appreciate his character, and therefore with ability to love him and to choose his service. So long as created beings worshiped God they were in harmony throughout the universe. While love to God was supreme, love to others abounded. As there was no transgression of the law, which is the transcript of God’s character, no note of discord jarred the celestial harmonies. (Signs of the Times, February 13, 1893 par. 1)

Christ says definitely, I came not to destroy the law. It is a transcript of God’s character, and I came to carry out its every specification. I came to vindicate it by living it in human nature, giving an example of perfect obedience. (Signs of the Times, June 13, 1900 par. 7)

God’s character is revealed in the precepts of His law. This is the reason why Satan wishes this law to be made of none effect. But notwithstanding all his efforts, the law stands forth holy and unchanged. It is a transcript of God’s character. It cannot be impeached or altered. (Signs of the Times, November 30, 1904 par. 6; 14MR 347.20) [Bold type is added.]

8.    Would it be correct to say that the whole purpose of the Bible is to teach us about God and His character? That requires thinking, learning, and intelligence on our part.

9.    Does God intend for faith to be a rational expression? Is faith supposed to be logical?

God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.

It is impossible for finite minds fully to comprehend the character or the works of the Infinite One. To the keenest intellect, the most highly educated mind, that holy Being must ever remain clothed in mystery. “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?” Job 11:7, 8. (Steps to Christ 105.2-3)

10.    Read 1 John 2:15-17viii. In these verses we see a stark contrast between the world and all its ways which are passing away and those who do God’s will who will live forever.

11.    Proverbs 28 gives us several suggestions about true wealth.

1. Do not get rich at the expense of the poor. (Proverbs 28:8)

2.    Be generous with the poor. (Proverbs 28:27)

3.    Wealth should come from honest, hard work. (Proverbs 28:19)

4.    Do not use any dishonest means for gaining wealth. (Proverbs 28:20,22,24)

12.    Money has come to be the dominant force in our world. How can we avoid the deceitfulness of riches? (Mark 4:19)ix

13.    In light of a world constantly fighting over keeping up with the Joneses, how do we keep God uppermost in our thinking? One sage said: “Money isn’t everything; but, it is way ahead of whatever is in second place!”

14.    Read Proverbs 29:13[x]. The ultimate reason why we should be respectful of both rich and poor is that we were all created equal in the eyes of God. We are brothers and sisters; all are children of the same Father.

15.    Read Proverbs 28:3xi. If we recognize that we are all created by God, we need to act in love toward God and toward our fellow brothers and sisters and always act responsibly.

16.    Read Proverbs 28:6xii. Do you agree that honesty and righteousness always trump riches? Traditionally, it has been believed that if you are righteous, God will bless you, and you will be rich. (See Deuteronomy 7; 28; Leviticus 26.)xiii Poverty is supposed to come only upon the lazy or the wicked. (Proverbs 24:34xiv) But, we know that in our world things are not that simple. Have you ever been tempted to compromise your principles for material gain?

17.    One of the biggest challenges for parents is to teach these important lessons about material matters to their children. It is an eternal disaster to raise children who “receive not the love of the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10xv) Ultimately, that truth is the truth about Jesus and His Father. Are we teaching our children to obey and love the truth?

Whatever line of investigation we pursue, with a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in and through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such communion on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate.—Ellen G. White, Education 14.2; CT 16.2; ML 264.2.

18.    Proverbs goes on to talk about the fact that discipline requires more than just words. (Proverbs 29:15,19xvi) What are the most appropriate ways for disciplining children in the 21st century? Are spankings still appropriate? What about time-outs? Leaving our children to do what they want to do without disciplining them is a recipe for disaster. Children need-perhaps most of all—to know that boundaries exist, and they need to stay within those boundaries. Undisciplined children will be a shame to their parents and even to the children themselves when they become adults. Someone has said that “a pat on the back is useful if it is applied early enough, often enough, and low enough!”

Any child that is permitted to have his own way will dishonor God and bring his father and mother to shame. Light has been shining from the word of God and the testimonies of His Spirit so that none need err in regard to their duty. God requires parents to bring up their children to know Him and to [326] respect His claims; they are to train their little ones, as the younger members of the Lord’s family, to have beautiful characters and lovely tempers, that they may be fitted to shine in the heavenly courts. By neglecting their duty and indulging their children in wrong, parents close to them the gates of the city of God.—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 325.2-326.0. [Bold type is added.]

19.    So, in all of this, how do we come to know and love the truth?

20.    Do most Christians that you know including yourself think of God’s law as a blessing? Do we think of it as the “perfect law of liberty”? Or, as restrictive of our freedom? Why? It restricts us from doing wrong. Satan is always trying to get us to think only about the short term “benefits” of disobeying the law. He never wants us to think of the longer-term results.

21.    Many of our Christian friends teach that the law was done away with by being nailed to the cross. What is the best way to correct that misunderstanding? What is implied by Matthew 5:17-18xvii? Is there any evidence in Scripture that any of the apostles during the times of the New Testament disobeyed or set aside any of the commandments?

22.    Does God ever ask us to do or believe anything that is not for our best good in the long term?

23.    Why do so many modern thinkers believe that the time has come to leave behind the ancient, outdated constraints of the Word of God? Are those “ancient, outdated constraints” still appropriate in the 21st century?

24.    Many scientists would have us believe that man is constantly gaining new and better knowledge and wisdom. Will the Bible then become unnecessary?

25.    Is it obvious even with a superficial look at the Ten Commandments that they are describing God’s love? Or, do they sometimes seem a little like a strait jacket? Read in context, we should understand that the Ten Commandments were given after the children of Israel were released from Egyptian bondage. Would it be correct to say that obedience to law comes after the promise of salvation? Is salvation supposed to lead to obedience?

26.    Is coming to know God through Jesus Christ the most important thing in our lives? Surely, we must recognize that despite our best efforts, we can have only a very limited view of God while here on this earth. We will have eternity to learn more and more about Him. Try to imagine what it was like for Adam and Eve to converse with God in the Garden of Eden. What do you think they thought about God’s wisdom? Do you think they looked forward to those times with Him?

27.    We cannot spend time with Him visibly and in person. So, what do we think about spending time with God’s Word? Do we really believe that God’s Word is the ultimate source of wisdom? Not only human wisdom but also God’s wisdom?

28.    When we read the Bible, do we look at each story and ask what it says to us about God? The Bible is not primarily about Adam, Noah, Moses, David, and Paul; it is about God!

29.    A careful look at the book of Deuteronomy along with our study of Proverbs will show us that there are many similar sentiments expressed. Does that suggest to us that the Bible has only one real Author?

30.    Our world seems to be coming apart at the seams. Desperate things are happening all the time with people dying and being killed. There are terrible natural disasters. Why are all those things happening? Is there anything that we as Christians can do in this setting that might make a difference? Does living Christ-like lives as witnesses to the truth about God say anything to the world? (Matthew 5:16xviii) Do you know anyone who is doing that?

© 2015, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.    Info@Jheox.org

i-Proverbs 28:4 If you have no regard for the law, you are on the side of the wicked; but if you obey it, you are against them. 5 Evil people do not know what justice is, but those who worship the LORD understand it well. 7 Young people who obey the law are intelligent. Those who make friends with good-for-nothings are a disgrace to their parents. 9 If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear.

Proverbs 29:13 A poor person and his oppressor have this in common—the LORD gave eyes to both of them.

Romans 1:16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. 17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”

Galatians 3:24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. 17 The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.

ii-Matthew 22:34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, 35 and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. 36 “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ 40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the LORD.

iii-Galatians 3:19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between. 20 But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.

The Purpose of the Law

21 Does this mean that the Law is against God's promises? No, not at all! For if human beings had received a law that could bring life, then everyone could be put right with God by obeying it. 22 But the scripture says that the whole world is under the power of sin; and so the gift which is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe. 23 But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. 24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.

iv-Proverbs 28:4 If you have no regard for the law, you are on the side of the wicked; but if you obey it, you are against them. 7 Young people who obey the law are intelligent. Those who make friends with good-for-nothings are a disgrace to their parents. 9 If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear.

v-James 5:16 So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.

vi-1 Kings 3:9 So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?”

vii-Galatians 3:24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.

viii-1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. 17 The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.

ix-Mark 4:19 but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit.

x-Proverbs 29:13 A poor person and his oppressor have this in common—the LORD gave eyes to both of them.

xi-Proverbs 28:3 Someone in authority who oppresses poor people is like a driving rain that destroys the crops.

xii-Proverbs 28:6 Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.

xiii-Deuteronomy 7:7 “The LORD your God will bring you into the land that you are going to occupy, and he will drive many nations out of it. As you advance, he will drive out seven nations larger and more powerful than you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 2 When the LORD your God places these people in your power and you defeat them, you must put them all to death. Do not make an alliance with them or show them any mercy. 3 Do not marry any of them, and do not let your children marry any of them, 4 because then they would lead your children away from the LORD to worship other gods. If that happens, the LORD will be angry with you and destroy you at once. 5 So then, tear down their altars, break their sacred stone pillars in pieces, cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols. 6 Do this because you belong to the LORD your God. From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people.

7 “The LORD did not love you and choose you because you outnumbered other peoples; you were the smallest nation on earth. 8 But the LORD loved you and wanted to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors. That is why he saved you by his great might and set you free from slavery to the king of Egypt. 9 Remember that the LORD your God is the only God and that he is faithful. He will keep his covenant and show his constant love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands, 10 but he will not hesitate to punish those who hate him. 11 Now then, obey what you have been taught; obey all the laws that I have given you today.

The Blessings of Obedience

12 “If you listen to these commands and obey them faithfully, then the LORD your God will continue to keep his covenant with you and will show you his constant love, as he promised your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you, so that you will increase in number and have many children; he will bless your fields, so that you will have grain, wine, and olive oil; and he will bless you by giving you many cattle and sheep. He will give you all these blessings in the land that he promised your ancestors he would give to you. 14 No people in the world will be as richly blessed as you. None of you nor any of your livestock will be sterile. 15 The LORD will protect you from all sickness, and he will not bring on you any of the dreadful diseases that you experienced in Egypt, but he will bring them on all your enemies. 16 Destroy every nation that the LORD your God places in your power, and do not show them any mercy. Do not worship their gods, for that would be fatal.

17 “Do not tell yourselves that these peoples outnumber you and that you cannot drive them out. 18 Do not be afraid of them; remember what the LORD your God did to the king of Egypt and to all his people. 19 Remember the terrible plagues that you saw with your own eyes, the miracles and wonders, and the great power and strength by which the LORD your God set you free. In the same way that he destroyed the Egyptians, he will destroy all these people that you now fear. 20 He will even cause panic[a] among them and will destroy those who escape and go into hiding. 21 So do not be afraid of these people. The LORD your God is with you; he is a great God and one to be feared. 22 Little by little he will drive out these nations as you advance. You will not be able to destroy them all at once, for, if you did, the number of wild animals would increase and be a threat to you. 23 The LORD will put your enemies in your power and make them panic until they are destroyed. 24 He will put their kings in your power. You will kill them, and they will be forgotten. No one will be able to stop you; you will destroy everyone. 25 Burn their idols. Do not desire the silver or gold that is on them, and do not take it for yourselves. If you do, that will be fatal, because the LORD hates idolatry. 26 Do not bring any of these idols into your homes, or the same curse will be on you that is on them. You must hate and despise these idols, because they are under the LORD's curse.

Deuteronomy 28:28 “If you obey the LORD your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, he will make you greater than any other nation on earth. 2 Obey the LORD your God and all these blessings will be yours:

3 “The LORD will bless your towns and your fields.

4 “The LORD will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep.

5 “The LORD will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them.

6 “The LORD will bless everything you do.

7 “The LORD will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack from one direction, but they will run from you in all directions.

8 “The LORD your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that he is giving you.

9 “If you obey the LORD your God and do everything he commands, he will make you his own people, as he has promised. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that the LORD has chosen you to be his own people, and they will be afraid of you. 11 The LORD will give you many children, many cattle, and abundant crops in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you. 12 He will send rain in season from his rich storehouse in the sky and bless all your work, so that you will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any. 13 The LORD your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commands that I am giving you today. 14 But you must never disobey them in any way, or worship and serve other gods.

The Consequences of Disobedience

15 “But if you disobey the LORD your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws that I am giving you today, all these evil things will happen to you:

16 “The LORD will curse your towns and your fields.

17 “The LORD will curse your grain crops and the food you prepare from them.

18 “The LORD will curse you by giving you only a few children, poor crops, and few cattle and sheep.

19 “The LORD will curse everything you do.

20 “If you do evil and reject the LORD, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed. 21 He will send disease after disease on you until there is not one of you left in the land that you are about to occupy. 22 The LORD will strike you with infectious diseases, with swelling and fever; he will send drought and scorching winds to destroy your crops. These disasters will be with you until you die. 23 No rain will fall, and your ground will become as hard as iron. 24 Instead of rain, the LORD will send down duststorms and sandstorms until you are destroyed.

25 “The LORD will give your enemies victory over you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in all directions, and all the people on earth will be terrified when they see what happens to you. 26 When you die, birds and wild animals will come and eat your bodies, and there will be no one to scare them off. 27 The LORD will send boils on you, as he did on the Egyptians. He will make your bodies break out with sores. You will be covered with scabs, and you will itch, but there will be no cure. 28 The LORD will make you lose your mind; he will strike you with blindness and confusion. 29 You will grope about in broad daylight like someone blind, and you will not be able to find your way. You will not prosper in anything you do. You will be constantly oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to help you.

30 “You will be engaged to a young woman—but someone else will marry her. You will build a house—but never live in it. You will plant a vineyard—but never eat its grapes. 31 Your cattle will be butchered before your very eyes, but you will not eat any of the meat. Your donkeys will be dragged away while you look on, and they will not be given back to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and there will be no one to help you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given as slaves to foreigners while you look on. Every day you will strain your eyes, looking in vain for your children to return. 33 A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow, while you receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment. 34 Your sufferings will make you lose your mind. 35 The LORD will cover your legs with incurable, painful sores; boils will cover you from head to foot.

36 “The LORD will take you and your king away to a foreign land, where neither you nor your ancestors ever lived before; there you will serve gods made of wood and stone. 37 In the countries to which the LORD will scatter you, the people will be shocked at what has happened to you; they will make fun of you and ridicule you.

38 “You will plant plenty of seed, but reap only a small harvest, because the locusts will eat your crops. 39 You will plant vineyards and take care of them, but you will not gather their grapes or drink wine from them, because worms will eat the vines. 40 Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land, but you will not have any olive oil, because the olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, because they will be taken away as prisoners of war. 42 All your trees and crops will be devoured by insects.

43 “Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours. 44 They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers.

45 “All these disasters will come on you, and they will be with you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and keep all the laws that he gave you. 46 They will be the evidence of God's judgment on you and your descendants forever. 47 The LORD blessed you in every way, but you would not serve him with glad and joyful hearts. 48 So then, you will serve the enemies that the LORD is going to send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, and naked—in need of everything. The LORD[a] will oppress you harshly until you are destroyed. 49 The LORD will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle. 50 They will be ruthless and show no mercy to anyone, young or old. 51 They will eat your livestock and your crops, and you will starve to death. They will not leave you any grain, wine, olive oil, cattle, or sheep; and you will die. 52 They will attack every town in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and the high, fortified walls in which you trust will fall.

53 “When your enemies are besieging your towns, you will become so desperate for food that you will even eat the children that the LORD your God has given you. 54-55 Even the most refined man of noble birth will become so desperate during the siege that he will eat some of his own children because he has no other food. He will not even give any to his brother or to the wife he loves or to any of his children who are left. 56-57 Even the most refined woman of noble birth, so rich that she has never had to walk anywhere, will behave in the same way. When the enemy besieges her town, she will become so desperate for food that she will secretly eat her newborn child and the afterbirth as well. She will not share them with the husband she loves or with any of her children.

58 “If you do not obey faithfully all of God's teachings that are written in this book and if you do not honor the wonderful and awesome name of the LORD your God, 59 he will send on you and on your descendants incurable diseases and horrible epidemics that can never be stopped. 60 He will bring on you once again all the dreadful diseases you experienced in Egypt, and you will never recover. 61 He will also send all kinds of diseases and epidemics that are not mentioned in this book of God's laws and teachings, and you will be destroyed. 62 Although you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, only a few of you will survive, because you did not obey the LORD your God. 63 Just as the LORD took delight in making you prosper and in making you increase in number, so he will take delight in destroying you and in bringing ruin on you. You will be uprooted from the land that you are about to occupy.

64 “The LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve gods made of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have ever worshiped before. 65 You will find no peace anywhere, no place to call your own; the LORD will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair. 66 Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror, and you will live in constant fear of death. 67 Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening; every evening you will wish for morning. 68 The LORD will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though he[b] said that you would never have to go there again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will want to buy you.”

Leviticus 26:Blessings for Obedience

26 The LORD said, “Do not make idols or set up statues, stone pillars, or carved stones to worship. I am the LORD your God. 2 Keep the religious festivals and honor the place where I am worshiped. I am the LORD.

3 “If you live according to my laws and obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain at the right time, so that the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit. 5 Your crops will be so plentiful that you will still be harvesting grain when it is time to pick grapes, and you will still be picking grapes when it is time to plant grain. You will have all that you want to eat, and you can live in safety in your land.

6 “I will give you peace in your land, and you can sleep without being afraid of anyone. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in the land, and there will be no more war there. 7 You will be victorious over your enemies; 8 five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand. 9 I will bless you and give you many children; I will keep my part of the covenant that I made with you. 10 Your harvests will be so plentiful that they will last for a year, and even then you will have to throw away what is left of the old harvest to make room for the new. 11 I will live among you in my sacred Tent, and I will never turn away from you. 12 I will be with you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I, the LORD your God, brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves. I broke the power that held you down and I let you walk with your head held high.”

Punishment for Disobedience

14 The LORD said, “If you will not obey my commands, you will be punished. 15 If you refuse to obey my laws and commands and break the covenant I have made with you, 16 I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you—incurable diseases and fevers that will make you blind and cause your life to waste away. You will plant your crops, but it will do you no good, because your enemies will conquer you and eat what you have grown. 17 I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated, and those who hate you will rule over you; you will be so terrified that you will run when no one is chasing you.

18 “If even after all of this you still do not obey me, I will increase your punishment seven times. 19 I will break your stubborn pride; there will be no rain, and your land will be dry and as hard as iron. 20 All your hard work will do you no good, because your land will not produce crops and the trees will not bear fruit.

21 “If you still continue to resist me and refuse to obey me, I will again increase your punishment seven times. 22 I will send dangerous animals among you, and they will kill your children, destroy your livestock, and leave so few of you that your roads will be deserted.

23 “If after all of this punishment you still do not listen to me, but continue to defy me, 24 then I will turn on you and punish you seven times harder than before. 25 I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant, and if you gather in your cities for safety, I will send incurable diseases among you, and you will be forced to surrender to your enemies. 26 I will cut off your food supply, so that ten women will need only one oven to bake all the bread they have. They will ration it out, and when you have eaten it all, you will still be hungry.

27 “If after all of this you still continue to defy me and refuse to obey me, 28 then in my anger I will turn on you and again make your punishment seven times worse than before. 29 Your hunger will be so great that you will eat your own children. 30 I will destroy your places of worship on the hills, tear down your incense altars, and throw your dead bodies on your fallen idols. In utter disgust 31 I will turn your cities into ruins, destroy your places of worship, and refuse to accept your sacrifices. 32 I will destroy your land so completely that the enemies who occupy it will be shocked at the destruction. 33 I will bring war on you and scatter you in foreign lands. Your land will be deserted, and your cities left in ruins. 34-35 Then the land will enjoy the years of complete rest that you would not give it; it will lie abandoned and get its rest while you are in exile in the land of your enemies.

36 “I will make those of you who are in exile so terrified that the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will make you run. You will run as if you were being pursued in battle, and you will fall when there is no enemy near you. 37 You will stumble over one another when no one is chasing you, and you will be unable to fight against any enemy. 38 You will die in exile, swallowed up by the land of your enemies. 39 The few of you who survive in the land of your enemies will waste away because of your own sin and the sin of your ancestors.

40 “But your descendants will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, who resisted me and rebelled against me, 41 and caused me to turn against them and send them into exile in the land of their enemies. At last, when your descendants are humbled and they have paid the penalty for their sin and rebellion, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and with Isaac and with Abraham, and I will renew my promise to give my people the land. 43 First, however, the land must be rid of its people, so that it can enjoy its complete rest, and they must pay the full penalty for having rejected my laws and my commands. 44 But even then, when they are still in the land of their enemies, I will not completely abandon them or destroy them. That would put an end to my covenant with them, and I am the LORD their God. 45 I will renew the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I showed all the nations my power by bringing my people out of Egypt, in order that I, the LORD, might be their God.”

46 All these are the laws and commands that the LORD gave to Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

xiv-Proverbs 24:34 but while you are asleep, poverty will attack you like an armed robber.

xv-2 Thessalonians 2:10 and use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved.

xvi-Proverbs 29:15 Correction and discipline are good for children. If they have their own way, they will make their mothers ashamed of them. 19 You cannot correct servants just by talking to them. They may understand you, but they will pay no attention.

xvii-Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. 18 Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of all things.

xviii-Matthew 5:16 In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

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