Leviticus 26 S eries A Look at the Law Contract What’s In a Name? Read Exodus 3:1 - 10 As God brought Israel out of the bondage of Pharaoh in Egypt , He was now going ‘pro - active.’ The issue for them woul d be the setting aside of ‘self - dependence ’ and totally depending on the Name of the LORD (Jehovah). This would be the lesson that God was teaching mankind through the nation Israel after the flesh . It’s a lesson of faith , and how the natural man rejects it by holding on to self - dependence. As we can see in verse 6 , it was established with Moses that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the one sending Moses to the ‘children’ of those three fathers. In Exodus 3:13 take note that Moses planned on telling the children of Israel who it was that had sent him unto them. Ex. 3:13b “... when (Moses was planning on it) I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, _ ___ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ ____ _ __ _______ _____ _ hath sent me unto you;” So, did Moses presume the children of Israel would know who it was that had sent him to them? _ ____ _ Do you think Moses was correct in thinking they would know who it was that sent him? __ ___ _ The children of Israel knew who their ‘fathers’ were. T hey were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They also knew that their ‘fathers’ had a God. They understood who the God of their fathers was. He was the God which their fathers had worshiped. But according to the last part of Exodus 3:13, what didn’t they know? __________________________ __________________ We can also see from verse 15 that God knew the children of Israel would know Him by, “...The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...” But we can also see from verses 13 and 15 that they would know nothing of His name So, what’s in a name? Usually we don’t think about the ‘ meaning ’ of names , but that’s not the case in the B ible. In the Bible names aren’t just something you use to get a certain person ’ s attention. A name is about who or what you are identified with Your name can be about the things you do or don’t do. A name could be about your ‘ability’ or even your ‘purpose ’ in life. This was the heart of Moses’ question in verse 13; “... What is His Name ? ” 1 Moses asked, “... What shall I say unto them?” God’s name (Jehovah) was all about who He is , and all about what Israel was not The name of the LORD goes back to the issue of total dependence o n Him and Him alone. This is the issue of true faith. When it came to things Israel could not do , they were to call on God’s ability (call on His Name) to do it for them. This is what ‘calling on the name of the LORD’ was all about. After the LORD closed up the sea on Pharaoh and his men, the children of Israel understood what was ‘in a name ’ , especially the “ name of the LORD .” Exodus 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD , and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD , for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my fathe r's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Notice the tota l dependence issue (faith issue) in these following passages concerning calling on the name LORD : 1Kings 18:18 - 39 , 1Samuel 17:45, Acts 3:1 - 16 , Ps. 116:13, Acts 2:21 This is what the compound names of Jehovah were all about for Israel All they needed to do was fill in what they needed behind His Holy Name. Jehovah - jireh (provider), Jehovah - rawfaw (healer), Jehovah - nissi (conquering hero), and the list goes on. This is the faith issue. While there were prophets in Israel over the years that did ‘ call on the name of the LORD, ’ the children of Israel for the most part did not c all on the name of the LORD. In fact, they would do the opposite. T hey would profane the name. T hey would depend on themselves. This was indeed the issue when the children of Israel came to M t. Sinai. The issue of ‘pride’ or ‘self - dependence’ would be the opposite of ‘c alling on the name of the LORD.’ In Exodus 15:1 - 21 , do you think Israel was giving the LORD (Jehovah) the credit? ____. Do you think the ‘self - dependence’ issue had been resolved? __ __. We know that it had not because, 3 days later they were not ‘calling on the name of the LORD .’ Read Exodus 15: 22 - 24. What should the people have done rather than ‘murmur’? They should have “called _ ___ _ ____ ______ _ ___ ____ _______ .” We should come to realize that there is a ‘ pattern ’ in our fleshly thinking inherited from Adam and realize that in our natural state it is impossible for us to change it. The pattern of the flesh is always the same and will never change. In Romans 7:21 Paul calls this pattern “a __ _____ ” 2 We could say that this pattern of the flesh is “a fixed principle ” This pride - self nature that mankind possesses is what Lucifer in vented and Satan instilled in mankind by way of Adam in the Garden of Eden. God proved to the children of Israel that they could not ‘perform’ His righteous standard. In Romans 7:18 Paul said: Rom. 7:18 “For I know that in me (_____ __ __ __ __ __ __ ______) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to _________ that which is good I find not .” If we take time to ponder how magnificent it must have been to witness God’s power put on display by parting the Red Sea , and all the other miraculous wonders that the children of Israel saw, this should give us pause to consider just how strong the flesh nature is! God proved to the children of Israel no less than 5 times before they got to Mt. Sinai that this pride issue mankind is plagued with, would not just go away. Yet, when the children of Israel came to Mt. Sinai they were still relying on their own performance. God offered them a ‘contract’ to show them their pride. Pride will always include some type of personal performance God proposed to Israel a ‘contract’ that would leave room for them to do the exact opposite of ‘calling on His Name.’ In fact, t his ‘contract’ would require the ‘ performance of the flesh’ to ‘ walk ’ after the righteousness of God . If they got ‘ off track ’ in that walk, new forgiveness would then be required Now which choice do you think the pride flesh nature will make, calling on your own ability to perform or, calling on the Name of the LORD to perform for you ? Which choice did Israel almost always make? The pride sin nature may indeed ‘ask God’ to ‘help’ with ‘its own’ performance, but only after it has realized its own failure . This is all wrong. The pride nature must never be involved in the first place , if the righteousness of God is to be realized. God did not give the Law so that humans could be ‘good , ’ but rather to ‘prove’ that as Paul said in Romans 7:18 , there is no good thing dwelling in our flesh This then should cause us to question whether ‘obedience’ to God could ever bring about ‘ union ’ or ‘ fellowship’ with Him. The lesson we should learn from Israel and the covenant of law, is that God is never going to require anything of us . This is because He knows we cannot make it Israel’s response to God’s contract was that they thought they had the ability to perform God’s Law and walk after His ways Their response is recorded in Exodus 19:8 3 Their response was, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.” Their “confidence in the flesh” can be seen in Deuteronomy 6: 25. Look up Philippians C hapter 3 What does Paul say about “ confidence in the flesh ” to perform righteousness? Ph p 3:3 “ For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, (Jehovah) and h ave no _____________ _ __ ____ ______.” Php 3:4 “ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh . If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he mig ht trust in the flesh, I more: ” Paul is saying that if the c hildren of Israel or, anyone else , thought they had the capacity to perform righteousness through the law contract, he had even more of a reas on to think so! He now says why. Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Php 3:7 “ But what things were gain to me, ( from a fleshly view point ) those I counted loss ( a detriment keeping him from Christ ) for Christ. Php 3:8 “ Yea doubtless, and I count all things (all these fleshly performance things a detrimental sidetrack that kept me from) but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered ( this detrimental sidetrack ) the loss of all things , and do count them but dung , that I may win Christ, ” Php 3:9 “ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness , which is of the law , but that which is through the faith of Christ, (Christ’s faith) the righteousness which is of God by faith: ” The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah in human form He is the fulfilment of the compound names of Jehovah. Notice in this passage that Paul was no longer depending on his own pe rformance for righteousness, but Christ’s faithful performance , even for living the Christian life. Paul didn’t put the focus on his own faith , but Christ’s faith at the cross. Look up Jeremiah 23:6. Did Jeremiah tell Israel where the true source of righteousness would come from? ____. How did he say it would come? ___________ _____ ________________ Is th is a ‘compound name’ of Jehovah? ______. Look up Isaiah 54:17 Where does Isaiah tell Israel righteousness would come from? __________ __________ Jeremiah and Isaiah were only two of Israel’s prophets. The ‘scriptures’ (the writings of Israel’s prophets) were continually exhorting Israel to “ call on the name of the LORD ” (Jehovah). In John 5:39 - 47 , who is revealed as being Jehovah and the fulfiller of all the compound names of Jehovah? ______________ ____________ _______________ 4 Israel’s response to the C ovenant of L aw came f ro m an attitude which assumed that they had the ability to perform God’s Law. This was a sinful attitude. Their response is recorded in Exodus 19:8 , “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.” Their ‘confidence in the flesh’ can be seen in Deuteronomy 6:25. Read Luke 18:9 and tell me if you think the ‘pride nature’ (that produces the idea that man can be obedient to God and do “all that” God would require) is still at work many years after Mt. Sinai. _____. But if the pride issue would not go away, then what does that tell you about how well the children of Israel would succeed in keeping the ‘contract’ that God made with them at Mt. Sinai? _______________________________________ _______________________________. Even early on in Israel’s history after Joshua had taken them across the river Jordan into the Promised Land he saw the ‘seeds of rebellion’ in the children of Israel. Read all of Joshua Chapter 23 Here we can see the ‘seeds of rebellion’ in the children of Israel toward Jehovah. Notice verse 3. Jos hua 23:3 And ye have _______ all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought _____ you. Joshua has just pointed out what’s in God’s Name. Now notice verses 6 - 8; Jos hua 23:6 “ Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to _____ all that is written in the book of the law of Moses , that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; ” Joshua 23:7 “That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods , nor cause to swear by them , neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them : ” Jos hua 23:8 “ But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. ” Joshua knows he has only a little time left o n this earth. He also knows that the children of Israel will be inclined to move back into ‘self - reliance.’ Joshua sees that the children of Israel will not ‘cleave unto the LORD.’ He knows that they already have the ‘natural’ propensity to serve and call on the name of pagan gods that were in the world around them. Notice Joshua tell s them about their natural desire to abandon Jehovah. Jos hua 23:14 “ And , behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: And ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD you God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” 5 Jos hua 23:15 “ Therefore ___ _______ ______ ___ ______ , that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things , until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. ” Jos hua 23:16 “ ______ ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. ” Joshua is referring back to the LAW CONTRACT that God made with the children of Israel a t Mt. Sinai. As we will see later in these lessons , God promised them ‘good things’ if they stayed true to Him in this ‘marriage espousal period.’ But God also promised ‘bad things’ if they did not! We will look at this part of the contract of the law in a moment, but first, let’s continue reading, as Joshua tells them about their natural desire to abandon Jehovah. Jos hua 24:14 “ Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. ” Jos hua 24:15 “ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ” Jos hua 24:16 “ And the people answered and said, God forbid that we s hould forsake the LORD, to serve other gods ; ” Notice the ir reasoning behind their perceived ‘faith ful ness;’ Jos hua 24:17 “ For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight , and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: ” Jos hua 24:18 “ And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. ” They had an ‘ experience’ which we could call a ‘walk by sight’ experience. It’s jus t as God had explained to Moses the reason behind ‘signs and wonders.’ “ That they may believe ...” (Exodus 4:5) However, God is proving that walking by ‘ sight ’ will never produce true faith. Throughout God’s dealings with His ‘ chosen ’ nation Israel, God would prove that the flesh would not ultimately ‘believe ’ through ‘fleshly experiences.’ 6 Yet still today many rely on their ‘experiences’ to determine their relationship with the Lord, rather than His Word This is important to take note of , as we should realize that the only wa y for man to walk is by faith Yet, as Joshua knows the seed of rebellion exists in the Children of Israel, he continues with his prediction. Jos hua 24:19 “ And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ” Jos hua 24:20 “ If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. ” Josuah is telling them about the ‘ If ... Then ’ clause of the Law Contract made at Mt. Sinai , which we will examine later in this study. If Joshua thought the children of Israel would never depart from the Law Contract , then he would not have given the warning. Notice that the people were just as confident in themselves as their fathers were at Mt. Sinai. Jos hua 24:21 “ And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD ” J os hua 24:22 “ And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against your selves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. ” Jos hua 24:23 “ Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. ” Jos hua 24:24 “ And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey ” Jos hua 24:25 “ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. ” Jos hua 24:26 “ And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. ” Jos hua 24:27 “ And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. ” Jos hua 24:28 “ So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. ” Jos hua 24:29 “ And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. ” Jos hua 24:30 “ And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath - serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. ” Jos hua 24:31 “ And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. ” 7 But, let’s consider the next generation of the children of Israel , who had not ‘seen’ the works of the LORD. Do you suppose Joshua was correct in his prediction? Let’s pick up the story in Judges Chapter 2 J u dg es 2:7 “ And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had ________ all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel ” Judges 2:8 “ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. ” Judges 2:9 “ And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath - heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. ” J udges 2:10 “ And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD , nor yet the works which he had done for Israel ” Judges 2:11 “ And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: ” Judges 2:12 “ And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. ” Judges 2:13 “ And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. ” When the Children of Israel stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai and said; “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8), t hey were depending on their flesh to stay obedient to the contract that God had given them. They should have said what Hosea the prophet proclaims they will someday say; Hosea 14:2 “...receive us ____________.” They were so confident in the flesh that they said it would be their “________________ ” (see Deut. 6:25) Read Deuteronomy 30:15 - 19 Moses says in verse 19, Deut. 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to rec ord this day _________ _____ _ ____ _____ ” After much time had passed in Israel’s history, Hosea r ecords that the words of Moses in Deut. 30:19 were true. Hosea 13:9 “O Israel, thou has t ________________ ___ _ ____________ ___________ ” 8 In Deuteronomy at the end of Moses ’ life, He re - states the Law Contract to the Children of Israel. In Deuteronomy 5:27 , Moses recounts what the Children of Israel said at Mt. Sinai. Deu t. 5:27 “ Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will ________ it, and _____ it. ” Deu t. 5:28 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. Deu t. 5:29 “ O that there were such an heart in them , that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! ” Of co urse, we know that there isn’t “such an heart” in any man that has ever been born! But so does God. Because of what we have seen in God’s Word so far, do you think God thought they would succeed or fail in the keeping of the Law contract ? ________ _________________ What we should see by now is that the Law Contract made at Mt. Sinai was a contract with God that relied totally on the ‘performance of the flesh.’ Yet calling on His Name would be the only antidote to the discipline of the flesh for righteousness. The Law Contract was a contract of ‘death’ , not life. It was a system of death , so much so that they put the tables of stone into a ‘coffin ’ As we’ve seen in previous studi es , the English word ‘ark , ’ as in ‘ark of the covenant,’ is the Hebrew word ‘coffin.’ It is not the same word as ‘Noah’s Ark’ or, the ‘ark’ Moses was put into as a baby. Appropriately so, God used once again the symbolism of a ‘coffin’ to express what the Law really was, a system of death Paul tells us in Romans 7:5; “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the ______, did work in our members to bring forth ________ unto ________. ” He also tells us in Romans 5:20 “More over the law entered that the ____________ might _________ ____.” This would be the ‘sup er - abounding system of death ’ (Separation from God’s thinking) Paul also says in II Corinthians that the Law (written in ink) “k illeth ” He called the Law a “ ministration of de ath.” For more information you can review the WHY Class lessons With the certainty that Israel “ after the flesh ” would fail in their obedience to do “all that the LORD hath said,” God would declare their future in the Law covenant itself . He would proclaim in the Law Contract itself their do o med future 9 Moses would proclaim to the people a future of ‘curses.’ The prophets ( through the outline of Leviticus chapter 26 ) would follow Israel’ s prescribed future . For the most part, t he people would ignore it. Leviticus chapter 26 would act as a ‘ prediction calendar’ of sorts , for the nation Israel. This special chapter of Leviticus chapter 26, could have acted as a ‘timeline’ , to show God’s progression toward His ultimate end goal with the nation Israel. The Children of Israel could have looked at their surrounding circumstances and matched those visible circumstances to Leviticus Chapter 26. We will see that this is exactly what the prophets pointed out and called on the nation to observe ! In so doing, all Israel ites could have known where they were on God’s calendar of His dealings with them as a nation. In fact, later in our studies we will find that Daniel tried ! We can now note in various places in our Bible , how God was dealing with Israel ‘ after the flesh ’ , according to Leviticus chapter 26. We can distinguish what parts of our Bible are directed toward the ‘individual sections ’ of cursing , according to Leviticus chapter 26. We can now see which portions of our Bible correspond directly to the Law contract and t he sections found in Leviticus C hapter 26. In Leviticus C hapter 26 we find the outline to the rest of the Bible We will see why God has laid out His Word in this fashion as our study progresses. To those who have never seen the significance of Leviticus C hapter 26, Bible understanding should come to a new height. The only thing Israel after the flesh could ever earn would be ... cursing. What a lesson for the flesh! T his brings us to what I would call the 4 th and 5 th part of the Law contract made at Mt. Sinai. A Look at the Law Contract The First, Second, and Third sections Commandments, Judgments, Ordinances When God gave the Law contract to Israel, there were sections to the contract just like any other contract. Yet, without the proper foundation laid we cannot understand their relevance. These sections are vitally important to our understanding and have been explained in the WHY class lessons. Here we will only consider them in summary. The first section was the ‘ 10 commandments ’ We can find these in Exodus 20:1 - 26. These would be the summary of the righteous will of God 10 The second section to the contract were the ‘ Judgments ’ governing the social life of Israel conducive to the 10 commandments We can find these in Exodus C hapters 21 to chapter 24:11. The commandments and the Judgments were the basis of the covenant of Law. The se two sections could never do anything else but condemn mankind as to the righteousness of God. The covenant of law was made with the children of Israel , based upon these two sections only. But God would not leave them in this state of condemnation. After the covenant of law was made, God provided His Ordinances. In the third section of the Law contract, we find the ‘ Ordinances .’ These ‘rituals’ would picture God’s solution for Israel’s (mankind’s) condemnation. These would govern the ‘religious worship’ of Israel containing ‘shadow pictures’ using the ‘rudiments’ of this world. These ‘shadow pictures’ would portray Christ as the one who would become human to fulfill the compound names of Jehovah and take away man’s condemnation before a righteous God W e can find these in Exodus 24:12 through 31:18. A Look at the Law Contract The 4 th and 5 th sections The Blessing and the Cursing Here is where we fi nd the biggest little word “if.” From what we should know by now, “ if ” Israel obeys isn’t really in question. God knows that the flesh nature can never perform in obedience to Him. But, none - the - less, God’s contract with the nation Israel is a valid contract. “IF” they perform in obedience, then good things will come their way. “IF” not, then the wrath of God will come upon them , as they stand in their perceived ‘se l f - righteousness .’ In this section of the Law contract, God lays out just what it will mean to have a contract with Him based on ‘self - per formance.’ Much like a mortgage contract on your house, if you perform each month and make your payments, your reward will be great in the end. You will obtain the deed to your house. This is how the ‘blessing’ section of the Law worked. We can read about this ‘blessing’ section in Leviticus 26:1 - 13. Unlike the covenant of law, t oday, our ‘blessing package’ is all up front and all inclusive We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) This is God’s grace! But that is very u nlike God’s dealings with Israel under law! W e have already received all our blessings up front. 11 Today we are not under Law (the Law contract) but under God’s grace. Today we are not in and out of ‘fellowship’ with God , like Israel under the law Neither are we today ‘given’ physical blessings based on our performance. Nor are we today supposed to depend on our performance , but by ‘faith’ , we are to depend upon Christ’s performance in us This study however is not designed to cover our ‘blessings’ today, but rather designed to cover Israel’s history of the performance of the flesh . This is what the ‘cursing’ section of the Law was all about. This is what the legalist today should expect to receive from God in the end. Indeed, it can be noted in Matthew 7:22 - 23, and Matthew 25:41 - 46. Let’s now continue with the ‘cursing’ section of the Law. Much like a ‘contract for Deed’ on property, the Law of Moses contained a ‘consequences section.’ If we fail to make the payments on our house, the one who owns the house will impose a ‘consequence’ on us according to the contract In the mortgage contract for your house there is a ‘consequence’ section. This section is usually called the “Default and Forfeiture” section. Within this ‘Default and Forfeiture’ section, there are subsections. In other words, there are a series of steps that are taken if a person is found to be ‘in default’ of the contract. These may be as follows : 1. General Notice of Default for Contract for Deed 2. Notice of Default - Past Due Payments Under Contract for Deed 3. Notice of Default for Breach of Contract Terms Other than Non - Payment 4. Notice of Intent to Enforce Forfeiture Provisions Under Contract for Deed 5. Final Notice of Forfeiture and Demand Buyer Vacate Premises Under Contract for Deed This example is very similar to the 5 th part of the Law covenant. The 5 th part of the law of Moses would be called the consequence section . In this section we find the ‘ curses ’ in Leviticus 26:14 - 46. Even though they didn’t understand this would be their future , here in Leviticus 26:14 - 46, (in the Law Contract), we find Israel’s history explained to them in advance. In a sense, God’s dealings with the nation Israel under law, was His proof that the ‘reformation’ of the flesh would never work God’s dealing with Israel after the flesh, proves that the only thing that God can do with the flesh is to ‘take away free will’ or ‘kill it’ and ‘start over’ with a ‘new creation in Christ Jesus’ . Notice verse 23, Lev 26:23 And if ye will not be ___________ by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 12 With what you know about the flesh, would Israel be ‘reformed’? _____. Reform: 1a. To amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses. 1b. to put or change into an improved form or condition. 2. to put an end to (an evil) by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action. 3. To induce or cause to abandon evil ways <~a drunkard> The Five Courses “WRATH” As we can see, there are 5 sections in Leviticus 26:14 - 46. We will refer to each section as ‘courses’ of punishment or, ‘layers’ of punishment. We can think of each section as a ‘layer’ built upon the previous ‘layer’. The previous curses don’t go away so that the next one can take place. No, they stay in place and ‘intensify’ as a new ‘layer’ of curses are added to them. Each level of punishment must run its entire course before the next one is added. Each course of punishment is God’s WRATH intensifying toward Israel ‘after the flesh’. Commonly we hear about God’s wrath toward Israel being expressed at the end of the 7 years of the tribulation. This is true but, what we will learn is that God’s wrath toward Israel has been ‘building and intensifying’ ever since Mt. Sinai. We could say that it has been building and intensifying because of their answer at Mt. Sinai. His wrath is actually and ultimately, directed toward the sin flesh nature of mankind. We can see this intensifying language in Leviticus 26:18, as the second course of punishment is ‘multiplied’ upon the first. Lev. 26:18 “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you __________________ _________________ more for your sins.” And as the Third course gets itself underway, it is ‘multiplied’ upon the first and second. Lev. 26:21 “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring _______________ _________________ more plagues upon you according to your sins.” Again, as the Fourth course gets itself underway, we see the ‘multiplier’ upon the first, second, and third courses. 13 Lev. 26:23 “And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Lev. 26:24 “Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet ________________________ _______________________ for your sins.” And lastly, we see the ‘intensification’ multiplied into the time of God’s GREAT WRATH . Each course of punishment has been multiplied upon five times. Lev. 26:27 “And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;” Lev. 26:28 “Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you ____________________ ___________________ for your sins.” Here is the math. (7x7= 49 7x49= 343 7 x343= 2401 7 x2401= 16,807 ) This should give us an idea of the compounding effect of each layer of punishment and the intensification factor of “Seven times.” We can then gain a greater appreciation regarding the fifth and final course of God’s wrath, as being “GREAT WRATH”. This time is also known as the last 3 ½ years , of the 7 years of tribulation, where there will be “GREAT TRIBULATION.” When this great and final course of punishment is poured out on Israel and complete, the earthly millennial Kingdom will be set up. The Five Courses “REPENT” It is important to keep in our memory that each level of cursing is an expression of God’s displeasure with Israel’s ‘fleshly performance’, and thus His wrath is displayed. Each level is designed to ‘punish’ or ‘chastise’ Israel so that she will ‘repent’ (change of mind) of the words spoken at Mt. Sinai. What were those words? ____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ (See Exodus 19:8) These courses of punishment were designed to get them to say what Hosea 14:2 says they should say, “...Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously .” “... Take away all iniquity , (Take away the fleshly performance system that produces and ‘punishes’ ‘iniquity’ H5771 aw - vone’) and receive us...” (Not based on our fleshly performance but,) “_____________________”. 14 From Exodus through the gospel of John, God deals with Israel under the law covenant , which is very unlike how He deals with us today under grace . In essence God’s dealings with the nation Israel under this ‘Cursing section’ of the Law contract, is just as a father that punishes ‘small children’ not ‘adult children’ Punishment was never designed by God to simply take out frustrations, but to ‘train up’ a child to ‘think differently’. Punishment was designed by God to bring about ‘repentance’. It was a system of cause and effect. God is not dealing with us today under law. (See Rom. 6:14) Notice God’s Words, concerning His desire for Israel to have a ‘change of mind’, as the first course of punishment ends , and the Second course of punishment gets itself under way. Lev.26:14 “But if ye will not hearken unto me , and will not do all these commandments;” Lev 26:15 “And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:” What was it they were to ‘hearken’ to? It would be the same issue that was present at Mt. Sinai. They were to “ call on His NAME ” rather than depend on themselves. The lesson that God is trying to teach, is the same lesson He was trying to teach ever since He brought Israel out of Egypt. It’s the same lesson we see in Exodus chapter 16. It’s a matter of God “ proving ” that the flesh nature will not “ walk in my law ....” God gave the covenant of law to humble Israel and bring them back to the covenant of promise , which had been given to Abraham 430 years before the law. But the covenant of promise could be received only by faith without works . That covenant of promise was God’s grace alone. Works can have no part of the covenant of promise , because works keep ‘faith’ away. We should realize that, the covenant of law never replaced the covenant of promise. (See Galatians chapters 3 and 4 if you need.) The punishment associated with the covenant of law, was designed to make Israel (and all mankind) repent of the idea that we could produce God’s righteousness, even for one millisecond of time! Mankind needs the grace found in the covenant of promise, where God’s fingerprints alone are found. But faith will never come, when the legalism so desired by the flesh is present. The law was designed to ‘break’ the will of the flesh, so that faith might come. Israel would not learn the lesson before they got to Mt. Sinai, nor will they learn the lesson after Mt. Sinai. 15 Throughout their recorded history from Exodus through the gospel of John , they will not learn the lesson. Only a ‘remnant’ will learn the lesson. So, to break the ‘will of the flesh’ so that faith might come, God gave them an “ If ye” contract. Notice it... Ex. 19:5 “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” Notice the 5 distinct courses of punishment, and the “if ye” wording of each of them! But, more importantly, notice God’s call to repentance at the end of each course of punishment. Lev. 26:18 “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me , then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” Lev. 26:21 “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me ; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.” Lev. 26:23 “And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;” Lev. 26:27 “And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me , but walk contrary unto me;” Lev. 26:28 “Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury ; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.” All God is asking mankind to do is ‘listen to Him’! He wants to tell us that He must do it all for us. Notice these words; “ Punish ” in verse 18! “ Reformed ” in verse 23! “ Chastise ” in verse 28! These are all the same Hebrew word, H3256 yaw - sar.' Here is Strong’s definition. A primitive root; to chastise, literally (with blows) or figuratively (with words); hence to instruct: - bind, chasten, chastise, correct, instruct, punish, reform, reprove, sore, teach. It is vitally important to keep in our memory that these five courses of punishment were designed by God to bring about ‘repentance’. This is what John’s baptism of repentance was all about. But let’s consider ourselves today in this age of grace. Not only were these five courses of punishment designed by God to bring about a ‘change of mind’ in Israel, but also as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for ________ learning...” Are we to ‘repent’ about our ability in the flesh to please God? ________. Could you please God according to His standard of good? __ 16 If you think you can please God through ‘self - discipline’, ‘motivation’, ‘purposing it in your heart’, ‘dedicating your life to Him’, ‘walking like Jesus would walk’, ‘turning from sin’, or any other action you might try to do, I would ask you to allow God’s Word to ‘change your mind’ today! He knows you can’t do it ‘for’ salvation, and He knows you can’t do it ‘after’ salvation! He only want’s His Son to do it for us. A SUMMARY OF THE ISSUES IN EACH COURSE OF CURSING As we consider that each course of cursing was sure to ‘come to pass’, we can look at Leviticus 26:14 - 46, as genetic Israel’s history laid out before them in advance . The issues in each course didn’t come about by chance, but by design of God. These issues in each course were designed to be ‘markers’ or ‘signs.’ These ‘sign markers’ were so that Israel could ‘see how they were doing’, in their performance for righteousness. They could look at the circumstances in their lives and know where they were on the timeline of their performance contract history. Let’s note the ‘issues’ in each course. Course #1 is found in Leviticus 26:14 - 17. Issues in Course #1 Leviticus 26:14 - 17 In verse 16 we can see the two issues of course #1. Lev 26:16 I a