Our final sermon in this 3-month Leviticus series ends with a call to obedience from God. We learn.

1. The Premise.

The basis of obedience is a relationship with God, who delivered Israel from the Egyptian bondage.

2. The Persuasion.

God offers rich blessings of prosperity, peace & His presence to His people if they should obey, with a language that resembles the Genesis account of life in Eden.

3. The Punishment.

Disobedience will result in the reverse of all the blessings attached to obedience. And God will escalate them if Israel persists in stubborn rebellion. The threats turn out to be real, as the passage reads more like a prophecy when one knows the history of the nation.

4. The Problem.

The root cause of their rebellion is the “pride of their power”. They will forget God in the midst of their prosperity.

5. The Promise.

God in His infinite mercy will still bless Israel, not according to the Mosaic or Old Covenant of self-righteousness that was established at Mount Sinai, but according to the Abrahamic Covenant of blessing through the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, the offspring through whom all nations will be blessed. Israel (and us all) can be saved if we confess our sins and humble our hearts, and ask God to circumcise our sinful hearts.

Leviticus is a book about drawing near to God. And the key is Jesus. It is a book jam-packed with Christology- from the offerings, to the priesthood, to the cleansing, to the Day of Atonement, to the Feasts, to the Jubilee, and to the Abrahamic Covenant. May you draw near to God through Jesus Christ!