Leviticus 26:36-46: a reflection

36“‘As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword. They will fall when no one pursues. 37They will stumble over one another, as it were before the sword, when no one pursues. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38You will perish among the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up. 39Those of you who are left will pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers they shall pine away with them. 40“‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that because they walked contrary to me, 41I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, 42then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land. 43The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes. 44Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’” 46These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by Moses.

After a long warning of the judgment that would come upon his people for persistent disobedience, God adds a promise that reveals the constancy of his commitment. Even when they are in the land of their enemies, in the depths of their punishment, he says, Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. Even in the depths of their discipline, God would not utterly abandon them; he would not break his covenant or cast them off entirely. His discipline was real, but it was not abandonment; even in judgment, he remained their God.

Notice the constancy of God's commitment even in judgment: he would not utterly reject or abandon his people. The judgment was severe, the people brought low in the land of their enemies; yet even there, God would not cast them off entirely, would not break his covenant, would not utterly destroy them. His discipline did not mean abandonment; even in the depths of their punishment, he remained the LORD their God, holding to his covenant. God did not stop being their God because they had sinned and were being disciplined; his commitment held even in judgment. The discipline was real, but so was his refusal to utterly abandon them; even in the depths, he did not let them go entirely.

That is worth taking to heart, for God does not utterly abandon his people even in the depths of their discipline. When we sin and face the consequences, brought low, feeling the weight of God's discipline, we can fear that he has utterly cast us off, abandoned us entirely; but God promised that even in the land of their enemies he would not utterly reject his people or break his covenant. His discipline is not abandonment; he remains our God even in the depths. When you are brought low under God's discipline and fear he has utterly abandoned you, remember that he does not cast off his people entirely, even in the depths; he remains your God. Trust that God does not utterly abandon his people even in the depths of their discipline, remaining their God and holding to his covenant, as he promised not to reject or abhor them even in the land of their enemies; for God's discipline is not abandonment, and even in the depths of our punishment he remains the LORD our God, who will not cast us off entirely.

Lord, after a long warning of the judgment that would come upon your people for persistent disobedience, you add a promise that reveals the constancy of your commitment. Even when they are in the land of their enemies, in the depths of their punishment, you say, yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. Even in the depths of their discipline, you would not utterly abandon them. Show me the constancy of your commitment even in judgment: you would not utterly reject or abandon your people. The judgment was severe, the people brought low; yet even there, you would not cast them off entirely, would not break your covenant. Your discipline did not mean abandonment; even in the depths of their punishment, you remained the LORD their God. You did not stop being their God because they had sinned; your commitment held even in judgment. Take that to my heart, for you do not utterly abandon your people even in the depths of their discipline. When I sin and face the consequences, brought low, feeling the weight of your discipline, I can fear that you have utterly cast me off; but you promised that even in the land of their enemies you would not utterly reject your people. Your discipline is not abandonment; you remain my God even in the depths. When I am brought low under your discipline and fear you have utterly abandoned me, help me remember that you do not cast off your people entirely, Lord; you remain my God. Help me trust that you do not utterly abandon your people even in the depths of their discipline.