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“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”
Leviticus 26:3-4 NIV
The Lord is directing my attention towards the Old Testament this week, as my last devotional studied verses from Genesis and today we’re looking at Leviticus. For those of you who are new to Bible study, Leviticus is the third book of the Bible, and is part of both the Jewish Torah and our Christian Bible.
The name Leviticus comes from the Latin Leviticus, derived from the Ancient Greek Λευιτικόν (Leuitikon), the name of the book in the Septuagint — the first Greek translation of the Hebrew bible. The name refers to the Levites, who were the priestly tribe of the Israelites, and the book is a compilation of the complex set of laws they follow and rituals they performed.
Notice that this verse, the words of the Lord, begins with a condition: “IF you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands”. The word IF is used 9 times in Leviticus chapter 26, so God is really trying to drive home the point that His blessing is conditional on following His commandments as handed down to Moses.
It’s helpful to look at the previous two verses of this chapter (Leviticus 26:1-2) to see what it is that the Lord is trying to get His people to obey:
“ ‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. “ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.”
It’s all about idolatry. The people had shown their unfaithfulness to Yahweh several times. For example, in Exodus 32:1-10, Moses has to intervene on behalf of the people he has led out of bondage in Egypt after they ask Aaron to make a golden calf that they can worship, make sacrifices to, and engage in revelry around. God wants to destroy them, but stays His hand at the request of Moses.
God’s people have been told in no uncertain terms that they are not to engage in idolatry. When He handed down the Ten Commandments, His first words were:
““You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
and He reminded the people again in Leviticus 19:4 —
““ ‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.”
God is simply asking His people to be faithful as their portion of the covenant. What would He do in return? “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.” For a people who were all too dependent on God’s provision in the form of rain to provide a bounty rather than a famine, this should not have been too hard a bargain to accept!
Bible Hub describes Leviticus 26:3 in this way:
The Lord addressed Israel as the people He had redeemed from Egypt and brought into covenant at Sinai. His statutes governed worship, justice, family life, purity, rest, and care for others, setting Israel apart as His holy nation among the surrounding peoples (Exodus 19:5–6). Obedience did not purchase their redemption; it was the proper response of a people already delivered by God’s grace.
and…
Faithfulness required deliberate and persevering obedience rather than selective outward compliance. Israel was to remember God’s commands and order every part of life under His authority. The covenant blessings described here parallel Deuteronomy 28:1–14, showing that life in the land depended upon remaining loyal to the Lord. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s law and bore the curse of disobedience for His people. Love for Him is still shown through willing obedience to His commands (John 14:15).
To this day, we can still receive God’s abundant blessings when we follow His commands willingly, showing our eternal love for Him.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for Your promises of blessing and abundance. I am grateful for the assurance that if I follow Your decrees, You will provide for my needs. Help me to remain steadfast in my obedience to Your commands and grant me the strength to walk in Your ways and to uphold Your statutes. May I always remember Your goodness and strive to live according to Your Word. AMEN
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
BibleHub was accessed on September 20, 2026 for commentary on Leviticus 26:3-4
Thanks alot may GOD bless you too through Jesus Christ we have prayed and Amen.