Copyright
© 1999 by William D. Barrick. Cited with permission.
Inter-covenantal Truth and Relevance:
Leviticus 26 and the Biblical Covenants
William D. Barrick, Th.D.
Professor
of OT
The Master's Seminary
Leviticus 26 consists of parenetic
revelation given at Sinai on the threshold of
of the apparent tension that the promulgation of
the Mosaic Covenant had created with
the Abrahamic Covenant.
After three disturbing apostasies at Sinai, Leviticus 26 explains
the relationship between the two covenants and
reemphasizes the exclusive lordship of
Yahweh. Although Leviticus 26 antedates Paul's
teaching in Galatians 3:17 by fifteen
centuries, the same truth is proclaimed: "the
Law, which came four hundred and thirty
years later, does not invalidate a covenant
previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the
promise."1
The respective emphases of both covenants were advanced
by the blessings and
curses of Leviticus 26. While the blessings were
relevant to the Abrahamic Covenant's
promises regarding land and blessing, the cursings represented a five-stage process of
Mosaic
Covenant vengeance.2 The purpose of the cursings was to produce confession of
guilt, humility, and restitution--elements that may
be seen as anticipating either the
Deuteronomic (or Palestinian)
Covenant or the New Covenant.3 Restitution involved the
sabbatical principle, a significant element of the
Mosaic Covenant. The sabbatical
principle is central to Leviticus 26. Yahweh is
Lord of both space (the land) and time (the
sabbaths). The Land-Giver and
Exodus-Causer will always be loyal to His covenants and
to His covenanted people. In addition to its
direct links to the Abrahamic and Mosaic
covenants, Leviticus 26 also has bearing upon the
existence of a covenant that
entered in
Deuteronomy
27-28.
This paper will discuss the inter-covenantal
aspects of Leviticus 26 as it relates to
the following subject areas: (1) covenant, (2) law,
(3) Yahweh, (4) promise, (5)
repentance, and, (6) revelation. The parenesis in Leviticus 26 has something to contribute
to each of these areas of OT theology.
1 NASB. All translations in this study are the
author's own unless otherwise indicated, as here.
2 The five stages are: (1) debilitation
and defeat (Lev 26:16-17), (2) drought (vv. 18-20), (3) devastation by
wild beasts (vv. 21-22), (4) deprivation by
siege (vv. 23-26), and (5) deportation (vv. 27-38).
3 There are a number of similarities
between the Deuteronomic Covenant and the New
Covenant. See
Dennis T.
Olson, Deuteronomy and the Death of
Moses: A Theological
Theology
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994), 126-58 (esp. 153-56).
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 2
Barrick, Far
Covenant
"Covenant" (tyrb) is employed eight
times in Leviticus 26 (vv. 9, 15, 25, 42 ter,
44, 45). It always denotes a binding relationship
of Yahweh to His people
relationship provided
meaning. In all its occurrences in this pericope, "covenant" promotes the concept of the
sovereignty of Yahweh, the covenant-giver. In six of
the eight uses of the term, the first
person singular suffix ("my") is attached
(vv. 9, 15, 42 ter,
44). Yahweh Himself is
always the antecedent. The unilateral nature of the
covenants is implied by this form of
reference. Yahweh Himself established the
covenants, and He alone. Yahweh's personal
intervention in the history of
personal and absolute. The covenant lays hold of
the people of
unconditional surrender to the will
of God. Loyalty to the covenant must be more than
outward acquiescence, it must be an inward
reality. The "uncircumcised heart" (v. 41) is
the antithesis of this loyalty:
The
covenant Lord demands heart-consecration which reflects the fulfillment of the
consecration
sworn in the circumcision oath. Circumcision is an oath-rite. To be
uncircumcised
would be to place oneself outside the juridical authority of Yahweh
and a refusal to
consign oneself to the ordeal of the Lord's judgment for the final
verdict on one's
life-eternal weal or woe.4
The Abrahamic
Covenant
Yahweh's covenant with Abraham
appears to underlie the references to "covenant"
in verses 9, 42, and 44. The theme of a fruitful
population is an echo of the Abrahamic
Covenant
in Genesis 17:6, 7, 19, and 21 (cf, also, Exod 6:4 and Deut 8:18). Verse 9 may
be employed as an example of the distinctions made
within the passage concerning the
Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. The Abrahamic Covenant is characterized by the
following elements: (1) The theme of promise, (2)
emphasis on divine fulfillment, and (3)
references to land, prosperity, and blessing and/or
cursing. On the other hand, the Mosaic
Covenant
is characterized by: (1) the theme of law, (2) emphasis on human
responsibility, and (3) references to sabbath, sanctuary, and divine sovereignty. Although
verse 9 is in the midst of Mosaic Covenant material,
it displays Abrahamic vocabulary,
phraseology, and theme. Its message is pertinent to
that brief span of time immediately
following the revelation of the Mosaic Covenant at
the revelation concerning law is equal in authority
to the older revelation concerning
promise. In order to receive the promised
blessings contained in the Abrahamic
words, the Mosaic Covenant would be the program by
which Israelites would manifest
their faith by faith's works (cf. Jas 2:14-26).
Each of the three references to
"my covenant" in verse 42 is associated with one of
the patriarchs:
4 Meredith G. Kline, By Oath Consigned: A Reinterpretation of the Covenant Signs of
Circumcision and
Baptism (
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 3
Barrick, Far
bvqfy
ytyrb-tx ytrkzv -42a
and I shall remember my
covenant with Jacob
qHcy
ytyrb-tx Jxv -42b
even my covenant with Isaac
rkzx
Mhrbx ytyrb-tx Jxv -42c
yea, I shall remember my
covenant with Abraham
-------------------------------------------------------------------
rkzx
Crxhv -42d
and I shall remember the
land
The
triple employment of rkz sets the tone of this
section.5 The first person references
indicate that Yahweh Himself will respond to
reconfirmed or renewed. Thus, the blessings and cursings of Leviticus 26 are set against
the backdrop of the Abrahamic
Covenant. The same covenant may also be in view at
verse 44 in Yahweh's promise not to be the one to
initiate any breach of the covenant.
The
blessings recited in Leviticus 26:4-12 are at least in part a fulfillment of
the
covenant made with Abraham. Those blessings fall
into six categories:
(1) productivity (vv.
4-5; cf. Gen 24:35, 27:28; 30:43)
(2) peace (v. 6; cf.
Gen 22:17)
(3) power (vv. 7-8; cf.
Gen 22:17)
(4) population (v. 9;
cf. Gen 12:2; 15:5; 17:6)
(5) provision (v. 10; cf productivity, above), and
(6) presence (vv.
11-12; cf Gen 17:7, 8).
All
these blessings were associated with the land that
They
are consistent with various statements and restatements of the Abrahamic
Covenant.
5 In addition to the repetitions in verse
42, the following elements should be noted: (1) The
elevated style
of 42abc is nearly a tristich
containing synonymous parallelism. This does not mean that the three men are
synonymous. The proper names are but modifiers of tyrb. The last phrase of 42 and the
subsequent
context confirm that only one covenant is being
described. (2) rkz forms an inclusion opening and closing
the section in order to maintain the
emphasis on remembrance. The absence of rkz in 42b helps the
inclusio develop. (3) Jxv in 42bc continues the concept initiated
in 42a. Its absence in 42d confirms the
individual nature of that stich.
(4) The patriarchal names are the reverse of the triad's usual order (a hapax
phainomenon in the OT). The backward look to the
original Abrahamic promise served to confront
with their covenant relationship to Yahweh. (5)
The apodosis (the protasis is in vv. 40-41) is
concluded by
42d. The substitution of Crxh for tyrb focuses attention on the central promise
of the covenant: the land.
The
patriarchs are not the center of attention, the land grant is. (6) Verse 42d
repeats the yqtl
form of rkz
(cf. 42c) in
order to maintain the continuity between 42abc and 42d. Therefore, 42d is best
understood as a
concise summary of 42abc. (Note, also, that rkzx Crxh in
42d is immediately followed by bzft Crxh
in 43a. This case of contrastive
anadiplosis is significant in that the Israelites' forsaking of the land must
precede the divine remembering of the land.)
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 4
Barrick, Far
The
covenant curses of Leviticus 26:14-38 are at least in part a removal of the
Abrahamic
blessings.
Disobedience on the part of
changes:
(1) Rather than possessing the land (Gen
12:1; 15:7, 18-21; 17:8),
dispossessed from the land (Lev
26:33-38).
(2) National greatness (Gen 12:2) would
be turned into humiliation, inferiority, and
insignificance (Lev 26:29, 32, 36-37;
Deut 28:43-44).
(3) Blessing (Gen 12:2; 22:17) would turn
to cursing (Lev 26:14-38; Deut 28:15-
68).
(4) Instead of being a blessing (Gen
12:2-3; 22:18),
(Lev 26:32, 36-37a; Deut 28:25, 37).
(5) Multiplication (Gen 12:2; 15:5;
17:4-6; 22:17) would be replaced by diminution
(Lev 26:22, 29, 38; Deut 28:18, 20-22, 53-57,
62).
(6) Success over
their enemies (Lev 26:16-17, 32, 36-38; Deut
28:25, 31, 48, 52, 68).
The
basis for Yahweh's historical extraction of
Covenant
(cf. Gen 15:13, 14). While the nation resided at
remember that covenant as part of their
theological heritage. They experienced the
beginning of the historical fulfillment of its
promises.
The Abrahamic Covenant
demonstrated that
their own making. That covenant provided them with
the hope of landedness at a time
when they were landless. Leviticus 26:1-13 revealed
to
given at
central concept of the Abrahamic
Covenant was the land of promise (v. 42). The Mosaic
Covenant
would not conflict with the landedness promised long
before.
Even the phraseology of covenant disloyalty
("uncircumcised heart," v. 41) was a
reflection of the impact of the Abrahamic
Covenant on the theology and life of
Circumcision
was the outward manifestation of inward commitment to the Abrahamic
Covenant
(Gen 17:9-14). Personal commitment and accountability were implicit even in
the unilateral pact that Yahweh made with Abraham
while the latter was in a deep sleep
(15:12-21).
Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not opposing concepts in the
biblical covenants. Indeed, it was because Yahweh
was the sovereign Lord that the
human vassal must obey Him. Human accountability
would be nonexistent (at least,
nonbinding) if it were not for the divine
character. Yahweh's Lordship as revealed in His
covenant with Abraham is not altered by
subsequent covenants. Since the sovereignty of
God
is not altered, neither are the promises of His
covenant altered or nullified (cf. Gal
3:17).
Sinaitic Covenant
In Leviticus 26 attention is directed to the
Mosaic Covenant by the prominence of
the immediate historical context at Sinai and the
legal nature of some of the terms used in
the chapter ("statutes, commandments," v.
3; "commandments, statutes, ordinances," vv.
14-15; "statutes, ordinances, laws,"
v. 46).
The precepts of verses 1-2 have the Mosaic
Covenant
in view:
• prohibition of idols
• observance of sabbaths, and
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 5
Barrick, Far
• reverence for the sanctuary
Any
remaining doubt is removed by the clear statements of verses 15, 45, and 46.
This
legal emphasis sets the stage for covenant vengeance
in verse 25. It also promotes the
sense of Yahweh's Lordship which was already present
in the Abrahamic Covenant. The
covenant at Sinai was based upon the historical
deliverance of
deliverance was in accord with the prior covenant
(vv. 13, 45). It was intended to identify
more narrowly the people of Yahweh. The Abrahamic Covenant's identification of the
land of promise was supplemented by the refined
definition of the people of promise. Just
as the outward seal/sign of the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision, so the seal/sign of
the Sinaitic Covenant was
the observance of the sabbaths (cf. Lev 25; 26:2,
34-35, 43).
The
seal/sign of each covenant affected the realm of the other covenant: the
covenant of
the land (Abrahamic) was
related directly to the people by circumcision, and the
covenant of the people (Mosaic) was related
directly to the land by the sabbaths.6 Thus
the two aspects of these covenants (the land and
the people) were bound together. The
land was for the people, and the people for the
land.
The legislation connected with the
Mosaic Covenant encouraged a serious mindset
regarding submission to the divine overlord. It
also produced humility with reference to
the unworthiness of
7:6-11).
Right behavior by the people of Yahweh was the means of witnessing to the
nations. By such behavior
initiated by means of their miraculous deliverance
out of
legislation marked
Disobedience
to the absolute sovereign of
removal of covenant blessings associated with
the Mosaic Covenant. The following
aspects of the Mosaic Covenant would be rendered
inoperable by the exile:
(1) Though previously a people above all
the nations (Exod 19:5; Deut 26:18-19),
(Lev
26:30; Deut 28:43-44).
(2) The kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6) would become ceremonially unclean and
their sacrifices unacceptable
(Lev 26:31).
(3) The holy nation of
and characterized by a heathenlike uncircumcised heart (v. 41).
(4)
national exile (Lev 26:33, 38).
Sinai
was but the commencement of the relationship between God and
the nation must identify with each other if the
wilderness years were to lead to the
promised land. The apostasies of Sinai7
only served to remind the nation why Yahweh
6 A distinction between a covenant of the
land and a covenant of the people should not be pressed to an
extreme. The Abrahamic
Covenant also identified the people of promise, referring to them as the
descendants of Abraham. It became clear, however,
that some of the descendants of Abraham (through
Ishmael)
would not be the people of promise. The Mosaic Covenant clarified the situation
regarding the
identification of the covenant people.
7 The golden calf incident provoked the
public shattering of the covenant tablets (Exod
32:19). About 3000
died that day (v. 28). Two priests, sons of
Aaron, also died at Sinai when they did not follow divine
instructions concerning service at the altar (Lev
10:1-2). Later, a man was executed because of his
blasphemous appropriation of the name of God (Lev
24:10-23).
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 6
Barrick, Far
gave them legislation. They needed standards.
Without the order those standards would
produce, there would be chaos and anarchy. The
nation must be prepared for their
inheritance, the land. The means of preparation
would be instruction, parenesis.
Instruction
is the primary concept of hrvt (v. 46). Leviticus 26's
focus is on
identification with the covenant
deity/suzerain, Yahweh (cf. v. 45).
Deuteronomic Covenant8
The many parallels between Leviticus 26 and
Deuteronomy 27-30 present the
reader with a problem of relationship. How is the Deuteronomic Covenant related to
Leviticus 26? The similarities of
structure (blessing and cursing), the revelation of the
ultimate chastisement for breach of covenant
(exile preceded by siege which deteriorates
into cannibalism), and a time sphere subsequent to
the impartation of the Mosaic
Covenant demonstrate a relationship in
content. However, similarity is not identity. No
third covenant is ratified in Leviticus 26. No third
covenant is described in terms of a
relationship to the past covenant (Abrahamic) and the present covenant (Mosaic). The
connotation of a future covenant may be present;
however, that connotation would not
have been identified with Deuteronomy 27-30 by those
who received Leviticus 26. The
former passage was revealed to the new generation of
Israelites while they were camped
on the plateau of Moab. The latter was revealed to
their parents and grandparents while
they were still at
preview of the Deuteronomic
Covenant only in the sense that the basic theological
concepts of the
not specify that covenant per se. Leviticus 26 does
not provide a formal prophetic
announcement regarding any future
covenant.
Revelation is progressive in nature.
The seeds of one age become the flowers of yet
another age. The seed of the Deuteronomic
Covenant is present in Leviticus 26. The
blessings and cursings
of that chapter were transitional. They prepared
while they were at Sinai prior to commencing their
wilderness wanderings. Transitional
revelation would be expanded and formalized in a
covenant upon arrival at the threshold
of the land (on the plateau of Moab). The title
deed to the land (the Abrahamic
Covenant),
the constitution for the people of the land (the Mosaic Covenant), and the
rights to the riches of the land (the Deuteronomic Covenant) would then provide the
nation with all the revelation necessary to live
within the land itself.
8 For the sake of discussion the Deuteronomic Covenant will be defined as the pact God
established with
confirmed by sacrifices and public deposit at Shechem (Josh 8:30-35), and renewed by common consent at
Shechem near the end of
Joshua's ministry (24:1-28).
Synonyms for this covenant include Deuteronomic
Covenant and
Covenant on the plains of
Faith (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers,
1953), 58-59; Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction,
trans. Peter R. Ackroyd
(New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1965), 214-17, 226, 230; S. R. Driver,
An
Introduction to the Literature of the Old
Testament (New York: The
Meridian Library, 1956), 71; TDOT,
s.v. "tyriB;," by M. Weinfeld, 2:256,
268-69; Moshe Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the
(Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1972), 59-116; Delbert R. Hillers, Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea
(Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1969), 58-64,134-42.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 7
Barrick, Far
Land
Every gift to the nation of
covenant suzerain, Yahweh. The land grant to
with Yahweh. The Land-Giver was summoning the people
to service. The summons was
both beneficial and binding. Benefits were
conditioned upon obedience to the command
of Yahweh. The enslaved nation was delivered from
belonging to Yahweh (v. 13). The prior bondage
differed from the latter in that the latter
brought blessing (vv. 2-12). No such rewards
accrued as a result of Egyptian bondage.
The land grant predated the existence of
grant at the time of his own exodus from
established under Moses at the time their exodus
from
controlled the history of the land and the people. “From
the roughly 160 cases in which
biblical passages speak of Jahweh's
giving the land to
references to ‘the fathers.’”9 It is significant, therefore that reference is made to "the
ancestors" (v. 45) in a context related to
the Mosaic Covenant. This establishes a
continuity of covenants. Just as Abraham's
descendants claimed the Abrahamic Covenant
while they were at
claim the covenant made with their ancestors at
Sinai. Willingness to identify themselves
as Yahweh's people will qualify them for
restoration to the land.
The land of promise is depicted as the setting
for the fulfillment of both blessings
(vv. 4-12) and curses (vv. 14-38). Reward and retribution
could not be fulfilled
elsewhere. The landedness
of
landed prosperity without the land. On the other hand,
land until they had first possessed it.
Interestingly, the land itself was
treated as a separate participant in the covenant. It
could be the recipient of the restitution of sabbaths that it had been denied (vv. 34-35,
43).
It was a land belonging first to Yahweh. As its sovereign Lord, He had
authority to
grant it to
generation who were disloyal to the covenant would
be subject to expulsion from the
land (vv. 33-44). Yet, the land would remain, kept
in store for the future generation who
would obey the precepts of Yahweh. The generations
may come and go, but the land
would abide as the Abrahamic
Covenant's material entity. By means of sabbaths
Yahweh
intended to preserve the fruitfulness of the land
for the ultimate possessors (cf. Lev 25).
Therefore,
disobedience to Yahweh's sabbatical legislation was considered a sin against
the land. Even more, it was a sin against future
generations since such a breach of the
covenant resulted from greed. Such greed would
rob the land of its fruitfulness and rob
future generations of its provision.
Landedness made it possible for
the people to be tempted in the areas of self-
sufficiency, idolatry, and sabbath
breaking. Such temptations could be resisted by
remembering the history of the people and the land.
Remembering the covenant deeds of
Yahweh
would remind the people that the land they enjoyed was an unearned gift. The
exiled people, remembering the Lord of the land, would
confess their guilt and make
restitution (vv. 40-41). Their remembering and
acting upon that memory would, in turn,
9 J. N. M. Wijngaards,
The Dramatization of Salvific
History in the Deuteronomic Schools, OTS 16
(Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1969), 73.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 8
Barrick, Far
result in Yahweh remembering the land (v. 42). He
would then preserve the covenant
blessings for His people.
At
hope. In the land, when the hope was fulfilled, the
land presented the people with a
challenge. They were challenged to exercise faith
in the God of the covenant. Such faith
had not been exhibited by those who apostasized at Sinai and who died in the wilderness.
Heilsgesehichte
Heilsgeschichte ("salvation history") was the
foundation of the Mosaic Covenant
(vv. 13, 45). Yahweh is the God of
history. He is the sovereign Lord of time and of place.
Divine
election and deliverance are the main factors in
graciously and mercifully associated Himself with
this nation. As the Lord of history, He
controls all history. He can move entire nations
in order to chastise disobedient
return her to the land in the time of her repentance.
The God of history can prepare the
nations for receiving the exiled people (cf.
Joseph, Gen 50:20). The nations would
swallow up the scattered Israelites (Lev 26:33)
and would make them vanish (v. 38). Yet,
Yahweh
would preserve a remnant so that a new history could begin.
God of history who controls all time, places,
and nations.
Breach and Preservation
of Covenant
The
"uncircumcised heart" (v. 41) of disobedient
divine covenants. Yahweh could never be disloyal. He
is always faithful because He is
"Yahweh their God" (v. 44).
Breach of covenant occurred when
Covenant (v. 15). Idolatry and sabbath breaking, especially,
constituted breach of
covenant (vv. 1-2). Such an action was willful.
It would result in the nullification of
blessings associated with the Abrahamic
Covenant and identification associated with the
Mosaic
Covenant. Any infraction of Mosaic legislation was deemed rebellion against the
sovereign will of the suzerain-legislator, Yahweh.
Yahweh, however,
"remembers" (rkz) His covenants. He
preserves the covenants.
The
covenants contained both blessing and cursing. Blessing and cursing were
initiated
by promise, and implemented by legislation.
Promise emphasized divine sovereignty;
legislation highlighted human responsibility. When
remained faithful. The suzerain's faithful
preservation of the covenant is in sharp contrast
to the vassal's failure to submit. Covenant
history confirms both divine dependability and
human culpability.
The Abrahamic Covenant
was identified as a covenant with roots in the history of
Verse
42 presented this confirmation of prior history.10 As the Abrahamic Covenant was
preserved (and would continue to be preserved), so
also the Mosaic Covenant would be
preserved for future generations (v. 45). Yahweh's
deeds in history illustrate His
10 See above, 4.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 9
Barrick, Far
faithfulness to preserve the
covenant in spite of the failure of one generation to be faithful
to it.
Law
Religious enthusiasm is insufficient for proper
participation in the covenant
relationship with God. Enthusiasm
without identification leads to confusion.
Identification
produces unity within and recognition from without. At
apostasies of the golden calf, the strange fire,
and blasphemy demonstrated what an
unguided and unstructured religious fervor can
produce. Seeing that the emphasis of
divine law is upon Yahweh Himself, any breach of the
law is defiance directed against
the Law-Giver. The stipulations of law exhibit the
nature and personality of the law-
giver. The morality of the law is a reflection of
Yahweh's morality.
grounded in the precepts of divine law. Divine
law identified Yahweh as the Creator of
the heavens and earth, the Promise-Giver, the
Land-Giver, and the Exodus-Causer. Every
statute was a testimony to the election of the
people and a witness to their identification
with their sovereign Lord.
A variety of terms are employed for
law in Leviticus 26: hqH/qH
("statute"),
hvcm
("commandment"), Fpwm
("ordinance"), and hrvt
("law/instruction"). These terms
represent the entire law promulgated at
(rmw) "obeyed" (fmw), "walked in
(ordering the life)" (jlh), and
"practiced" (hWf) (cf.
vv.
3, 14-15). Therefore, the law did not serve as mere ornamentation. It was
constitution. The nation of
Yahweh's commandments.
The legislation promulgated at Sinai did not
contradict the promise given to
Abraham.
The legal covenant (Mosaic) supplemented the promissory covenant
(Abrahamic). The latter did not
nullify the former. Mosaic legislation was a means of
implementing Yahweh's suzerainty. It
reaffirmed His lordship over His people prior to
their entry into the land promised to Abraham's
descendants.
Relation to Covenant
As already observed,11
law supplemented covenant. Stipulations were a part of the
treaty form employed by several cultures in the
ancient Near East. Thereby the suzerain
could identify himself as the overlord, the one with
authority to establish the calendar,
ordain boundaries, grant life, or deal out death.
Without legislation, authority would not
be clarified. Every covenant must have an
authority in which it resides, an authority
capable of meting out the punishment required
for breach of covenant. A covenant is as
lasting as its ratifier.
A covenant is as wise and moral as its ratifier. The ratifier of the
covenants with Abraham and Moses was Yahweh
Himself. The covenants are His
covenants (cf. "my covenant," vv. 9, 15,
42, 44), and the laws are His laws (cf. first
person singular suffixes on terms for law in vv. 3 and
15).
11 See above, 7-9, 14-15.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 10
Barrick, Far
Prohibition of Idolatry
Leviticus 26:1 clearly prohibited all
forms of idolatry. The prohibition emphatically
identified the true nature of faith in Yahweh. Such
faith recognizes the exclusivity of
Yahweh's deity and lordship. No idolater can truly
worship Yahweh. Yahweh's
preeminence as the Creator of heavens and earth
makes Him the only true God. Yahweh
created and controls all the natural forces of
the world. He is the Rain-Giver and the
Rain-Withholder (vv. 4, 19). He is the Controller of
wild beasts (vv. 6, 22). He is the
Controller of the nations (vv. 7-8, 16-17, 33,
38).
He knows the heart and its motives (vv.
36, 41). He is the Destroyer of idols and idol
worship (v. 30). Idolatry and its attendant
rituals in the ancient
self-sufficient. In fact, idolaters
were cast in the role of manipulators. They sought to
manipulate the divinities behind the idols. Not so
with Yahweh--Yahweh is controlled
by no man. Yahweh controls history, nature, life,
death, and man.
According to Leviticus 26, idolatry is powerless/empty; idolatry is man's product
(v. 1). Idolatry is blatant, filthy, and deadly
(v. 3012). It is doomed to destruction and the
idolater is destined to die. Idolatry is willful
rebellion against the person of Yahweh. It is
usurpation of Yahweh's rightful sovereignty. The
one engaging in such activities against
Yahweh
is a covenant breaker, a rebel, an anarchist, and a conspirator. According to
the
treaties of the ancient Near East it was a
capital offense to aid in the usurpation of a
throne or to engage in intrigue aimed at supplanting
the true heir to the throne.
It is a far more serious crime to defy the
Creator of the universe and the God of all
history. The ultimate reason for the prohibition
of idolatry is succinctly expressed in the
Selbstvorstellungsformel
("self-introduction formula"):13 "for I am Yahweh
your God."
This
formula is the key phrase in Leviticus 18-26.14 The
contrast is self-explanatory.
Yahweh's
inherent and exclusive authority makes idols worthless, powerless,
anthropocentric, and void of any
spiritually redeeming value. There is no room for
divided loyalties. Yahweh insists upon exclusive
lordship in the lives of His people.
Awareness
of Yahweh's existence, identity, and presence was central to the covenant
relationship that
The idolater chooses the way of the
uncircumcised nations (cf. v. 41), therefore he
will be eaten up by those nations (v. 38) among whom
he will be exiled (v. 33). His guilt,
his treason, will cause him great anguish (v. 39).
The only way to be restored to
Yahweh's
favor will be by confession, humility, and restitution (vv. 40-41). Idolaters
must confess their filthy idolatry. Humility must be
produced by the realization that they
12
The following translation of Lev 26:30 brings out the "deadly" aspect
of idolatry: "I will destroy your
shrines and cut down your incense altars, then I
will put your corpses upon the lifeless forms of your filthy
idols because I despise [lit., my soul
despises] you." The term for idols (MYLiuUL.gI) may be "a term of
reproach, ‘things of dung,’ which is vocalized
similarly to MYciUqwiI ['detested things']" (Menahem Haran,
Historical Setting of the Priestly School [
Gerstenberger, Leviticus:
A Commentary, trans. Douglas W. Stott, OTL (
Knox Press,
1996), 403: "dungy things."
13 John van Seters,
"Confessional Reformulation in the Exilic Period," Vetus Testamentum
22 (1972): 455.
14 Gordon J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, NICOT (
1979),
250.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 11
Barrick, Far
cannot manipulate Yahweh. Restitution must consist in
allowing Yahweh and His land
priority in their lives.
Observance of Sabbaths
"Sabbaths" is plural throughout the pericope (vv. 2, 34-35, 43). The reference is
undoubtedly intended to include both weekly sabbaths and annual sabbaths
(including the
year of jubilee) that are mentioned in the preceding
context (chapters 23-25).
Sabbath observance is theologically
rich. It specially signified God's dominion over
claimed His demand upon their time.16
The sabbaths were also a means of reminding
way in which the faith of the OT hears the
commandment of its God in its liturgical
ordinances.”18
time as well as the God of space. The sabbath honored the Lord of time.
The sabbaths
taught the Israelites to trust the Lord of all things
for their provisions. Lordship was the
core of the sabbatical principle. By trusting the
Lord to provide for the seventh day, the
seventh year, and the forty-ninth and fiftieth
years,
power and wisdom. He who provided in the wilderness
had already proclaimed the
sabbatical principle while
was simple: "Trust me to provide. I am Yahweh.
I will not lead you where I cannot care
for you." God never demands what man is unable
to do. He provides the way of service.
He
blesses the path of obedience. Sabbath in the OT was more than an expression of
the
vertical relationship to the Lord of all
creation. It was also an expression of concern and
care for those who were fellow participants in the
covenant (cf. Leviticus 25).
The sabbatical principle was the test, the
seal/sign, of the obedience demanded
under the Mosaic Covenant (Exod
33:17-21). The legal covenant represented the
legislative authority of Yahweh. The sabbath represented Yahweh's
authority over time.
It
was the legislation of time.
Even the land needed restitution when the time
that Yahweh demanded for it was
not granted by
people. The land was a promised possession in a
time-space continuum. Breach of the
sabbatical principle regarding the land was
evidence of rebellion against the Lord of time
and space. The violation of the land by denying its
just recompense was a violation of
Yahweh's gift of fruitfulness. It was robbery because
it denied continued fruitfulness for
future generations of Abraham's descendants. The
liberty proclaimed in the sabbatical
principle was an echo of the Heilsgeschichte. The God of
history delivered
servitude in
freedom was to deny the Lord who brought them
out of
15 Matitiahu Tsevat, "The Basic Meaning of the Biblical
Sabbath," Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft 84 (1972): 455.
16 Ibid.
17 Walter Brueggemann,
The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge
in Biblical Faith (
Fortress
Press, 1977), 64.
18 Walther Zimmerli,
Old Testament Theology in Outline,
trans. David E. Green (
1978),
125.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 12
Barrick, Far
Yahweh
In Leviticus 26 Yahweh is clearly depicted as
God of the covenants. "Yahweh"
(hvhy) is employed six times
in the pericope (vv. 1, 2, 13, 44, 45, 46). Twice it us used
absolutely (vv. 2, 46). Four times it is connected
directly with or associated by context
with "your/their God" (vv. 1, 13, 44, 45).
In four of these occurrences, Yahweh is
mentioned in relation to the Mosaic Covenant (vv.
1, 2, 45, 46). In two cases, Yahweh is
associated with the Abrahamic
Covenant (vv. 13 and 44).
Selbstvorstellungsformel
Selbstvorstellungsformel
("self-introduction formula") is one of the devices by
which this particular pericope
is set off from the surrounding context. It is often mixed
with the heilsgeschichtliche Formulierung ("salvation-history formula"). In all cases (vv.
1,
2, 13, 44, 45), it is employed as a conclusion to a section of the pericope. The precepts
of verses 1-2, the blessing of verses 3-12, and,
also, the penalties of verses 14-45 are all
marked by the Selbstvorstellungsformel. The only mention of Yahweh outside
either one
of these two formulas is in the postscript (v. 46)
where Yahweh is the giver of the laws
committed to Moses. The dual emphasis on Yahweh's
identification in the section
concerning precept (vv. 1-2) is an obvious contrast
to the idolatry forbidden there.
Yahweh
is the covenant name of the Covenant-Giver (cf. Exod
3:13-18; also, Gen 12:1,
4;
15:1-8); Exod 20:2, 7). "I am Yahweh" is
the divine seal on the covenants involved in
Leviticus 26. Covenant preservation
is dependent upon Yahweh's identity (vv. 44-45).
Yahweh
is the author of the precepts (v. 46; cf. vv. 1-2), the author of the history
(vv. 13, 45), and the author of the covenant (v.
44).
His authority is absolute. His
covenants are dependable. He is the author of both the blessing and the curses, the reward
and the retribution.
Relation to Covenant
Yahweh's relationship to the covenants in
Leviticus 26 is established by the
following: (1) the Selbstvorstellungsformel, (2) the
heilsgeschichtliche Formulierung,
(3)
the attribution of the source of the laws at Sinai
(v. 46), and (4) the first person singular
suffixes on "covenant."
Presence and Sanctuary
The presence of Yahweh is referred to
by means of "presence" (Mynp, v. 17), "walk
among you" (jvtb
jlhth, v. 12), "sanctuary" (wdqm, v. 2), and
"tabernacle" (Nkwm,
v. 11). His presence works both weal (vv. 11-12)
and woe (v. 17). His presence is both
edifice-oriented19 (vv. 2, 11) and
people-oriented (vv. 12, 17). His presence is holy (note
the employment of the root wdq) "holy" in wdqm,
"sanctuary"). The reference to
holiness is particularly striking because it is
in a context of precepts prohibiting of
idolatry and commanding observance of sabbaths. Yahweh is holy because He is set apart
from idols
19 By "edifice-oriented" the
writer does not mean that Yahweh is edifice-limited. The edifice was merely an
accommodation to focus attention upon Yahweh's
presence among His people. Cf Ezek 10:3-19; 11:22-
23; 43:1-5.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 13
Barrick, Far
and His presence is distinct from idols. Also, He
is holy because sabbatical time is set
apart for Him.
The implication of verses 14-45 is that
when disobedient
punishment-dealing presence of Yahweh, He
has ceased to "walk among" them or to
tabernacle among them. Indeed, He is pictured as
"walking in opposition" to them (vv.
24, 28).
Even though His presence or sanctuary
is not with the exiles among the nations (at
least not in the same fashion as when they were
obedient and in the land), yet Yahweh
will preserve His covenant with them (v. 44).
Promise
Promise here is being used in a very broad sense
of the term. It is being employed
to cover both the promise to bless and the promise
to curse. It is in the sense of
fulfillment or commitment as much as in the sense of
hope or expectancy.
Promise in Leviticus 26 is identified with the
solemn divine self-introduction
(Selbstvorstellung) of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
(vv. 1, 2, 13, 44, 45; cf. v.
42).
It is a promise preceding the history of deliverance from
Covenant) and the entrance into
not a reference to something inward and spiritual,
but a reference to the tangible aspects
of covenant life: productivity, peace, population,
presence, and land. The promise
includes a pledge to bless
their disloyalty. Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,
promises His own loyalty to His
covenant with His people.
Blessing and Curse
The blessings and curses of Leviticus
26 are quite similar to those of Deuteronomy
27-28 as well as to those of the Esarhaddon vassal treaties and the Sefire
stelas. The
similarities involve both formal
structure and traditional phraseology and vocabulary. By
their very contexts in the biblical materials, the
blessings and curses are distinctly
covenantal.20 The blessings are
directly related to the promised blessings and/or
privileges of both the Abrahamic
and the Mosaic covenants. Likewise, the curses are
directly related to the nullification or removal
of those same blessings and/or privileges.21
The blessings and curses do not in themselves
indicate the presence of the
Deuteronomic Covenant in Leviticus
26.22 Any preview of that covenant in the pericope
must maintain a continuity with the two previous
covenants. In other words, a third
covenant (whether here or in Deuteronomy 27-30)
does not nullify the Abrahamic and
Mosaic
covenants.
20
Contra Ronald E. Clements, Prophecy and
Tradition, in Growing Points in Theology (
Knox Press,
1975),16-17.
21 See above, 5-6, 8-9.
22 See above, 9-10.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 14
Barrick, Far
Obedience and
Disobedience
"Obedience to Yahweh, the one God, who
delivered
jealous of his own uniqueness, defines the
fundamental nature of the OT faith."23
Obedience
reflects respect for who and what Yahweh is personally
and historically (Lev
26:1-3,
13-15, 39-45). Obedience involves the acceptance of the lordship of Yahweh in
one's life in time and space (cf. vv. 2, 34-35, 43).
Obedience produces participation in the
covenant blessings (v. 9). The precepts reveal
the will of God for
must be yielded to the will of Yahweh in order to be
loyal to the covenants (cf. v. 41).
Disobedience is the denial of the
identity of Yahweh in history, covenant, and law.
It
is breach of covenant faith (v. 15). It is acting unfaithfully, disloyally, and
treasonously
(v. 40). It is blatant opposition to God (vv. 21,
23, 27). It is nonperformance of His
commands (v. 14). It involves rejecting His
statutes and despising His ordinances (v. 15).
It
is a matter that is concerned with the inner man (vv. 15, 41, 43; note
"soul" and
"heart"). Disobedience has frightful consequences. Even
cannibalism is not beyond the
capability of the disobedient (v. 29). It causes
the unacceptability of the sacrifices which
were the outward manifestation of faith (v. 31).
Disobedience is worthy only of death
(vv. 25, 33, 37, 38) and exile (vv. 33, 44). Death is separation
from the body; exile is
separation from the land.
Guilt
Guilt (Nvf) is a concept occurring
in verses 39, 40, 41, and 43. It is mentioned only
in the context of repentance, confession,
humility, and restitution. The guilt resulting
from disloyalty to the covenant had to be recognized
before the breached covenant could
be reinstated. The guilt was twofold: (1) the
guilt of the ancestors of
vv. 39, 40) and (2) the guilt of the current
generation of Israelites (vv. 39, 40, 41, 43).
Confession
of both was required for restoration. The guilt of the current generation is
given first consideration. Unless the current
generation can recognize and deal with their
own guilt, it would be pointless to recognize and
attempt to deal with the guilt of their
fathers.
This guilt was so burdensome that it
led to severe anguish among the exiled peoples
(v. 39). The guilt was real. The burden was real.
It was not a temporary "guilt trip." Guilt,
properly recognized, is an instrument of God to
draw them back to the covenant
relationship that they had enjoyed
prior to their willful rebellion against Yahweh. The
guilt had to be confessed (v. 40).
Retribution and Chastisement
The application of the curses/penalties of
verses 14-45 are highlighted by two
factors: (1) the gradation of the punishments in
five stages of severity (vv. 16-17, 18-20,
21-22,
23-26, and 27-38)24 and (2) the recurring refrain, "seven times
for your sins" (vv.
18, 21, 24, 28). The stages of
chastisement are emphasized also by the occurrence of the
term "discipline" (rsy, vv. 18., 23, 28). The entire process, from start to
finish, was
23 Zimmerli, Old Testament Theology, 116.
24 For an excellent discussion of the form,
structure and setting of vv. 14-45, see John Hartley, Leviticus,
Word Biblical
Commentary, vol. 4 (Dallas: Word Books, Publisher, 1992), 457-62.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 15
Barrick, Far
intended as a means of restoration. However, the
primary purpose was not restoration,
but the glorification of the covenant God, Yahweh
(cf. vv. 44, 45).
Retribution
may be terminal (cf. vv. 25, 30, 38), but chastisement may result in
restoration through repentance (cf. vv. 39-45). Both
are involved in Leviticus 26. Divine
retribution will come upon those who fail to confess
their sins. Chastisement will be
administered to those who confess
their sins.
In the refrain, "seven times"25
implies the sabbatical principle and "for your sins"
indicates breach of covenant. "Sin" is
also a term applied to breach of covenant in the
vassal treaties of Esarhaddon.26 Leviticus
26 emphasizes the seal/sign of the Mosaic
Covenant,
the sabbaths. Since the sabbaths were related to the land
(vv. 34-35, 43), the
Abrahamic Covenant is at least implied. Yahweh
would judge His people for their
nonobservance of the sabbaths, for their worship of idols and for the resulting
defilement
of the people among whom He dwelt (cf. vv. 1-2,
29-31). Divine judgment is not a
betrayal of the covenants (v. 44). On the
contrary, judgment declares that disobedience is
sin and that sin in rebellion against the Lord.
Eventually, Yahweh's judgments would
increase to such an intensity and nature that
there would be no doubt that He had
exercised His covenant rights to exact retribution
from those who defy His authority.
Exile
Exile ("scattering among the
nations," v. 33) was the ultimate penalty for breach of
covenant. It meant removal from the land of
promise. The landedness for which the
nation had hoped would dissolve into the landlessness
which had characterized their
sojourn in
heart" (v. 41) they would be placed among the
uncircumcised--those who were outside
the covenants. Exile was a living death, a living
separation from the land of abundant life.
Exile
meant removal from the setting in which
the Abrahamic and Mosaic
covenants. Exile, however, need not be terminal. Exile,
landlessness, could be a condition
that could give rebirth to hope (vv. 39-45).
Landlessness
was not synonymous with divine rejection or abhorrence (v. 44). As at
Sinai,
and in the wilderness, landlessness presented the people with a goal for life
and a
meaning for history. The landless ones must cast
their cares upon the one who would
guide them out of bondage to freedom. Even in the
land of their enemies, Yahweh was
still their God (v. 44). The covenant relationship
per se knows no geographical or
political boundaries. Yahweh’s loyalty is
unaffected by the landedness or the
landlessness of His people. He is
above the circumstances of history, working for the
repentance of His covenanted people so that His
covenants might one day be fulfilled
completely.
25 Seven is more than just a symbolic
number: "It is an appropriate and evocative number in view of the
importance of the seventh in Israelite
religion" (Wenham, Leviticus,
331). Cf., also, Karl Elliger, Leviticus,
HAT 1/4 (Tubingen: Verlag von J. C. B.
Mohr/Paul Siebeck, 1966), 375: "Naturlich ist 'sieben' eine
schematische Steigerungszahl"
("` Seven' is naturally a stylized number of intensity").
26 See D. J. Wiseman, The Vassal-Treaties of
Archaeology
in
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 16
Barrick, Far
Repentance
The Hebrew word for
"repentance" (bUw) does not occur in
Leviticus 26. However,
the concept of repentance is found in a threefold
turning of the exiled people to Yahweh:
(1)
They would confess their guilt and the guilt of their fathers (v. 40),
recognizing their
personal and corporate culpability. (2) They
would humble their "uncircumcised heart"
(v.
41), bringing it into subjection to the precepts of Yahweh. Submission to the
divine
Suzerain
is required of a covenanted people. They must submit to Yahweh's lordship.
Their
submission must not be mere external compliance externally in religious
exercises;
it must be internal and real. (3) They would make
restitution for their guilt (v. 41),
accepting the federal consequences of sin. Such
restitution is not soteriological
redemption. It is the evidence, not the cause, of
repentance and expiation. The impact of
sin would be felt until the land had enjoyed its
restitution. Exile would continue after
repentance until the penalty had been fulfilled.
Getting right with God does not insure
immediate blessing and a to solution uncomfortable
circumstances. It does guarantee a
restoration to the covenant relationship whereby
promised blessings might be renewed
once the land is regained.
Restitution
"Restitution" (hcr) not only involves the full application of the federal
consequences of sin, but also the
full application of that which is right in Yahweh's
covenanted relationship to the land (vv. 34-35,
43). Therefore, restitution has a twofold
character: positive (that which is right for the
land-to enjoy its sabbaths) and negative
(that which is the just consequence of sin-the period of
Through
restitution
fulfilled within time and space.
Revelation
The very concept of law implies communication
between its promulgator and its
recipients. Commandments, statutes, ordinances,
laws and instructions must be revealed
since they cannot be intuitively perceived. In the
ancient Near East the concept of
covenant itself demanded a deposit or record of
the pact for future generations.
The
diversity of covenant concepts and forms in Leviticus 26, as compared with the
ancient Near Eastern treaties, is an evidence of
the independent theology of
Among
many scholars there is "a remarkable unwillingness to appreciate the
creative
possibilities of
lies, in part, in its uniqueness at that particular
stage of progressive revelation. The
27 Leviticus 26 contains some elements
distinct from the vassal treaties of Esarhaddon and Sefire: blessings
(vv. 3-13), provision for reinstatement in case of
transgression (vv. 14-45; esp. vv. 39-45), monotheism,
and covenantal precedents (vv. 42,45), In
the vassal treaties there are imprecations requested by a third
party in the presence of a mediating. deity and the employment of ritual magic--neither of which
occur in
the biblical covenants. For a more detailed
study of this topic, see William D. Barrick, "Leviticus 26: Its
Relationship
to Covenant Contexts and Concepts" (unpublished Th.D.
dissertation;
Theological
Seminary, 1981),171-84.
28 Clements, Prophecy and Tradition, 21.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 17
Barrick, Far
confluent nature of the revelation (i.e., drawing
upon current vocabulary, style, forms,
and cultural milieu) represents a desire on the
part of Yahweh for revelation to be
immediately understandable and applicable.
Leviticus 26 claims to be Mosaic in time,
content, and composition. The self-
witness of Scripture must suffice as the prima facie evidence. Unless equally
ancient and
authentic documentation can be produced to
explicitly deny the claims and contents of
this pericope, it must be
allowed to stand. This must be true of both the historical claims
and the theological concepts. The treaties of Esarhaddon
and Sefire cannot be offered as
contradictory testimony since they
were composed 700 years too late and the differences
in subject matter, purpose, and structure
disqualify them as legal testimony against the
biblical materials of Leviticus 26.
Leviticus 26 and the New
Testament
The employment of verses 11-12 in 2
Corinthians 6:16 is the only concrete example
of the influence of Leviticus 26 on the revelation
contained in the NT.29 The passage
from this pericope was
employed in order that Paul might better emphasize the concept
of identification with God. It is unfortunate that
Wenham did not deal with this NT usage
in his commentary.30 Wenham, however,
does observe that the blessings and curses of
Leviticus
26 are expressed at least in principle by Christ's teachings in His pre-cross
ministry. The chastisement of
the Jews of Christ's day. Jesus also spoke of the
eschatological reality of that
chastisement. Wenham claims that
"many of the horrifying judgments described in Rev.
6ff.
find their original setting in the covenant curses of Lev. 26 and Deut.
28."31 This is
true insofar as they are directly related by the
Book of Revelation to the nation of
Application
of the covenant blessings and curses to the Gentiles is unwarranted (with the
exception of the blessing for all peoples mediated
by Abraham's descendants; Gen 12:3).
Technically,
the covenants were made with
The principles of God's dealings with NT
believers by means of reward and/or
chastisement are basically the same
as the principles by which He dealt with
the covenants. This must not be construed, however,
as meaning that the NT saints are
under the same covenant relationship as
to the same covenant. The very nature of God
demands the federal consequences of sin
be exacted from His people in all ages (cf. Gal
6:7-10; 1 Cor 11:30). The same God
provides lessons for believers in every era based
upon His historical deeds (cf. Rom 15:4;
1 Cor 10:11-13). The same God blesses in
tangible ways those who are faithful (cf, 2 Cor
29 Paul's quotation of Lev 26:11-12 is paraphrastic. His emphasis was on the concept of
identification with
God (Lev
26:12b). The apostle's omission of Lev 26:1 lb is a clue to his intention. That
phrase does not
serve any purpose in Paul's discussion in the
context of 2 Cor 6. Since he would omit Lev 26:11b
("and my
soul will not despise you"), he paraphrased
11a ("I will set my dwelling place in your midst"--cf. 2 Cor
6:16, "I
will dwell among them"). Having established the concept and the context,
Paul proceeded to quote
Lev 26:12.
Elaborate discussions of conflation of OT texts, "pearl stringing,"
pre-Pauline usage, and 4Q
LXX Leva are made unnecessary by the simple reading
of the NT text alongside the MT.
30 Wenham, Leviticus, 329-30, 333-34.
31 Ibid., 334.
32 Cf the
postscript of Lev 26: "These are the statutes and the ordinances and the
laws which Yahweh
established between himself and the Israelites on
is expressed in Exod
19:5-6 and Rom 9:4.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 18
Barrick, Far
9:6-15).
The same God is loyal even in the face of His people's
disloyalty (cf. 2 Tim
2:11-13;
Phil 1:6). The same God is Lord (cf. 1 Cor 12:3). The
same Lord requires
confession, humility, and restitution (cf. 1 John
1:9; 1 Pet 5:5-7; Phile 1-25). The same
God
promises that obedient service will be rewarded (cf. 1 Cor
15:58). The same God
demonstrates that the believer has
been delivered from bondage into a servitude that is
totally unlike the bondage of fear and the curse
(cf. Rom 6:12-23; Heb 2:14-15; Acts
26:18;
The Lord who by means of Leviticus 26 revealed
to
and perpetuity of the Abrahamic
Covenant after the ratification of the Mosaic Covenant,
also confirmed that testimony in Galatians 3:17. NT
believers must recognize that the
authority of one covenant does not annul the
authority of a previous one. Any exceptions
are clearly revealed by God (e.g., Heb 7:11-14).
The epistle to the Galatian churches
teaches that Abrahamic
faith in Yahweh was not replaced by law under Moses.
Therefore,
faith is still binding upon any man's relationship to the God of Abraham.
Conclusion
What
then are the conclusions concerning the relationship of the Deuteronomic
Covenant
to Leviticus 26?
(1) Leviticus 26 does not make any
specific reference to the Deuteronomic
Covenant.
(2) Leviticus 26 has some similarities
to Deuteronomy 27-30, the pericope
involved in the Deuteronomic
Covenant. However, similarity does not mean
identity.
(3) Leviticus 26 explains
subsequent to the revelation of
the Mosaic Covenant.
(4) Although Leviticus 26 contains
revelation relating to
subsequent repentance under the
Mosaic Covenant (v. 45), it is not a formal
prophetic announcement.
(5) Leviticus 26 emphasizes the Mosaic
and Abrahamic covenants by direct
reference. The terminology and
theological concepts contain less direct
references to those covenants. The
relationship to these two covenants is so
imbedded in the text that any
connotation regarding the Deuteronomic
Covenant must also involve a similar
relationship between it and the previous
two.
(6) The affinities between Leviticus 26
and Deuteronomy 27-30 are far more
intimate than any similarities to extrabiblical
treaties. The common entities
(subject matter,
language, historical context, author, and intent) of the two
pericopes tie them together.
These affinities are the essence of the preview of
the Deuteronomic
Covenant in Leviticus 26. Leviticus 26 is transitional
revelation for the nation of
Sinai and the Deuteronomic
(or, Palestinian) Covenant granted on the plains
of
itself. It embodies only the concepts necessary to
prepare the nation for
entrance into that covenant at a
hater date.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 19
Barrick, Far
The pericope,
viewed in the context of the Sinai revelation and the Sinai apostasies,
offers a perspective not found elsewhere in the
Scriptures. That perspective regards the
theological instruction of the nation of
wanderings. Unlike Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 4,
Leviticus 26 is not a mini-statement
of the Mosaic Covenant. It is, instead, a
compilation and synthesis of the combined truths
of both the Abrahamic
and Mosaic covenants. The synthesis takes the form of a parenesis
for
taste of promise tempered by precept. It wrapped up
the Sinai experience by appealing to
a continuity of authority and promise. Leviticus
26 is a theological treatise with
implications for living. Many fell
in the wilderness because they failed to heed this
timely instruction. Because
teachings for NT believers struggling with
apparent conflict between the Mosaic and
Abrahamic
covenants (Gal 3:17).
Two areas of covenant were not discussed
in this study since they were not explicit
in Leviticus 26: (1) the relationship of covenant
to kingdom and (2) the relationship of
kingdom and covenant to the calendar of
present discourse. The writer believes that both
areas are necessary adjuncts to the
theological core of Leviticus 26 if one is to
understand properly the relationship of the
prophets to Leviticus 26 (and, to Deuteronomy
27-30). Leviticus 26 explicitly
proclaims the lordship of Yahweh in both time and
space.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus, 26 20
Barrick, Far
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barrick,
William D. "Leviticus 26: Its Relationship to Covenant Contexts and
Concepts."
Unpublished Th.D. dissertation.
Brueggemann, Walter. The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical
Faith.
Clements, Ronald E. Prophecy and Tradition. Growing Points in Theology.
Knox Press, 1975.
Driver, S. R. An Introduction to the Literature of the Old
Testament.
Meridian Library,
1956.
Eissfeldt, Otto. The Old Testament: An Introduction. Trans. Peter
R Ackroyd. New
Elliger, Karl. Leviticus. HAT 1/4.
1966.
Gerstenberger, Erhard S. Leviticus: A Commentary. Trans. Douglas W. Stott. OTL.
Character of Cult
Phenomena and the Historical Setting of the Priestly School.
Hartley,
John. Leviticus.
Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 4.
Publisher, 1992.
Hillers,
Delbert R. Covenant: The History c f a
Biblical Idea.
University Press,
1969.
Kline,
Meredith G. By Oath Consigned: A Reinterpretation of the Covenant Signs of
Circumcision and
Baptism.
Olson,
Dennis T. Deuteronomy and the Death of Moses:
A Theological
Overtures to
Biblical Theology.
Ryrie,
Charles Caldwell. The
Basis of the Premillennial Faith.
Brothers, 1953.
Tsevat, Matitiahu. "The
Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath," Zeitschrift fur die
alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft 84 (1972): 447-59.
van Seters, John.
"Confessional Reformulation in the Exilic Period," Vetus Testamentum
22 (1972): 448-59.
Weinfeld, M. "tyriB;," Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.
Ed. G. Johannes
Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren.
Trans. John T. Willis.
Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1975. 2:253-79.
Weinfeld, Moshe. Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic
School.
1972.
Wenham,
Gordon J. The Book of Leviticus.
NICOT.
Publishing
Wijngaards, J. N. M. The Dramatization of Salvific History in the
Deuteronomic Schools,
OTS 16.
Wiseman,
D. J. The Vassal-Treaties of
Archaeology in
Zimmerli, Walther. Old Testament Theology in Outline. Trans. David E. Green.
John Knox Press, 1978.
Please report any errors to Ted
Hildebrandt at: