Lev 26:14-39 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Lev 26:14-39: 26:14-39 The objective of God’s punishment of his people is to change behavior and restore relationship. God responds to his disobedient people as a perfectly righteous and loving parent would to a child. The punishments designed to curb rebellious behavior gradually increase, giving Israel the opportunity to repent at any time (26:18-28 ). Even when Israel was punished with exile from the land in 722 and 586 BC , God was working to restore his people (see, e.g., Isa 40

Summary for Lev 26:14-39: 26:14-39 ^a The objective of God’s punishment of his people is to change behavior and restore relationship. God responds to his disobedient people as a perfectly righteous and loving parent would to a child. The punishments designed to curb rebellious behavior gradually increase, giving Israel the opportunity to repent at any time (26:18-28 ^b). Even when Israel was punished with exile from the land in 722 and 586 BC, God was working to restore his people (see, e.g., Isa 40–66 ^c; Jer 29:10 ^d; Amos 9:11-15 ^e).
26:18 ^f seven times over: I.e., many times (see also 26:21 ^g, 24 ^h, 28 ⁱ; Gen 4:15 ^j).
Summary for Lev 26:19-20: 26:19-20 ^k If God withholds rain, the ground will be hard and unproductive.
26:29 ^l Starvation would so pervade the land that when a child died of hunger, he or she would be eaten, in pagan fashion, by the others in the family (Deut 28:53-57 ^m; see 2 Kgs 6:24-31 ⁿ; Lam 2:20 ^o; cp. 2 Kgs 3:27 ^p).
26:30 ^q The pagan shrines mentioned here were the infamous “high places” built on hilltops (see 2 Kgs 18:4 ^r). These shrines incorporated elements from pre-Israelite religions into Israel’s worship and challenged the Temple for religious authority.

• places of worship (Hebrew khamman): Perhaps “incense altars.” Some of these altars were used in Baal worship (2 Chr 34:4 ^s).
26:34 ^t With the people gone into captivity in a foreign land, there would be no one to work the land. It would at last have the “rest” of lying fallow that the people had denied it (see 25:1-7 ^u).
Summary for Lev 26:36-39: 26:36-39 ^v Disastrous defeat and captivity would later be the fate of both Israel and Judah (see study notes on 18:28; 26:14-39).