Question 1

What is the main message of this chapter about blessings and curses?

Accepted Answer

This chapter lays out how life in the land would look when Israel either listens to God or turns away. If they walk in His commands, God promises rain at the right time, full barns, safety, victory over enemies, many children, and most of all, His own presence among them. If they refuse to listen and keep resisting, He sends harder and harder troubles: sickness, drought, failed crops, wild beasts, enemy attacks, famine, and finally exile. Yet even then, if they confess their sin and humble their hearts, He remembers His covenant and shows mercy.

Question 2

Why does God begin by forbidding idols and graven images here?

Accepted Answer

God starts with idols because the whole covenant depends on Israel worshiping Him alone. Bowing to carved images would mean trusting fake gods and breaking the first commands He gave them. Idols are described as empty things that cannot help or save. By banning images, God guards their hearts from mixing His worship with the practices of the nations around them. Right after this, He also calls them to keep His sabbaths and respect His sanctuary, showing that right worship and right rest before Him are at the center of their life with Him.

Question 3

What are the blessings God promises if Israel obeys His commands?

Accepted Answer

The blessings touch every part of life. God promises rain in its season so the land and trees will give plenty of food. Harvest will last so long that old grain will still be there when the new crops come in. They will live safely, sleep without fear, be free from wild beasts and invading armies, and win against enemies far stronger than they are. God will make them fruitful and many, keep His covenant with them, live among them in His tent, and walk with them. He reminds them He broke their yoke in Egypt so they could walk upright and free.

Question 4

Why are the punishments in this passage so severe and repeated?

Accepted Answer

The punishments come in steps because God does not give up quickly. When the people will not listen, He first sends troubles like sickness, fear, and wasted work as warnings. If they still walk against Him, He makes the sky like iron and the earth like brass, bringing drought and empty fields. If they keep hardening their hearts, the troubles grow worse: wild beasts, war, plague, famine, ruined cities, exile, and deep fear. The strong language shows how serious it is to despise His commands, but also how patient He is, using each step to call them back before the next one comes.

Question 5

What does it mean that the land will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate?

Accepted Answer

God had commanded that the land should rest on set years, but Israel often did not let it rest. When they are driven out for their sins, the land finally has the quiet and rest that had been ignored. Their fields lie empty, their cities are waste, and in that sad picture the land “enjoys her sabbaths.” It shows that God cares not only about people but also about the order He set for the land. It also proves that His word stands: if His people will not keep His sabbath laws by choice, the land will still get its rest in their absence.

Question 6

Why does this passage speak of people eating the flesh of sons and daughters?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest parts to read. It describes how far things can fall when a nation keeps walking against God and He removes His protecting hand. The image points to siege and extreme famine, when food is gone and people do shocking things just to survive. It is not something God delights in, but a warning of how sin and stubbornness can lead to horrible suffering. The sharp words are meant to wake the hearers so they will turn back long before such a day ever comes, and seek mercy while there is still time.

Question 7

What hope does God give to Israel after all the warnings of judgment?

Accepted Answer

Even after listing terrible judgments, God leaves the door of hope open. He says that if the people confess their own sin and the sin of their fathers, admit that they walked against Him and that He was right to oppose them, and if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, then He will remember His covenant with their ancestors. He will remember the land as well. He promises that even in their enemies’ land He will not throw them away or destroy them completely or break His covenant. His judgments are real, but His mercy and faithfulness are still there for the repentant.

Question 8

Who is being addressed in this passage, and in what setting?

Accepted Answer

The words are spoken by God through Moses to the people of Israel. They are at Sinai, not long after being brought out of slavery in Egypt. God has already given them many laws about worship, sacrifices, purity, and daily life. Now He tells them what life will be like in the land He is giving them if they keep or break these laws. The setting is covenant: God has chosen them to be His people, and He is laying out the blessings of walking with Him and the sorrows that will come if they turn their backs on Him.

Question 9

What does this chapter teach about God’s character and His presence?

Accepted Answer

This chapter shows God as both very near and very holy. On one hand, He promises to set His tent among the people, to walk among them, to be their God while they are His people. He cares for their daily needs like rain, food, safety, and children. On the other hand, He will not ignore stubborn sin. He can turn their peace into fear, their plenty into need, and send them away from the land. Yet even in judgment He remembers His promises, and He will not wipe them out. He is faithful, just, and full of mercy when people humble themselves.

Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.

Additional Blessings of Obedience

Punishments for Disobedience

God Remembers Those Who Repent

Additional Blessings of Obedience

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Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.

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Additional Blessings of Obedience

Punishments for Disobedience

God Remembers Those Who Repent

Additional Blessings of Obedience

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