Chapter Twenty-Six
Blessings for Obedience
In any relationship there are generally two motivations to do as the other asks, the first being love and the second is seeing that any advantages outweigh the ramifications of not obeying. In a world without sin this would not be a dilemma, but sadly mankind’s sin-laden body can deteriorate even the best of relations. God knows how sin can erode and corrupt, and how outside influences can be tempting and effectively lead someone away from Him. That is one reason why He provides His people with incentives to obey, in the Old Testament they were often referred to as ‘blessings’ and ‘curses’. The blessings would be favorable promises of provision, protection, and guidance offered for obedience, while the curses would be just that, the punishments for any disobedience.
Much of this chapter repeats rules and statutes already presented, however, in addition there will be conditional promises made. The choice would be theirs, they could either obey and receive the blessings or disobey and suffer the consequences. God is letting them know up front what they will encounter if they choose unwisely.
26:1 “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
The first item on God’s list leading to favorable blessings was not something that needed to be done but was something that needed to be completely avoided. Namely, idolatry and the worshiping of false gods, as they were indeed serious problems for the people of Israel.[1] The command from Leviticus 19:4 is repeated and amplified here.[2] No one was allowed to make for themselves or erect an image (Hebrew word ‘pě’·sěl’,[3] last seen in Exodus 20:4 regarding the instruction not to create any carved images or likeness, as presented in the “Ten Words,” or “Ten Commandments.”) or a pillar (Hebrew ‘mǎṣ·ṣēḇāh’[4] referring to something set upright), which was often used in Scripture to describe a marker placed to memorize a significant event (for example see Genesis 28:18, 22; 31:13, 45, 51, 52, 35:14, 20; Exodus 24:4); but, the term was also used in conjunction with idolatry referring to objects of pagan worship (see Exodus 23:24; 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3; 16:22). In addition, God now adds the rule that they are not to set up a figured stone (Hebrew ‘mǎś·kîṯ’,[5] used for the first time in the Bible, this word refers to an image or something created out of one’s imagination, in this case made out of stone, ‘ě’·ḇěn’)[6] to “bow down” to (Hebrew word ‘hišet·tǎ·ḥǎwōṯ’,[7] meaning to humbly beseech, to fall down before, to prostrate oneself, to worship). Only YHWH was to be worshiped, no exceptions.
The second item has two components, both something that needed to be done. First, the Sabbath’s regulations needed to be followed, and secondly, they needed to honor and respect His sanctuary (namely everything and everyone associated with the Tabernacle and later the Temple). Keeping the Sabbaths would be considered protocol (something that was done) and reverence would be considered a motivation or desire (something from the heart, that only God would know).
26:3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
Everyone is familiar with a conditional statement, they usually begin with the word ‘if’ and a request, followed by some form of promise preceded with the word ‘then’. Here God is stating that if the people of Israel will obey His statutes and rules (essentially everything from Exodus chapter 20 on through to the remainder of the Torah, remember Moses is still on Mount Sinai when he is hearing these rules), He will respond as their God.
The first promise is for provision, God will provide rain at the right time of the year so that their crops, fruit, and produce grown will be in abundance. He will allow the time of reaping the harvest last a long time, all the way until it was time to plant seed again. Grain will be plentiful, so much so that they could eat their fill of bread.
The next promise is about security, He will provide peace in the land, allowing people to relax without fear. He will also remove any harmful predator animals from the land (apparently many species of bear, lion, and other wild animals once lived in the Middle East, remember the story about Joseph and his brothers, see Genesis 37:20, some believe that most of the animals migrated east towards modern-day India). Instead of being chased by any enemy, the people of Israel will chase their enemies, five Israelis will be able to successfully chase out one hundred enemies and one hundred Israelis can chase ten thousand. God will see to it that their enemies fall before them in battle.
One of the components of the covenant made with Abraham was the promise that his offspring would be fruitful and multiply (see Genesis 17:4-6). Here God goes beyond the fulfillment of that covenant by emphatically extending the promise, by saying He will ‘turn’ to them and make that happen.
God tells Moses that their store houses will always be full, that their harvest will be so plentiful that they will not run out of the previous harvest before the new harvest is ready to store.
Then beyond comprehension, God announces that He will dwell among them. He further states that, “my soul shall not abhor you.” The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘soul’ is ’nǎp·ši’ (the root being ‘ně’·pěš’),[8] essentially referring to God’s inner being[9], that through the processes and sacrifices previously outlined using the Tabernacle, He can now dwell among His people. God wishes to dwell with His people, but the presence of sin prevented that. As long as the people maintained the ongoing requirements, God could dwell among them. Since Jesus later fulfilled those requirements, once and for all (see Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10), God now permanently dwells in the heart of every believer.
God also promises that He will walk among His people and be their God. This is an incredible statement, God is saying that He will come to His people, as He wants to fellowship among them, and they will be His people. He reminds them that He is capable of doing all these things as He was the one that brought them out of Egypt. He does not want them to return to bondage. By fulfilling all these promises, He is releasing them from any burdens, the yoke of life’s burden has been lifted so that they can walk erect.
While these promises are incredible and, in some cases, difficult to comprehend, the list requires the listener to pay close attention, as some of the people of Israel were already taking many of these promises for granted. For example, who would they be if God was no longer theirs? What would happen if God’s provision was removed, or their security compromised? The answers to those questions would all be very unpleasant. So, to make sure that the people of Israel understood, God clearly delineates what could happen.
Punishment for Disobedience
26:14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
If the people of Israel did not do as God commanded there would be several serious consequences, however, before looking at the curses and punishment we need to examine some of the conditions within the conditional statement. Beyond simply not doing as He instructed; God identifies mankind’s greatest error of interpretation of what God wants. Since mankind is limited in their perception of reality, people often resort to trusting only what their five senses can determine. As a result, when people hear about what God wants, and if they are so inclined, they will usually proceed in doing just that, some form of action. Here, God is pointing out that is not the whole story, as He is looking and hearing what is in their hearts. Just as those that love desire to be loved, God wants His people to desire Him, just as He desires them.
Verse 15 identifies four critical components of their potential disobedience to God.[10] The first issue is if they spurn His statutes. The Hebrew word translated as ‘spurn’ is ‘tim·ā’·sû’,[11] a verb that means to reject, to despise, to abhor, or to refuse. If they loath God and His commands, then they certainly have no desire to please God. Secondly, the word ‘abhors’ in this verse is the Hebrew word ‘tiḡ·’ǎl’,[12] a verb meaning to detest or loath. If their soul (see commentary under verses 3-13 above) hates God’s rules, they undoubtedly will not seek fellowship with God. The third issue returns to the subject of not doing the action, however, the Hebrew word ‘ḇil·tî’[13] is not the commonly used word for ‘not’, it is most often used to negate an infinitive meaning. Here it speaks beyond not doing something but to negate the need to do something. Then finally, the fourth issue, the breaking of the covenant made with Moses. An agreement was made between God and the people of Israel, if they do not care or desire to follow God, then that is their choice, but that also means God will withdraw all His promises.
26:16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. 18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, 19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.
God now lists how He will respond if they choose to disobey, beginning with the horrific words that He would visit them with panic. The Hebrew word ‘bě·hā·lāh’[14] refers to a sudden terror. This is the first time the word is used in Scripture and is only used four times, each application referring to a potential or actual calamity sent from God (see Psalm 78:33; Isaiah 65:23; Jeremiah 15:8). On top of the list is a “wasting disease,” (another first appearance, used only twice in the Bible, ‘šǎ·ḥě’·pěṯ’,[15] means just as it is translated, a disease that would cause the body to waste away) along with a fever. This disease would cause the loss of sight and the heart to ache (the Hebrew ‘nā’·pěš’, is translated here as ‘heart’, see commentary under verses 3-13 and 14-15 above, combined with the Hebrew word ‘meḏî·ḇōṯ’,[16] translated here as ‘ache’, found only this one place in Scripture, is believed to imply a slow and painful death). God then reminds them that without Him, their planting will be in vain as their enemies will consume whatever they attempt to grow. Instead of being safe and secure in the land, God said that they should expect Him to set His face against them. They will get struck down by their enemies and those that hate them will rule over them. They will run and flee, even when no one is after them. But even after all this, they still will not listen to Him. Note how God acknowledges that they would still not listen or respond to God during or after these tragic events. He knows they are capable of total insolence and, because of their continued disobedience, He warns that He will discipline them seven times greater for their sins (a reoccurring theme in this chapter, see verses 21, 24, 28). In addition, He will break the pride (Hebrew ‘ge’ôn’,[17] can also be translated arrogance, majesty, excellence) of their might. He will also make the sky above them like iron and the earth below like bronze, regardless of how much time and effort they put in trying to grow any crop, the land will not produce.
26:21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. 22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.
If they continue to walk contrary to God and refuse to listen to Him, He will continue to strike them (Hebrew ‘mǎk·kā(h)’,[18] can also be translated as plague, blow, crush, wound, etc.)[19] they would receive punishment seven times greater for their sins. He will also stop constraining the wild animals that will in turn attack their livestock and people, causing everyone to fear traveling on the road.
26:23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
Then if that discipline was insufficient to bring reform, God would walk in opposition to them and would strike them sevenfold for their sins. He would bring a sword and execute vengeance (Hebrew ‘nō·qě’·měṯ[20] neqǎm’,[21] essentially “avenge vengeance”) for breaking the covenant. At that time, if they were to gather in cities, He would send pestilence (Hebrew ‘ḏě’·ḇěr’,[22] referring to a plague or pestilence)[23] among them and allow them to be captured by their enemy. Then when He stops the supply of bread (Hebrew ‘lǎḥm’,[24] can refer to food in general),[25] food will be scarce and the means to cook will also be few in number. People will be able eat but will not be satisfied.
26:27 “But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you. 31 And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing aromas. 32 And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
If despite the punishment done so far and they still refuse to listen to God and continue to walk contrary to Him, God will respond contrary to them in fury (Hebrew ‘ḥǎmǎṯ’,[26] intense anger, wrath, heated rage) and will discipline them for their sins, sevenfold. But what does God mean when He says, “I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins?” (Leviticus 26:28b, NLT) While undoubtedly God would have been involved with all the previous punishments, if the situation got to this point, God seems to be saying, “it’s personal now.” What follows are some of the most horrific potential situations recorded in the Bible (possibly no longer punishing through an enemy but directly from God).
He warns that the situation could get so grim that they will, in desperation for food, eat the flesh of their children. In no way is God condoning cannibalism, He is however, warning them how bad it could get (sadly, that scenario did occur, see 2 Kings 6:28, see also Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). In addition, God will also destroy their high places (locations of pagan worship, see commentary under Genesis 36:1-3) and cut down their “incense altars” (Hebrew ‘ḥǎm·mā’·nê’,[27] referring to a “sun pillar,” an altar, or idol typically used in the worship of sun deities, this is the first occurrence in Scripture). Then He would cast their dead bodies on the dead bodies of their idols, as idols and pagan gods are not real and cannot offer life, let alone life after death, He is reminding them that they would be choosing eternal damnation. Since the Hebrew word ‘gā’al’[28] (translated as ‘abhor’, is used five times in this chapter, see verses 11, 15, 30, 43, 44) can also mean to “cast out,” this could refer to them being cast out of His presence.
God would destroy their cities and will abandon all the places that were once holy (referring to the Tabernacle and then later, the Temple). The once pleasing aromas from the sacrifices will stop. Then He would make the land desolate, so devastated that their enemies would be appalled at its condition. And for the people, He would forcibly remove them from the land and scatter them around the world in multiple nations. The land would be left desolate, and the cities destroyed.
26:34 “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it. 36 And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues.
While the people are in other nations, the land will have an opportunity to rest (enjoy the Sabbaths). Note that in verse 35 the text implies that the land did not get the rest as required when they were occupying it (see Leviticus 25:1-7). The text next states, “And as for those of you who are left,” some believe that this is a reference to when the people are being held captive in those foreign lands. Others believe that this may be a clue that they will be allowed back in their land, but some choose to remain in the foreign nation that captured them. Then God will send faintness into their hearts, giving them a heighten state of insecurity and emotion (Hebrew word ‘mō’·rěḵ’,[29] used only this once in Scripture), making them afraid to stay. They will even be frightened by the sound of a leaf blown by the wind and run like their life depended on it, even though no one is pursuing them.
26:37 They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies’ lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.
If verse 36 is interpreted as those being held captive, the people will panic and stumble over each other in the land and will have no way to stand up or defend themselves against their enemies and they will die in the land of their enemies. However, if verse 36 is interpreted that one day, perhaps more than one generation later, those that were being chased by the sound, will stumble over each another as they finally flee and return to the Promised Land. Any others who still refuse to leave will ultimately die in the land of their enemy where they and their forefathers (those who were guilty of the sinning before God) will rot.
26:40 “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. 45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, 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.”
The preceding text from verses 18 to 39 warned about what would happen if God encountered an unforgiving heart after disobeying God. However, verse 40 begins with the premise that if after offending God the people of Israel ask for forgiveness, the response from God would be very different. Here God states that once He brought them into the land of their enemies for their treachery committed against Him and then if they become humble and make amends for their iniquity, He will remember the covenants made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and remember the land.
Even though this section of chapter 26 is a warning regarding violating the covenant given to them through Moses, God refers to the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that identifies the land being given to the people of Israel to use.[30] The Abrahamic Covenant unconditionally identified the land as theirs to use (not own, remember God retains ownership)[31] while the Mosaic Covenant conditionally allows them to occupy the land. But instead of allowing them to return immediately, God will still allow the land to rest, preventing them from returning to the land until after the land had sufficiently rested.[32] Even though the people of Israel spurned His rules and their souls had abhorred His statutes, God would not destroy them or break the covenant with them, giving them another chance because they asked for forgiveness, and that He acknowledges the covenant made with their forefathers shortly after they left Egypt. Note how the language continues to imply future disobedience.
26:46 These are the statutes and rules and laws that the LORD made between himself and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.
These are considered the closing words of the Book of Leviticus, as some believe that the next chapter was added essentially as an appendix. However, these words are repeated at the end of chapter 27. Many believe that this “postscript” (seen in several locations) is an important statement that records the source of legislation so that it would not be questioned. All these commands were given to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai.
Considerations
Much of this chapter contains the description of potential events that almost seem too harsh for a loving God to administer. Perhaps one of the more difficult attributes of God to understand is that He is a just God[33] and for God, justice is not an option, all sin must be accounted for. After reading what could potentially happen, one would think that most of the people would be frightened to the point of absolute compliance. Sadly, since mankind often thinks that judgment will either never occur, that they will never be caught or perhaps they become so deluded that they believe it will never happen to them, they proceed to do as they desire. As pointed out above in the commentary, much of the warning given seemed to imply that the people of Israel would reject God and His regulations, and that is exactly what took place. Looking back at the history of the Israelites, one could describe their early existence as a cycle (or perhaps a sinusoidal pattern oscillating from obedience to disobedience and back after suffering). God’s abundant provision often led to complacency, which then led to a total disregard and rejection of God and His ways. As God pulled back on His generous provision, and in many scenarios, used an enemy to attack or conquer Israel, then the people, in their suffering, would eventually seek forgiveness from God and He would respond, often through an unlikely leader, and bring relief, followed by the return of their prosperity. Then once that generation passed, the people forgot again and, in their success and well-being, they once again turn their backs on God, and the cycle begins all over again.
In a modern age it is difficult to understand the appeal idolatry had on ancient civilizations. But seeing that the worship of thousands of gods and goddesses in nearly every ancient culture helps us see that human beings inherently gravitate towards something or someone greater than themselves to worship. Today many people have embraced technology and science to understand how things work, as science can explain a lot of natural phenomena. For example, instead of appealing to a fertility god or goddess to grow crops, proper fertilizers and irrigation techniques are applied.
However, without sufficient understanding and the appropriate technology, it was common in ancient times to follow pagan rituals to seek favor from various false deities (sadly still embraced in some areas in the world today). Knowing the lure of idolatry, by the time of the exodus Satan had penetrated and surrounded the Promised Land with some of the most notorious pagan people groups that the world has ever seen.[34] In this section of chapter 26, the greatest offense against God was and still is, to turn away from God and worship idols. Just as temptation of the world can cause someone to take their eyes off God, idol worship can lure someone, or a group of people away from God, and more often than not, through subtle and seemingly small and innocent actions.
The people of Israel did succumb to idolatry and they did disobey God several times and they did suffer greatly for their sins. The punishment as presented in this chapter did occur just as God warned it could. Fast-forwarding to today, we can recognize that many of the stories in the Old Testament can be considered models for types of future events including the judgment of the people of Israel pointing to the judgment of all humanity.[35] Even though science has answered many questions regarding how things work, there are many questions it has failed to answer and clarify, such as explaining the beginning of life and the universe. To say one is modern or live in a modern age does not in any way negate the existence of God or the need to worship someone greater. In that sense science has become something that many people strictly believe in and worship (although they would undoubtedly deny), making it an object of idolatry. Judgment from God for those who did not accept the salvation offered through Jesus, will occur (remember He is a just God), when it will happen is not for us to guess or calculate, it will occur in His time.
Too Intriguing to Ignore (or Not Mention)
While Biblical history is very accurate, assigning dates to events is often complicated as there are only a few “time stamps” (events that occurred on known dates) in Scripture. Then to complicate it further there is the problem of date math, which is plagued by several reforms, calendar changes, and other realignments (leap years, etc.) To state something occurred on a specific date is nearly impossible with absolute assurance, however, there are some events that seem to align with related events recorded in history not found in the Bible that help formulate a reasonable historic date or a range of dates.
Now with that said, here is an interesting recap from “The Book of Leviticus” Bible study presented by Chuck Missler that offers an intriguing conjecture. It may or may not have occurred this way, but it does seem possible and due to the language in this section, it is probable:
In the book of Ezekiel God tells the prophet Ezekiel to “act out” a prophecy that will inform the Israelites of a coming 430-year period of judgment (see Ezekiel 4:1-8). While seventy of those years will be accounted for by the Babylonian captivity, that leaves 360 years unaccounted for, which does not seem to appear in history. Here in Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28, God warns Israel that if they do not obey, He will multiply their punishment by seven. The text then continues through to verse 39 that refer to then-future period of captivity known as the Diaspora.
If Israel did not obey God the first time, the remaining 360-year judgment would be multiplied by seven or 2,520 years. Most scholars and theologians believe that a year, as depicted in the Old Testament, consisted of twelve 30-day months so the first conversion would be to convert to the current 365-day year system. The result would be 2,483 years, 9 months and 21 days (or 906,295 days). Next, adjustments for leap years and other reforms. A Julian year is 11 minutes 10.46 seconds longer than the mean solar year, meaning the Julian calendar contains three leap years too many every four centuries. History records that an error of 11 days occurred in the year 1752 A.D. and was corrected by the Gregorian Reform which declared September 3 to be September 14, 1752, and also changed the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 as common years and 2000 as a leap year. The total number of days would be 906,295 days (2,483 365-day years), plus 614 days for leap years, plus 270 days (for the nine months) and adding the 21 days for a grand total of 907,200 days. There are two periods of time this period could be applied. The first is in regard to what is often called, “the servitude of the nation of Israel,” referring to the period Israel lost their independence. And the other in regard to the city of Jerusalem.
The Nation of Israel
A 70-year (based on 360-day year) punishment would be 25,200 days or 69 years (based on 365-day year) less two days. Israel lost its independence when the period the “Time of the Gentiles” began, believed to be in the year 606 B.C. Now add 69 years (the period of time already accounted for) to the year 537 B.C. If the release from captivity occurred on July 23, year and then adding the 907,200 days from that date brings us forward to May 14, 1948 (remember there is no year “0” between 1 B.C. and 1 A.D.) The day when David Ben Gurion, citing the book of Ezekiel as his authority, proclaimed “Israel” as the new Jewish homeland. The nation Israel would have been reestablished on the last day of the “Servitude of the Nation” as suggested by Ezekiel’s prophecy. Nebuchadnezzar began the period known as the “times of the Gentiles”. No king from the line of David has ruled over Israel since the Babylonian captivity.
The City of Jerusalem
The third siege of Nebuchadnezzar began what is called the ‘Desolation of Jerusalem’ record in history to be in 587 B.C., Using the same 69 years less 2 days (conversion from 360-day year to 365 day year) the seventy years of desolations ended in 518 B.C. If August 16, 518 B.C. was the completion of the Desolations of Jerusalem, then counting from this date brings us to June 7, 1967 when, as a consequence of the “Six Day War”, the Old City of Jerusalem fell under Israeli control for the first time since Jesus’ prediction. (see Luke 21:24).[36]
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[1] See Considerations under Genesis 31:54-55.
[2] See commentary under Genesis 49:16-18; Exodus 20:3-6; 23:24.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 6459.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 4676.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 4906.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 68.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 7812.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 5315.
[9] See commentary under Genesis 1:26-27; Considerations under Genesis 1:31 regarding Body, Soul, and Spirit; and the commentaries under Genesis 35:16-20 and Exodus 31:14.
[10] See also Considerations under Exodus 20:21 regarding legalism.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 3988.
[12] Strong’s Hebrew 1602.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 1115.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 928.
[15] Strong’s Hebrew 7829.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 1727.
[17] Strong’s Hebrew 1347.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 4347.
[19] See Considerations under Exodus 7:13-14.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 5358.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 5359.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 1698.
[23] See commentary under Exodus 5:4, 9:1 and Considerations under Exodus 7:13-14.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 3899.
[25] See commentary under Genesis 31:48-53; Exodus 29:1-2.
[26] Strong’s Hebrew 2534.
[27] Strong’s Hebrew 2553.
[28] Strong’s Hebrew 1602.
[29] Strong’s Hebrew 4816.
[30] See commentary under Genesis 12:1-3, see also Genesis 15:18-20.
[31] See Introduction to Leviticus chapter 25.
[32] See commentary under Leviticus 25:1-7 regarding not allowing the land to rest for 490 years.
[33] See commentary under Genesis 6:13.
[34] See commentary under Genesis 15:13-16.
[35] See considerations under Genesis 2:15-17.
[36] Missler, C. (2002) The Book of Leviticus. A recap of the Appendix of the Bible study notes regarding Ezekiel’s 430 years (pp. 204-205) Coeur d’Alene, ID. Koinonia House.