Leviticus 26:23-24
“And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse doesn't just say "if you keep walking against me," but implies a more deliberate, even reckless, stride: "if you walk contrary to me" suggests a conscious choice to stride alongside God's path, but in the opposite direction, as if on a parallel course, rather than simply stumbling. It highlights that ongoing rebellion isn't just a series of missteps, but a determined journey away from Him.
Following a series of blessings for obedience and increasingly severe punishments for continued disobedience, this verse marks a critical turning point. God has already warned of plagues, disease, and famine, but if Israel remains unrepentant and continues to defy Him, He declares He will actively oppose them. This sets the stage for the ultimate consequences of their rebellion: war, pestilence, famine, and captivity.
God’s discipline is meant to correct and restore. But what happens when it doesn't?
The verse highlights a critical turning point. After listing a series of “things” – God’s disciplines and judgments – this verse confronts a choice: to be reformed or to walk contrary to God. The phrase “if by this discipline you are not turned to me” implies that God's actions are intentional, designed to bring about repentance. However, it also acknowledges the stubbornness of the human heart. Even after experiencing consequences, a person might remain unmoved, choosing a path that directly opposes God’s will. This isn't just passive disobedience; it's an active stance against God, a refusal to be “turned” or corrected. It’s a profound spiritual posture of defiance.
Why does God describe disobedience as 'walking contrary' to Him? It has deep roots in His relationship with His people.
The concept of 'walking contrary' is not just about breaking rules; it’s a violation of the covenant relationship God established with Israel. God’s commands were the terms of their agreement, the pathway for blessing. To 'walk contrary' means to move in the opposite direction of God's established order and His very being. The commentaries suggest this 'walking contrary' is a deliberate act, like 'passing by His judgments with their eyes shut' or being in 'opposition to Me.' It’s a rejection not only of the specific commands but of the One who gave them. This adversarial posture is the opposite of the fellowship and partnership that God intended.
Understand the original words
musar · Hebrew Noun
Corrective punishment or training intended to produce repentance and holiness. It is not merely punitive but remedial, seeking to restore the relationship between God and His people.
This chapter lists the severe consequences and curses that would fall upon Israel if they disobeyed God's commands, mirroring the escalating judgments mentioned in Leviticus 26.
Jeremiah 3:12-14The prophet calls Israel to return and repent, highlighting their rebellious spirit and the consequences of 'walking contrary' to God, similar to the warning in Leviticus 26.
Ezekiel 5:11-17Ezekiel describes God's severe judgments upon Jerusalem for disobedience, including sword, famine, and pestilence, which directly reflect the curses threatened in Leviticus 26 for refusing to be reformed.
Romans 2:4-5Paul speaks of God's kindness leading to repentance but warns that despising this kindness and continuing in sin leads to accumulating wrath, echoing the theme of God's patient discipline being met with continued rebellion.
calvinLeviticus 26:14-45: "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;"
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain; for your enemies shall eat it.
Etiam ego faciam hoc vobis: constituam super vos terrorem, tabem, et febrem, consumentia oculos, et dolore afficientia animam, seretisque frustra semen vestrum: nam co…
pooleLeviticus 26:23: "And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;"
No text from Poole on this verse.
The verse doesn't just say "if you keep walking against me," but implies a more deliberate, even reckless, stride: "if you walk contrary to me" suggests a conscious choice to stride alongside God's path, but in the opposite direction, as if on a parallel course, rather than simply stumbling. It highlights that ongoing rebellion isn't just a series of missteps, but a determined journey away from Him.
Following a series of blessings for obedience and increasingly severe punishments for continued disobedience, this verse marks a critical turning point. God has already warned of plagues, disease, and famine, but if Israel remains unrepentant and continues to defy Him, He declares He will actively oppose them. This sets the stage for the ultimate consequences of their rebellion: war, pestilence, famine, and captivity.
Following a series of blessings for obedience and increasingly severe punishments for continued disobedience, this verse marks a critical turning point. God has already warned of plagues, disease, and famine, but if Israel remains unrepentant and continues to defy Him, He declares He will actively oppose them. This sets the stage for the ultimate consequences of their rebellion: war, pestilence, famine, and captivity.
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"“And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins." — The verse doesn't just say "if you keep walking against me," but implies a more deliberate, even reckless, stride: "if you walk contrary to me" suggests a conscious choice to stride alongside God's…
