Joel 2.18 ‘then the lord became jealous for his land’ Land reflects his character and glory.

2 Chron 7.14 ‘if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land’

Humble means if it is not God, it doesn’t happen. It is not by man’s strength but by the Holy Spirit.

Uncleaness
All that is unclean has to be cleansed before God can use it again. God will not touch the unclean.
If you defile something, you cleanse it. If we sin we repent and cleanse through blood of Jesus.

Land cursed
curse = to render powerless. To make infertile.
Every curse hinders God’s presence. Look for what caused the hindrance

Gen 3.17 Adam fell, ground cursed. Sin

Gen 4.10 Cain killed Able, ground cursed. Murder / bloodshed

Acts 1.18 Judas’suicide turned field to blood. Suicide

Lev 18.24-25
Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for by all these practices the nations I am casting out before you have defiled themselves. Thus the land became defiled; and I punished it for its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. Sexual defilement

Hos 4.1-3 ‘ Hear the word of the lord O people of Israel, for the lord has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land. Swearing, lying, murder and stealing break out; bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals, and the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea are perishing.’

Ez 16.25-27 ‘ You built yourself a platform and made yourself a lofty place in every square, at the head of every street you built your lofty place and prostituted your beauty, offering yourself to every passer by and multiplying your whorings….Therefore I stretched out my hand against you, reduced your rations, and gave you up to the will of your enemies…’
Lev 19.29 ‘do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, that the land not become prostituted and full of depravity.’ effects of prostitution

Poor stewardship of prostitution effects whole land area. Land takes on characteristics of what we do on it. (eg builings ‘feel’ presence of spirits church / worldly / aggression)

God’s judgment on land:
• Ez 14.13 famine
• Ez 14.17 war/unrest
• Ez 14.15 ecological devastation
• Ez 14.19 disease

Lev 26 is ‘5 cycles of discipline chapter’. From v. 14 ‘if you will not listen to me…
• 1 Illness, famine, defeat
• 2 Drought , bad harvest
• 3 Dread of dangerous animals
• 4 Disease, oppression from enemies
• 5 Devastation and removal from land

Must repent / God’s people live in righteousness before blessings.

God’s blessing

Lev 26 v 3-13 if you stay in fellowship
• grace
• economic health
• abundance of crops
• personal and national security
• honour and growth
• creativity and motivation.

be proud of God and not ashamed

Ez 36.27 promise of care
Ez 36.24-32 God’s strategy for the land – to bless and build.

Lev 26. 40 – 43 IF people confess iniquity, humble heart, make amends for iniquity, God will remember the covenant with Abraham for blessing. And God will remember the land – one day there will be a blessed repentant generation of Jews in Israel.

Gen 12.1-3 promises to Abraham
A great nation
A great name
Blessings for Abraham
Blessing for those that bless him, curses for those that curse.
Bless families of earth through him
Covenant made Gen 15 7-10

Mat 1.2 ancestry – God’s chosen lineage to bear Messiah and all who are in Jesus:
Abraham is the father of all who believe Rom 4.12 gentile believers linked to Abraham Isaac
Jacob Gal 3.8-9

Abraham’s son Ishmael – a threat to God’s seed removed
Esau twin of Jacob – descendants Edomites
Jacob’s descendants – Israel Gen 32.22-30 Jacob wrestled with Lord God at Peniel, prevailed, ‘Israel’ given as name to Jacob for a blessing.

We are rooted onto this spiritual olive tree. Rom 1.18

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