Spurn מָאַס

We are in chapter twenty-six of Leviticus with our word for today used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. מָאַס refuse, reject, despise, spurn, show contempt. It is used 74 times in the Old Testament, 3 times in our chapter. Our word is used in the sense to despise, to look down on with contempt. Judges 9:38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom מָאַ֣סְתָּה you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” Job 5:17 Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore תִּמְאָֽסdespise not the discipline of the Almighty. Job 7:16 מָ֭אַסְתִּי I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. Our word is also used in the sense to be rejected with contempt. Isaiah 54:6 For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when תִמָּאֵ֖ס she is cast off, says your God. Jeremiah 6:30 נִמְאָ֔ס Rejected silver they are called, for the Lord מָאַ֥סhas rejected them.” Our word is used the most often in the sense to reject with contempt, to spurn. A lot of time our word is used when the people are rejecting God. 1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not מָאָ֔סוּ rejected you, but מָאֲס֖וּ they have rejected me from being king over them. This is how our word is used 3 times in our chapter today. Leviticus 26:14-16 But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if תִּמְאָ֔סוּ you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 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. As we have seen several times that sin steals and obedience enriches. And that there are consequences to both obedience and disobedience. God is warning the people to not spurn his instruction or these consequences will come on them. We see this throughout the Bible. I’ll close with this Psalm that Jesus later identifies as applying to himself who was definitely rejected and spurned by us who he came to save. Psalm 118:22-23 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Matthew 21:37-42 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?