Levítico 25
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Levítico 25
Wiersbe - The focus in chapters 25 and 26 is on Israel in their land. In fact, the word “land” is used thirty-nine times in these two chapters. If the Israelites were to possess and enjoy their land, they had to recognize and respect some basic facts, the first of which was that God owned the land (Lev. 25:2, 23, 38) and had every right to dispose of it as He saw fit. God also owned the people of Israel (55), because He had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. Because they belonged to Him, all the Jews were to treat one another as brothers and sisters (vv. 25, 35–38) and not take advantage of one another when it came to personal debts or property claims. The Jews were expected to toil in their fields, but it was God who gave the increase (v. 21) and supplied them with sunshine, rain, and harvests. In other words, the people of Israel had God as their “land Lord” and had to live by faith in His Word. This meant obeying His commandments and trusting His promises. Another important fact emerges from this chapter: God was in control of the calendar. God not only gave His people their land and their food, but He also gave them special “times” to observe so that the land would not be ravaged and spoiled. God is concerned about ecology and the way we treat His creation. Like the ancient Jews, we today are but stewards of God’s gifts; we must be careful not to abuse or waste them. Had Israel obeyed these principles, their economic system would have functioned smoothly, the land would have provided all they needed, and everybody would have been cared for adequately. However, they didn’t obey the Lord. The result was that the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the land was ruined. (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:) Allan Mosley, et al - God Tells His People to Worship Only Him, So We Do Not Worship Possessions. In Leviticus 25:2 God says, “Observe a Sabbath to the Lord”—the Sabbath was to be kept “to the Lord.” The Sabbath was about Him; it was dedicated to Him. In Leviticus 25:17 God says, “Fear your God, for I am Yahweh your God.” Fear God, reverence God, and worship God. Leviticus 25:36 says again, “Fear your God,” and in Leviticus 25:38 God says, “I am Yahweh your God.” Again, verse 43 says, “Fear your God,” and in Leviticus 25:55 God says, “I am Yahweh your God.” God wasn’t just telling His people how to relate to the land; He was telling them how to relate to Him. The importance of relating to God properly is crucial if we are going to understand Leviticus 25 and most of Old Testament history. Ultimately, the way we think about things and the way we spend money are not about dollars and cents; they are about who is our God. God’s people were anticipating leaving the Sinai wilderness and entering the land of milk and honey. They were about to get a big pay raise. This was as close as they could get to winning the lottery. They were moving from slavery to prosperity. God was preparing them for that change by telling them to remember that He is God. The land is not God; don’t worship the land. The harvest is not God; don’t worship the harvest. The rain is not God; the real God gives the rain, the harvest, and the land. Worship Him. God knew that in Canaan His people were going to live next to the Canaanites, and the Canaanites worshiped prosperity. They worshiped fertility and called it “Baal.” They worshiped the grain harvest and called it “Dagon.” Water sustains life, so they worshiped the river and called it “Nahar.” The sea is powerful, so they worshiped the sea and called it “Yamm.” We who live in the enlightened, modern West think, “What a primitive religion!” However, many people in our culture have the same religion, and some followers of Jesus try to worship Jesus and prosperity at the same time. Our gods have different names—“BMW” and “Beachfront Property,” “G.P.A.” and “Popularity,” “Lucrative Career” and “Comfortable Retirement.” Some followers of Jesus try to worship such gods and Jesus at the same time. It does not work. Jesus said, "No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money." (Matt 6:24-note) We have to choose which God we are going to worship—Jesus or money. We cannot worship both. The Israelites were surrounded by people who worshiped multiple gods. But the one true God told His people to be different. In Leviticus 25 God told them, “I am Yahweh your God,” “Fear your God.” God tells His people to worship only Him. Therefore, we do not worship possessions. (See context in Exalting Jesus in Leviticus) Eugene Merrill - Holiness is wider than religious observance—how one relates vertically with one’s God: It encompasses all of life, including how one relates horizontally, living justly and in harmony with one’s fellow human beings and with the earth itself. This chapter discusses occasions when these aspects of life were given singular consideration, a special sabbatical year (Lev 25:2b–7) and a Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8–22). Both of these events had a theological motivation, but they also had economic and social ramifications for Israel. (See Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) A C Gaebelein's summary of Levitcus 25 This is the great restoration chapter in Leviticus. All is connected pre-eminently with Israel’s land. The application, which has been made, that this chapter foreshadows a universal restitution of all things, including the wicked dead and Satan as well, is unscriptural. If such a restitution were true the Bible would contradict itself. The Sabbatic year could only be kept after Israel came into the land. “When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord.” And Jehovah uttered these words from Mount Sinai and not from the tabernacle (Lev. 1:1). Every seventh year, the land which belongs to Jehovah, and which was not to be sold, had to enjoy complete rest. See what gracious promises Jehovah had given in connection with the Sabbatic year (Lev 25:20–22). Jehovah was the Lord of the land, the owner of the land, and Israel received the land as a gift; they were the tenants. Beautifully the Lord said: “Ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.” When Israel sinned and broke the laws of Jehovah, when they did not give the land its rest, then the Lord drove the people out of the land. Read here Lev 26:32–35. “And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies which dwelt therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you, and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her Sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your Sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.” This prediction has been fulfilled. Israel is scattered among the nations of the earth and the land is desolate, a witness for the Word of God. Jehovah in giving the law concerning the Sabbatic year, gave to His people a picture of that coming rest, and the assurance of joy and blessing. But they failed. The year of Jubilee shows clearly the restoration which is in store of Israel and Israel’s land. It points once more to the millenial times of blessing and glory. How blessedly is that coming age of restoration and of glory seen in the year of Jubilee! Without entering into details we give a few of the Divine statements. What did the Jubilee year mean to Israel? Liberty was proclaimed; every man returned to his possession; every man to his family; all wrongs were righted and the redemption of the bondmen took place. Seven times the word “Return” is used; and oftener the word “Redeem.” It was the time of returning, the blessed time of restoration and redemption. And how was this year of Jubilee ushered in? By the sound of the trumpet of the Jubilee on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement. This great year of returning and redemption began with the day of atonement. Most likely after the high priest had returned from his holy office work and sprinkling of blood; after he had put the sins of the people upon the scapegoat and that sacrificial animal bearing upon its head Israel’s sin had vanished in the wilderness, the trumpet sounded. What all this means we have seen in the annotations of the “day of atonement” chapter. The year of Jubilee begins, when our Lord comes back from the Holiest and appears in the midst of His people. And this time of restoration, blessing and glory is not confined to Israel’s land. It means more than the promised blessings for that land. We have the year of Jubilee in Romans 8:19–23. We must not forget the significance of the time, the fiftieth year. The day of Pentecost came fifty days after the resurrection of Christ from among the dead. And the fiftieth day brought, as the result of the death and resurrection of Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the formation of the church began. It came on the eighth day, the first day of the week. The year of Jubilee may well be termed another Pentecost. On that day a great outpouring of the Spirit of God will take place (Joel 2:28). The kingdom with all its glories and blessings will be established upon the earth. And how much more might be added to these blessed foreshadowings of the good things to come! (The Annotated Bible) Matthew
Levítico 25
Wiersbe applies these truths writing "It’s a basic principle of life that whatever we rob from God, we can never keep and enjoy ourselves. In my pastoral ministry, I’ve met people who robbed God of tithes and offerings, only to end up paying extra money for medical bills or car repairs. I recall one church member bringing his family budget book to my office, just to show me how God had begun to bless him when he stopped robbing the Lord. His figures showed that every dollar he took from God had to be spent on some emergency need, and he never got to use that money himself. By disobeying the law of the Sabbath Year, the Jews robbed themselves not only of spiritual blessings but also of the strength of the land and of their servants and farm animals. By working the same land, year after year, they got their harvests, but they lost the renewal that comes from allowing the land to lie fallow and the workers to rest. They also lost the blessings that come from sharing with the needy, and they robbed God of the glory He would have received as the other nations saw how much He blessed His people. It was a costly mistake on their part, and they paid for it dearly." (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:) Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim on The Sabbatical Year - Though not strictly connected with the Temple services, it may be desirable briefly to refer to the observance of the Sabbatical year, as it was strictly enforced at the time of Christ. It was otherwise with the year of Jubilee. Strangely, there are traces of the latter during the period before the return from Babylon (1 Kings 21:3; Isa. 5:8; 37:30; 61:1–3; Ezek. 1:1; 7:12; Micah 2:2), while the Sabbatical year seems to have been systematically neglected. Hence Jewish tradition explains, in accordance with 2 Chron. 36:21, that the seventy years’ captivity were intended to make up the neglected Sabbatical years—commencing the calculation, if it be taken literally, from about the accession of King Solomon. But while, after the return from Babylon, the year of Jubilee was no longer kept, at least, as a religious ordinance, the Sabbatical year was most strictly observed, not only by the Jews (Neh. 10:31; 1 Macc. 6:49, 53; Jos. Antiq. 13. 8, 1; 14. 10, 6; xv. 1, 2; Jew. Wars, 1. 2–4.), but also by the Samaritans.(Antiq. 11. 8, 6.) Jewish tradition has it, that as it took seven years for the first conquest, and other seven for the proper division of the Holy Land, ‘tithes’ were for the first time paid fourteen years after the entrance of Israel into Canaan; and the first Sabbatical year fell seven years later, or in the twenty-first year of their possession of Palestine. The Sabbatical law extended only to the soil of Palestine itself, which, however, included certain surrounding districts. The Rabbis add this curious proviso, that it was lawful to use (though not to store or sell) the spontaneous produce of the land throughout the extent originally possessed by Israel, but that even the use of these products was prohibited in such districts as having originally belonged to, were again occupied by Israel after their return from Babylon. But this, as other rules laid down by the Rabbis, had many exceptions. (The Temple) Leviticus 25:8 'You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. NLT "In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven years times seven, adding up to forty-nine years in all. RELEASE AND RESTORATION: THE YEAR OF JUBILEE Seven Sabbaths of years...seven times seven years - As mentioned in these notes there is not clear evidence that Israel ever kept the Sabbatical Year. In fact one of the primary reasons they were sent into exile in Babylon was for their failure to obey the instructions in Leviticus 25. And so in Second Chronicles we read... And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. (2 Chr 36:20, 21, cp Jer 25:11, 29:10 and Daniel 9:2) Why 70 years? Because they had failed to observe and keep 70 Sabbaths! Using simple math, this means that for 490 years prior to the Babylonians exile in 586 the nation had not obeyed God and given the land a year of rest. It is therefore highly likely that during this period they also failed to obey God's instructions regarding the Year of Jubilee! Indeed, we have no record, Scriptural or extra-Biblical, that they ever celebrated the Year of Jubilee! There is one Scripture which might be interpreted that Judah "temporarily" kept the Year of Jubilee. During the reign of King Zedekiah Jerusalem was under siege by Babylon and the king made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release (deror) of the slaves (Jer 34:8) to which they capitulated (Jer 34:9, 10). Unfortunately the people had a change of heart, when the Babylonian siege was temporarily lifted, and took back their slaves (Jer 34:11). God's response to their breaking of the covenant was swift and striking Although recently you [had] turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,’ declares the LORD, ‘to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jer 34:15, 17) Jeremiah then announced that the people would have "freedom" to fall by the plague, sword, and famine (Jer 34:15, 17). Jubilee means "the sound of the trumpet" from the Hebrew word yobel meaning a ram's horn. Criswell - Every fiftieth year was designated a Year of Jubilee, and the jubilee trumpet (shophar) was blown on the Day of Atonement. During the year of jubilee there was to be no sowing or reaping, all land being returned to its original owner and slaves to their families. According to Lu 4:17-21, the Year of Jubilee served as a type of deliverance by Christ from the bondage and slavery of sin (Jn 8:36; Ga 5:1). Lindsey makes a very interesting observation regarding the year of Jubilee - The Year of Jubilee is not mentioned in the Old Testament outside the Pentateuch. There is no direct biblical evidence regarding its observance in Israel’s history, but if its practice was normal, there might have been no occasion to mention it. On the other hand, the apparent failure of Israelites to keep the sabbatical years during the monarchial period (cf. 26:34–35, 43; 2 Chron. 36:20–21) suggests that the Jubilee might also have been violated. (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament)
Levítico 25
Wiersbe - For the people of Israel, each new year opened with the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month (Keep in mind that the Jewish religious year began in April with Passover - Ex. 12:2; their civil year began with the Feast of Trumpets seven months later), and ten days later, the people celebrated the Day of Atonement by fasting, repenting, and offering the required sacrifices. But every fiftieth year, at the close of the celebration of the Day of Atonement, the horns were blown again to announce that the Year of Jubilee had begun. It would require a great deal of faith for the people to celebrate this special year, because the previous year—the forty-ninth—would have been a Sabbath year when the fields, vineyards, and orchards would not have been cultivated. The Jews had to trust God to provide for them for the forty-ninth and fiftieth years, and also during the fifty-first year while they waited for the harvest. God certainly wouldn’t fail them, but their faith might fail. In fact, there’s no evidence in Scripture that the nation of Israel ever celebrated the Year of Jubilee. (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:) The Year of Jubilee is a beautiful picture of our Kinsman-Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, the One in Whom this great truth is fully and forever fulfilled. Play the great song by Michael Card and worship the One Who has set us free indeed! Jubilee Michael Card The Lord provided for a time for the slaves to be set free For the debts to all be canceled so His chosen ones could see His deep desire was for forgiveness, He longed to see their liberty And His yearning was embodied in the Year of Jubilee Chorus: Jubilee, Jubilee Jesus is our Jubilee Debts forgiven Slaves set free Jesus is our Jubilee At the Lord's appointed time His deep desire became a man The heart of all true jubilation and with joy we understand In his voice we hear a trumpet sound that tells us we are free He is the incarnation Of the year of Jubilee (Chorus) To be so completely guilty, given over to despair To look into your judges face, and see a Savior there (Chorus) Universal reign of Christ. 1 HARK! the song of Jubilee, Loud as mighty thunders roar, Or the fulness of the sea, When it breaks upon the shore; Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent shall reign; Hallelujah! let the word Echo round the earth and main. Alfred Edersheim - The Number Seven THE symbolical character which is to be traced in all the institutions of the Old Testament, appears also in the arrangement of its festive calendar. Whatever classification of the festivals may be proposed, one general characteristic pervades the whole. Unquestionably, the number seven marks in Scripture the sacred measurement of time. The Sabbath is the seventh of days; seven weeks after the commencement of the ecclesiastical year is the Feast of Pentecost; the seventh month is more sacred than the rest, its ‘firstborn’ or ‘New Moon’ being not only devoted to the Lord like those of the other months, but specially celebrated as the ‘Feast of Trumpets,’ while three other festivals occur within its course—the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and its Octave. Similarly, each seventh year is Sabbatical, and after seven times seven years comes that of Jubilee. Nor is this all. Seven days in the year may be designated as the most festive, since in them alone ‘no servile work’ was to be done, while on the so-called minor festivals (Moed Katon), that is, on the days following the first of the Passover week and of that of Tabernacles, the diminution of festive observances and of restrictions on labour marks their less sacred character. (The Temple) The Year of Jubilee - R C Sproul At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. [Deut. 15:1] In Deuteronomy 15 Moses told the people to keep the sabbath years God had established. Leviticus 25 develops the sabbath year laws and their meaning. Every seventh year the land was to lie fallow. Everybody’s land was to rest at the same time. This required a great deal of faith: “What shall we eat?” “What if the following year we suffer crop failure? We shall have no reserve.” Yet God promised that in the sixth year he would send a triple harvest to carry the nation through (Lev. 25:20–22). This promise of abundance was significant. The land itself would join in an act of obedience and worship; people and nature would share a first step toward the reversal of the effects of the curse. In the sabbath year certain debts were canceled, specifically charity loans. God warned the people not to harden their hearts against the poor as they saw the year of release drawing near. Those who lent to the poor without interest, and whose loan wound up being canceled in the sabbath year, could count on God to make up the difference. The sabbath year was for Old Testament Israel only, but the obligation to be openhearted toward the poor is for us as well. After 49 years (seven sabbath year cycles) there was an extra sabbath called the jubilee. This fiftieth year was a super-sabbath for the land. In the jubilee, all of the land of Israel temporarily reverted to its true owner, the Lord. To understand the jubilee, remember that God, as owner, had taken the land of Canaan from the Canaanites. They had forfeited the right to dwell there through their sinfulness. As Israel conquered Canaan, God parceled out his land to the tribes. Each family received a permanent plot of good land. If it became necessary to sell the plot to raise money, the land only temporarily changed hands. In effect what was sold was not the land itself but the crops the land would produce until the jubilee. At the jubilee, God took his land back and returned it to the original steward families. Immigrants might lease land, but they would lose it in the jubilee; thus, they settled in cities, for land in the cities was not covered under the jubilee law. In the new covenant, the spiritual and moral teaching of the jubilee continues to be relevant. In Luke 4:19 Jesus proclaimed that the great jubilee had come. God was taking the earth back from Satan and would give it, little by little, generation by generation, to his faithful stewards. Coram Deo - The jubilee year meant release from debt and bondage. It was a type of the jubilee that Jesus inaugurated. Salvation in Christ is God’s jubilee to his people. From what has God released you? How can you act as a faithful steward by showing love to someone who seems oppressed in spiritual and emotional captivity? JUBILEE YEAR [ISBE] JUBILEE YEAR - (shenath ha-yobhel; etos tes apheseos; annus jubilaeus, "year of jubilee" (Lev 25:13), or simply ha-yobhel, "the jubilee" (Lev 25:28; compare Nu 36:4), the King James Version and the English Revised Version Jubile): The Hebrew word yobhel stands for qeren ha-yobhel, meaning the horn of a ram. Now, such a horn can be made into a trumpet, and thus the word yobhel came to be used as a synonym of trumpet. According to Lev 25:9 a loud trumpet should proclaim liberty throughout the country on the 10th day of the 7th month (the Day of Atonement), after the lapse of 7 sabbaths of years = 49 years. In this manner, every 50th year was to be announced as a jubilee year. All real property should automatically revert to its original owner (Lev 25:10; compare 25:13), and those who, compelled by poverty, had sold themselves as slaves to their brothers, should regain their liberty (Lev 25:10; compare 25:39). In addition to this, the Jubilee Year was to be observed after the manner of the sabbatic year, i.e. there should be neither sowing nor reaping nor pruning of vines, and everybody was expected to live on what the fields and the vineyards produced "of themselves," and no attempt should be made at storing up the products of the land (Lev 25:11 f). Thus there are three distinct factors constituting the essential features of the Jubilee Year: personal liberty, restitution of property, and what we might call the simple life. 1. Personal Liberty: The 50th year was to be a time in which liberty should be proclaimed to all the inhabitants of the country. We should, indeed, diminish the import of this institution if we should apply it only to those who were to be freed from the bonds of physical servitude. Undoubtedly, they must have been the foremost in realizing its beneficial effects. But the law was intended to benefit all, the masters as well as the servants. They should never lose sight of their being brothers and citizens of theocratic kingdom. They owed their life to God and were subject to His sovereign will. Only through loyalty to Him were they free and could ever hope to be free and independent of all other masters. 2. Restitution of Property: The institution of the Jubilee Year should become the means of fixing the price of real property (Lev 25:15 f; compare 25:25-28); moreover, it should exclude the possibility of selling any piece of land permanently (Lev 25:23), the next verse furnishing the motive: "The land is mine: for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." The same rule was to be applied to dwelling-houses outside of the walled cities (Lev 25:31), and also to the houses owned by Levites, although they were built within walled cities (Lev 25:32). In the same manner the price of Hebrew slaves was to vary according to the proximity of the Jubilee Year (Lev 25:47-54). This passage deals with the enslaving of a Hebrew by a foreigner living among the Jews; it goes without saying that the same rule would hold good in the case of a Hebrew selling himself to one of his own people. In Lev 27:17-25 we find a similar arrangement respecting such lands that were "sanctified unto Yahweh." In all these cases the original owner was at liberty to redeem his property at any time, or have it redeemed by some of his nearest relatives (25:25-27,29,48 ff; 27:19). The crowning feature, though, was the full restitution of all real property in the Jubilee Year. The primary object of this regulation was, of course, the reversion of all hereditary property to the family which originally possessed it, and the reestablishment of the original arrangement regarding the division of the land. But that was not all; for this legal disposition and regulation of external matters was closely connected with the high calling of the Jewish people. It was a part of the Divine plan looking forward to the salvation of mankind. "The deepest meaning of it (the Jubilee Year) is to be found in the apokatastasis tes basileias tou theou, i.e. in the restoring of all that which in the course of time was perverted by man's sin, in the removing of all slavery of sin, in the establishing of the true liberty of the children of God, and in the delivering of the creation from the bondage of corruption to which it was subjected on account of man's depravity" (Rom 8:19 ff) (compare Keil, Manual of Biblical Archaeology). In the Year of Jubilee a great future era of Yahweh's favor is foreshadowed, that period which, according to Isa 61:1-3, shall be ushered in to all those that labor and are heavy laden, by Him who was anointed by the spirit of the Lord Yahweh. 3. The Simple Life: The Jubilee Year, being the crowning point of all sabbatical institutions, gave the finishing touch as it were to the whole cycle of sabbatic days, months and years. It is, therefore, quite appropriate that it should be a year of rest for the land like the preceding sabbatic year (Lev 25:11 f). It follows, of course, that in this instance there were two years, one after the other, in which there should be no sowing or systematic ingathering. This seems to be clear from Lev 25:18-22: "And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, ye shall eat the old store." Thus in the 7th and 8th years the people were to live on what the fields had produced in the 6th year and whatever grew spontaneously. This shows the reason why we may say that one of the factors constituting the Jubilee Year was the "simple life." They could not help but live simply for two consecutive years. Nobody can deny that this afforded ample opportunity to develop the habit of living within very limited means. And again we see that this external part of the matter did not fully come up to the intention of the Lawgiver. It was not the simple life as such that He had in view, but rather the laying down of its moral and religious foundations. In this connection we must again refer to Lev 25:18-22, "What shall we eat the seventh year?" The answer is very simple and yet of surpassing grandeur: "Then I will command my blessing upon you," etc. Nothing was expected of the people but faith in Yahweh and confidence in His power, which was not to be shaken by any doubtful reflection. And right here we have found the root of the simple life: no life without the true God, and no simplicity of life without true faith in Him. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4; compare Dt 8:3). We may well ask: Did the Jewish people ever observe the Jubilee Year? There is no reason why they should not have observed it in pre-exilic times (compare Lotz in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, X, under the word "Sabbatical Year" and "Year of Jubilee"). Perhaps they signally failed in it, and if so, we should not be surprised at all. Not that the institution in itself was cumbered with any obstacles that could not have been overcome; but what is more common than unbelief and unwillingness to trust absolutely in Yahweh? Or, was it observed in post-exilic times? Here, too, we are in the dark. There is, indeed, a tradition according to which the Jubilee Year has never been observed--neither in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah nor at any later period. The truth of this seems to be corroborated by the silence of Josephus, who, while referring quite frequently to the sabbatic year, never once mentions the Year of Jubilee. William Baur Related Resources: Easton's Dictionary - Jubilee Smith's Dictionar - Jubilee What is the Year of Jubilee? | GotQuestions.org Wikipedia - Jubilee Leviticus 25:9 'You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. Jubilee (KJV): Lev 25:10-12 27:17,24 Nu 36:4 of the jubilee to sound (KJV): Heb. loud of sound, Nu 10:10 Ps 89:15 Ac 13:38,39 Ro 10:18 15:19 2Co 5:19-21 1Th 1:8 the day (KJV): Lev 16:20,30 23:24,27 Greek (Septuagint) kai diaggeleite salpiggos phone en pase te ge humon te meni to hebdomo te dekate tou menos te hemera tou hilasmou (1Jn2:2,4:10) diaggeleite salpiggi en pase te ge humon LXE In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall make a proclamation with the sound of a trumpet in all your land; on the day of atonement ye shall make a proclamation with a trumpet in all your land. CSB Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. ESV Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. KJV Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. NET You must sound loud horn blasts– in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement– you must sound the horn in your entire land. NIV Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. NLT Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year, blow the ram's horn loud and long throughout the land. YLT and thou hast caused a trumpet of shouting to pass over in the seventh month, in the tenth of the month; in the day of the atonements ye do cause a trumpet to pass over through all your land; THE DAY OF ATONEMENT OPENS THE YEAR OF JUBILEE TENTH DAY OF THE 7th MONTH: This day corresponds to the DAY OF ATONEMENT (Lev 16:29 23:27 25:9, Heb 9:7): Apparently on years that were not JUBILEE, there was no sounding of a SHOPHAR as on this glorious day The day of Atonement is described in Leviticus 16:29-34 [This] shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; 30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 “It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. 32 “So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 “Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, [so] he did. In short the nation would begin the Year of Jubilee with a time of repentance and cleansing. They had to be right with God or they would never obey some of the serious instructions associated with Jubilee such as freeing their slaves and restoring their land to their former owners.
Levítico 25
Wiersbe - Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Luke 4:16+ And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” Wiersbe comments on Isaiah 61:1–3 that "Jesus took these verses as His text when He preached in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-19+) and announced that He was ushering in the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25). It is a time of releasing the slaves, canceling all debts, and making a new beginning. Today, those who trust Christ begin to enjoy their Jubilee; those who reject Him face judgment. Warren Wiersbe - The Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8–17, 23–24) The OT Jewish calendar functioned on a series of “sevens.” The seventh day of the week was the Sabbath. Seven weeks after Passover came Pentecost, and the seventh month of the year introduces the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Every seventh year was a “Sabbatic Year,” and after seven Sabbatic years came the Year of Jubilee..... The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word yobel which means “ram’s horn.” This special year was announced by the blowing of trumpets on the Day of Atonement. Thus, the year began with fasting and repentance as the nation confessed its sins to the Lord (Lev. 16). During that year, the people reclaimed the land that had been sold so that it would not go out of the control of the family or clan. Any Jew purchasing property would calculate the price until the next Year of Jubilee when the land would revert back to the original owner. How much food it could produce in that time was a major consideration. As in the Sabbatic year, the land was to lie fallow during the Year of Jubilee. The people would have to trust God to provide what they needed for the Sabbatic year (the forty-ninth), the Year of Jubilee (the fiftieth), and the fifty-first year when they would again plant seed. There would not be a new harvest until the next year. The people did not own the land, therefore they couldn’t sell it permanently. God gave them the land (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:7; 17:8; Deut. 5:16) and permitted them to use it, and He would always control it. The people were to walk in the fear of the Lord and not use their wealth to oppress one another. The slaves were released during this special year, so that families would be reunited. The statement “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land” (v. 10) is engraved on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The Year of Jubilee looks forward to the kingdom age when Jesus Christ will reign in glory and fulfill the promises made to the Jewish people. Read Isa. 61 and see what God has planned for the nation of Israel. In a spiritual sense, the Year of Jubilee also pictures our Christian life (Luke 4:16–21, which is quoted from Isa. 61:1–2). In His reading of the OT in the synagogue that Sabbath in Nazareth, Jesus stopped with “the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:19), which refers to the Year of Jubilee. He did not read “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isa. 61:2), for that day of judgment will not come until after God has finished His present program of “calling out a people for His name” (Acts 15:14).' Wiersbe in Pause for Power - Jubilee! I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Isaiah 61:8 Every seven years, the Jews were to observe a “sabbatical year” and allow the land to rest. After seven sabbaticals, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the “Year of Jubilee.” During that year, all debts were to be canceled, all land returned to the original owners, the slaves were to be freed, and everybody was to be given a fresh new beginning. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are living today in a spiritual “Year of Jubilee.” You have been set free from bondage; your spiritual debt to the Lord has been paid; you are living in “the acceptable year of the LORD” (Isa. 61:2 KJV; also quoted in Luke 4:19 KJV). Instead of the ashes of mourning, you have a crown on your head (Isa. 61:3); for He has made you a king (Rev. 1:6 KJV). You have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and you wear a garment of righteousness (Isa. 61:3). Something to Ponder - In what ways do you demonstrate your freedom from bondage or release from spiritual debt? (See context in Pause for Power) Wiersbe notes on Isaiah 61 has the following related to Jubilee... The beginning of a new life (Isa. 61:1–11) The Lord speaks (Isa. 61:1–9). Jesus quoted from this passage when He spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth, and He applied this Scripture to Himself (Luke 4:16–21). (Note that Isa. 61:1 names the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.) However, He did not quote, “And the day of vengeance of our God” from verse 2 because that day is yet to come (Isa 34:8; 35:4; 63:4). The background of this passage is the “Year of Jubilee” described in Leviticus 25:7ff. Every seven years, the Jews were to observe a “sabbatical year” and allow the land to rest. After seven sabbaticals, or forty-nine years, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the “Year of Jubilee.” During that year, all debts were canceled, all land was returned to the original owners, the slaves were freed, and everybody was given a fresh new beginning. This was the Lord’s way of balancing the economy and keeping the rich from exploiting the poor. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are living today in a spiritual “Year of Jubilee.” You have been set free from bondage; your spiritual debt to the Lord has been paid; you are living in “the acceptable year of the Lord.” Instead of the ashes of mourning, you have a crown on your head; for He has made you a king (Rev. 1:6). You have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and you wear a garment of righteousness (Isa. 61:3, 10). In her days of rebellion, Israel was like a fading oak and a waterless garden (1:30); but in the kingdom, she will be like a watered garden (58:11) and a tree (oak) of righteousness (61:3). But all of God’s people should be His trees (Ps. 1:1–3), “the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified” (Isa. 61:3). In their kingdom “Year of Jubilee,” the Jewish people will rebuild, repair, and restore their land; and the Gentiles will shepherd Israel’s flocks and herds and tend to their crops. Instead of being farmers and shepherds, the Jews will be priests and ministers! God will acknowledge them as His firstborn (Ex. 4:22) and give them a double portion of His blessing (Isa. 61:7; Deut. 21:17). The “everlasting covenant” of Isaiah 61:8 is described in Jeremiah 31:31–37 and includes the blessings of the New Covenant that Jesus Christ instituted by His death (Heb. 10:1–18; Matt. 26:28). Note that Isaiah 61:9 speaks of the Jews’ “descendants.” Those who enter into the millennial kingdom will marry, have families, and enjoy God’s blessings on the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1–5). They will study God’s Word from generation to generation (Isa. 59:21). The prophet speaks (Isa. 61:10–11). Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the remnant who are praising God for all He has done. They rejoice that He has cleansed them and clothed them and turned their desert into a fruitful garden (55:10). They have gone from a funeral to a wedding! (See context in Bible Exposition Commentary) Warren Wiersbe on Leviticus 25 Resources. The Sabbatical Year (vv. 1–7) and the Year of Jubilee (vv. 8–55; jubal means “to blow a trumpet”) were based on two propositions: “The land is Mine” (v. 23), and “The children of Israel are My servants” (vv. 42; 55). God owns the land; we are stewards of what He has shared with us. We must use His resources wisely for His glory, for one day we must give an account of our stewardship (Luke 16:1ff.). Rest. There was also an ecological purpose behind these laws, for obedience to them would grant rest to the land, to the beasts who helped work the land, and to the people. Along with the weekly Sabbath, the two events reminded Israel that rest and work go together and that people and God-given resources must not be exploited. Riches. There was an economic purpose, for God had a concern for the poor and afflicted (vv. 25, 35, 39, 47). Had Israel obeyed the law of the Year of Jubilee, it would have helped to balance the economy, and the rich would have had difficulty exploiting the poor. Responsibility. But the overriding purpose was spiritual, a reminder that Jehovah was Lord of both the land and the people, and that Israel had the responsibility to trust Him for everything. They could not sow during either the forty-ninth or fiftieth year but had to wait for the harvest of the fifty-first year. That would take faith (vv. 18–22)! Redemption. Jesus used the Year of Jubilee to picture salvation (Luke 4:16–21). Today He offers rest and freedom to all who will trust Him. We are living now in the Year of Jubilee. (See context in With the Word: The Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Handbook) Isaiah 61:2 - While the name Jubilee is not found, the concept is found and this was applied by Jesus in his first public sermon in His home town... Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes... The fourth passage (THAT DEALS WITH JUBILEE IN THE OT) gives the messianic implication of the Law of the Year of Jubilee: to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn. In the Mosaic Law, the Year of Jubilee was a year of favor, a year of special grace. Part of the Messiah’s mission was to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor. This was part of the message of the First Coming. This is stated to be such in Luke 4:17–19, which quotes this passage. What Yeshua declared was the year of Jehovah’s favor, that the blessings of the Year of Jubilee were being fulfilled in His messianic mission. Leviticus 25:8-24 TODAY IN THE WORD According to The Wall Street Journal, tax amnesty programs in New Jersey and Rhode Island earlier this year allowed thousands of delinquent taxpayers to settle their accounts with Uncle Sam. New Jersey’s program was especially successful. The state not only allowed businesses and individuals to pay late taxes without prosecution, but also waived all penalties and interest on the delinquent taxes. It’s evident that many people couldn’t pass up the chance to set things straight with “the powers that be.” Amnesty programs are successful because it makes us feel good to get things back to their rightful owners, whether it’s overdue taxes or that tool we borrowed from our neighbor and never returned. God established an amnesty program of His own for ancient Israel. It was called the “Year of Jubilee,” and it went into effect every fifty years. The purpose of Jubilee is spelled out very clearly in our text. Its purpose was to “proclaim liberty” (Leviticus 25:10) throughout Israel by the return of all land and slaves to the family from which they had been purchased. By voiding all such transactions after a reasonable period, the Lord was making several powerful points to His people. First, He was teaching them that no Hebrew should be in permanent servitude to another, and no family in Israel should be left destitute by being forced to sell land to pay debts. But the primary lesson of Jubilee is theological. This festival was a pointed reminder that God retained first rights of ownership on His people and the land (Leviticus 25:23). Each family’s plot of ground in Canaan was “on loan” from the Lord, and they were not free to do absolutely anything they wanted with it. TODAY ALONG THE WAY To the world’s way of thinking, a provision such as Jubilee seems radical andd unreal. But it’s the world that needs a reality check, not God. The Times of Restitution - Robert Neighbour "Whom the Heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the month of His holy Prophets" (Acts 3:21) What a wealth of research is suggested in these words for us. A matter which is spoken of not once, nor twice, but something which is frequently set forth by all the holy Prophets. The testimony of these Prophets is before us. Are we too lazy or too indifferent to seek out their revelation of the times of restitution? 1. What a blessed name for the days which shall follow Christ's return. The times of restitution of all things — that is, everything lost will be restored. Let us begin in the Garden of Eden. Let us study, for awhile, the glory of those days. As we consider Adam environed in a nature gone wild with joy, and nature untouched by sin; as we study marriage as God gave it, as Adam and Eve knew it, we ask, "Will Edenic conditions be restored? Let us go to the testimony of the Prophets. What do they say? Enough to make you shout and sing for joy! They tell us that this travailing earth, brought under bondage by the sin of man, shall laugh and sing under the liberty of the children of God. 2. Is it right to linger long upon the accounts of our losses to emphasize the blight of sin? The Word of God and the pages of history both alike tell the story of the wreckage that is all about us. The Word tells us something else, it tells how man has tried to regain the paradise he lost, to re-estate himself in his former glory. Side by side with man's sin and loss, the Word records man's effort to restore his loss. Early accounts of this titanic task are written in Genesis 4:16-24. How was the fall with the loss of Eden offset? By the building of a city; by the making of harps and organs, by artificers in brass and iron. Yet, man has failed. He has sought out many inventions and tried in every way to bring Eden back again, but all is of no avail. Man's pathway is strewn with wreckage. The weird wail of broken hearts, the maddened cry of spoiled hopes fill the air. Haste Thou then the times of Thy return, O Lord; for then will be the times of the restitution of all things. 3. What restitution will mean. When Christ returns the poor and the needy will come into their own; the blind eyes will be opened; the ears of the deaf will be unstopped; the lame will leap as an hart. The year of jubilee is the type of that day of restitution. The fiftieth year, jubilee, was marked by restitution. What did God say: "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. "A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the vine undressed. "For it is the jubilee, it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field" (Lev. 25:10-12). Thus we may anticipate another day — the day of the Lord's reign when God will restore all things. 1. He will restore the preserved of Israel (see Isa. 49:6). 2. He will restore health to Israel (see Jer. 30:17). 3. He will restore all things (see Matt. 17:11). May God hasten the day of this blessed Times of Restitution A VACATION WITH GOD Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. A common complaint today is that people are too busy. Too busy to sleep, too busy to relate to others, too busy to enjoy life. And all this “too busyness” produces tired, stressed-out people who are hobbled in their ability to enjoy the presence of God. The year of jubilee was a time to get off the hamster wheel of moneymaking and trust in God’s provision. It was a time to relax and let life flow back into the mold God had made for it. Longer than a Sabbath, longer even than a religious festival, jubilee was an extended period in which God’s people were given the opportunity to gaze on the face of God until that face became clear, in all its loveliness, through the haze of everyday concerns. Oh, what freedom! Who among us could not benefit from an extended period in which to put down our tools and spend our time gazing on God? Our own jubilee experiences can be times when worship goes from being an interlude to being the permanent cast of our nature. It is in these times that we can learn what it means to keep in step with the Spirit and pray without ceasing. You don’t need to wait for an extended period of time to experience jubilee. Make a point to schedule a time of “mini-jubilee” today. PRAYER Lord, please meet me … Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow! 1 Blow ye the trumpet, blow! The gladly solemn sound; Let all the nations know, To earth’s remotest bound, The year of jubilee is come; Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. 2 Exalt the Lamb of God The sin atoning Lamb! Redemption by his blood, Through every land, proclaim; The year of jubilee is come; Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. 3 Ye slaves of sin and hell! Your liberty receive, And safe in Jesus dwell, And blest in Jesus live: The year of jubilee is come; Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. 4 The gospel trumpet hear, The news of pardoning grace: Ye happy souls, draw near; Behold your Saviour’s face: The year of jubilee is come; Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. 5 Jesus, our great High Priest, Has full atonement made; Ye weary spirits rest; Ye mourning souls, be glad: The year of jubilee is come; Return, ye ransomed sinners, home Charles Wesley, 1750 C H Spurgeon on Jubilee I have now an interesting feet to tell you, and I am sure you will think it worth mentioning. Turn to Leviticus 25:9, and you will read: “Then shall you cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall you make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.” So that one of the effects of the atonement was set forth to us in the fact that when the year of jubilee came, it was not on the first day of the year that it was proclaimed, but “on the tenth day of the seventh month.” Ay, methinks, that was the best part of it. The scapegoat is gone, and the sins are gone; and no sooner are they gone than the silver trumpet sounds, “The year of jubilee is come, Return, you ransomed sinners, home.” On that day sinners go free; on that day our poor mortgaged lands are liberated, and our poor estates which have been forfeited by our spiritual bankruptcy are all returned to us. So when Jesus dies, slaves win their liberty, and lost ones receive spiritual life again; when he dies, heaven, the long lost inheritance is ours. Blessed day! Atonement and jubilee ought to go together. Have you ever had a jubilee, my friends, in your hearts? If you have not, I can tell you it is because you have not had a day of atonement. Liberty Throughout the Land "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family" (Lev. 25:10). This verse is especially significant in American history as the verse from which the great exhortation was taken on the first Independence Day: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof!" It has ever since been associated with the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, as Americans each year thank God for "the land of the free." The verse is also significant as containing the first mention of "liberty" in the Bible. In its biblical context, it established the "jubilee year," when all those Israelites who had sold themselves into bondage were set at liberty. The founding fathers of our nation evidently believed there was a parallel between freedom from bondage to the king of England and freedom from bondage in ancient Israel. There is even a greater freedom than this. Jesus said, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:34-36). "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?...But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" (Rom. 6:16-22). There is always a danger that a free country will someday allow itself to be brought again into bondage, and also a danger that a believer will fall back into sin. To both, God would say, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1). (Henry Morris) Illustration of Jubilee - Robert