Celebrate Jubilee (06/17/2012)

June 17, 2012 Background Scripture: Leviticus 25 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 25:8 – 12, 25, 35 – 40, 47, 48, 55 In the midst of the Law’s seemingly austere approach to “do’s and don’ts”, God provided an element whereas national Israel could express the grace of God within its borders. This element is called Jubilee. Jubilee occurred every fifty years, or in other words, at the conclusion of seven Sabbaths of years. Jubilee was a time of freedom and restoration. It was a time of freedom for those who had hired themselves out as indentured servants to survive difficult times. When an individual could not support his family by using the land he owned, it was not unusual for him to indenture himself to one of his Jewish kindred for a specified period of time. However, in the year of Jubilee, they were allowed to return to their family debt free. In fact, during their time of service, the Lord commanded that they be treated as employees rather than slaves. If they were to be considered slaves at all, then God himself claimed them as His slaves because He redeemed the nation of Israel out of Egypt for Himself. Likewise, it was a time of restoration for those who had given up their family property in exchange for some level of economic security. Again, in the year of Jubilee, their possessions had to be returned to them. God demanded that the borders of the land be returned to their original tribal allotments. Israel was warned sternly by the Lord to not use economic oppression against each other. In other words, Israel was not to become a society driven by capitalism at the expense of human interests and values. The year of Jubilee was the primary method that protected the average citizen from this. Jubilee also represented a time when the nation had to place its welfare squarely in the hands of God since they were commanded to let the land rest and not to plant or harvest anything. In exchange for their faith in God, God promised to bless them threefold in the sixth year so that there would be no need to work the land or harvest it in the seventh year. As is typical, God’s blessings far outweighed man’s simple sacrifice of faith. God promised to supply twice as much to sustain them during their year of no labor (sowing nor reaping) than their own labor normally produced. All of this was done in exchange for their obedience and trust. This was truly a no lose offer that only the most faithless would consider rejecting. Depending on your perspective, this could sound too good to be true. If you are in the group that has either hired himself out or mortgaged the land, Jubilee was a blessing beyond blessings. On the other hand, if you were a person intent on gaining at the expense of others, Jubilee destroyed all of your ill-gotten gain. For one group, Jubilee was a time for spontaneous celebration of the experience of God’s grace. For the other group, Jubilee was a time to be recognized and its principles adhered to. Regardless of which group you were in, it was recognized that God had provided Jubilee to Israel and He intended for it to be celebrated. Robert C. Hudson May 31, 2012