And you are to consecrate the fiftieth year, proclaiming freedom throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you; you will return everyone to the land he owns, and everyone is to return to his family. Leviticus 25:10
The Year of Jubilee occurred every 50 years, while the tribes were in their territories. The land rested, as in a sabbatical year, but it had some other stipulations as well - lands reverted back to original tribes and families, debts were forgiven, and slaves were set free.
All Jewish holidays have the purpose of being a reminder and we, as Christians, can learn from the picture as well. God is constantly saying, “remember.” Jubilee is a celebration of freedom and redemption, a reminder that all things belong to God. We are tenants and sojourners in His land. It all is redeemed as we return it back to Him.
During the Jubilee we see a picture of how God provides justice for His people. The consequences of poverty in ancient times were dire and the Jubilee freed people from the consequences put on them by their ancestors. If a family lost their tribal land inheritance, it was returned so that they could begin to provide for the family once again. It is a picture of “fresh starts” and freedom from generational sin or tragedy.
Jubilee reminds the Israelites that they were once slaves in Egypt. Because God mercifully freed them, they now give freedom to others. In similar fashion, debts are forgiven, even debts that may be unpayable and generational in accumulation. The people are given a fresh start. Since their debts are forgiven, they forgive the debts of others.
We, too, were once enslaved by sin. We did not earn our freedom, but it was granted to us. We have a debt that we can never pay, a sin debt. Yet God wipes it away and gives us a fresh start. Now we must “forgive others, as He has forgiven us.”
Let us celebrate liberty and redemption in Christ. Bless God who loves us and has given us freedom and a fresh start.
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