What Is the Year of JUBILEE?
Leviticus 25:10 shows that the Year of Jubilee refers to the 50th year after 7 cycles of 7 years in which the land of Israel and its people gained freedom and celebrated. It was to be a year of:
- Rest for the Hebrews and the soil (25:11). Since the 49th year was already a sabbatical year (25:1-7), this meant the land would have two years of rest.
- All land in Israel was to revert back to the original owner because the original distribution of property was to remain intact (25:10-34 & 27:16-24).
- Every Hebrew who sold himself as a servant due to poverty was to be freed, along with his family (25:39-46). This law had a leveling effect on Israel’s culture by ensuring everyone was guaranteed a chance for a fresh start in their lifetime.
One thing this reveals is that the LORD takes healthy rest very seriously and doesn’t want his children burning out on sowing & reaping in pursuit of mammon. Speaking of which…
Is the Year of Jubilee Applicable to Believers Today?
Can this be applied to believers during the Church Age? Obviously most of us won’t be able to take a sabbatical year off of work, but we can certainly take some time off to rest & refresh in the Lord, whether a couple hours, a day, a weekend or a vacation. We can also forgive those who are morally indebted to us.
During such periods of Jubilee we can sit at the Lord’s feet to rest & refresh, like Mary wisely did while her sister scurried around in a flurry of activity in the name of duty or “working for the Lord” (Luke 10:38-42). Christ plainly pointed out that Mary chose the better option. You can read details here.
We can also look forward to our eternal Jubilee with the LORD in the New Heavens and New Earth, the eternal home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).
The spiritual/mental/physical healthiness of taking a ‘Jubilee’ from regular work now & then leads to a final key point to consider…
“Do Not Wear Yourself Out to Get Rich”
When I was in my early 20s I was working for a small company wherein the supervisor suddenly quit and I was offered his job. I was excited because the position offered an impressive salary. I took the job but suddenly found myself running around like a headless chicken and no longer had the time to spend with studying the Scriptures or prayer/meditation, things that were dear to my heart. After a few weeks I went to the remote corner of a dark stockroom and literally wept. I had inadvertently made money my god and was pursuing it at the expense of more important things.
This brings to mind this wise Scripture:
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
Proverbs 23:4 (BSB)
This corresponds to what Christ said about how the deceitfulness of wealth — which includes the obsessive pursuit of it — can “choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). This is what happened to me on this occasion.
Needless to say, we have to be careful not to fall into the mindset of the world where everything revolves around how much you make and the respect/privileges thereof. The world says that if you make under a certain figure you’re in “poverty” and if you make over a certain figure you’re “prosperous,” but this is irrelevant to true prosperity. The Scriptures say that Joseph was prosperous as a slave in Potiphar’s house and when he was in prison (Genesis 39:2-6 & 39:20-23).
Related Topics:
Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Provision, Money and “Prosperity”
The Seven FREEDOMS — Take Hold of ‘Em!
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?
Godliness and Religion—What’s the Difference?
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