Scripture: “And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.” Leviticus 25:10 ESV
Observation: Having instructed Moses regarding a seventh-year Shabbat of the land, the Lord now commands Moses to implement a “year of jubilee” that will follow the rhythm of the Sabbath year but observed every fiftieth year (rather than the seventh year). Like the Sabbath year, the Day of Atonement inaugurates the celebration, and the land lies fallow for one year, doubling the land’s Shabbat since it immediately follows the Sabbath year. Anticipating Israel’s concern regarding two years of Shabbat, Yahweh adds that he will command his blessing on the land to produce a crop sufficient for three years of storage to cover the two years when it lies fallow and another year to yield its crops (25:20-22).
In addition to a Shabbat of the land, all who have purchased or acquired fields and pasturelands from fellow Israelites must return their property to the seller. Thus, the purchase price for real estate must reflect a prorated value of “crop years” based on the remaining years until the next jubilee (25:13-17). The one exception pertained to a house in a walled city (where crops did not add value). The seller may redeem it within a year of its sale, but once the year passes, the house remains with the buyer into perpetuity (25:29-31). But if a Levite sells his home in a city of the Levites, he may redeem it at any point and regain possession in the year of jubilee (25:32-33).
Takeaway: The year of jubilee’s intent was to instill charity among all God’s people—particularly the poor. Those who prospered must not seek to gain further wealth and power by taking advantage of the disadvantaged. Instead, God called his people to bless one another similarly to the divine blessing they have received. Unfortunately, with the nation soon turning to pagan worship in the Promised Land, which spurred selfishness, they ignored observance of the year of jubilee and failed to give rest to the land and the poor. Consequently, as foretold by Jeremiah, the Lord sent Israel into exile in Babylon for the same timespan as that of all the missed jubilee years (2 Chronicles 36:21).
What does this mean to us in present times? We, the followers of Christ who have prospered under his blessings, are called to take the lead in being good stewards of our land and restoring dignity to the poor. In practical ways, this entails fair-trade practices—both buying and boycotting to influence the market to practice fair trade via the humane treatment of workers, kindness to animals, and care for the environment. Regarding dignity for the poor, we need to develop more thought about investing not just money but time and energy to break the vicious cycle of poverty and promote life skills and a sense of dignity where government welfare has failed. But this is not a social justice agenda; it’s a Gospel mission to love our communities with the love of Christ and his good news of forgiveness and eternal life. Indeed, this is the way to a life of jubilee!
Prayer: Father God, we thank you that through the redemptive work of your Son, you have called us to a life of jubilee. So would you please help us follow your Holy Spirit’s lead to move beyond assenting thoughts to taking action by loving our communities and caring for your creation in a Christ-like manner? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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