Fifty Years

Everything in the Old Testament is important. If examined properly, it is possible to find out some very interesting insights into the Christian era and into the life and ministry of Jesus. Over this month I have attempted to follow a pattern of blog entry titles which, if nothing else, would spark interest. I don't know how successfully this has happened, but nevertheless I wanted to give it a shot. The topic of this entry, Fifty Years, deals with something that many people know little about, something that just isn't talked about much. The subject is what is known as the Year of Jubilee.

In order to get some of the background, I would ask you to read the 25^th chapter of Leviticus (I would quote it here, as well as giving definitions and backgrounds, but that would take up the entire entry; instead I will proceed as though you have already read Leviticus 25, and will discuss some of my thoughts on the matter).

All of us are familiar with the Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. What some might not be aware of is that there was a Sabbath year, celebrated one year out of every seven, as well as the Year of Jubilee which was a celebration of seven Sabbath years. After seven cycles of the seven years of Sabbaths (49 years), the Year of Jubilee was observed, and there were some interesting conditions for this fiftieth year.

During this fiftieth year, the soil was to rest, no planting or sowing, and whatever grew was not to be harvested, but left for the poor, for the traveler, or for the livestock. There was a promise from God that there would be enough of a harvest in the sixth year (prior to the Sabbath and Jubilee year) to sustain the people until they could harvest again at the next cycle. During this time, the people were allowed to do other work (fish or hunt, manufacturing and whatnot); it wasn't a vacation year.

This jubilee year also brought about what is called "reversion of property." The land (and what was on it) was divided to each family like modern lots of land. Even if it was sold, it was with the understanding that it would be only for a certain number of years. At the Year of Jubilee, the property was returned to its original owner. In this way the land, in a way, remained the property of the person/family to whom it was originally given.

And then there was the release of the slave/servant. Whether a Hebrew person had offered himself or herself to be a slave/servant to provide for the family, or sold to pay a debt or a crime, the person was to be released, which honored the rights of every class of Israelite servant.

The Year of Jubilee was, in a way, a God-instituted way to fix all of the evil which man can bring upon himself through government and society. It was away to start over, start fresh, and what could be more worthy of a celebration? In fact, the word "jubilee" comes from a Hebrew word which means "joyful shout or sounding of trumpets," which were ways that the Year of Jubilee was announced. Bondage and poverty were eliminated, the people were given rest and a sense of joy, and what's more, they all knew they had this waiting for them after the period of fifty years.

Now what does this ancient practice, of which we know relatively little, have to do with us in the modern world today? Well, the Sabbath is not just a day set aside for rest and worship. Jesus Himself IS our Sabbath. In Him we find our rest and worship, and it is much fuller than just a day of the week; it is a state of Christian existence. So if Jesus is our Sabbath (which I might do an entry on sometime), then He must also be our Year of Jubilee in a symbolic way.

As we have seen, the Year of Jubilee itself was a year to be anticipated, to be celebrated. Jesus offers us the same things not only today and every day, but also promises it for our eternal future. When we accept Christ's forgiveness, and make Him the Savior and Lord of our life, we, too, are set free from the bondages of our sin. The poverty of our souls brought about as a result of that sin will be eliminated, resolved, and we will be filled to the overflowing with the treasures of salvation and eternal life.

It is in Christ and Him alone that we find rest. In Jesus alone do we find that sense of joy even in the midst of the most dire of earthly crises. Only in the Son of God can we find our true rest and joy. But most importantly of all, we know that this condition of freedom, richness, rest and joy is ours every day, and that it is an absolute certainty that it awaits every single Child of God (and through the blood of Jesus we who accept His sacrifice as our salvation are made spiritual Israelites). No matter how bad things are, no matter what we must face, we know that there is coming a day in which the word "jubilee" will not be sufficient to describe the level of eternal praise and joy that lays ahead.

So embrace the "Year of Jubilee" as not only a quaint Old Testament law, but as a promise for our today, our every day, and our future. Allow Jesus to be your Jubilee, and let your praises ring forth for all the world to hear! Rejoice!

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