A FINISH - A NEW START. Leviticus 25 When the Lord spoke from Mt. Sinai, as seen in chapters 25, 26, and 27, the subject was about governance. When He spoke from the Tabernacle, as in the previous chapters, those subjects concerned worship; the topics in Leviticus 25 show God's plan for Israel in relation to the entire world. God claimed the land of Israel for Himself in a special way, different from "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." This land was for His chosen people and their specific purposes. It is here that the sinless blood of "His only begotten Son" would be laid into the ground. It is here that "God manifest in the flesh" would dwell with His people. It is here that the glory of the Lord will be visible when the King of kings reigns. These verses have global significance. Although there is an ongoing fight over this land, the final outcome has already been determined.
The Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry by reading about this period of Jubilee in Isaiah 61:1. He announced that His coming would be a time of freedom for all who had lost their spiritual inheritance and were enslaved to sin. Like their ancestors, those who heard the message of liberty in Christ from His own lips rejected God's word and continued to refuse His sovereign authority.
In Israel, every seventh day was designated as a Sabbath. This was a sign of the covenant made with the nation. Every seventh year was a Sabbath for the land, allowing it to rejuvenate by being left fallow to gather nutrients for the next six years of growth. A farmer working his land plows and plants in faith, expecting a harvest at the end of the season. God expected them to plow and plant during the six years by faith, trusting that He would provide enough bounty in the sixth year to last for three years.
The problem then, as now, is that a "bumper" crop often became a source of materialistic greed, and instead of living off the benefit of a harvest three times as large, the profit was kept as personal gain. The land was then plowed and planted again after the seventh year. When Israel was taken into captivity years later, the land finally observed its Sabbath. They had overlooked that the land they claimed as their own was ultimately the Lord’s—"The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
Even though there is no record of the exact year the Jubilee was observed, God intended that after seven seven-year cycles, there should be “the sound of the trumpet” throughout the land announcing the Jubilee. "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" is an inscription on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was given by God to the children of Israel. All debts would decrease in value as the year of Jubilee approached, and property would return to the original owner. Indentured servants would be freed, and a new start would begin across the nation. People would be reminded that they were stewards of what they used because it all belonged to God. It is good for us to remember that the same applies to us.
Land could revert to the original owner by waiting until the year of Jubilee when it returned to the original family, by a relative buying the land back on behalf of the person who had to sell it, or the seller could reclaim what was originally his with payment based on the value of the crops until the year of Jubilee arrived. Real estate in cities was highly valuable because its worth was not just in the land but also in the buildings and the protective wall nearby. Living in cities was considered a privilege compared to rural areas where land ownership was guaranteed.
While slavery is not approved in the Bible, human sin and free will have led to many harmful effects for humanity. God adjusted the practice, making slavery more similar to indentured servanthood. This change improved the concept of slavery in nations around Israel by adding ethical limits to the master-slave relationship, making it more like an employer-employee relationship.
Everything we claim for ourselves loses value as the "Coming of the Lord" approaches. When that day arrives, we will leave everything behind; it all now belongs to God. We are merely stewards of what He allows us to have and use. The Lord's return will be the "year of Jubilee." Respect for God includes honoring mankind, whom God created as the highest form of life in His creation. Human beings have been made in the image and likeness of God, a truth emphasized in the scriptures. For Christians, this is a vital reminder not to do anything that might harm our brothers and sisters in Christ — not even eating certain foods that could offend them [1 Cor.8:13].
Effective land management would serve not only the landowners but also the poor, who would be cared for through the responsible actions of those helping the helpless, widows, orphans, and the disabled. The people of Israel were instructed not to charge interest on loans made to fellow Israelites. Those who are financially stable are responsible for helping those in need beyond their own means. While we cannot address every need in the world, there are certain needs within our sphere of influence that we can meet. God's original plan was for society to take care of its members, rather than the government stepping in to do so.
In the future, Israel will finally have the opportunity to live in the promised land as God intended. That will happen after "the trumpet of the Lord shall sound," and we will be caught up to be with the Lord. When the Lord appears in His glory to take David's throne, wonderful changes will occur among God's chosen earthly people. At this present time, it is wise for us to live each day with the conscious knowledge that the trumpet could sound today. That will help us avoid greed and materialism. Our awareness of this stewardship can be shared with others today and help us steer clear of covetousness. Neither God's land nor God's people are independent of God.
Having an attitude of waiting for the Lord to come will prevent us from being wrongly attached to the world and its evil. In light of the "Year of Jubilee," we should hold everything we think we possess with a very light grip and loose hold. We cannot serve both God and mammon at the same time. The world and everything in it will be judged and torn apart at the Lord's return. Many will claim what we leave behind, but none of these claims will be of real value due to the demands of a Righteous God to bring justice and righteousness to the earth. The true meaning of the year of Jubilee is that it should sanctify us and challenge us to live righteously and godly, rather than with a materialistic and grasping attitude toward all God has allowed us to use.
It is not ours to possess or claim everything we have as our own. God is the Creator and Owner of all He allows us to use. These things that bear my name are a form of stewardship He has given us to care for and be responsible for. All the things we strive for on earth seem trivial and unimportant when viewed from the heights of heaven. God's plans are to use what He has given for His glory. Far too often, the way we cling to and grasp them tightly tells a very different story. The wise steward does his best with what he has been entrusted, whether it is simple daily items or crowns adorned with jewels.
Everything returns to the Owner during the year of Jubilee. Nothing remains for us to claim. The important things we can't see, even now, are gone when someone dies; the spirit and soul leave the body behind. The motionless body has little value; things that matter for eternity cannot be found in an empty body. When Jubilee arrives, everything will change because we will realize what things are for and what they truly are. The possessions we thought were so valuable at the Jubilee will appear distant and insignificant. Then we will wonder why we worried about all that we had that we could see. Nothing we claim on earth holds much worth when viewed from the eyes of eternity.
Even heaven and earth shall pass away, but the people of faith will remain. What we let go of on earth for heaven's sake, we will find has lasting value, and its worth will endure. The lesson to learn is that I should hold lightly what God has given me to use in this lifetime and focus my efforts on those things that bring glory and honor to my Lord. Everything from the past and future, "These," says God, "Are Mine."
(Celebrate 50 years of assembly testimony)