Leviticus 25 A FINISH - A NEW START When the Lord spoke from Mt. Sinai as in chapters 25, 26 and 27, the subject matter has to do with government. When He spoke from the Tabernacle as in the previous chapters, these subject matters had to do with worship. The subjects in Leviticus 25 indicates God's design for Israel in relations to the whole world. God claimed the land of Israel for Himself in a special way distinct from "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." This was His land to be used by His chosen earthly people, for His chosen purposes. It was here the sinless blood of "His only begotten Son," would go into the ground. It was here "God manifest in the flesh" would dwell with His people. It is here the glory of the Lord will be seen when the King of kings will reign. These verses have world-wide significance. Even though there is an on-going struggle over the possession of this land, the final outcome had already been decided.
In Israel every seventh day was to be a Sabbath. That was a sign of the covenant made with the nation. Every seventh year was to be a Sabbath for the land that it might be rejuvenated when it was left fallow to gather needed nutrients for the next six years of bearing fruit. A farmer working his land plows and plants by faith, expecting a harvest at the end of the season. God expected them to plow and plant the six years by faith. On the sixth year He would provide enough bounty to last them for three years. The problem then, as now, is that a "bumper" crop became a source of materialistic greed, and instead of living off the benefit of a harvest three times as great as usual, the profit was kept as personal gain. The land was plowed and planted again after the seventh year. When Israel was taken away captive years later, the land finally had its Sabbath.
Even though there is no record of the year of Jubilee being kept. It was God's intention that following seven seven-year cycles, there should be sounded throughout the land the trumpet 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. Property would then go back to the original owner. Indentured servants would be freed. A new start all over the nation would begin. People would be reminded that they were stewards of what they were using, because it all belonged to God. It is well for us to be reminded that the same is true for us. Everything we claim for ourselves is deteriorating in value the closer the "Coming of the
Lord" is. We will leave everything behind when that day comes. It all belongs to God now. We are stewards of what He allows us to have and use. The Lord's return will be a "year of Jubilee."
The good management of the land would allow for the needs of not only the "land-owner," but also the poor would be cared for by the responsible actions of those who assisted the helpless, widows, orphans and the handicapped. The people of Israel were not to charge interest on loans made to fellow Israelites. Those who were financially secure were responsible for those who had needs they could not meet. We are not able to meet all the needs we see in the world. There are those within our sphere of life and influence, we can meet. God's original intention was that society meet the needs of society, not government meeting the needs.
In the future Israel will finally have the opportunity to live in the promised land in the way God intends. That will come 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, there will be wonderful changes take place among God's chosen earthly people. At this present time, it is wise for us to live every day with the conscious knowledge of the fact the trumpet could sound this day. That will keep us from being greedy and materialistic. Our awareness of this stewardship we have, can be passed on to someone else today and help us avoid the dangers of covetousness. Neither God's land or God's people are independent of God.
An attitude of waiting for the Lord to come will keep us from being wrongly attached to the world and the evil in it. In light of the "year of Jubilee" we should hold everything we think we possess with a very light hand and loose grasp. We cannot be serving God and mammon at the same time. The world and all that is in it will be judged and broken up at the return of the Lord. There will be grasping claims by many on all we leave behind but none of it will be of any real value because of the demands of a Righteous God to bring justice and righteousness to earth. The truth behind the year of Jubilee is one that should sanctify us and challenge us to righteous and godly living rather that a materialistic and grasping attitude towards all God has allowed us to use.
It is not ours to have nor claim all things as we would choose. God is the Creator and Owner of all He allows is to use. These things that bear my name are a stewardship He has given. All seems so trivial and unimportant when viewed from the heights of heaven.
The plans God gave were that we use what He has given for His glory. But the way we cling and grasp them tight, tells quite a different story. The wise steward does the best He can with what he has been entrusted - From simple things for daily use, or crowns with jewels encrusted.
Everything goes back to the Owner on the year of Jubilee. Nothing remains for us to claim, the important things we can't see. Even now when one dies, the spirit and soul leave the body behind. The motionless body has little value, things that count we cannot find.
When Jubilee comes, all will be changed, we will see what things really are. The possessions we thought were of such value, at the Jubilee are seen from afar. Then we will wonder why we worried about all we had that we could see. Nothing we claimed on earth had much worth when seen from the eyes of eternity.
Even heaven and earth shall pass away, while people of faith remain. What we let go on earth for heaven's sake we will find has lasting gain. The lesson to learn is that I might hold lightly what God has given in time. Everything from the past and the future, "These," says God, "Are Mine."
"Father, I am afraid that I hold some of this stewardship with a grasp that is too tight. Please help me loose these grasping hands when I am clenching things too possessively. I am Thine, body, soul and spirit - and so is everything Thou hast allowed me to use. I desire to be a faithful steward. Amen."