Year of Sabbath and Jubilee

Leviticus Chapter 25

The Lord gave instructions to the Israelites (through Moses) that when they entered the Promised Land, the land itself must observe a Sabbath every seventh year. For six years they would plant the fields and harvest crops, but during the seventh year the land must get a rest from crops. The land was to have a year of total rest, and no vineyards were to be pruned. The people were to eat the produce that grows naturally during the Sabbath year and the livestock would be allowed to eat also of the earth’s bounty.

After seven Sabbath years, seven times seven (49 years), in the 50th year on the Day of Atonement, blow the trumpets loud and long. This year would be a holy time to proclaim release to all who live in that country. A jubilee year when each person returns to the lands that belonged to their ancestors and rejoins their clan. Do not plant any seeds or store away any of the crop that grows naturally and do not process grapes. Observe this year as a special holy time.

When the people make an agreement with a neighbor to buy or sell property, they must never take advantage of each other. The price should be based on the number of years since the last Year of Jubilee; the more the years, the higher the price.

If the people want to live securely in the land, they must keep God’s laws and regulations, then the land will yield bumper crops. If they ask what they will eat during the seventh year, the Lord says he will produce a bumper crop in the sixth year with enough to support the people through three years. Remember, the Lord said, that the land must never be sold on a permanent basis because it belongs to him.

With the sale of land, there must be a stipulation that it can be redeemed at any time. If someone goes bankrupt and forced to sell inherited land, then a close relative or kinsman redeemer my buy it back for them. If there is no one to redeem the land but the person who sold it can manage to get enough money, he can buy it back. If the original owner cannot afford to redeem it, then it belongs to the new owner until the next Year of Jubilee, then it will be returned to the original owner.

Anyone who sells a house inside a walled city has the right to redeem it for a full year after its sale. But if it is not redeemed within a year, the house will become a permanent property of the buyer and will not be returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. But a house in a settlement without fortified walls will be treated like property in the open fields. Such a house may be redeemed at any time and returned to the original owner in the year of Jubilee.

The Levites always have the right to redeem any house they have sold within the cities belonging to them and any property that can be redeemed by the Levites must be returned in the year of Jubilee. A strip of pastureland around the Levite cities may never be sold.
If any Israelite relative falls into poverty, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. Do not demand money in advance or charge interest. Show your fear of God by letting them live with you. And if any Israelite relative sells themselves to you, do not treat them as slaves, but as hired servants and they will live with you only until the year of Jubilee, then they and their children will not be obligated to you but may return to their clan and ancestral property. The people of Israel are my servants, the Lord said, and must never be sold as slaves. However, you may purchase slaves from among the foreigners who live among you and you can purchase the children of resident foreigners who have been born on your land. You may treat these slaves as property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance.

If a resident foreigner becomes rich, and some Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to such a foreigner, they still retain the right of redemption. They may be bought back by a close relative and the price of their freedom will be based on the number of years left until the next year of Jubilee. The other stipulations can be found in verses 48-55.

BIBLE NOTES show the way this chapter reflects on us in today’s world. Not planting on the Sabbath year, shows the good management of natural resources. Don’t we wish we had a Year of Jublilee when all debts would be canceled?

God wanted the people to remember that his ownership of the land was absolute. It helped the people avoid greed and materialism. Imagine thinking of yourself as a manager and never an owner.
Don’t we wish in today’s world that we put as much emphasis on assisting the poor, helpless, orphans, widows etc. as in Israelite society? In those times a widow and her children had no livelihood. God insisted they be helped without charging interest. There was no government aid, like welfare or food stamps in those days. So in a sense, God allowed no permanent poverty in Israel. How can we apply this thinking to our society today? By providing for others when you see someone in need.

It is interesting to see that God gave Hebrew human slaves dignity and they were not treated like animals. They were even allowed to take part in the religious festivals. The Bible did not condone slavery, but it recognized that it existed.

Yours in Christ,
Mary