Jubilee: What A Concept

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Lev 25:8-24.

Jubilee is the Hebrew word yobel. This means the blowing of the ram's horn or trumpet. On Yom Kippur of the Year of Jubilee, a great shofar or trumpet blast was to be sounded all through the land of Israel. This was a proclamation of liberty. A portion of Lev 25:10 is carved into the Liberty Bell. "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants." It's good that the early Americans recognized the presence of Yahweh, but these words are speaking to the ultimate return of Jesus and his crowning as the true Liberator of all mankind.

The Jubilee was never properly celebrated or practiced by the nation of Israel. But it remains as a powerful model to us as Christians in the formation biblical ethics. How we treat one another, how we value property, how we uphold families, and other ethics are found in what Yahweh prescribed to his people. Imagine what a blessing it would be if we could establish the Year of Jubilee throughout our world. All servants would be set free. All debts would be forgiven. The land could be reset to its original condition if we obeyed our Creator's directive. Yahweh is a God of redemption, and if we would rightly trust him we could be set free from our sinful greed and hoarding.

As we look around our world we clearly see a debt crisis. People and corporations and nations are drowning in debt. Imagine what could happen if leaders around the world decided to cancel all debt. Instead of wondering when everything would eventually crash from the weight of our debts, we could be setting people free from their burdens. But just setting people free from debt wouldn't be enough to really cure our problem. Unless the majority of our world turned to salvation in Jesus, we'd just fall back into the same pattern of borrowing and eventually face the same crisis.

The Year of Jubilee signaled a time of freedom, dignity, and equality for all people. If a father had squandered his property through bad decisions and choices, the land would return to his family. The family wouldn't be left without hope or stuck with continuing debt. Someone who'd had a calamity which caused them to have to become someone else's servant would gain the opportunity to go back to their chosen profession. No rich person could grab up excessive portions of land. No greedy person could oppress the people because of his wealth or impose his will over those less fortunate than himself.

The Year of Jubilee had economic, social, and theological significance. Remember, the Year of Jubilee was proclaimed on the Day of Atonement. Every person was set free from their sin on that day, and Jubilee cancelled all debt and bondage. This imagery points Christians to the return of Jesus. We have a future hope of being set free from all debt and bondage. But to apply the model of Jubilee requires that we face the sovereignty of Yahweh.

We must recognize that Yahweh is absolutely in control of all things. To enjoy our Jubilee we must trust in Yahweh's provision. As our Creator he's the one who supplies all that we need. We must also recognize that this is an example of how he wants us to live. We must practice his justice. Just as we receive redemption, we must share it with others.

Economically, the Jubilee was based on a fair distribution of land. To prevent land barons from accumulating excessive amounts of land, Yahweh set up rules for the proper redistribution of family property. Not everyone had the same amount of land or property, but what they had was kept within their families. In verse 23 Yahweh proclaims, "the land is mine." It's not ours, but his. Psalm 24:1 includes the whole earth in this proclamation. "The earth is Yahweh's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." The principles of Jubilee are meant to apply to all of humanity. We don't own the land, Yahweh does, and he allows us to manage the portion he assigns to us. No human is supposed to maintain ownership of property that wasn't allotted to them or treat people as if they actually own them.

What Yahweh set forth as a requirement for Israel is what he desires for all of humanity. There's no forced redistribution of wealth to equalize everything. There's an honest assessment of ownership and resources which would be reset every 50 years to keep us from reaching the point of oppressing others to keep them under control or to overdo personal accumulation of wealth or property. The Jubilee says land barons are wrong in their massive accumulation of property. It also says socialism with its large-scale nationalization is wrong. The Jubilee was meant to emphasize the sense of personal and family ownership of the resources and land Yahweh had provided for each and every person.

Socially, the Jubilee is primarily concerned with the family unit. For Israel that meant the extended family. The "father's house" included up to three to four generations. This was a sizeable group of people, and was the focus of identity, status, responsibility, and security for all of Israel. This was what the Jubilee aimed to protect, and every 50 years would restore if necessary. It's not about morality, pointing out the evils of breaking up families or exposing our human weakness. It was a set of specific mechanisms to regulate the economic effects of debt. Morality is often cast aside when economic forces overwhelm families.

The Jubilee aimed to restore social dignity. Participation in the great release was a means of restoring the economic viability of every family. The economic collapse of a family in one generation didn't condemn all future generations to the bondage of ongoing indebtedness. Our overwhelming welfare state is an indication that we need a Year of Jubilee. The principles and objectives of the Year of Jubilee would provide all people with the means to be solid participants in the joys of capitalism. We wouldn't need legislation to fight socio-economic problems if we'd trust Yahweh and his plan.

Theologically, the Jubilee is a strong affirmation of faith. By letting the land lay fallow every 7 years, and then for 2 years when the 50th year arrives, the people of Israel would overwhelmingly show their trust in Yahweh's provision. Letting the land have a Sabbath year of rest proclaims the sovereignty of Yahweh over nature and time. Obedience to this requirement means full submission to our Lord God Almighty. Yahweh told Israel not to worry about what they would eat during the sabbatical years. He told them they would have plenty to eat and also enough for seed the next year. To obey this principle meant absolute trust in what can't be seen. It takes faith to live this way, and Yahweh still asks that of us today.

The most difficult part of this right now is that applying theological principles to our economy and society would be very difficult. To use Yahweh's instructions for dealing with these areas would offend some, and others would claim it to be unfair because not everyone is a Bible believer. I can only hope and pray that more people would consider this approach. It may seem radical and against much of what is established. It is. Man has rejected the wisdom of their Creator and chosen to do things his own way. That's why we have the world-wide debt crisis.

The Bible has some very plain and direct instructions for right living. Jesus told us to give up houses, land, possessions, and even family to rightly follow him. If we're overly attached to the things of this world, we're not rightly attached to our heavenly Father. We're to reckon ourselves as dead to this world's influence and alive to the invisible world of our Lord. And that includes the conviction that Yahweh will visibly care for our needs even if we let our gardens go fallow or we release our claim against those who are indebted to us.

Learn more about the Year of Jubilee to see what Yahweh wanted for his people, freedom to enjoy all that he's provided for us without worrying about greedy land barons or oppressive slave masters. And remember that the more you consider yourself to belong to this world, the more you make Yahweh a stranger and alien. If we want more of his presence in our lives we must let go of what we can see with our eyes and grasp tightly to those things we see by faith.

Christians need to ensure that we live our lives in accordance with Yahweh's Jubilee even if no one else will. Do you trust him enough to let him determine your economic future? Do you trust him enough to cancel debts others owe you if he says you should? That's where we need to live until Jesus comes and establishes his Kingdom on this earth.

Now one thing I found in my research into the Year of Jubilee is something I already mentioned partially. Verse 23 says, "the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants." Aliens are strangers, people who are just passing through like a visitor or tourist. Tenants are settlers, like residents or citizens. How can someone be both a visitor and a resident of a place? How can we be strangers and citizens at the same time? How are we passing through a place we're said to dwell in?

Rabbi Yaakiv Krantz from Lithuania (1740-1804) once related this comment to Yahweh. "If you see yourselves in this world as strangers and remember that you are here only for a short visit, passing through the hallway of this world, then I will settle among you. However, should you see yourselves as settlers of this world, 'owners' who are here to stay, then I am a stranger among you. Either you are the settlers and I the stranger, or you are the stranger and I the settler."

Think about it. Yahweh settles among those who are aliens and strangers in this world. Those who who settle here, who lay claim to this world, cause Yahweh to be a stranger. That's a strong point about the purpose of Jubilee. If nothing actually belongs to us, it's much easier to let go and allow Yahweh to provide for us. When we want to control the land and its resources, we're left to provide for ourselves through long and hard toil or labor. The Year of Jubilee, when lived out, proves that everything belongs to Yahweh and that we trust him as the Great Provider.

Mark 8:35-36 tells us, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the Gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Believing and trusting in a Sovereign God is a struggle for many people. But as the Designer of our world we can trust him to know what's best. Consider the great needs around our world and imagine how they could be overcome using Yahweh's principles.

Blessings & Peace, Mike