The Bible in 90 Days
Day 9: Leviticus 14:33-26:26 || Read the CEB online.
Leviticus 25 is perhaps my favorite chapter in the entire law given to Moses. It details the crucial practices of Sabbath & Jubilee years. These aren’t just years for the Israelites to “take a break” because they’ve worked hard & need a rest. They are an important part of how God keeps justice & righteousness at the heart of the community of faith.
Sabbath year not only gives a fallow year for the land to recover from agricultural exhaustion, it also means the entire nation has to rely on God …and not their own efforts …to provide. Reliance upon self makes us as human beings arrogant & compassionless, as we’ll see a bit later in the story. Reliance upon God develops our care for one another and keeps us humble.
At the end of the 7th cycle of 7 years, a Jubilee is held. In this year, debts are forgiven so no one person becomes so rich or so poor as to be beyond the community. Slaves are released in a recognition of our common humanity. Property reverts back to the original family holders so hoarding and dispossession cannot happen. Jubilee means that every 50 years, we reset our common life and we get a chance to start over!
What would Jubilee look like today?
Why would God ask the Israelites to do such a strange thing?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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