Leviticus 25:8-22 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Leviticus 25:8-22. Let’s go!
Leviticus 25:8-12 (NIV)
8 “‘Count off seven sabbaths of years–seven times seven years–so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years.
9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.
10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.
11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.
12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.
On verses 8-12: Starting at Leviticus 25:8 we read about how every 50th year the Israelites were to proclaim it a Year of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee was meant to be:
– a time of reunion when Israelites would return to their family clans and to the places where they grew up (v10, 13);
– a time of rest when the people would not sow or reap (v11);
– a time of reverence in that it was a “holy” year, a year to remember and rely on God’s provision (v12a).
We will learn later in Leviticus 25 that the Year of Jubilee would also be a time when debts are forgiven, slaves are set free, and lands would be returned to the original tribes that first inherited them.
Leviticus 25:13-17 (NIV)
13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.
14 “‘If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other.
15 You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops.
16 When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops.
17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.
On verses 13-17: God told the Israelites to have the Year of Jubilee in mind when conducting business with one another in the years leading up to the Year of Jubilee. Likewise, may we have heaven in mind when we conduct business with others. May our goal not be to gouge people for as much money as possible, or to hoard for the sake of hoarding, but to deal fairly with others, knowing that one day it all goes back to the Original Owner anyways, God Himself, and knowing that the Original Owner will hold us accountable for how we handled the riches He entrusted to us.
Leviticus 25:18-22 (NIV)
18 “‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.
19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.
20 You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?”
21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.
22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.
On verses 18-22: If I was an Israelite back in Moses’ time, in my weaker moments I would probably worry, wondering, “Will God really provide for us if we don’t sow or reap anything ourselves in that seventh year?” Perhaps the workaholic in me might think, “I don’t want to stop working in that seventh year.” What can we learn from this? Resting from our work the way God designed is an act of faith and trust in God. The faithless part of us would want to keep on working and keep trusting in ourselves, whereas God commands us to rest from our work and trust that God will provide for us. We show our faith and trust in God by resting from our work when God commands us to.
Likewise, when it comes to salvation, it takes faith and trust in God to say, “Instead of trying to work my way to heaven, I’m going to trust in what Jesus has done for me.” The best decision you can make in light of heaven is to stop thinking you can work your way there and instead to decide, “I’m going to rest in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for me.” In so doing we put our faith in God, not in ourselves.
Heavenly Father, when it comes to business, since it all belongs to You anyway, may I deal with others and the riches You have given me fairly. When it comes to salvation, may I trust in the work You did for me, rather than thinking I can work myself up to You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
