Enduring Word Bible Commentary Leviticus Chapter 25 (2023)

A. The sabbatical year.

1. (1-2) The earth and its Sabbath.

The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai: "Speak to the Israelites and say, 'When you come to the land I am giving you, it shall keep the Sabbath to the LORD.

A。when you enter the land i gave you: These laws were made by faith. The Israelites are still in the wilderness and have not yet entered the Promised Land. And, as far as Moses and the people knew, they were only a few months away from entering here.

I. god speaksMoses on Mount Sinai.This reminds us that the Israelites are still campingMount Sinai, Moses received these laws from God when he met the Lord on the mountain. From Exodus 19 to Leviticus to Numbers 10, the Israelites remained on Mount Sinai.

b.This land shall keep the sabbath to the LORD: We are familiar with the concept of the Sabbath, a day of the week dedicated to God and His rest. this describes the years of sabbathto the ground, the land rests in one of the seven years. This is mentioned in Exodus 23:11.

C。The land shall keep the sabbath to the LORD: Clearly, this calls Israel to genuine trust in God. They had to trust God that he would provide enough food in six years of harvest to carry them through the seventh year of rest.

I. On Sukkot, the Sabbath year, the priest read the law to the whole people (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). Every gap year should also be the time for a broad, nationwide Bible seminar.

2. (3-7) How to give the earth a Sabbath.

In six years you shall plow your field, in six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather its fruit; in the seventh year the whole earth shall keep the Holy Sabbath, the Sabbath dedicated to the LORD. Do not till the field, nor prune the vineyard. You shall not pick from your own fruit, nor from grapes from an uncultivated vineyard,forThis is the year the land rests. and saturdayProductionIt shall supply you with food out of the earth; for you, for your servants and male and female servants, for your day laborers, for the strangers who live with you, for your livestock,they areOn your land - all your produce will be used for food.

A。In the seventh year, the whole earth shall observe the Sabbath: This applies to food crops and fruit trees. The Israelites did this to prove once and for all that the land belonged to God, not them.

I. "During the Sabbath, there should be no systematic harvesting of home-grown crops or of fruits such as figs and grapes. Anything of this nature produced by the land without the aid of man is the property of everyone, and the people must do it as they can. Get food where you find it, as the Israelites did when they were wandering in the wilderness. (Harrison)

2. "During the intertestament, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar exempted Israel from taxation during the Sabbath year." (Rooke)

b.The produce of the Sabbath will be your food.: Observing a gap year is also a powerful testimony to dependence on God. Israel declared that they trusted God to meet their needs. This is true living by faith, and God wants His people to live by trusting Him.

I. This is wise stewardship of the land. Giving the land a little rest every seven years helps restore the soil's vital nutrients that have been depleted by continued use.

2. Matthew Poole gives an interesting additional reason for taking a gap year. One of the reasons he suggested the Sabbath year was to put everyone in Israel on par with the local poor, who had to simply trust God to provide in the unlikely event that they did. This will make them sympathize with the poor who have to live this way.allagain.

3. Israel's failure to fulfill this command determined the timing of their captivity. Leviticus 26:34 says that if the Israelites disobeyed, God would ensure that the land accepted the Sabbath by transferring the people to the enemy's land. This was achieved when Israel was captured by Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:20-21).

4. Some observant Jews today have found a way around the Sabbath law. In the seventh year they "sell" the land to the Gentiles, cultivate it, and then "buy" it back from the Gentiles at the end of the Sabbath year. The Gentiles make a little money, and the Jew might say, "That's not my land in the Sabbath year, so I work." Others observe this by farming only six-sevenths of their land at any one time, and Over the course of seven years, all land has a one-year break.

B. Jubilee.

1. (8-12) The Jubilee is celebrated every fifty years.

'You shall count the seven Sabbaths seven times in seven years; the period of seven Sabbaths in a year is to you forty-nine years. On ten days you will blow the trumpet of jubileeyesThe seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you will sound the trumpet throughout your land. The fiftieth year is the holy year, proclaiming liberty throughout the yearallAll inhabitants of the earth. This will be your jubilee; each of you will return to his own inheritance, each of you to his own family. The fiftieth year will be your jubilee; you shall not sow in it, nor reap what is of its own accord, nor reapGrapeHis abandoned vine. for that reasonThis isJubilee; it is holy to you; you must eat of the field.

A。You shall count the seven Sabbaths, seven times in seven years.: yearsilver jubileeIt's a bit like double furlough, in the sense that the crops are not planted and the land rests for two years.

I. "The traditional translation of the name of this particular year is 'Jubilee,' essentially a transliteration of the Hebrew word 'ram's horn.'" (Peter Contés)

2. “Two years of inactivity will be a severe test of faith. The Israelites are called to have complete trust in God and a deep awareness of Him as the Provider of life’s basic necessities.” (Rooke)

3. Some refer to the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-3 to the Jubilee. Since this passage was read during Jesus' early ministry in the Synagogue of Nazareth, some have speculated that Jesus' ministry began in the Jubilee - although it was not primarily observed among the Jews at the time.

4.July tenth: "It is worth noting that the jubilee was not proclaimed until the tenth of July,on the same dayDang Daannual atonementIt was made for the sins of the people; this does not provefreeorredemptionbound, published under the Gospel until the greatredemption, to offer the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus? " (Clark)

b.Proclaim liberty in this land for all its inhabitants: The earth rejoices proclaiming the good liberty of the Jubilee, declaring that all slaves are free. We don't have much record of this in the Old Testament; Nehemiah 8 and 10 may have examples.

I. "The slave laws in Exodus (Exodus 21:2-6) and Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 15:12-18) provided that slaves could choose to agree to remain with their masters after six years of enslavement; in Jubilee, even the slave shall be set free." (Rooke)

2. "Furthermore, in the Jubilee, the slaves would be freed, thus reminding the people that they could not have absolute and final title to anyone." (Morgan)

3. The Founding Fathers of America understood the principles of the Jubilee and the freedoms associated with them. They inscribed the phrase from verse 10 on the Liberty Bell:preach liberty in this land.

C。Each of you will return to his property, each of you will return to his family.: When trumpets sound on Yom Kippur to announce the Jubilee, it means more than giving the land an extra year of rest. This is also a relief, as will be explained in the following verses. Land should be returned to the family to whom it was originally given, and people (including slaves) should be returned to their homes.

I. "The context indicates that these were properties that had to be sold in difficult times. In this particular year, the former owner was allowed to reclaim his title to the land." (Countess Peter)

2. (13-17) In the Jubilee, the earth is restored to its original state.

"In this Jubilee, each of you will return your property. If you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy anything from your neighbor, you will not oppress each other. Buy it from your neighbor for years, and he will sell it to you according to the years of his harvest. Increase the price according to the number of years, and reduce the price according to the number of years; for he sells to youaccording tofor numberfor many yearscrops. Therefore do not oppress one another, but fear your God. for meexistYahweh your God.

A。In this Jubilee, each of you will return your property: When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the land was divided according to tribes and families. These initial lands will be permanently owned by these families, so land in Israel will never be permanently sold;number of yearswho stayssilver jubilee.

I. In Joshua, chapters 13 through 21, the Promised Land is divided among the tribes of Israel. Each tribe gets a piece of the land, and each clan or extended family unit within the tribe gets its share of the land. These are the assignments that are returned each Jubilee. In Joshua 13-21, what God gives to the clan or extended family will be theirs forever.

2. It means that no family will ever be without land. Every fifty years, every family has the opportunity to start anew.

three.Each of you will return to your property: Believers are citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Philippians 3:20). One day we will hear the sound of the Trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and reach our true eternal home.

b.Therefore, you cannot oppress each other.: While this is very charitable and helpful to families in Israel, it is not a socialist system as only land is redistributed. Even more effectively, it helps prevent the existence of a permanent underclass in Israel.

I. We're not sure if the Jubilee was actually celebrated. Jeremiah 34:8-15 describes an attempt to implement some Jubilee principles. "In the absence of direct evidence, it is difficult to say how widespread the concept of the Jubilee was throughout Israel's history." (Harrison)

2. However, to whatever degree it is noted, this system was a blessing to Israel in the ancient world. This means that no clan or extended family is ever poor. Every fifty years, Israel's economy undergoes a "reset," debts are canceled, serfs are freed, and land is returned. However, this applies to societies based on agriculture, and reached a possible scale in the pre-modern period. It also applies to societies where populations have not grown dramatically over the centuries.

3. Israel's economy under God's laws (including the Jubilee Law) found a middle ground between unbridled capitalism and the oppression of a state-controlled economy. "The Jubilee is a wonderful institution forreligion, freedom, electronicindependentJews". (Clarke)

4. "The debts will be forgiven, the slaves will be emancipated, so that the mountains of wealth and the valleys of poverty will in some measure be leveled, and the country restored to its original structure, a simple agricultural community of small proprietors, each Individuals 'sit under 'your orders.' The vine and the fig tree itself.'” (McLaren)

five. today somein principleThe Jubilee will be a boon to modern society, as will the institution of debt cancellation every fifty years. However, we cannot apply all the principles of the Jubilee to the modern world since God did not allocate land to modern people around the world as God did to Israel in Joshua 13-21.

3. (18-22) God's arrangement for the Sabbath year.

‘So keep my statutes, keep my statutes carefully, and you will dwell in safety in this land. The land will produce its fruit, and you will be fed, and you will live in safety. 'If you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, because we shall not sow or reap our produce?" Then in the sixth year I will bless you, and your produce will be sufficient for three years. Sow in the eighth year, and eat the old fruit until the ninth year; and before its fruit arrives, you should eatofthat old manharvest.

A。Thus keep my statutes, keep my statutes; and you will live safely in this land: God promised that if the Israelites obeyed him, he would provide so much in the sixth year that they would not only be provided in the seventh year, when their land would be rested, but would also eat the produce of the sixth year years, somethree yearsafter.

b.Then I will command me to bless you in the sixth year: If Israel trusts God to provide as He promised in the sixth year - to provide enough for three years in the sixth year - God promisesOrderbless them. The promise is so sure that God saysOrderthis.

I. If we obey God—even if it doesn't make sense—we can trust him to provide for all our needs. All of these practical things will be provided if we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

C. Provisions Regarding Redemption of Assets.

1. (23) Basic principles.

"Land cannot be sold permanently because landThis ismine; for youthey areStrangers and pilgrims are with me.

A。because the land is mine: The whole earth is the Lord's (Psalm 24:1). However, God places special value on the land of Israel, which he calls hisholy place(Zechariah 2:12). God declares hereto the groundIsrael belonged to him in a special way that transcended the sense in which the whole earth belonged to him.

I. In theory, the drama of God's chosen peoples and redemption could unfold almost anywhere on the globe. However, he choseto the groundLike Israel in that place. Geographically, this is the stage where God puts His eternal plan center stage.

b.Land may not be sold permanently: Because the Promised Land belongs to God in a special sense, the land can be leased but not sold. Each lease will expire in the Jubilee Year. In addition, lessors can purchase at any timekin savior(Leviticus 25:25).

C。For you are strangers before me, strangers: It can be said that the Promised Land never really belonged to Israel. It belongs to God. By this, God reminded the Israelites that their true home was with Him in heaven and that they were righteousstrangerand visitors to this land. This is true for Christians today (1 Peter 2:11 and Hebrews 11:13).

I. foreverStrangers and PilgrimsDoesn't sound like a blessing. But God told us, "You are a stranger and a pilgrim to me" changed everything. BecamecomGod means everything is ours and we have better citizenship and a better country.

2. (24-28) The role of the redeemed relatives.

In all your lands, you are to redeem the land. 'If one of your brothers becomes poor and sellsSomeWhat he has, if the redeemer of his kinsmen comes, he may redeem what his brother has sold. Or if a person has nothing to redeem but is able to redeem himself, then the number of years he sells for himself, and the remainder goes to the seller to belong to him. but if he can't havethisRestitution, and what was sold remained in the hands of the buyer until the Jubilee, when it was released and returned to it.

A。On all your lands you shall redeem the land: The redemption of land is throughkin savior(In Hebrew,gore).Europegoreis the designated next of kin, with the right (and responsibility) to do three basic things for the clan or family:

· ohgoreWill redeem family members who are sold into slavery.

· ohgoreAn inheritance that would redeem family land or be sold from the family.

· ohgoreWill avenge the murder of a loved one.

I. The book of Ruth describes a relative transaction of redemption. When Naomi returns from Moab, penniless and in debt, her kin redeemer offers to buy back the land for her, but stops when she discovers that she too must marry Ruth and name an heir for the property up. When the Kin-Redeemer failed to fulfill his obligations, Boaz, the Kin-Redeemer, did it out of love for Ruth (Ruth 3).

Two. EuropegoreIt is also a wonderful image of Jesus, ourkin savior.

· Jesus redeemed us from the bondage of sin (Romans 3:24 and 1 Corinthians 6:20).

· Jesus restores our inheritance, etc. "We lose more in the first Adam than we gain in the second. Innocence makes us pure; external communion with God, His dwelling place; for the delight of earthly heaven, the blessing of God and the fullness of joy." (Meyer)

· Jesus avenged the murder of the souls of His people by defeating those who came to kill them (John 10:10).

Three. EuropegoreWill redeem slaves or property with money. “We have been redeemed, not in perishable things, but in the blood of Christ. We are rightfully free, and we need only claim and act in accordance with the liberty set free by the risen Christ.” (Meyer)

b.Let him count the number of years since he sold and recover the rest: when agore(okin savior) to buy back the land in the name of the family at a price determined by the number of years from the sale until the next Jubilee.

I. "Presumably he would return the money received to the buyer, less the value the buyer had acquired from the land since the sale. The closer they were to the next Jubilee, the lower the value of the property." (Rooke)

C。In the Jubilee it will be released and it will return its property: Search Engine Optimizationkin saviorIf he cannot pay off his brother's debt before the Jubilee, then the land will be returned to the debtor in the Jubilee.

3. (29-34) Except the land of a walled city.

‘If a person sells a house in the city, he can buy it back within a year of the sale;withinHe can redeem it for a whole year. But if it is not redeemed within one year, the house in the city will belong to the person who bought it forever, from generation to generation. It will not be published on Jubilee. However, houses in villages without walls around them will be counted as fields. They can be redeemed and will be released in the Jubilee. However, the cities of the Levites,electronicThe Levites could redeem any house they owned in the city at any time. If anyone buys a house from a Levite, the house that is sold in the city where they take possession must be returned in the year of jubilee. Houses in the City of the Levitesthey areHis property among the Israelites. But public land in their cities cannot be sold becauseThis isIt's perpetual possession.

A。If a person sold a house within the city walls, he could buy it back within a year of the sale.: The property laws described in the previous sections do not apply to city property (in the walled city). The laws described earlier applied to the rural lands where most ancient Israelites lived. For them, Earth is more than a place to live; it's a place to make a living.

I. "The reason for this distinction is evidently the fact that houses within the city walls were not subject to family inheritance and were of no importance to the family's economic survival." (Rooke)

b.A house within the city walls will forever belong to whoever buys it.: In cities, real estate is usually just a place to live. Thus, such property could be bought and sold more freely without the same restrictions as the original land given to Israel when they entered the Promised Land.

C。If a man buys a house from a Levite, the house sold in the city he owns will be released in the Jubilee: However, there is an exception to the special regulations regarding urban real estate. ownership ofLevitesThey will be theirs forever, ready to be redeemed in town or country.

D. Take care of two poor people.

1. (35-38) Loans to the poor.

‘If one of your brothers is poor and falls among you, help him as a sojourner or sojourner, so that he may live with you. Accept no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. Do not lend him money at interest, nor lend him grain at interest. IexistThe LORD your God brought you out of the land of Egypt and gave you the land of Canaanelectronicbe your god.

A。if one of your brothers becomes poor: These orders expressly forbid profiting from the misfortunes of poor brothers. The command is simple, rather than profiting from one poor brother's misery:you have to help him.

b.Accept no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.: Jesus gave a similar command in Luke 6:34 when he asked us what credit it would be to us if we only gave or helped those we knew could help us give back.

I. "Today, uury means unlawful interest on money." (Clarke)

2. "The prophet Ezekiel listed usury among the worst sins, including murder and adultery (Ezekiel 18:11-13; and Ezekiel 22:12). The post-exile community violated the law against usury (Nehemiah 5:1-11).” (Luke)

3. In medieval Europe, Christians often refused to borrow money charging interest because of these biblical laws against usury. Out of hatred of Jews, Christians often pushed Jews into occupations considered inferior—taxation, rent collection, and loan lending. Christians considered these occupations a necessary evil, and considered it a sin to make Jews assume the necessities. However, because of this, the Jews of medieval Europe were dominant in many aspects of banking and finance—often making them all the more envious and disgusted by European Christians.

C。I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and gave you the land of Canaan.: God's kindness and generosity to Israel is an example of kindness and generosity they should show others.

2. (39-46) When a Hebrew becomes a slave for debt.

' and ifoneyour brotherswhere does he liveBecause he becomes poor and sells himself to you, you will not force him to be a slave. as a hired employeeelectronicPilgrims will be with you,electronicwill serve you until the Jubilee. andThenHe will stay away from you; he and his children; and will return to his own family. He will return to his father's property. for themthey areMy servants I brought out of the land of Egypt; they will not be sold as slaves. You must not rule it harshly, but fear your God. As for the male and female servants you can have; from the countries around you, you can buy male and female slaves from them. And you can buy the strangers who live among you, and their families with you, who are born in your land. They will become your property. You can inherit them for your future children, inheritinghow are theyproperty; they shall be your eternal slaves. As for your brethren, the Israelites, do not be strict with yourself.

A。you can't make him a slave: In the ancient world, it was normal for people who were poor or unable to pay their debts to become slaves. Moses' law did not allow the Israelites to do this for one of his peoplebrother.he should not be consideredlike a slave, but ashired servants and pilgrims.

I. While it is nearly impossible for us to relate to the modern world, this kind of slavery was necessary and useful in the ancient world. For most of human history, the poorest have sometimes faced the choice of starvation or slavery. In this case, it is difficult to call it slaveryplace of birth, but it's certainly more popular than the alternative (death).

two.slave: "The Hebrew word is usually translated asslaveDesignate a "subordinate," or a person who is under the authority of a superior in a hierarchy. It could be used for a cabinet minister under a king, an officer under a supreme commander, or a slave under a master. (Countess Peter)

b.it will serve you till the jubilee: Brothers in Israel are considered to behired servants and pilgrimsWhen his debt is paid off, he is released from his obligations. but eachhire staffelectronicpilgrimagereleasedJubilee.

European Union.because they are my servants: "The Hebrew word used here is actually 'slave,' as shown in verse 39, which should be translated to make the connection between this sentence and the previous verses clearer. The Israelites were the Egyptians slaves, but when they were freed they became the property of their Redeemer, the Lord himself.” (Countess Peter)

C。Do not be strict with him, but fear your God: God commanded that slaves and workers should not be abused. They should not be overworked or to the detriment of their interests. God cares about working conditions and does not want workers to be mistreated on the job.

I. "Work beyond one's strength, or for prolonged periods of time, or in unhealthy or uncomfortable places and circumstances, or with insufficient food, etc., areneed to work hard, and therefore inhuman; this law was not made for the time of Moses and the Jews, but for every age and every people under the heavens. (Clark)

d.As for the male and female servants you can have; from the countries around you, you can buy male and female slaves from them: Foreign slaves enslaved by debt or poverty did not have the same rights as Israelis enslaved by debt. Although they had to be treated humanely (Exodus 20:8-11), they could be slaves for life (assuming their debts or obligations were never repaid).

I. Exodus 21:16 specifically states that kidnapping a person and selling them is a sin that is not allowed in Israel. Later, the prophet Amos denounced Tyre's slave trade as violatingFraternity Alliance(Amos 1:9-10).

2. This is the subtle but important difference between slavery that was (and is) prevalent in the past and that which was prescribed by the Bible. Most Slavery (Ancient and Modern) Is Actually a Formattack– Arresting and imprisoning a person against their will. According to the Bible (and practiced in some other ancient cultures), slavery was welcomednice(often as payment of a debt) or, in the event of war, an alternative to death. In ancient Israel, people from other cultures were not kidnapped and enslaved (as was done in the African slave trade).

3. (47-55) Redemption of Hebrew slaves from foreigners.

"Now, if a pilgrim or foreigner near you gets rich andoneyour brotherswhere does he liveHe became penniless and betrayed himselforThe nearby pilgrims, or the family members of outsiders, can redeem it after selling it. One of your brothers may save you; or be redeemed by his uncle or his uncle's son; oranyoneThose who are close to him can redeem him. Or if he is capable, he can redeem himself. This is how he shall reckon to him who bought him: the price for his release shall be according to the number of years from the year in which he was sold until the year of jubilee;This will beAccording to the time of the employee hired for him. ifhavemany more yearsThe remaining,According to them, he will pay the ransom with the money that bought it. If there are years before the jubilee, you will settle accounts with him,electronicHe will pay the price of your atonement in his years. He will be with him as a perennial servant, and he will not rule harshly before you. If he is not redeemed in these respectsYear,Then he will be released in the Jubilee; he and his children. for israelisthey aremy servants; theythey areThe servant I brought out of the land of Egypt:existYahweh your God.

A。sold to foreigners or pilgrims: It's about an Israeli man who is forced to sell himself to a foreigner who may not respect his rights under God's law.

b.Once sold, it can be redeemed again.: Like a ransom for the land, it is the duty of the kin redeemer to buy as many Hebrew slaves out of bondage as possible, the price is based onJubilee.If he can't be redeemed sooner, he shouldreleased in jubilee.

C。israelites are my servants: God cared for Israel and redeemed them on the basis that they were the firstemployeeto the Lord, the God of the covenant.

(c) 2021 Oenduring wordsCommentary on the Bible by David Guzik –ewm@enduringword.com