© 2001 "Yes Lord" Ministries
Leviticus
Lesson 20
Hi again and welcome back to this study of the Book of Leviticus.
And, guess what? We have come to the 25th Chapter of this most instructive and informative book. And, in this chapter and in this lesson we are going to study two topics about which you probably are not very familiar, but which are very interesting and very important.
What are these two topics? you ask. Well, they are
1. The Sabbath Year
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2. The Year of Jubilee.
You will notice, as you read this Chapter, that both the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee are described and explained. And, depending on which version of the Bible you are reading, the terminology used to identify each may vary. For example, in the NIV, the Sabbath Year is referred to as "a sabbath to the LORD", "a sabbath of rest", "the sabbath year", etc. And, when referring to the "Year of Jubilee," the NIV words used to identify this year include "fiftieth year", "a jubilee", "Year of Jubilee", "Jubilee","the Jubilee", etc. Your version of the Bible (KJV, NAS, whatever) may use the same or different wording. But, not to worry, if you decide to use your Bible to do these assignments, you should be able to easily identify and distinguish the terminology your Bible uses to identify these two different occasions.
And, of course, with that introduction, it is obvious that it is time for an assignment. So, put on your thinking cap, get out your colored pens and pencils, find your Bible and open it to Chapter 25 of Leviticus (or use the Scripture included below), and let's begin.
Your FIRST Assignment is to read Chapter 25 of Leviticus. And, as you read,
1. Put a GREEN CIRCLE around every occurrence of the phrases: "a sabbath to the LORD", "a sabbath of rest", "the sabbath year" or any other phrases or words used as a synonym to mean the same thing.
2. Put a RED CIRCLE around every occurrence of the phrases: "fiftieth year", "a jubilee", "Year of Jubilee", "Jubilee","the Jubilee" or any other words used as a synonym to mean the same thing.
3. Underline in BLUE every reference to a specific number of years (such as "six years", "seventh year", "seven sabbaths of years", etc.
4. Put a BROWN BOX around every occurrence of the word "land", "lands", "the land" or words used as a synonym to mean the same thing
Ok. That is your assignment. And, of course, these colors and symbols are only suggestions. So, if you prefer to use different colors or to use an oval or a box or to draw a little picture, or whatever, feel free to do so. For example, I put a big green 7 on each of the Sabbath Year words or phrases and a big red 50 on each of the Year of Jubilee words or phrases. Whatever. As we have said before, the actual WAY you mark the words is not as important as it is THAT you mark them. Anyway, when you have finished, we will, as usual, have some questions for you to answer. So have fun marking but do pay attention to what you are reading, as I know you will.
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Leviticus 25
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1. The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
2. "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: `When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you--for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7. as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.
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. 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. 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.
23. "`The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. 24. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. 25. "`If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. 26. If, however, a man has no one to redeem it for him but he himself prospers and acquires sufficient means to redeem it, 27. he is to determine the value for the years since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own property. 28. But if he does not acquire the means to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and he can then go back to his property.
29. "`If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time he may redeem it. 30. If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. 31. But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. 32. "`The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess. 33. So the property of the Levites is redeemable--that is, a house sold in any town they hold--and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34. But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their permanent possession.
35. "`If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. 36. Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. 37. You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. 38. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
39. "`If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. 40. He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41. Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers. 42. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. 43. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.
44. "`Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
47. "`If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, 48. he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives may redeem him: 49. An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. 50. He and his buyer are to count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for his release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired man for that number of years. 51. If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption a larger share of the price paid for him. 52. If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to compute that and pay for his redemption accordingly. 53. He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly. 54. "`Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, 55. for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Finished? Great!
You have heard of Sabbaths of Rest before. Indeed, we have already studied, in an earlier lesson, that God ordained that His PEOPLE observe a recurring Sabbath of rest. And, how often were they to do that? (Circle the correct answer from the choices below.)
a. one day every week
b. one day a month
c. one day a year
d. every 10th year
e. on their birthday
f. when they were tired and felt like it
g. every Seventh year
And now we are discovering that God is commanding that something else is to rest! Yes, God's people are to observe a Sabbath one day every week. But, here in Chapter 25, we discover that God is saying that something beside the people is to have a recurring period of rest. And that "something else" is the ______________
Wow! Yes, the Land is to observe a recurring period of rest. It, too, is to rest and recover from the stress and the effects of work and use.
Based on what you read, how often was this time of "rest" to be observed by the land? (Circle the correct answer from the choices below)
a. one day every week
b. once a month
c. once a year
d. every 10th year
e. when they felt like it
f. when they wanted to go on vacation and not farm
g. every Seventh year
Correct! They were to let the land "rest" (lie fallow) every 7th Year.
Specifically, based on what you read in Lev 25:2-7, what did God tell the people to DO and NOT do concerning the land every 7th year? (Reread those verses and then in the space below, write what God told them to do and not do during each 7 year cycle of "land use.")
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The Sabbath Year
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Astounding! God tells them that, yes, they are to sow and harvest their fields and prune their vineyards and gather their crops normally for 6 years, but, in the seventh year they are to let the land rest! They are not to sow (plant) their fields or prune their vineyards in the 7th year! They are to not go out and reap the fields or harvest the grapes!
How can this be? These people were FARMERS! Growing crops was essential to their life! They were not plumbers, mechanics, store clerks, etc. They worked the land! They grew crops, tended the vines, and used the land to raise cattle and sheep and goats. Did God really mean for them to NOT plant crops or work the land for a whole year every 7th year? How could they live? How could they survive! Well, we found the answer to that question in Chapter 25. Find the specific verses which answer that question "What will we eat? ...." and write them in the space provided below.
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Whew, what a relief. God had a plan! But that shouldn't amaze them (or us), for God always has a plan when He commands us or anyone to do something that seems impossible. And, I am sure that you found several verses in Ch. 25 which answered that question. The ones that I wrote in that space were Lev. 25: 20-22 and 25:6-7: You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I (God) will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 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. ....and, in addition... Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you -- for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.
Reread those verses (Lev. 25: 20-22 and 6-7) in your Bible or in the text printed in this lesson and, as you reread them, underline or highlight them. I used orange to highlight them, but you may use whatever color you prefer.
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Ok. Now that we know a few things about the Sabbath year, let's look at the second of these 2 special observances of rest by looking next at the Year of Jubilee, which is, as you have noticed, closely related to the Sabbath Year of Rest.
We will begin by looking at verses 8-19, although actually most of the remainder of Chapter 25 deals also with the Year of Jubilee. But, for now, let's concentrate on verses 8-19. So, read those verses and then answer the following questions.
? How often did the Year of Jubilee occur? = every _______ years.
? And how did they "calculate" when to observe the Year of Jubilee? (Hint: see verse 8 and then summarize what you learn in the space provided below.)
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? When (day and month) of the year did the Year of Jubilee begin?
? What is the name of the day that the Year of Jubilee begins? = The Day of _______________
Yes, you are exactly correct! The Year of Jubilee occurs at the beginning of every 50th year on the 10th day of the 7th Month. And this day is a very special day on the Jewish Calendar. It is, as you surely recall, and as the text told you, the Day of Atonement, one of the Fall Feasts and the most solemn of all the Feast Days. Indeed this day was so solemn that it was a Fast day! We studied this day in some detail in an earlier lesson. And, if the events of that day are not firmly fixed in your mind, you should go back and review that lesson (Lesson 18). Why? Because there are shadows and types in this Day and in the Year of Jubilee that are important. We will discuss some of them toward the end of this lesson. So, by reviewing that information now, it will help you understand the shadows and types portrayed by the Year of Jubilee.
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<>< <>< <>< <>< Pause while you review or recall the events of the Day of Atonement <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Great! Good thinking and good reviewing.
So, now that we know when the Year of Jubilee occurs and how it is calculated and when it begins, let's find out what happens during this special year. For indeed, this is a very special and unusual year which occurred only twice a century.
And to find out what happens during this very special time, let's read Lev. 25:8-55. And, as you read, in the space below, list what God told them to Do and Not Do during the Year of Jubilee. (If there is not enough room in the space below, feel free to use an extra sheet of paper.)
The Year of Jubilee.
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Hmmmmm. Very interesting.
In an earlier lesson in this study of Leviticus, we learned that God desired that His people observe a recurring time of rest, which He ordained for them to be one day out of every seven. And this special day each week is called the _____________ . And the Jews today still observe this special day every week..
Now, in this lesson, we have discovered that God also desired that His Land be allowed to observe rest for one year out of every seven! And this special year is called the ___________________ Year .
And, we have also discovered that God also ordained a very special time of redemption for the land, and for the Jewish people, and for their property (houses not in the city but in the countryside). And God ordained (decreed) that this is to be done every ________th year. And the name for this very special year is the Year of ____________________ .
Yes, you are correct if you said that the special day of rest for the people each week is called the Sabbath day; and the Sabbath Year is the 1 year in 7 that the land is to lie fallow and rest; and, the 1 year in every 50 when houses, land, and people are to be returned to their original owners, is called the Year of Jubilee.
BUT, did they obey God in all of this? And what difference would it make if they didn't obey? Did God have anything to say concerning what would happen if they did not obey Him? Or were these just "suggestions"?
Well, before we find out if they obeyed, let's find out what God tells them will happen if they DISOBEY Him in this matter of the observance of the Sabbath Year (every 7 years) and of the Year of Jubilee (every 50 years).
Let's look in Leviticus 26:2, 14-16a, 31-35 (printed here below for you or you may use your Bible) and as you read these verses, underline in BLACK, what God says will happen to them if they disobey Him in this matter of observing these special times.
Leviticus 26:2, 14-16a, 31-35
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2. "`Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. ...
14. "`But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15. and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16. then I will do this to you: ... ... ...
31. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. 32. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. 33. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.
Wow! Those are very serious consequences for disobedience!
So the next obvious question is, Did they obey God in these matters OR did they DISOBEY Him? Again, the Bible tells us. Let's look now in 2 Chronicles 36 for the answer to that question. But, first, let me set the scene.
These commandments and instructions were, as you recall, given to the Jewish nation, in about 1491 BC, during the year after their Exodus from their time of slavery and oppression in Egypt. The time of the events described in 2 Chronicles was approximately the years 610- 606 BC. And, even though they had started out with good intentions in 1491 BC, as time passed, they began to disobey God and to disobey many of God's specific commands, including those concerning the keeping of the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. (They also broke many other commands and did many other evil things, but that is another study for another time. For now we are mainly concerned as to whether they kept these specific commands concerning the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee, and we discover that they did NOT.)
Yes, they started well and initially obeyed God and kept God's commands but then they began to disobey. And, yes, there were times of obedience intermixed in with the times of disobedience and that, too, is another study in itself. Indeed, you will find it most instructive if you just sit down sometime and read the History of the Jewish nation as it is recorded in the Old Testament. Many people avoid the OT and never read it, but, those who fail to read the OT really miss out on very important information, concepts, principles, and understandings. So, if you have not already done so, please consider reading (or re-reading) the entire OT sometime soon. You will never regret having done so.
Anyway, in 2 Chronicles, we pick up the story about 800-900 years after the events in Leviticus and we will find the answer to our question concerning their obedience or disobedience in 2 Chronicles 36:5. As you read these verses (in your Bible or printed here for you),
1. Underline in BLACK (or in a color of your choice) what they did that was contrary to God's commands. I will underline the first phrase to show you how to do this.
2. Underline or highlight in YELLOW (or a color of your choice) what happened to them by way of punishment from God for this disobedience.
3. Underline or highlight in GREEN what God said about the land and the sabbaths getting their rest.
2 Chronicles 36:5-21
5. Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. 6. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. 7. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the LORD and put them in his temple there. 8. The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah (ie 1 & 2 Kings in our Bible today). And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
9. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 10. In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the LORD, and he made Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. 13. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. 14. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19. They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. 20. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21. The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.
Hmmmmmm! God really is serious when He commands His people (or anyone) to do something. And, when He says there will be consequences for disobedience, He is not kidding, is He?
Look back at these passages you just read. What did God say in Lev. 26 would happen to them if they disobeyed and did not keep His commandments concerning the observance of the Sabbaths?
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Now look at 2 Chronicles 36 again. Did they obey God and keep His commandments? __________
So, according to 2 Chronicles, what happened to them for their disobedience?
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Are these things the fulfillment of the punishments God had told them would happen if they disobeyed? ________
How long were they in exile in Babylon? (Hint: see verse 21) ______________ years.
Our study in Haggai tells about what happened at the end of their 70 year exile in Babylon. You might want to do that study sometime. But, again, that is another study. Let's continue on with this one.
Since we know they were in exile in Babylon for 70 years, as punishment for their disobedience of not observing the Sabbath Year, how long (how many years) does this mean that they did NOT obey God in respect to the observing the Sabbath year? (hint what is 7 times 70 years?). They disobeyed God concerning the observance of the Sabbath year for __________ years.
Wow! 490 Years ! Now that is serious disobedience! And God certainly was patient. But, did the patience finally end? ________
By way of application, does this mean that even though you or I might think we are "getting away with" disobeying God, that we really aren't and that sooner or later our sins will find us out, and catch up with us, and that we will be punished for them? ___________
Explain your answer.
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So, we have discovered that MANY years passed from the time of the beginning of their disobedience until the judgment of God upon them occurred and even then there was a space of years at the end where God still tried to warn His people to repent and return to obedience. But, did they repent? No. So finally God brought judgment upon the Jewish people and their country was conquered and they were captured by the Babylonians and taken from their country and their land by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to Babylon where they remained for 70 years, while the land observed all the sabbaths that had been denied to it by the disobedient people!
The Book of Daniel relates many of the events occurring during this time of captivity in Babylon. Daniel was one of those captured and taken to Babylon. And, that, too, is another study. But, again, we don't have time to go into that now. The point we need to note here in this lesson is that God told them what to do concerning the observance of the Sabbaths and what would happen if they disobeyed. And, we see that they disobeyed and that God kept His word and saw to it that they were punished for their disobedience. Thus the land was finally allowed to observe its sabbaths for 70 years in a row while they were in exile in Babylon and away from the land.
Hmmmmm.
But, we must continue on. There is still more that is important in this Chapter. Much more. And we can only briefly touch on some of these "much more" things.
But one of these "much more things" has to do with the Year of Jubilee.
You noticed in Leviticus 25, as you listed the things that happened during that special 50th year, that there was a lot of redemption going on. Lands were being redeemed and returned to their original owners, people who had sold themselves into servitude were being redeemed and returned to freedom and etc.
What does all of this mean? Well, several things.
First of all, since these were God's people and this was His Land, this was God's way of keeping things in fairness for all and in God's possession and control.. By the land reverting back every 50 years to the original owners, the Jewish people to whom God had given this land, no one person or group or nation could become the dominant landowner and control the nation other than God.
So, ownership of the land and houses was actually a form of a "land lease" situation, in that, when land was bought and sold, it was only a temporary possession and the price, therefore, depended on how much time remained until the Year of Jubilee. Ditto re any person who had to sell himself into servitude to pay off his debts.
And, speaking of selling oneself or one's land or house or whatever, you noticed, in Leviticus 25, that often a person or the land or house was bought back by a a near kinsman, a relative.. This was commonly done, and the kinsman who did this had to be a relative and this person who did the redeeming (buying back) was called the "Kinsman Redeemer." Indeed, the Book of Ruth describes in great detail and clarity what happens when this Kinsman Redeemer redemption occurs. And, yes, you guessed it, that is also another study for another time. (Are you beginning to see why you really do need to read the Old Testament and see how so many events are tied together, related, explained, clarified, and interconnected? Yes.)
Anyway, the concept and function of the Kinsman-Redeemer is not only introduced and described in Lev. 25, and explained in more detail in the book of Ruth, but it also is a type / shadow / picture of, you guessed it, Jesus Christ.
The Lord God Jesus Christ is the Kinsman Redeemer who has bought back His people and indeed anyone who will accept His gift of redemption from sin and the consequences of sin. And the price Jesus paid for this redemption was His life which He gave as payment for the sin debt penalty which all people owe, Jews and Gentiles.
All of us have sinned and have broken some or all of God's commandments, not only the commandments in this lesson concerning the Land, but the other commandments as well.
And whenever a person sins (disobeys God), then the person who disobeyed has become a slave to sin and is in bondage to sin and the devil. The only way that person (and that includes not just the Jewish people but also Gentiles) can be redeemed is by his or her Kinsman Redeemer purchasing them back. This is what is being pictured as a shadow / type in the Year of Jubilee and in the fact that it is a time of Redemption!
Wow!
And, did you notice the DAY when this Year of Jubilee begins? Yes, it is on the Day of __________________ .
And, that, too, is very significant, because the Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year for the Jews. This is the day that the High Priest would go into the tabernacle / temple, behind the veil into the the Most Holy place, the Holy of Holies, and offer the blood sacrifice for the atonement for sin!
But there is no temple today (in March 2001 as this is being written) so this offering of the blood sacrifice is not being done today and indeed there has been no such ceremony or sacrifice or blood offering in the Jewish temple since 70 AD when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans and the sacrifices ceased. And, in reality, those sacrifices were no longer needed in AD 70 anyway, because the death of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, in about AD 33, had replaced the need for these temporary sacrifices. Why? Because His death was the final, once for all sacrifice! Those temporary sacrifices, we have already learned in a previous lesson, were only pictures / shadows / types of Jesus' once for all sacrifice.
And even though the Jews didn't realize it then and many or most, sadly, still do not understand the picture / shadow / type that is being presented in the Kinsman - Redeemer and the Day of Atonement relationship, it is now very easy to use our "retro-specto-scope" and see and recognize what these were picturing as shadows and types.
The reason why there is no need for repeated sacrifices in a Temple today (or for the past almost 2000 years) is because
Jesus Christ is the Kinsman - Redeemer.
Jesus' Blood (death) is and was the once and for all and final payment for the redemption from sin.
Temporary redemption for sin occurred annually in Old Testament times on the Day of Atonement, the day that the High Priest annually took the Blood sacrifice as the sin payment into the Most Holy Place and placed it on the Ark of the Covenant before God. That blood was the required redemption price for the one being redeemed. But as we have already discovered in a previous lesson in this series, the blood of bulls, lambs, goats, and birds were only shadows and types of the future coming and perfect blood sacrifice, the sacrifice of the blood of the Lord God Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ, as the Kinsman-Redeemer, paid the sin death penalty for us (Jews and Gentiles) when He died on the cross. Then, as High Priest, He took His own blood into the Heavenly Tabernacle / Temple and placed it on the Atonement cover of the Ark of the Covenant in Heaven.
It is His precious life blood which has purchased our redemption from sin!
So, Jesus is both the sacrificial lamb and the High Priest who presents the blood of the sacrifice.
And, all of this was being pictured as a type / shadow in the events of the Year of Jubilee!
Thoughout this study of Leviticus, we have repeatedly observed that there are many shadows and types in the various feasts, clothing, ceremonies, etc. This is one more example of these shadows and types.
Therefore, understanding this, the questions you now need to ask yourself as we bring this lesson to a close are:
Have I sinned (disobeyed God)? ___________
Do I realize that by that disobedience I am no longer a sinless person and, therefore, I am unable to fellowship with God, because by that sin I became a slave to sin and to the devil? _________
Because I am now owned by the devil and am in bondage to sin, I now need to be redeemed from that sin BUT I can not purchase my freedom!
Indeed, there is NO way that I can "earn" my righteousness. There is not enough money or good works or anything that I can do to pay my debt and to allow me to be considered sinless (righteous).
Do I realize that my only hope is for a Kinsman Redeemer to have mercy on me and to pay that debt penalty for me? ______
The payment for my sin is the LIFE of another; and that person has to DIE in my place to pay my debt! And that person must be one who is SINLESS!
Oh woe is me! There is no one who is sinless. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Who then, can be my Kinsman Redeemer?
Praise the Lord, there IS such a person, and that person is the Lord God Jesus Christ! He, as my Kinsman Redeemer, has paid the death penalty for me.
Romans 3: 21- 29 explains what Jesus has done as our Kinsman Redeemer. As you read these verses, underline in RED, what it is that our Kinsman Redeemer does and underline in GREEN the results of His purchase payment (ie, what did His death purchase for us)
Romans 3:21. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24. and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26. He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the One Who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
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Yes, it is Jesus who provides the redemption and restores us to a position of righteousness. Jesus is the Kinsman Redeemer. His life blood was the final, once for all, atoning sacrifice. His blood paid the required debt penalty for sin. The penalty HAD to be paid. Our Kinsman Redeemer knew that we could not pay it. Only He could pay it. And He loved us so much that He was willing to give His life as a substitute for ours (yours, mine, anyone who will let Him). And by His payment, we are "justified" (made just as if we had never sinned) and are redeemed from the bondage of sin and returned to a relationship with our God, a relationship in which God is now our Master and owner and Lord and King!
Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
Therefore, Jesus is not only the Kinsman Redeemer of the Jews; He is also the Kinsman Redeemer of the Gentiles (non-Jews), too!
Have you accepted -- will you accept your Kinsman Redeemer's gift of redemption?
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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright C 1973,1978,1984 International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.
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This material is Copyrighted,
but you may copy and freely distribute it,
as long as NO fee for profit is charged and it is NOT changed in any way.
This is for the Glory of God and NOT for the financial profit of man.
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