You must provide for the redemption of the land(Lev 25 note)

 

Lev 25:1-55.

Key Verse 24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

In the first half of this book, God taught what His chosen people should do to be holy as God is holy. This section ends with the law for the Day of Covenant (ch16). The second half is teachings on how to live out the life that is already made holy. So its primary theme is how to keep on living a life that shall sustain the holiness.

In the second half (ch17-27), ch 25 makes the last teaching how to live a holy life. It is the last, because ch 26 is not about how to live but about what would happen when Israel fails to live according to the Law and ch 27 is about God’s expectation from his people in lieu of the Covenant blessing and judgment.

In this regard, ch 25 makes not only the last teaching how to live out a holy life but also the sum of the teaching of the second half and carries enormous weight on enforcing the law and encouraging the hope of the day of the Lord’s full redemption.

 We will divide today’s passage into four parts; first, they are to observe a sabbath year (1-7), second, count off seven sabbath years and declare the year of jubilee (8-17) third, keep the law and make all-out efforts for the land to be redeemed for all (23-53), fourth regardless, the land must be redeemed on the year of jubilee (54-55). 

Simply this chapter teaches us about how to celebrate the sabbath year and the year of jubilee. But both are linked together not only in time but also in theme, the redemption of the land. This is evident in the understanding that if Israel fails to observe a sabbath year, then it is almost impossible to observe and celebrate the year of jubilee. In other words, when Israel observes the sabbath years, then they could observe and celebrate the jubilee. In this way, today’s passages seem to teach the way how Israel as a chosen nation can live up to the year of jubilee when all will enjoy the Lord’s redemption for an everlasting blessing.

1.     The land shall have a sabbath to the Lord (1-7)

Until this time, God taught them how to live a righteous life as chosen in their relationship with the Lord and with other people. But as the last section of this teaching, God taught them that the land itself must have a Sabbath year to the Lord. ‘the main idea of ‘sabbath’ is rest to the Lord. Israel people were to set apart the seventh day, a time, totally to the Lord. They were not to work toward producing any products for a living. Instead, they were totally to devote their life to the Lord only. At the time of instituting the first sabbath, God freed Israel from working, i.e., gathering the manna on the sabbath day. In doing so, He made it clear that it is the Lord who gives the food for life, and having rest on a sabbath is the expression of their trust in the Lord for their lives. At that time, they were able to rest on the sabbath because manna came down from heaven. It had nothing to do with the land for they were roaming in the desert on route to the land of God’s promise. But once they enter the land, God is telling them that they must give ‘sabbath rest’ to the land as well.

The land of God’s blessing, the land of Palestine, is uniquely different from the land of Egypt. The land of Egypt is fertile regardless of the amount of rainfall of the land. On the other hand, Palestine does not have any other source of water but the rainfall of the land. In other words, the living or produce of the land is totally dependent on the rainfall from heaven. When Israel pleases God, God would bring down the rain and the land produces many crops and Israel lives in abundance. When Israel is disobedient, God would not send rain and the land suffers drought and scanty crops, brining much poverty for the people. This is the first line of God’s punishment for Israel when they would disobey the Lord (Lev 26)

As they produced the first crop of the Land, God stopped raining down manna from heaven and Israel worked on the land for their living. The land seems to be the source of living for the more and the better they work on the land, the more productive they get from the land. As they work hard on the land and receive much yield from the land, an idea that the land itself is the rich source of living might sink in the hearts of Israel. Against such understanding or such hope, God is saying that the land itself must observe a sabbath year to the Lord. It bears three fundamental principles of truth. 1) Even the land itself must be holy or must serve the Lord of holiness since God is among them. No created thing can be exempt from obeying the Lord to uphold His glory and His purpose 2) the land itself is also governed by the Lord for the sake of his people Israel. It is the wrong idea or false perception that the product solely depends on their labor and wisdom and God is totally neutral in regard to managing the land. Such understanding inevitably leads them to rely heavily on their labor and wisdom for the blessings in the land, a prelude of materialism. 3) It is to testify that even without their labor, God can feed them as God did during the time in the desert by raining down manna and demand of faith to trust the Lord as the real source of life. Is God the source of my life? If we believe it, then it must be lived to be proof of that faith. Keeping a Sabbath day is relatively easy as far as one’s concern for the food since we can get by without food much trouble. But keeping a sabbath year is totally different and far more difficult than keeping a sabbath day for Israel has to depend on the mercy of the land for a whole year. This is the land once cursed by God that has been producing nothing but thorns and thistles and that they had to work hard day after day to get the desired yield for life. Here God is saying that you must trust me as the Lord of the heaven and the earth, the Lord of life.   

2.     Count off seven sabbath years and declare the year of jubilee (8-17)

As his command to observe a sabbath year ends, the first thing that God told them was to count off seven sabbath years, amount to forty-nine years (v8). Observing a Sabbath year is a difficult one. But they do this every seventh year seven times. As they finish the seventh sabbath year, they will reach to the year fiftieth. On the day of the atonement of this year, they are to blow the trumpet and declare the year of jubilee. They persevered through all hard times by faith seven times of seven years.  They have kept their faith and are worthy of His blessing. God now delivers them from all labor in grace and power. This is an undoing of what God did in the garden of Eden; '"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust, you will return." (Gen 3:17 NIV). God not only freed man from the labor that leads to death but also redeemed the land that He cursed at the fall of man. This is the day of completion of the Lord’s salvation. Israel has reached the day through obeying God’s decrees, commands, and the Law. Up to Ch 16 speaks of how to earn the salvation of man. Ch 17-24 is about how to live out that salvation in their lives, focusing on their relationship with other fellow men and with the Lord. In this last chapter of living guidelines, by providing a way for the redemption of the land back to the original owners, the salvation is being completed; God, his redeemed people, and the land redeemed to them. This is the picture of the arrival of the kingdom of God, that he had in the garden of Eden and that was lost and that is yet to be restored to them as they live out the law by faith.

In order to redeem the land to his people fully, the mind and life that depend totally on the land and its produce must be done away with by relying on God and His provisions. In this regard, observing a sabbath year is important, and repeating seven times of the sabbath year is important. The culmination of that faith, living by faith that God provides all sustenance for life for three years in jubilee is important.  God has come in full salvation. It is holy to the Lord and to them. Being freed of one’s mind from all the laborers on the land that was necessary to sustain life, the people enjoy liberty. So, liberty is the main theme of jubilee and the key spirit that God brings to men.  

The mark of this liberty is set on two; they eat only what is taken directly from the fields, and they returned to their own property. 

By this declaration, they consecrate the year, fiftieth, holy, and proclaim liberty. This is the year when God comes with a delivery of full salvation resulting in liberty. What would be the mark of God’s delivery and resulting in full liberty? 

God gave them the land as his blessing for them. In the midst of the land, God resides with them. Yet there has been

The next year after the seventh’s sabbath year, i.e., the fiftieth year they should have as a jubilee. The basic meaning of the word ‘jubilee’ is a horn of a ram or sound from the horn, or trumpet. They are to consecrate the fiftieth year. The verb ‘consecrate’ is used only for something that is totally dedicated to the Lord such as priests and holy objects given to the Lord. This word is not used in association with a sabbath or a sabbath year. This means that the year jubilee is far more than sabbath days sabbath years.  Also, the arrival of the sabbath year was to be announced by a trumpet sound on the Day of Atonement. By the trumpet sound, the release of all its inhabitants of the Land is to be announced (NAS). NIV translates ‘to proclaim liberty’. This liberty is not just for men but also all living as the entire land is the Lord’s. There should not be any trace of the unredeemed and God’s blessing must be all around and full. This year is the prototype of the day of the LORD when God’s salvation is full and complete. The day of the Lord is a long way in the future. But Israel had to live out that hope beginning with a sabbath day and then sabbath year and then counting on seven more times of the sabbath year to reach to the year of Jubilee. 

Ch 23 describes the seasons of a year that they must observe. It looked at a year how to live a life as God’s holy people. Now their attention must be brought to long years ahead of them. When and how shall the life as a chosen people end?  It is the year of jubilee, the year when God would redeem them fully and when they can enjoy the full liberty in God’s grace and His blessing. The entire year, they should not work for the whole year is holy as a sabbath day is holy. In other words, all the blessings that they enjoy on a sabbath day will be multiplies or compounded seven times in the year sabbath. The blessings of the sabbath year will be multiplied or compounded seven times in the year of jubilee. The life of liberty, filled with rest, peace, and joy will be far clearer and deeper in the sabbath year and then it will be perfected in the year of jubilee. In this hope and vision, they were to begin a sabbath year and then count off seven more times of sabbath years. From this point on until they get to the time of jubilee, how should they live?

3.     Everyone is to return to their own property (13-17)

The celebration of God’s redemption is to live and enjoy the land, or the piece of the land that God gave to that family. As God’s promise of blessing to Abraham included the land of Palestine, so is for each of his descendants.  Having a piece of land and enjoying it is part of God’s blessing for in the midst of the land God resides. The land is the source of living and the resource of economic activity. So, having or not having a piece of land is directly connected to one’s ability to live freely. From now until the year of jubilee, there will be many sales of lands and lending money guaranteed by a piece of land in order to meet the need of life.  There will be many who cannot keep their lands or incurred much debt on the land either because of their physical or intellectual inability to produce or because they did not do well before the eyes of God and God put them under such stress. Nevertheless, the land must be bought back or all the debt lien on the property must be paid off by the time of jubilee so that the original owner may live in it freely before the Lord without any encumbrances from others.

Here the fact that debts are the present reality is assumed.  There are the rich, the creditors, and the poor. debtors. In this process, the riches must not take advantage of the poor or the weak for the Lord is the ultimate owner and even the riches are living off of God’s grace.  Who will be the debtors and who will be the creditors? The next chapter (ch 26) describes how God will implement the Law to Israel. If they keep the Law, they will receive blessings. If they do not keep the Law, then Israel will face a stepwise increase in God’s punishment. The worst and final stage of punishment is to throw them out of the land of God’s blessing and Israel will become exiles in a foreign land (Lev 26:32). In other words, pretty much, all Israel will be debtors and the whole land of God’s promise would be debt-ridden at this stage in history. This actually happened when God punished Judah for their sin and they were destroyed by Babylon and all of them were taken exile (Dan 9:24; Neh 10:31). More than likely this was in God’s mind when he gave instructions about how to redeem the land to his people.

Then how much is needed to redeem a piece of land? God speaks about the value of the land (v14-17). When paying off the sale price or money owed, the real value depends on how many years left to the time of jubilee. This sets the fair value of the land. To buy back the property, the value measured on the number of years since jubilee. When one is to sell the property to the original owner, the value depends on the number of years left to the jubilee. Both are from the perspective of the original owner of the property.  So, the value of the land is not static or temporal set at the time of the transaction, which is determined by supply and demand of the time but fluid and that fluidity is governed by the amount of time from and to the time of jubilee. How much is it valuable for the owner to sustain his life until the year jubilee? This is an important value system. The value is not determined by the market’s balance between demand and supply or determined by a judge, or magistrate or king, but by the number of years left to the time of jubilee.  We assess the values of everything to do and handle. The land is the source of all living sustenance. In this regard, how one sets the value of the land affects directly how they were to set values of all things to support life now. We measure the value of a thing based on how much it will help me now for my better life or living.  But the fair value of a property depends on how much it can help one to get to the time of full redemption of the Lord. Salvation focused value! A value measured in an eternal perspective.

This reminds us of what Jesus said; "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mat 6:19-20 NIV) Also the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-10).  

4.     Follow my decrees and obey my Laws (18-24).

God sets the principle of life that must be applied to life while waiting for the year of jubilee;

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.”

They are to keep God’s decrees and obey the Laws. If they do so then, they would have no trouble keeping themselves affluent enough not to incur any debts and would live in the land free and clear. In this respect what God taught in Lev 1-16 is so important. As long as they keep the Law detailed in ch 1-16, then they do not need to worry about the land at all, at the year of the sabbath, and even at the year of jubilee.

God sets another principle in handling the land.

23 “ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. 24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

God is the owner of the land and they reside as foreigners and strangers. This means that in no way they should leave any debts incurred on behalf of them. If they incurred a debt on the land, then they must provide for the redemption of the land. Here God emphasizes his ownership of the land. But this is not to emphasize that they cannot sell the land in their accord but that they are not yet legitimate owners of the Land because they are still sinners and they are in the land of blessing because of God’s grace. When they become full partners of the Lord, then they would be a legitimate owner of the land of God as his children. This idea is well built-in Jesus’ teaching on the inheritance of the kingdom of God. For now, they are living temporarily in the land of God because of God’s grace and they do not own even a piece of land. If they wanted to inherit the land for good, then they must not incur any debts for the land. Temporary owners are eager to take full ownership of the land. In this hope, they must not incur any debts until the true owner Lord comes and impart the full ownership of the land. (Luke 19:13-17)

The land was and is God’s. But His people lived there and incurred many debts on the land. Debts are incurred because of their weaknesses, failures, and sins for in the land of God’s blessing, as long as they keep the law, there won’t be any difficulties or hardships of life because God is able to meet their need and is willing to do so as long as they keep the Law.

This means that there are surely debts and there is definitely a need for redemption of those debts. Who is responsible to redeem the land? In redeeming the land, what are the fair value for the seller and the purchaser of the land? What if redemption of the land is not possible even with the best of efforts?

5.     fourth, the land and all in it shall be redeemed (25-53)

There are four different situations whereby debt is incurred and needed redemption.

First, 25a If one of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell some of their property-relatives or themselves

Second, 35 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would do a foreigner and stranger; no interest; show your grace as I have shown you as I brought you out of Egypt

Third, 39 ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, -treat as a hired worker or temporary resident –for Israel is my servant

Fourth 47b when one sell themselves to the foreigner; this is the worst condition; retain the right of redemption,; relatives, themselves; based on the hired worker rate for the number of years; see to it that they do not rule over them ruthlessly.

When and how could they come to be under such predicament? All the conditions that need redemption come from poverty. The worst condition is when one sells himself to a foreigner who might not be willing to honor the law and decrees of God of Israel. It is interesting to see that the worst condition of debts is being enslaved by a foreigner, which is likely under the condition of foreign occupation or exile, giving up the land and being enslaved in a foreign land. This is a picture of the worst and final punishment for the disobedient from the Lord (Lev 26:27-39). 

The primary responsibility is the person who incurred debts and they are to make an effort to redeem the property. The second responsibility is the nearest relatives. The third one is neighbors and fellow Israelites. This tells that the society as a whole must support the poor cooperatively responsible to redeem the land. In other words, whenever they relate with others, the redemptive purpose is the prime importance so that the nation as a whole may remain in God’s blessing and be able to enjoy jubilee. This is also the way to live out the main teaching of the Law, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself”.

Indebtedness is one of the outcomes of faithlessness or disobedience to the Lord. This does not mean that all the poor became poor because of ungodliness. Poverty is often the outcome of disobedience as God imposes covenant curses. ??

6.     Those who are left unredeemed (54-55)

Though God commanded all to help out the debtors, there remain some people who fall through.

54 “ ‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee”,

Even after following these ways, there still remain some whose land is not redeemed and remain in indebtedness. (Ex.  Jer 34:8-17.)  Yet for them, God says that “they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee”.  It is a forceful and authoritative statement. That means that it shall be done. God insists that without any condition or regardless of the reason behind this situation, they and their children must be released. How could this be done? Though the whole land is God’s, indebtedness is to the land or to the lender, who paid the cost to purchase it at least for the time being. Did God mean to defy the rules that he set up for His people? Highly unlikely!  God left it unanswered. Certainly, God did not mean that the lender must absorb the cost since God mentioned exactly how the value of buying back the land should be calculated.  This open ending leaves all things to someone other than Israelites. Who could that be? God further addresses;  

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.

Here God makes a very strong claim that even those who have so many debts that no redemption was possible by the people through the way that directed above, they belong to the Lord and they are His servants. Ultimately God is taking charge of his life, alluding strongly that God himself would redeem them in his own expenses. This means that God must devise a plan to redeem those people out of his own expense. Actually, the entire nation fell this predicament because all have sinned and all have taken exile leaving the land to someone other than Israel. God foresaw this coming and gave them a promise to redeem if they come back in full surrender to the Lord (Lev 26:40-45).

This gives real hope for all, even if one is indebted so much that there is no way to buy back the land and they are forced to have themselves enslaved to the lender for life (Matt 18:24-27).