March 1

One of the things that always strike me when I read the specifics of the Old Covenant established by God through Moses is the presence of grace in the midst of so much law.

The Year of Jubilee is a wonderful case in point. Even as the Lord was setting up the economic system He wanted His people to live in, including parameters for the purchase and sale of property, He graciously made provision for people to be set free from the consequences of their accumulated bad financial decisions. His was not rewarding bad stewardship. He was giving people who had made serious mistakes the opportunity to start over with a clean slate and have another chance to get it right.

Every fifty years, as described in Leviticus chapter twenty-five, all debts were cancelled, every Israelite servant was set free, and every piece of property in the countryside was returned to the family that originally owned it. Since lenders and sellers knew this would happen, they structured their business deals accordingly. Verses fifteen and sixteen explain how this impacted the sale price of real estate,

“15 When you buy land from your neighbor, the price you pay must be based on the number of years since the last jubilee. The seller must set the price by taking into account the number of years remaining until the next Year of Jubilee. 16 The more years until the next jubilee, the higher the price; the fewer years, the lower the price. After all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of harvests.”

Why did God set up this kind of system? Because He knew human beings are fallible, selfish, and sinful. He knew there would be people who would dig themselves into such a hole financially that it would be impossible for them to work their way out of it during their lifetimes. Without grace, they would be condemned to poverty and servitude. Through the Year of Jubilee, God was foreseeing their failure and He was offering them a way to experience His love and forgiveness.

When you read this devotional, I encourage you to think about the fact that God wants each one of us to be like Him. With that in mind, ask yourself this important question, “Is there anyone indebted to me that God wants me to set free?” If so, use the “trumpet” of your spirit and the words of your mouth to proclaim their Year of Jubilee. You will never regret it…!