JUBILEE—Leviticus 25
(Project a picture of the Liberty Bell, with the inscription, “Lev. XXV V.X Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof.”)
The Liberty Bell is often connected with freedom from British rule, as the bell was rung for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The bell was cast, however, in 1751, on the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s Charter of Privileges. Penn was a devout Christian of the Quaker tradition, and his reading of the Bible guided him to revolutionary ideas about liberty and justice for all.
The quotation on the Liberty Bell is from Leviticus 25:10. Leviticus 25 is about the Year of Jubilee, which challenges our ideas about liberty and justice for all.
Read Leviticus 25:8-12.
Jubilee was a celebration. The ram’s horn, or shofar, called the people to celebrate God’s covenant, and to reaffirm their commitment to living as his chosen people. Jubilee focused on liberty and justice for all: “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim LIBERTY throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.” Its meaning was revolutionary, as we shall see later in the chapter.
To understand Jubilee, we need to understand God’s vision for life in the Promised Land.
When the Israelites took possession of the land of Canaan, each family would receive an equal inheritance in the land. Since land ownership was key to economic prosperity, income inequality would be minimal. There would be no “1%” of the super-rich among God’s people.
Yet over time, inequality would inevitably set in. A husband might die, leaving a widow and six children. By God’s law, his brother should marry the widow and take care of the family—but what if there is no brother, or the brother refuses to provide for the family in need? The widow will have to sell the land, and her older children will become servants of a neighbor, so they can have something to live on.
What will happens to those children? They will have no hope of becoming landowners, and improving their situation. They will probably marry someone who is also in servitude, becoming almost like slaves. In 2-3 generations, there will be a permanent underclass in Israel. At the same time, the rich will become richer, with slaves to do their work for them.
God had a different vision for his chosen people in the Promised Land. The Promised Land was not just a place; it was where God’s people would thrive, living in freedom and peace. Yet inevitably, that vision would be degraded by circumstances: people might lose their land and freedom due to mismanagement, laziness, theft, drought, grasshoppers, or corrupt political leaders.
Jubilee was God’s “reset” for liberty and justice for all. It was intended to provide hope, and restore social justice in God’s land of promise.
Read Leviticus 25:13, 23-24, 35-43, 54-55.
In the year of Jubilee, which came every 50 years, all debts were cancelled, indentured servants were freed, and land was returned to the families that originally owned it. It would be a major disruption of the social order—a reset of the economic system, an escape from generational poverty, and a reminder of God’s vision of liberty and justice for all. It was truly revolutionary!
Would God’s people actually do it? There is no evidence that Jubilee was ever put into practice in Israel. The result was predictable, as can be seen throughout the world today; the poor became poorer, and the rich became richer. That is the way of the world; it was not God’s vision for his people in the land of promise.
Because Israel disobeyed, the fabric of society was weakened. There was a permanent underclass in Israel, while the rich became lazy and decadent. The poor were suffering, and the rich were diminished. (Wealthy people like Bill and Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett, have recognized the dangers of inherited wealth, and taken action to give much of their wealth away, partly for that reason.)
God’s judgment came upon his people for this. Several centuries later, the prophet Amos painted a disturbing picture of self-indulgence and oppression of the poor: “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.” (Amos 4:1-2) One of the reasons that God’s people were taken out of the land of promise, into captivity, was the inequality between rich and poor, and the misuse of power and wealth by the rich.
Do you think God judges nations today by how they deal with poverty and wealth? Do you think the growing disparity between wealthy and poor people in America is a problem? Are you concerned about people in America who seem unable to escape poverty, because they lack opportunity, skills or hope? Maybe we are concerned; yet what can we do about it?
HOW CAN WE APPLY THE PRINCIPLES OF JUBILEE IN TODAY’S WORLD?
1. WE CAN SHARE THE HEART OF GOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE POOR AND NEEDY.
God’s heart is inclined to help poor and needy people. Deuteronomy 10:17-18 says, “The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”
If we share God’s heart for the poor and needy, we will share our resources with them. God values what we give to them, as if we are giving it to him! Proverbs 19:17 says, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
Charity is not enough however; God stands for justice. Leviticus 19:15, "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
Justice goes beyond impartiality in the law courts; it includes not taking advantage of a desperate person. Read Leviticus 25:35-38. Although in today’s economy charging interest and making a profit are part of normal economic activity, charging excessive interest or price gouging are unjust. (Note to preacher: Verse 35 makes a remarkable assumption, which you could highlight: Aliens and temporary residents were helped financially!)
God’s justice goes even beyond not taking advantage; it involves showing mercy to people in desperate situations. Deuteronomy 24:17-18 says, “Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.” Justice must include mercy for the widow, who would be cold without her cloak.
Admittedly, it can be difficult to know how best to help people. A handout may not help. It is easy to condemn payday lenders that charge usury, but we can’t make a loan to every person who is desperate for money. Our justice system is complex, and questions of fairness in setting bail, sentencing, and protecting business interests may be difficult to resolve.
Yet if we read our Bibles carefully, we will find that God usually comes out on the side of the poor and powerless, because they need his help most. It might cause us to ask whose side we usually take.
2. WE CAN WORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Social justice has bad connotations for some people, because they identify it with particular political views. However, as we read God’s word more carefully, we find that biblical principles are relevant to almost all political perspectives on poverty and justice.
Let’s imagine a woman named Mary. She has three children, by three different men, but her story is more complex than it might appear. Her first husband, the father of her first child, came back from Afghanistan with PTSD, and committed suicide. She was not married to the father of her second child; he was a mistake. She finally married a third man, but when her husband lost his job, due to company mismanagement, he left her.
Mary is in foreclosure on her house, which she bought on 0% down, using a shady mortgage company. She gets SNAP food benefits, and she is on Medicaid. One of her children suffers from asthma, probably due to air pollution and mold where she lives. Her children go to an underperforming public school, where teachers rarely stay for a full year; the district graduation rate is 48%.
Mary would like to have a job, but at minimum wage, she can’t afford child care. She has no relatives nearby, since she never knew her father, and her mother died from lung cancer.
Mary never learned many life skills. She is a poor manager of money, and whatever she gets disappears before the month is done. Her health suffers from neglect and abuse, and she is easily manipulated by other people. The scary thing is that her children are likely to be much like her.
What does Mary need to break out of a cycle of poverty and hopelessness?
Does she need the government to provide decent schools, housing assistance, and affordable childcare? Does she need to take responsibility for her health and managing her life? Does she need to make better choices, and teach her children moral responsibility? Does she need political solutions, regarding the minimum wage, veterans benefits, supervision of mortgage loan companies, and environmental solutions?
Maybe she needs all of those things. Of course, people on the “conservative” end of the political spectrum will point out that government cannot fix everything; Mary must take responsibility for her own life. People on the “liberal” end of the political spectrum will point out that many of Mary’s difficulties are beyond her control; she needs others to provide her with opportunities to thrive.
Is God liberal or conservative? Neither! God wants Mary and her family to break out of poverty. Jubilee has elements that could be seen as both liberal and conservative: The social and economic structure of the nation must support opportunity for all, while requiring individuals to take responsibility for their own lives.
Jubilee provided for both OPPORTUNITY and RESPONSIBILITY.
With Jubilee, if a family lost their land and liberty for any reason, they would have an OPPORTUNITY to reclaim their land and freedom every fifty years. It would not matter whether they had lost their land and liberty because of circumstances beyond their control, or because of laziness and poor management; they could reclaim their land and start over.
Yet Jubilee also provided for personal RESPONSIBILITY. A lazy person might face up to 49 years of poverty and pain. If he was tempted to sell his land or his services to take advantage of an approaching year of Jubilee, the purchase price of the land would be pro-rated according to the number of years to Jubilee. If a rich person was tempted to take advantage of a desperate person in a loan, he was not allowed to charge interest! (In today’s world, the principle would prohibit unreasonable rates of interest, or usury.) If a rich man was buying the land of a poor man in desperate straits, he must give a fair price. If an Israelite sold himself to pay a debt, the master must not treat him as a slave or rule over him ruthlessly. On the other hand, the servant must work to support himself; there are no handouts.
How should the principles of Jubilee be applied in today’s world? We could discuss that over coffee later, and we would probably not all agree on the political and economic implications. In fact, the discussion might become heated! Yet Jubilee gives us insight into the heart of God, and we must listen for what God is telling us, and how that informs our political views.
For those who are politically on the “conservative” side, Jubilee says that justice goes beyond “equal protection under the law.” God’s justice provides for OPPORTUNITY for all, which should be reflected in laws, policies, and budgets. Conservative values must be compassionate, and tempered by the value of human life over property and personal rights.
For those on the “liberal” side, Jubilee emphasizes that governmental assistance should be structured to encourage personal responsibility. The rich should not be allowed to take advantage of the poor, but neither should the poor be allowed to abuse the system. Governmental policies and assistance should not shield people from the consequences of irresponsible or immoral behavior.
God’s word might challenge our political biases, and that is a good thing! In fact, it would honor God if each of us would examine our own political views, aligning them with God’s priorities and values.
3. WE CAN BE A COMMUNITY OF JUBILEE.
God’s vision for his people in the Promised Land was that they would live in a community of justice, mercy, and freedom. They would not be like the other nations; they would thrive as God’s people.
That vision is now focused in the church of Jesus Christ. Although we can advocate for godly principles in our nation and society, the primary focus of God’s vision is in his people, the church.
Jubilee was closely connected with a key religious event, the Day of Atonement: “Have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you.” (verses 9-10)
The gospel is the good news of atonement: through Christ, we have forgiveness of sins, and a relationship with God. The good news of the gospel is also about life in the kingdom of God, under Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. The church is a new community, free from sin, and liberated to love and care for others.
Jesus emphasized the social implications of the gospel, as well as the personal implications. When he began his ministry, he quoted from Isaiah 61:
Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
It is remarkable to see how much of Jesus’ ministry was focused on poor and needy people, and how often Jesus talked about money. But to really see the impact of the gospel, we must look at the early church:
Acts 4:32-34 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had…There were no needy persons among them.”
Is radical sharing of resources the total answer to poverty in the world? No, it is much more complex, as Leviticus shows us! Yet the early church was pointing to something beyond themselves: God’s kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness, justice, and thriving people. This is clear throughout the Bible:
Isaiah 65:20-23 “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat…my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.”
Isaiah 61:7 “Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
The church gives the world a vision and a taste of God’s coming kingdom. It does that by sharing resources, and by giving acceptance and love—for rich and poor, powerful and weak, strong and needy.
Psalm 68:5-6 gives a mandate to the church: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.” If we can do that, we will give the world a vision of life in the kingdom of God.
The church also provides something that is harder to pin down, but just as important. Some people call it “social capital.” Social capital is the tools to thrive.
I was born into a life of privilege. I had two healthy, intelligent, devoted parents. We were not a wealthy family, but we had a nice house to live in and food on the table. My parents read to me, expected me to do my homework, and taught me how to manage money. We went to church, lived in a safe community, and had good schools. I had the best possible childcare in my parents, and I had good role models. I found it relatively easy to avoid misusing alcohol and drugs, smoking, and even junk food. I could go to college, and choose a career. When I left home, I had a solid foundation of moral values and responsible actions. I had career options, and I made a commitment to marriage, which has lasted for 38 years.
With that social capital, I was much less likely to be in poverty. I did not generate that social capital; it was given to me.
Many people in our world do not have much social capital. They were not blessed with a stable family, and were not able to go to good schools. They do not have a strong moral foundation, and they lack common sense. They did not learn all of the life skills they need, and they have a hard time taking responsibility for their own lives. They live in a culture that does not support marriage. Are they to blame for that? They were not as privileged as some of us.
Where will they find the social capital they need, so that they can thrive? As Christians, we have a lot to share with them, because we have been blessed by God and his people. If they find their way to church, we want to be people who are living by God’s values. We want to teach them, by word and deed, whatever we can. We want to help them with some of their practical needs, while we help them learn to take responsibility for their own growth.
What about those who don’t find their way to church? We are God’s holy people, and our lives should show the fruit of righteous living, the joy of giving, and a passion for justice and mercy.
TODAY IS A DAY OF JUBILEE FOR US!
It is a day when we can share with others in need, seek mercy and justice, and live joyfully as a community in which people are loved and supported.
We can show the firstfruits of the coming kingdom of God, where no one will be in need, righteousness will flow, and love will abound. We will live forever in that kingdom.
We are not there yet, but we are seeking it, tasting it, and asking God to bring it. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” May your will be done in us, and in our world, our Father and our Lord!
