Front matter (continued, part 20)
Since the firstborn son of the high priest became the next high priest, it was important that no alien issue invade the family; hence, the high priest could marry only a virgin (Lev. 21:13–14). In most cases, the priests chose their wives from the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:5), and this would be especially so with the high priest. To marry an unfit woman would defile his offspring, and this would defile the priesthood which the Lord God had sanctified (Lev. 21:8, 15).
While these special regulations don't apply to workers in the church today, the principles are still important and applicable. If we want to have God's blessing on our ministry, we must keep ourselves, our marriages, and our families pure and dedicated before God. A godly marriage with godly children constitutes a spiritual fortress from which God's servants can go forth to do battle for the Lord. Christians need to pray much for pastors and other spiritual leaders, and their families, because those who lead are special targets of the enemy.
Once again, this biblical passage must not be used today to humiliate or intimidate anybody with a physical disability. It was never written for that purpose. The priests were special people with an important job to do, and God wanted them to be the very best physically. A beautiful soul often lives in a crippled body, and people like that can be greatly used of the Lord.
The next time you hear a recording of the great conductor Arturo Toscanini, remember that he owed his success to a handicap: He was nearsighted. At the age of nineteen, while playing the cello in a small European orchestra, he had to memorize the complete score because he was seated in the orchestra pit where he couldn't see the music well enough to read it. One day the leader became sick, and Toscanini was the only one available who knew all the music. Thus he conducted the concert completely from memory. This was the beginning of his remarkable career, all made possible by a handicap—and a good memory.
Physical characteristics (21:16–24) Everyone born into Adam's race is a sinner, suffering from the tragic consequences of Adam's fall, but our physical and moral defects aren't an obstacle to either salvation or service. When God invites the lost to be saved, He calls to "the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame'' (Luke 14:21 niv), the very people Jesus ministered to when He was here on earth (Matt. 4:23–25). And all believers can surrender to the Lord and be "living sacrifices'' for His glory, no matter what handicaps they may have.
Fanny Crosby, the great hymn writer, was blind; so was George Matheson, author, hymn writer, and preacher. Amy Carmichael directed the work of her mission in India from her sickbed. The Scottish Presbyterian preacher Robert Murray McCheyne was often prostrated by his weak heart. And Charles Spurgeon had to leave London in the winter to restore his health in the south of France. Physical handicaps need not be a barrier to Christian service if we depend wholly on the grace of God (2 Cor. 12).
Professional concerns (22:1–33) For a priest to serve the Lord acceptably, it wasn't enough merely that he qualify as a son of Aaron without any physical defects. He also had to carry on his ministry in such a way that the Lord was pleased with him. The worshippers might look at the outward ritual, but God would look at his inner heart.
The phrase "separate themselves from the holy things'' (v. 2) sets the theme for the chapter. It means "to treat with regard and respect'' or "to be careful in handling.'' The priests offered sacrifices all day long, all year long; it would be easy for them to develop an attitude of "professionalism'' that would turn a sacred ritual into a shallow routine. Novelist George MacDonald said, "Nothing is so deadening to the divine as an habitual dealing with the outsides of holy things.'' That's what this warning is all about.
In the nation of Israel, however, God required that every priest be free from defects and blemishes. There were two reasons for this requirement. First of all, the sacrifices that the people brought to the Lord had to be perfect; it was only right that those who offered the sacrifices at the altar also be without defect. Second, the priests exemplified that great High Priest who was to come, and there is no defect in Him.
We have no reason to believe any disqualified priest was treated like a second-class citizen in the camp of Israel. While priests with physical defects couldn't serve at the altar or in the holy place, they were still considered priests and were allowed to share with their families in the sacrificial meals (Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:14–18) and the other material benefits that the tribe of Levi enjoyed.
When I was a seminary student, one of my professors told us of his concern when he heard the conversation between two students calling to each other across the campus one afternoon.
"Where are you going?'' the first one asked. "Over to Madison Avenue!'' came the reply. "What's going on there?'' "Oh, I have to read over a stiff!'' The professor was both angry and hurt to think
We're not sure of the meanings of all the Hebrew
Leviticus 22
that one of his students would describe a Christian funeral service as "reading over a stiff.'' This attitude is what Ralph G. Turnbull called "the specter of professionalism,'' being able to go through the motions of ministry but your heart isn't in it.3 Outwardly, you do all the right things the right way, but when God looks at your heart, nothing there is right. By the time of Malachi the prophet, the specter of professionalism overshadowed the work of all the priests (Mal. 1:6— 2:9). Carelessness and professionalism at the altar would show itself in three ways: unclean priests (Lev. 22:3–9), unqualified guests (vv. 10–16), and unacceptable sacrifices (vv. 17–33). The priest would end up defiling himself, the sacrifices, and the very altar where he was supposed to serve God.
those in his family who were qualified to eat, but if he was too generous with God's offerings and included outsiders, he sinned against the Lord and against his guest. The unqualified guest would have to bring a trespass offering plus a fine, and this would make that meal a very expensive one indeed!
In other words, a faithful priest had to have the honesty and courage to say no both to himself (Lev. 22:1–9) and to others (vv. 10–16). This would include any daughters who had married outside the priestly family (vv. 12–13). His loving heart would want to include them in the feast, but he wasn't allowed to do so. To include them would only hurt them and force them to pay a fine.
One of the most difficult things in Christian ministry is having to say no, but to keep our fellowship pure before God, we must sometimes do it. The pastor who refuses to marry a believer to an unbeliever often makes enemies, especially among their relatives, but he keeps his conscience pure before God. Parents who forbid their children to cultivate damaging friendships are misunderstood and sometimes maligned, but they know they're doing the will of God. Churches that refuse to receive into membership people who give no evidence of saving faith in Christ are often called "holier than thou,'' but they have the courage to say no.
Unclean priests (vv. 3–9). Suppose a priest became defiled but did nothing about it? How would anybody know that he was unclean? He could minister at the altar, handle the sacrifices, even eat his lawful share of the sacred offerings, and apparently get away with it. But God would know it, and the priest would be in danger of death (v. 9).
This kind of behavior would indicate that the priest was putting himself ahead of God and was more concerned about his reputation than his character. The name for this sin is hypocrisy. It worried him that the people would know he was unclean, but it didn't worry him that he was defiling the sacred ministry for which God had set him apart. Like the Pharisees in our Lord's day, this priest appeared to be clean but was actually "toxic'' (Matt. 23:25–28).
Unacceptable sacrifices (vv. 17–32). Just as the priests had to be free from physical defects, so the sacrifices that they offered had to be perfect or the Lord wouldn't accept them. I wonder how many times the priests had to reject a worshipper and his sacrifice because the man was trying to give the Lord an inferior animal that wasn't worth keeping and couldn't be sold? "'When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?' says the Lord'' (Mal. 1:13 niv). "'Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?' says the Lord Almighty'' (v. 8 niv).
All who serve the Lord and the Lord's people must be open and honest before God and must minister first of all to please Him alone. We must thank God for the privilege of being called to serve, and we must treat the things of God with holy respect. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account'' (Heb. 4:13 niv). Joseph took that approach when he said to his temptress, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?'' (Gen. 39:9). This was also Paul's approach to ministry: "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man'' (Acts 24:16 niv).
Not only must God's servants not make it easy for people to sin (Lev. 22:10–16), but also they must encourage people to give their best to the Lord. David's attitude was right: "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing'' (2 Sam. 24:24 niv). The priest who had respect for his ministry and high regard for the sacrifices of God would accept only those animals that met God's requirements. To send a worshipper away from the altar with a false assurance of forgiveness would be to do great damage to his or her spiritual life.
The greatest protection against professionalism and hypocrisy in ministry is the fear of the Lord as revealed in a tender conscience (2 Cor. 1:12; 4:2; 5:11). Conscience is like a window that let's in the light. When the window becomes soiled, the light gradually becomes darkness. Once conscience is defiled (Titus 1:15), it gradually gets worse, and eventually it may be so "seared'' that it has no sensitivity at all (1 Tim. 4:2). Then it becomes an "evil conscience'' (Heb. 10:22), one that functions just the opposite of a good conscience (1 Peter 3:16).
The special requirement about the age of the offering (Lev. 22:26–28; see Ex. 22:30) shows the tender heart of the Creator toward His creation (Jonah 4:11; Deut. 22:6–7). A calf or lamb younger than a week old who was transported any distance to the sanctuary might die in the process. It seems to me that it would be cruel to kill the mother and her young on the same day, for whatever purposes. In fulfilling our religious duties, we must be careful not to be heartless and
Unqualified guests (vv. 10–16). A priest could eat portions of specified offerings and share the food with
Leviticus 22—23
adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, September 3 became September 14, and eleven days disappeared from British history. Twenty-year-old George Washington found his birthdate moved from February 11 to February 22. Perhaps he celebrated his birthday twice a year.
uncaring in the way we use what God provides for us. More than one social critic has pointed out that the way people treat animals gradually becomes the way they treat humans. "For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man,'' said Native American Chief Seattle. "All things are connected.''
Calendars are a normal part of our modern busy world, but they weren't that important to the people of Israel in Moses' day. The Jews worked from sunrise to sunset, counted the months by the phases of the moon, and watched the seasons come and go. God had promised them "seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night'' (Gen. 8:22), and they were content. Each day was a sacred gift from God.
Suppose a priest asked, "Why should I honor and respect the sacrifices of God and the ministry He has given me?''
The closing three verses of this chapter would clearly answer that question.
(1) These are God's commandments, and they must be obeyed. God never commands anything that isn't the best for us.
(2) This is the way we glorify God's great name and sanctify Him before His people.
God gave Israel a calendar that was tied to the rhythm of the seasons and the history of the nation. It was an unusual calendar because it not only summarized what God had done for them in the past, but it also anticipated what God would do for them in the future. The salvation work of Jesus Christ, the founding of the church, and the future of the people of Israel are all illustrated in these seven feasts.
(3) The Lord who commands us also redeemed us from slavery, and He's the one who has set us apart to be His special people. We owe everything to Him!
What greater motivation do we need?
1 Even though our Lord's priesthood belongs to the order of Melchizedek and not the order of Aaron (Heb. 7—9), there's still a sense in which Aaron and his sons delineate the ministry of the great High Priest who was to come. For this reason alone, they should want to be their best and do their best. 2 Aaron wasn't permitted to mourn the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, probably because they died from a judgment from God (Lev. 10:1), and Ezekiel the prophet, who was also a priest, wasn't allowed to lament the death of his wife (Ezek. 24:15–18). His behavior was a sign to the people, and it gave him an opportunity to preach. 3 See Ralph Turnbull's classic book A Minister's Obstacles (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), 9.
In this chapter, these special days are called "feasts'' nine times and "holy convocations'' ten times. "Feasts'' have nothing to do with eating. In fact, on the day of Atonement, the people fasted. The word simply means "appointed times.'' "Convocation'' gives the idea that during each of these feasts, all the people met together as a congregation, but this also was not true. There were special gatherings on some of the special days, but the word basically means "proclamation'' or "announcement.'' The Lord "appointed and announced'' these events, which the people faithfully had to celebrate.
D.Annual feasts—23
The weekly Sabbath: God orders our times (23:1–3) The weekly Sabbath wasn't one of the annual feasts (Ex. 20:8–11), but it was an important day for the Jewish people, and they were expected to honor it. To dishonor it meant death (Num. 15:32–36).
CHAPTER NINE Leviticus 23 THE CALENDAR THAT TELLS THE FUTURE I
God gave the Sabbath to Israel for several reasons. For one thing, it provided needed rest and refreshment for the people, the farm animals, and the land. ("Sabbath'' comes from a Hebrew word that means "to rest, to cease from labor.'') Based on Genesis 2:1–3, the weekly Sabbath reminded the Jews that Jehovah God was the Creator and they were but stewards of His generous gifts. The Lord also ordained Sabbath years and the Year of Jubilee to keep the Jews from exploiting the land and impoverishing it (Lev. 25). God's tender concern for His creation is seen in the Sabbath laws.
f you want to enter a world of disorder and bewilderment, study the development of the modern calendar.
By the time of Julius Caesar, the calendar was so out of step with nature that Caesar ordered a Greek astronomer named Sosigenes to straighten things out. Unable to alter the movements of the heavens, Sosigenes solved the problem by temporarily adding nearly three extra months to the calendar, giving the year 46 BC 445 days! The people born that year must have had fun later on trying to figure out their birthdays.
The Sabbath was also a special sign between God and His covenant people (Ex. 31:12–17). Other peoples might work on the seventh day and treat it like any other day, but the Israelites rested on the seventh day and thereby gave witness that they belonged to the Lord (Neh. 13:15–22; Isa. 58:13–14). Nehemiah made
Pope Gregory XIII (1502–85) commissioned the calendar we use today. In fact, it is a revision of the old Julian calendar. When Great Britain and its colonies
Leviticus 23
12:15–20). In many places in Scripture, leaven depicts sin. Thus the putting away of leaven illustrates the cleansing of one's life after he or she has been saved through faith in the blood (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1).
it clear that the Sabbath law wasn't given to Israel until they arrived at Sinai (Neh. 9:13–14), while Psalm 147:19–20 indicates that the law was never given to the Gentile nations. Although believers today aren't commanded to "remember the Sabbath Day'' (Rom. 14:1ff.; Col. 2:16–17), the principle of resting one day in seven is a good one.
We must get rid of the "old life'' leaven (1 Cor. 5:7). Those things belong to our unconverted days and have no place in our new Christian walk (1 Peter 4:1–5). We must also put away "the leaven of malice and wickedness'' (1 Cor. 5:8; Eph. 4:31–32), the leaven of hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of false doctrine (Gal. 5:7–9). The "leaven of Herod'' (Mark 8:15) represents the attitude of pride and worldliness that was evident in that evil king's life. And the "leaven … of the Sadducees'' was unbelief (Matt. 16:6).
Passover: Christ died for our sins (23:4–5) Passover is Israel's feast of deliverance; the key passage is Exodus 12. The innocent lamb died for the firstborn; because the blood of the lamb was applied to the door by faith, the firstborn sons were safe. This was "the Lord's passover'' and the only means of deliverance that He provided that awesome night when the death angel visited Egypt. To reject the blood of the lamb was to accept judgment and death.
The people weren't saved from death and bondage by getting rid of leaven but by applying the blood of the lamb by faith. People today think they'll be saved because they reform or get rid of a bad habit, but good as doing these things are, they can never do what only the blood of Christ can do. Salvation is through the blood of Christ alone, the sinless Lamb of God, but "let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'' (2 Tim. 2:19 nkjv).
The lamb typified Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross for a world of lost sinners (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19–20). "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us'' (1 Cor. 5:7). Since the Passover lamb had to be perfect, it was chosen on the tenth day of the month and watched carefully until it was slain on the fourteenth day of the month. Jesus Christ "knew no sin'' (2 Cor. 5:21), "did no sin'' (1 Peter 2:22), and "in Him is no sin'' (1 John 3:5).
The Christian life is not a famine or a funeral; it's a feast. "Therefore let us keep the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth'' (1 Cor. 5:8). Sin can be secretly introduced into our lives and quietly grow so that it pollutes the inner person. One "toxic'' Christian in a church body can defile the whole body if given enough time. One false doctrine, if allowed to grow, will destroy an entire ministry.
The firstborn Jews in Egypt weren't saved from death by admiring the lamb, caring for the lamb, or loving the lamb. The lamb had to be slain, and the blood applied to the doorposts of each Jewish house. We aren't saved by Christ the Example or Christ the Teacher. We're saved by Christ the Substitute, who gave His life in our stead on the cross at the same hour the Passover lambs were being slain at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
In many parts of the Western world, you will find churches and schools that once were true to the Christian faith but today deny that faith. How did this happen? At some point a board hired a professor or called a pastor who didn't wholeheartedly agree with the evangelical statement of faith, and the yeast of false doctrine was quietly introduced. Before long, the whole lump of dough was leavened, and the ministry was no longer evangelical. Christian leaders must be on their guard and courageously seek to keep God's work as free from leaven as possible.
The Jews also fed on the lamb, and this gave them strength for the journey ahead of them. No outsider was permitted to eat the Passover feast (Ex. 12:43–51). You had to be either born into the family (vv. 48–49) or purchased, and the men had to bear on their body the mark of the covenant. Those who have never trusted Jesus Christ can't "feast'' on Him through the Word and find the strength they need for the journey of life. Only somebody born into God's family through faith in Christ, purchased by His blood and marked by the Holy Spirit as a child of the new covenant, can appropriate Jesus Christ through the Word and "feed'' on Him.
Firstfruits: Christ raised from the dead (23:9–14) The day after the Sabbath that followed Passover, which would be the first day of the week, the priest took the first sheaf of barley from the field and waved it as an offering before the Lord. It was a token that the first and the best belonged to God, and it was done before Israel reaped the harvest for themselves (Ex. 23:19; Neh. 10:34–37; Prov. 3:9). It was also an expression of gratitude to the Lord for giving the harvest and supplying their daily bread. The Jews weren't allowed to eat of the harvest until the firstfruits had been given to the Lord (Lev. 23:14), an Old Testament picture of Matthew 6:33.
Passover was the beginning of the Jewish religious year (vv. 1–2), and when sinners trust Christ, it marks for them a new beginning in a new life (2 Cor. 5:21). Israel was not only delivered from judgment; the nation was also delivered from Egypt and set free to go to their promised inheritance.
Unleavened bread: separation from sin (23:6–8) For seven days following Passover, the Jews ate only unleavened bread with their meals, and they carefully cleansed all the yeast out of their homes (Ex.
The male lamb sacrificed as a burnt offering spoke of the nation's dedication to God. The meal offering and drink offering were reminders that their two
Leviticus 23
mal sacrifices were presented to the Lord: seven lambs, a young bull, and two rams for a burnt offering (dedication); a kid of the goats for a sin offering (atonement); and two lambs for a peace offering (reconciliation, fellowship). Unless Jesus Christ had died, been raised from the dead, and then returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit could not have come to earth to minister. All of these sacrifices were fulfilled in His one offering on the cross (Heb. 10:1–18).
dietary staples, bread and wine, came from God (see Ps. 104:14–15). There is a deeper meaning to this ceremony, however, for Jesus Christ is "the firstfruits of them that slept'' (1 Cor. 15:20). Jesus compared His death and burial to the planting of a seed (John 12:23), and Paul carried the image further by seeing His resurrection as the harvest of the grain (1 Cor. 15:35–49).
Two basic truths emerge here. First, God accepted the sheaf for the whole harvest, and because the Father accepted Jesus Christ, we are accepted in Him (Eph. 1:6). Second, the sheaf is like the harvest. The priest didn't wave palm branches to represent the barley harvest; he waved a sheaf of barley. As the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest, Jesus Christ is now what one day His people shall be. At the "resurrection harvest,'' we shall be like Him (1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:20–21; 1 John 3:1–3). The fact that this ritual took place on the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, is significant, for Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week. Psalm 118:17–24 seems to describe the resurrection victory of Messiah over all His enemies (see Matt. 21:1–11, 42–46), and Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.'' This could be a reference to the first day of the week, resurrection day.
God's people can't function properly in this world apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who baptizes believers into the body of Christ (Acts 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:13) and empowers them for service and witness (Acts 1:8; 4:8, 31), enabling them to endure persecution and suffering for the glory of God.
Following the Feast of Pentecost, there's a fourmonth gap on God's calendar before the next feast. This gap could represent the age we're now in, the age of the church, during which we should be devotedly involved in the harvest (Matt. 9:36–38) and eagerly waiting for the sound of the trumpet (1 Cor. 15:51–58; 1 Thess. 4:13–18).
Trumpets: the calling of God's people (23:23–25) The final three feasts were celebrated in the seventh month, our modern September–October. The number seven is important in this calendar and in God's plan for Israel (Dan. 9:20–27). There are seven feasts, three of them in the seventh month. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. Pentecost is fifty days after firstfruits (seven times seven plus one). The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles each lasted seven days.
Pentecost: birthday of the church (23:15–21) This special day was also called "the Feast of Weeks,'' because it was celebrated seven weeks after firstfruits. The word "Pentecost'' means "fiftieth,'' and since the feast was held seven weeks after firstfruits, it too was on the first day of the week, the Lord's Day. Each Lord's Day commemorates the resurrection of Christ, the coming of the Spirit, and the birth of the church.
The Hebrew word for "seven'' comes from a root word that means "to be full, to be satisfied.'' It's also related to the word meaning "to swear, to make an oath.'' Whenever the Lord "sevens'' something, He's reminding His people that what He says and does is complete and dependable. Nothing can be added to it.
Instead of the priest waving sheaves before the Lord, he waved two loaves of bread baked with leaven. In order to have loaves, the grain had to be ground into flour and the flour baked into loaves. The fulfillment of this image is recorded in Acts 2 when fifty days after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit came and united the believers into the church, symbolized here by the two loaves (Jews and Gentiles).1 There's leaven in the two loaves because there's sin in the church (Lev. 2:11). The church will not be "holy and without blemish'' (Eph. 5:27) until it sees the Lord in glory.
According to Numbers 10:1–10, the priests blew the silver trumpets for three occasions: to call the people together, to announce war, and to announce special times, such as the new moon. The Feast of Trumpets was held on the first day of the seventh month and ushered in the new civil year (Rosh Hashanah, "the head of the year''). The sacrifices for the Feast of Trumpets are listed in Numbers 29:1–6.
The Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte once said that "the victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.'' God gives His people opportunities for new beginnings, and we're foolish if we waste them. Unlike our modern New Year's Day celebrations, the Jews used the first day of their new year for prayer, meditation, and confession. They sought to make a new beginning with the Lord.
The feast lasted only one day, a day on which the people were not to work but were to rejoice before the Lord and bring Him an offering commensurate with the harvest He had given them (Deut. 16:9–12). This event would have marked the end of the wheat harvest, and the Jews were commanded to remember the poor as they harvested the grain God had generously given them (Lev. 23:22; see Deut. 24:19–22). Because of this commandment, Ruth was able to glean in the field of Boaz (Ruth 2). As a result, she married Boaz, and eventually David was born (Ruth 4).
There's also a prophetic message to this feast. Because of their unbelief and rejection of Christ, Israel became a scattered people (Lev. 26:27–33; Deut. 28:58–67), but God will gather them again to their
Along with the wave loaves, thirteen different ani-
Leviticus 23—24
Isa. 35; Luke 1:67–80). The prophet Zechariah described the changes that will take place in the topography of the holy land and how the Gentile nations will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles along with the Jews (Zech. 14:16–19).
land in the last days (Isa. 11:1–12; 27:12–13; Matt. 24:29–31). When Israel was born into the community of nations on May 14, 1948, it reminded the world of God's ancient promises, and among the orthodox, "Next year Jerusalem!'' became more than a Passover motto.
For Israel, the best is yet to come! The scattered people will be gathered; the sinful people will be cleansed; the sorrowing people will rejoice. And for Christian believers, the best is yet to come; for we shall be together with the Lord and His people, every stain washed away, rejoicing in His presence.
The basic interpretation of this feast relates to Israel, but we can make an application to the church. Some of the saints are in heaven and some are on earth, and those on earth are scattered in many tribes and nations. But all of us should be waiting expectantly for the sound of the trumpet and our "gathering together unto him'' (2 Thess. 2:1).
It's worth noting that the Jews added two extra rituals to their celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles to remind them of God's wilderness blessings. The first was the pouring out of the water from the pool of Siloam, recalling God's provision of water in the desert; the second was the placing of four large lighted candlesticks to recall the pillar of fire that led the people by night.
The day of Atonement: forgiveness (23:20–32) We covered this important event in our study of Leviticus 16 in chapter 6. Note here the emphasis on the people afflicting their souls (fasting, praying, confessing sin) and abstaining from all work. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us'' (Titus 3:5).
Jesus related both of these traditions to Himself. It was during the Feast of Tabernacles, when the water was being poured out, that He cried out, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink'' (John 7:37). He also said to the temple crowd, "I am the light of the world'' (John 8:12). What a tragedy the Jews were careful to maintain their traditions and yet completely missed their Messiah who was in their midst!
As we noted in chapter 6, there's also a prophetic message to the day of Atonement. After Israel is gathered to her land, the Jews will see their rejected Messiah, repent of their sins (Zech. 12:10—13:1), and be cleansed. The scattered nation will be gathered and the sinful nation will be cleansed. What a glorious day that will be!
Each year, the grown males of the nation had to appear before God to celebrate three specific feasts: Passover and Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Tabernacles (Ex. 23:14–19). These three feasts remind us of the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the return of Christ to establish His kingdom. Christ died for our sins; Christ lives; Christ is coming again! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Tabernacles: the joy of the Lord (23:33–44) The nation of Israel is not only a scattered people and a sinful people,2 but they're also a suffering people. No nation in history has suffered as the Jews have suffered, but one day their suffering will be turned into glory and joy.
The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) reminded Israel of God's blessings in the past (vv. 42–43). He had led them out of Egyptian bondage, cared for them in the wilderness, and brought them into their promised inheritance. Once they had lived in booths and tents, but in Canaan they would live in houses!
1 The Spirit baptized Jewish believers into the church at Pentecost and Gentile believers in the home of Cornelius (Acts 10). Thus the imagery of the two loaves was fulfilled. 2 In calling Israel a "sinful people,'' I don't mean to imply that they're more sinful than the Gentile nations or even the professing church. At the judgment seat of Christ, the Lord will deal with the "spots and wrinkles'' of His church; and it will be a serious and solemn hour. But to whom much is given, much shall be required, and Israel has been a nation especially blessed of the Lord.
This feast was also called "the Feast of Ingathering'' because it corresponded to the completion of the harvest (v. 39). Like Thanksgiving Day in the United States, it was a time of feasting, rejoicing, and giving thanks to God for His bountiful gifts (Deut. 16:13–15). But we must remember that joy always follows cleansing and that the day of Atonement preceded this feast (see Ps. 51:12). People who want happiness without holiness are destined to be disappointed.
CHAPTER TEN Leviticus 24 HOLY, HOLY, HOLY T
E.Blasphemy—24
During the week of celebration, the priests followed an elaborate schedule of offering sacrifices (Num. 29), and by the eighth day, they had offered 199 animals! This was certainly a reminder that there can be no blessing apart from the grace of God and the sacrifice of His Son for us on the cross.
he most important structure in the camp of Israel was the tabernacle, the sanctuary where God dwelt and where the priests and Levites served Him. The outer covering of badgers' skins was not impressive, but within the tent of meeting, it was beautiful, costly, and
The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the future kingdom God has prepared for Israel when their Messiah returns and they receive Him (Zech. 12:10—13:1; see
Leviticus 24
can't see where they are or what they're doing, nor can they serve God effectively. The lampstand gave light so the priest could burn the incense on the golden altar, and apart from the Scriptures, we can't pray effectively (Ps. 141:1–2; John 15:5; Acts 6:4). The light from the lampstand illuminated the beautiful hangings in the holy place and also revealed the bread on the golden table. The illuminating ministry of the Spirit of God makes the things of God real and clear to us.
glorious. It was the tabernacle that made the camp holy and set it apart for God, just as the presence of the Holy Spirit within believers sets them apart from the world and makes them wholly God's (1 Cor. 6:19–20; 2 Cor. 6:14–18; Eph. 1:13–14). In this chapter, the Lord gave Moses instructions concerning three holy things: the holy oil for the lampstand (Lev. 24:1–4), the holy bread for the table (vv. 5–9), and the holy name of the Lord, which all the people were to honor (vv. 10–23).
I'd like to suggest that the lampstand could also symbolize the nation of Israel, as did the twelve loaves of bread on the golden table, which we'll study next. God called Israel to be a shining light in a very dark world, but they had to shine first of all in His presence before they could witness to their pagan neighbors (see Isa. 58:8; 60:1–3). The tragedy is that the priesthood became wicked and failed to maintain the nation's light before the Lord (1 Sam. 3).
The holy oil (24:1–4) The veil divided the tabernacle proper into two parts, the holy place and the Holy of Holies. In the holy place were three pieces of furniture: the golden altar of incense, the table of presence bread, and the golden lampstand. As the priest faced the incense altar, the table would be to his right and the lampstand to his left.
Of course, Jesus is the light (Luke 2:32; John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 9:5), and only through Him can we see and appreciate spiritual things. The apostle John compared local churches to individual golden candlesticks that are supposed to shine and bear witness in their cities (Rev. 1:12, 20; see Matt. 5:16; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15).
Since there were no windows in the tabernacle, it was necessary to have light in the holy place so the priests could see as they ministered there. The golden lampstand provided that light. It was hammered out of pure gold and made into one piece with a central shaft and six branches; pure olive oil fueled the lamps on the branches (see Ex. 25:31–39; 27:20–21; 30:7–8; 37:17–24; 40:24–25). Each morning and evening, when the high priest burned incense on the golden altar, he was to care for the lights on the lampstand to make sure they would continue to burn.1 Special golden instruments were provided for pulling up the wicks from the oil and trimming them.
If the people of Israel didn't bring the beaten olive oil, the lights couldn't be kept burning in the holy place. The people might say, "Well, we can't see the lampstand anyway, so what difference does it make?'' The lamp wasn't there for the people to see but for God to see and for the priest to use as he carried on his ministry. What happened in the presence of God was far more important than what happened elsewhere in the camp! Sad to say, many a local church has had its light go out before both God and the world because of the unfaithfulness of the members. They failed to pray, give, and allow the Holy Spirit to use them. If the light is to be kept burning, somebody has to provide the oil.
The commandment in Leviticus 24:1–4 emphasized two essentials: (1) the people of Israel had to provide the olive oil regularly, and (2) it had to be beaten and pure (Ex. 27:20–21). There was a method of extracting olive oil by heat, but beating or crushing the olives and straining out the impurities produced the best olive oil. And the God of Israel deserves the very best.
The holy bread (24:5–9) Not only were the people to bring the pure olive oil for the lamp, but also they were to bring the fine flour out of which twelve loaves of bread were baked each week. These were put on the golden table each Sabbath, and then the old bread was given to the priests to eat.
Bible students generally agree that oil for anointing is a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God who anoints God's people for service (2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:27), but this particular oil is for burning and not anointing. Zechariah 4:1–6 connects oil for burning with the Holy Spirit and identifies that lampstand as the two faithful servants of God. What does the tabernacle lampstand signify?
The size of these loaves is a mystery to us because the text doesn't state the measure used in the recipe. The Hebrew simply reads "of two-tenths it shall be,'' but two-tenths of what? The niv says "using two-tenths of an ephah,'' which would be about four quarts of flour, but the word "ephah'' isn't in the Hebrew text. That much flour would produce a very large loaf, and it's doubtful that twelve large loaves would all fit on the table. It's probable that the loaves were stacked on top of one another, making two stacks of six loaves, with a small container of frankincense on top of each stack.
I personally think that the golden lampstand first of all symbolizes the Word of God, the light that God gives us in this dark world (Ps. 119:105, 130; 2 Peter 1:19). The unconverted can't see or understand the light of the Word of God because they lack the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9–16). Nobody outside the holy place could see the light from the golden lampstand, but those within appreciated its light.
These loaves were treated like a "meal offering,'' complete with the frankincense (2:1–11). On the Sabbath, when the loaves were replaced, the priest would take a "memorial portion'' from a loaf, add the
Apart from the light of the Word, God's servants
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frankincense, and burn it on the altar along with the daily burnt offering. The priests could then eat the old loaves, but they had to do it in the holy place (24:9).
name is to respect the person who bears that name, and our highest respect belongs to the Lord.
The blasphemer was the product of a mixed marriage between an Egyptian father and a Jewish mother from the tribe of Dan. Since the father isn't named as being present, we wonder if he had stayed in Egypt when the mother took her son and fled, or perhaps he was dead. This much is sure: The boy didn't grow up learning a proper respect for the Lord or His name. Even in Moses' day, marriages between believers and unbelievers created problems for God's people.2 Moses had to contend with the bad influence of a "mixed multitude'' who left Egypt at the Exodus but who really didn't have a heart for the things of the Lord (Ex. 12:38; Num. 11:4; see Neh. 13:23–31). This Egyptian Jew got into a fight with a Jew in the camp (see Ex. 2:11–15), and during the fight he blasphemed the name of God. He may have cursed his adversary in the name of Jehovah or in his anger simply cursed the name of the Lord. Whatever is in our hearts will eventually come out of our lips (Matt. 12:34–35). Of course, it's possible to blaspheme God's name in other ways beside swearing. Perjury dishonors God's name (Lev. 19:12), and so does stealing (Prov. 30:8–9). Jesus taught that our lives should be so pure that we won't need to use oaths or vows in order to make people believe us (Matt. 5:33–37). A multitude of words could be evidence that sin is present somewhere (Prov. 10:19). Determining God's will (vv. 12–16). If a Jew had committed the awful sin of blasphemy, Moses would have known what to do, but this man was part Jewish and part Egyptian, and the law had nothing to say about this. Taking the wise approach, Moses put the man in custody and waited for the Lord to tell him what to do.
What did this symbolize? Only the priests (the tribe of Levi) were allowed in the holy place, but the other tribes were represented there in two ways: by the jewels on the high priest's garments (Ex. 28:6–21), and by the twelve loaves on the table. The table was called "the table of shewbread'' (Num. 4:7), and the loaves were called "shewbread'' (Ex. 25:30), which can be translated "bread of presence.'' God was present with His people and they were in His presence in the tabernacle. No matter where the Jews were in the camp, they needed to remind themselves that their tribe was represented in the holy place on the golden table. The New Testament application would be Colossians 3:1ff.
From the priest's viewpoint, the loaves reminded him that his ministry was for real people. Being somewhat isolated in the tabernacle precincts day after day, the priests could easily get "out of touch'' with the people they were representing before God. Oil from the people fed the lamp that gave the priests light, and the bread they ate each Sabbath came from flour given by the people. The twelve loaves reminded the priests that all the tribes were represented before God and were God's people. All of this should have made the priests more appreciative of the tribes and more anxious to serve them in the best way.
If there were only one loaf, it might be viewed as a type of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life (John 6:35), but the imagery in John 6 is that of manna and not the loaves in the tabernacle. Matthew 6:11 also comes to mind: "Give us this day our daily bread.'' Whether we need spiritual bread for the inner person or physical bread for the body, we must look to God alone.
We expect to find oil and incense in the holy place, but not bread. After all, bread is a common food. But the presence of bread in the tabernacle assures us that God is concerned about the practical things of our lives and that there's no such thing as "secular'' and "sacred'' in the Christian life. It was this "presence bread'' that David and his men ate when David was fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 21:1–6; see Matt. 12:1–4).
This is the first of four recorded occasions when Moses had to seek the mind of the Lord about special problems. The second occasion had to do with some men who had been defiled by a corpse and couldn't celebrate Passover. The Lord permitted them to celebrate the next month (Num. 9:6–14). The third occasion involved a man who had violated the Sabbath (15:32–36), and he was stoned to death. The fourth concerned the inheritance of the five daughters of Zelophehad whose question made it possible for Jewish women to inherit their father's land (27:1–11; 36:1ff.). Note that in this last instance, one decision led to another, which is often the case when you are seeking the will of God.
The holy name of God (24:10–23) It may seem strange to us that the book of Leviticus is interrupted at this point to tell about a blasphemer who was judged, but the narrative is an illustration, not an interruption. The basis for obedience to the law is the fear of the Lord, and people who blaspheme His holy name have no fear of God in their hearts.
Moses was humble enough to admit that he didn't know everything and had to ask the Lord what to do. That's a good example for leaders to follow in the church today. "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way'' (Ps. 25:9 nkjv). God had given Israel all the laws they needed to govern their religious and civil life successfully, but Moses and the tribal leaders had to interpret these laws and apply
Dishonoring God's name (vv. 10–11). Every Jew knew the third commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain'' (Ex. 20:7 nkjv). So fearful were the Jews of breaking this commandment that they substituted the name "Adonai'' for "Jehovah'' when they read the Scriptures, thus never speaking God's name at all. To respect a
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them as new situations arose. When the leaders had no clear precept or precedent to follow, they had to seek the Lord's direction before they could give a correct opinion.
people went outside the camp and did as the Lord commanded. Today, many sincere people, both believers and unbelievers, would have opposed killing the offender, but the sentence was carried out. It was a capital offense, and the guilty man forfeited his life.
Immature Christians want the Lord to give them rules and regulations to cover every area of life, and this explains why they're immature. If we never have to pray, search the Scriptures, counsel with other believers, and wait on the Lord, we never will use our "spiritual muscles'' and grow up. The Bible gives us precepts, principles, promises, and personal examples that together are adequate to guide us in the decisions of life. The motor club will give its members detailed maps for their trips, but the Bible is more of a compass that keeps us going in the right direction without spelling out every detail of the trip. "For we walk by faith, not by sight'' (2 Cor. 5:7).
The arguments surrounding capital punishment are many and varied, but we must not make our personal opinions or convictions a test of fellowship or spirituality. The law of Moses made a distinction between murder and manslaughter (Ex. 21:12–14) and provided six "cities of refuge,'' where an innocent man could be protected and get a fair trial (Num. 35). This arrangement frustrated the plans of angry relatives of the dead person, people who might want to take the law into their own hands.
In the Bible, murder is considered a serious crime. Humans are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27; 1 Cor. 11:7; James 3:9), and to kill a human being is to attack God's image (Gen. 9:4–6). Life is a sacred gift from God, and only God can take it away or authorize it to be taken away. God has ordained human government and given civil authorities the power of the sword (Rom. 13:1–5). The purpose of capital punishment is not to frighten potential criminals into being good but to uphold and defend the law. It's a declaration that men and women are special—created in the image of God—and that life is sacred in God's sight.4
God instructed Moses what to do. The offender must be brought outside the camp where the entire assembly would stone him, for blasphemy was a capital crime in Israel (Matt. 26:65; Acts 6:11, 13; 7:58). Those who actually heard the man blaspheme would put their hands on his head to publicly identify him as the offender. The witnesses would also be the first to stone him (Deut. 17:7). In other words, the same law that applied to the Israelites also applied to the resident aliens (the "strangers'' or "sojourners'') who lived among the Jews (Lev. 24:16, 22). Even the "strangers'' were not to blaspheme the name of the God of Israel.
Whether or not capital punishment affects the crime statistics isn't the main issue. It's doubtful that any of our laws are really deterrents to crime. Careless drivers still speed, people still park their cars in "no parking'' zones, wage earners still cheat on their income tax, and burglars still steal. But would any of us want our legislatures to repeal the laws against speeding, parking illegally, falsifying one's income tax, or stealing? Of course not! Respect for truth, life, and property are cornerstones of a just and peaceful society. Capital punishment may not decrease the number of murders any more than speeding tickets decrease the number of speeders, but it does declare that humans are made in the image of God and that life is a sacred gift.
Discerning God's mind (vv. 17–22). The Lord further applied this legal decision to other areas of life and laid down the principle that the punishment must fit the crime (see Ex. 21:22–25; Deut. 19:21). This is known as the lex talionis, "the law of retaliation,'' a principle that made sure the guilty offender was not punished more severely than the crime demanded. The murderer was to be put to death (Lev. 24:17, 21; Gen. 9:5–6), but the penalties for other crimes had to suit the offense.
Because this principle has been misunderstood, many people have called it cruel and unjust. They have questioned how a God of love and mercy could enunciate it. But this law was actually an expression of God's justice and compassion, because it helped restrain personal revenge in a society that had no police force or elaborate judicial system. Apart from this law, the strong could have crushed the weak at the least offense.
The Bible doesn't present capital punishment as a "cure-all'' for crime. It presents it as a form of punishment that shows respect for law, for life, and for humans made in the image of God. To take a pragmatic or sentimental approach to the subject is to miss the point completely.
Leviticus 24 begins in the holy place of the tabernacle and ends outside the camp. It opens with oil and bread and closes with the shedding of guilty blood. But the emphasis is the same: Our God is a holy God and we must honor Him, whether in bringing our gifts or respecting His name. The Lord doesn't execute blasphemers today, but there is coming a day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts will be revealed, and then God will "render to every man according to his deeds'' (Rom. 2:6).
The Pharisees used the lex talionis to defend their practice of private revenge, a practice that Jesus condemned in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:38–39). Just as the lex talionis was a step forward from private revenge, so Matthew 5:38–39 is a giant leap forward from the lex talionis. However, we must keep in mind that our Lord's instructions in the Sermon on the Mount were given for believers, not unbelievers, and for individuals, not nations. In our modern courts, the principle of "make the penalty fit the crime'' is still practiced.3
"For there is no respect of persons with God'' (v. 11).
Dispensing God's justice (v. 23). Moses and the
Leviticus 24—25
If the Israelites were to possess and enjoy their land, they had to recognize and respect some basic facts, the first of which was that God owned the land (Lev. 25:2, 23, 38) and had every right to dispose of it as He saw fit. God also owned the people of Israel (v. 55), because He had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. Because they belonged to Him, all the Jews were to treat one another as brothers and sisters (vv. 25, 35–38) and not take advantage of one another when it came to personal debts or property claims. The Jews were expected to toil in their fields, but it was God who gave the increase (v. 21) and supplied them with sunshine, rain, and harvests. In other words, the people of Israel had God as their "land Lord'' and had to live by faith in His Word. This meant obeying His commandments and trusting His promises.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'' (10:13).
1 Students disagree over how long the seven lamps on the lampstand burned. Was it day and night or just from sundown to dawn? Since the sun's rays couldn't shine through the tabernacle boards in the frame, the veil at the front, or the coverings of animal skins and fabric, the priests must have needed light in the Holy of Holies all day long. The high priest trimmed the wicks each morning and evening, checked the oil supply, and made sure the lamps would keep burning continuously (see Ex. 30:7–8). 2 Timothy had a believing Jewish mother and an unbelieving Greek father, and he turned out well (Acts 16:1–2; 2 Tim. 1:5). Thus a mixed marriage, while not biblical (2 Cor. 6:14–18), need not automatically condemn the children to failure. However, both Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures from his childhood, and this helped make a difference. Again, we aren't told where Timothy's father was. Perhaps he was dead or had deserted the family and therefore had no influence on his son. 3 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dealt with blasphemy and revenge (Matt. 5:33–48), thus paralleling the topics in Leviticus 24:10–24. Perhaps both Moses and our Lord are saying, "If you have the fear of God in your heart, you won't try to retaliate when people mistreat you.'' Romans 13:1–7 is God's statement on the place of human government in society, and 12:14–21 is God's admonition to His people concerning personal insults and attacks. 4 Opponents of capital punishment like to quote statistics to prove that executions are not a deterrent to crime. But using statistics either to defend or oppose capital punishment is a lost cause because there's no possible way to set up a "control'' situation to test the statistics. The size and composition of the population of a state or city, plus the local laws and how they are enforced, have considerable bearing on the matter. Even the American humanist lawyer Clarence Darrow, an enemy of capital punishment, had to admit, "It is a question that cannot be proven one way or the other by statistics.'' During his career, Darrow defended one hundred accused murderers, and not one was executed. See Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, selected by William Safire (New York: W.W. Norton, 1992), 327–35.
Another important fact emerges from this chapter: God was in control of the calendar. God not only gave His people their land and their food, but He also gave them special "times'' to observe so that the land would not be ravaged and spoiled. God is concerned about ecology and the way we treat His creation. Like the ancient Jews, we today are but stewards of God's gifts; we must be careful not to abuse or waste them.
Had Israel obeyed these principles, their economic system would have functioned smoothly, the land would have provided all they needed, and everybody would have been cared for adequately. However, they didn't obey the Lord. The result was that the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the land was ruined.
Rest for the land: Sabbath Year (25:1–7, 18–22) When we studied Leviticus 23, we noted that the Jewish calendar was based on a series of sevens. There were seven annual feasts, three of them in the seventh month, and the seventh day of the week was the Sabbath, a day of rest. Now we learn that the seventh year was to be a year of rest for the land, the people, and their animals.
During the Sabbath Year, the people were not to work the fields or have organized harvests, but were to take from the fields the food they needed as it grew of itself. The people, including the poor and the aliens, could gather from the fields and be God's "guests'' (Ex. 23:10–12). Not only did the land rest, but also the people and the farm animals rested. The men certainly took care of the routine tasks that keep buildings from falling down, but they were not to engage in the normal activities of an agricultural society, like plowing, sowing, and harvesting. This prohibition also included the servants and the animals, all of whom were given a year of rest from their normal duties.
F.Sabbatical Year—25
CHAPTER ELEVEN Leviticus 25 THIS LAND IS GOD'S LAND T
he focus in chapters 25 and 26 is on Israel in their land. In fact, the word "land'' is used thirty-nine times in these two chapters. The Lord's statement in verse 2 ("When you enter the land I am going to give you,'' niv) must have been a great encouragement to Moses, especially after Israel failed to claim their inheritance at Kadesh-Barnea and had to wander in the wilderness (Num. 13—14).
Deuteronomy 15:1–11 informs us that personal debts were also remitted during the Sabbath Year and that indentured servants were set free. The word "release'' in Deuteronomy 15:1 means "to let loose, to drop.'' It involves the canceling of debts and the
Leviticus 25
Release and restoration: the Year of Jubilee (25:8–17, 23–24) The word "jubilee'' is used five times in verses 8–17 and literally means "to sound the trumpet.'' (The Hebrew word is yobel, which means "a ram's horn.'') For the people of Israel, each new year opened with the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month,1 and ten days later, the people celebrated the day of Atonement by fasting, repenting, and offering the required sacrifices. But every fiftieth year, at the close of the celebration of the day of Atonement, the horns were blown again to announce that the Year of Jubilee had begun.
freeing of slaves. As the people shared with the poor and with their liberated servants, they were to be generous and openhanded. Three motives were to govern what the people did: appreciation for God's blessings (Lev. 25:4, 6, 10, 14), appreciation for God's deliverance of the nation from Egypt (v. 15), and simple obedience to the command of God (v. 5). What God commanded was for the good of all the people, and nobody had the right to disobey Him. During the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, King Zedekiah proclaimed a release for the slaves, but he later rescinded it (Jer. 34:8ff.).
The Sabbath Year was also the occasion for a "Bible conference'' when the priests read and explained the book of Deuteronomy to all the people (Deut. 31:9–13). This was done during the annual Feast of Tabernacles, which would usher in the new year. It would take a great deal of faith for the people to trust God for their daily food, and "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God'' (Rom. 10:17 nkjv). During that special year, the nation learned the meaning of "give us this day our daily bread.'' God promised to protect them and provide for them throughout the year, if only they would trust and obey (Lev. 25:18–22). We have no biblical evidence that the Jews ever celebrated the Sabbath Year, in fact, the Bible indicates that they didn't: "To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years'' (2 Chron. 36:21). God sent Israel into Babylonian exile for seventy years in order to give the land the rest it needed (Jer. 25:8–11; 29:10). This suggests that for nearly 500 years, the Jews had disobeyed God's law concerning the Sabbath Year.
It would require a great deal of faith for the people to celebrate this special year, because the previous year—the forty-ninth—would have been a Sabbath year when the fields, vineyards, and orchards would not have been cultivated. The Jews had to trust God to provide for them for the forty-ninth and fiftieth years, and also during the fifty-first year while they waited for the harvest. God certainly wouldn't fail them, but their faith might fail. In fact, there's no evidence in Scripture that the nation of Israel ever celebrated the Year of Jubilee.
What elements were involved in the Year of Jubilee? Repentance (v. 9). It's significant that the Year of Jubilee started with the day of Atonement, a day when the Jews were commanded to "afflict themselves'' and repent of their sins (16:29–34). They were not to enter the Year of Jubilee without the Lord first cleansing and forgiving them. If their hearts weren't right with God, they could never release their slaves or return the land to its original owners. Our relationship with God determines how we treat other people.
Release (vv. 10, 13). "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof'' is inscribed on the Liberty Bell, which hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. At the start of the Year of Jubilee, the people were commanded to release their indentured servants so that they might return to their own lands and families. A Hebrew servant was to serve for only six years and then be set free (Ex. 21:2). How could the Jews celebrate this special year if some of their people were in bondage and separated from their loved ones and their land?
It's a basic principle of life that whatever we rob from God, we can never keep and enjoy ourselves. In my pastoral ministry, I've met people who robbed God of tithes and offerings, only to end up paying extra money for medical bills or car repairs. I recall one church member bringing his family budget book to my office, just to show me how God had begun to bless him when he stopped robbing the Lord. His figures showed that every dollar he took from God had to be spent on some emergency need, and he never got to use that money himself.
Rest (vv. 11–12). During the Year of Jubilee, the people were forbidden to carry on their normal agricultural pursuits but had to live on whatever the land produced. This gave both them and the land an extra year of rest, since the previous year would have been a Sabbath Year. They had to rely on the Lord to keep His promises and supply sufficient food for almost three years, since they wouldn't be able to work the land until the fifty-first year; and even then, they'd have to wait for the harvest.
By disobeying the law of the Sabbath Year, the Jews robbed themselves not only of spiritual blessings but also of the strength of the land and of their servants and farm animals. By working the same land, year after year, they got their harvests, but they lost the renewal that comes from allowing the land to lie fallow and the workers to rest. They also lost the blessings that come from sharing with the needy, and they robbed God of the glory He would have received as the other nations saw how much He blessed His people. It was a costly mistake on their part, and they paid for it dearly.
Restoration (vv. 13–17). Any property that was sold since the last Year of Jubilee would revert to its original owner, for the Lord wanted His land to remain with the tribes, clans, and families to which it had been
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allotted. For parents to care for their families, they had to have land to cultivate, and the private ownership of property gave stability to the economy. The Lord owned the land and only loaned it to His people. He wanted them to have a sense of proprietorship and responsibility in caring for His property. People usually take care of what they themselves own.
Jubilee to regain either his property or his freedom. At any time, a kinsman who was willing and able to pay the price could redeem him or his land.
The redemption of land (vv. 25–28). If the former owner of the land was too poor to redeem his land, then a near kinsman could do it for him. But if the former owner somehow acquired the necessary wealth, he could redeem it for himself. The price would depend, of course, on the number of years (harvests) until the Year of Jubilee. If the man had neither a willing kinsman nor the necessary wealth, he would have to wait until the Year of Jubilee to regain his property.
Whenever a piece of land was sold, the proximity of the next Year of Jubilee determined the price, for this determined how much produce the new owner could get from the soil. Since the buyer knew full well that the land would eventually revert back to the original owner, he certainly wasn't going to pay more for the land than what he would be able to get out of it. "The land shall not be sold forever'' was God's law (Lev. 25:23). These laws made it impossible for ruthless wealthy real estate speculators to accumulate vast land holdings and thus upset the economy. Even the poorest Israelite family received its land back, and by working the land, they could gain enough wealth to meet their needs and perhaps the needs of others. The Year of Jubilee provided a new beginning for the released slaves and the landowners, and this kept poverty and inequality to a minimum. The people were not to oppress one another (v. 17), but remember that the land was God's and they were only His tenants (vv. 23–24).
The redemption of houses (vv. 29–34). A house in a walled city would be much more valuable than one in the open land because it afforded protection from invaders. The former owner had only one year in which to redeem the house. After that, it belonged to the new owner and wouldn't even revert to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. After all, nobody would want to purchase an expensive house, move his family in, and then wonder how long he'd be living there!
Houses in unwalled villages could be redeemed at any time and would revert to the original owner at the Year of Jubilee. If a Levite sold his house in one of the forty-eight Levitical cities (Num. 35; Josh. 21), he could redeem it at any time. If he didn't redeem it, the house would revert to him or his family at the Year of Jubilee. The Levites were given no tribal land allotment because the Lord was their inheritance (Josh. 13:14, 33; 14:3–4; 18:7), but they were given pasture lands adjacent to their cities (Num. 35:1–5). These lands could not be sold. (However, see Acts 4:34–37.)
The prophet Isaiah saw in the Year of Jubilee a picture of the promised messianic kingdom when the Lord would release His people and restore them to their land and bless them abundantly (Isa. 61:1–3). Jesus used this Isaiah passage as the text for the sermon He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30), and He applied it to the "acceptable year of the Lord'' that He was inaugurating by His death and resurrection. Jesus stopped His reading at "the acceptable year of the Lord'' ("the year of the Lord's favor,'' niv) and didn't read the part about "the day of vengeance of our God.'' In Isaiah 6:2, this present "acceptable year'' of God's grace is separated from the future "day of judgment'' by a comma! God's wonderful "day of salvation'' (2 Cor. 6:2) has lasted as long as it has because God is longsuffering and wants sinners to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9, 15).
The redemption of the poor (vv. 35–55). Moses deals with three possible scenarios.
A bankrupt brother in debt (vv. 35–38) could expect his "brother'' Jews to assist him with an interestfree loan,2 for the Jews were to treat one another compassionately, like members of the same family. The Jews were allowed to charge interest to Gentiles (Deut. 23:19–20). Since any debt incurred would be remitted during the Year of Jubilee, assisting others was truly an act of faith. However, the Lord had been so good to Israel in redeeming the nation from Egypt, allowing them to spoil the Egyptians, and giving Israel the land of Canaan, that no Jew should want to exploit his fellow Jew. "Freely ye have received, freely give'' (Matt. 10:8). The early church was quick to pick up this principle and put it into practice in helping widows and other needy believers (Acts 2:44–47; 4:34—5:1; 6:1–7; see Deut. 10:18; 24:17).
Like the announcement of the Year of Jubilee, the gospel is good news to the poor, because their debts have been paid and are completely forgiven (Luke 7:36–50). All they need do is receive the Savior and rejoice in a new beginning. Just as the debtors and slaves were set free to enjoy Jubilee, so sinners are set free when they trust the Lord to save them. Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is a "Jubilee'' experience, for it restores broken families and lost blessings and brings "times of refreshing'' from the Lord (Acts 3:19–21).