Jubilee

Jubilee was the most anticipated event Old Testament Jews looked forward to every 50 years! During the time of Jubilee all debts were forgiven; lands that were sold were returned to the tribal owners (every inch of Israel is partitioned off for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel – the sons of Jacob)

Leviticus 25:8-17 (MSG) "The Fiftieth Year Shall Be a Jubilee for You"

8-12 "Count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years: Seven Sabbaths of years adds up to forty-nine years. Then sound loud blasts on the ram's horn on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. Sound the ram's horn all over the land. Sanctify the fiftieth year; make it a holy year. Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone who lives in it—a Jubilee for you: Each person will go back to his family's property and reunite with his extended family. The fiftieth year is your Jubilee year: Don't sow; don't reap what volunteers itself in the fields; don't harvest the untended vines because it's the Jubilee and a holy year for you. You're permitted to eat from whatever volunteers itself in the fields.

13 "In this year of Jubilee everyone returns home to his family property.

Jubilee therefore effected the Jewish economy! For instance, if you sold your land with just 3 years to go before Jubilee then the price would be very low; for buyers know they would have to give the land back!

14-17 "If you sell or buy property from one of your countrymen, don't cheat him. Calculate the purchase price on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. He is obliged to set the sale price on the basis of the number of harvests remaining until the next Jubilee. The more years left, the more money; you can raise the price. But the fewer years left, the less money; decrease the price. What you are buying and selling in fact is the number of crops you're going to harvest. Don't cheat each other. Fear your God. I am God, your God.

Ezekiel 46:17 (AMP)

17 But if he gives a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his until the year of liberty [the Year of Jubilee]; after that it shall be returned to the prince; only his sons may keep a gift from his inheritance [permanently].

Loans were very high; loaners know that the debts would be forgiven in Jubilee. This is God’s economy! The way He set it up for His nation, Israel about 1,500 years before Jesus, [See Leviticus reference below]

         

Deuteronomy 19:3 (AMP)

You shall prepare the road and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

People were allowed to flee to cities of refuge for their crimes instead of going to prison.

Joshua 20 (AMP)

 1THE LORD said also to Joshua,

2 Say to the Israelites, Appoint among you cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

3 That the slayer who kills anyone accidentally and unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

4 He who flees to one of those cities shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city; they shall receive him to [the protection of] that city and give him a place to dwell among them.

5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, having had no hatred for him previously.

6 And he shall dwell in that city until he has been tried before the congregation and until the death of him who is the high priest in those days. [or the Year of Jubilee] Then the slayer shall return to his own city from which he fled and to his own house.

7 And they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they appointed Bezer in the wilderness tableland from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

9 These cities were for all the Israelites and the stranger sojourning among them, that whoever killed a person unintentionally might flee there and not be slain by the avenger of blood until he had been tried before the congregation.

The criminals were allowed to go free in the Year of Jubilee!. Don’t get mad at me, this is exactly what Jesus did!

Luke 4:16-21 Jesus announces Jubilee!

(MSG)

15 Jesus conducted [a practice of] teaching in the synagogues, being recognized and honored and praised by all.

16 So He came to Nazareth, [that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read.

17 And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives [living in cities of refuge] and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],

19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [The Year of Jubilee; the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.]

20 Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him.

Do you want to see this economy turn around? Declare Jubilee! Make your mind up to live in the economy of Jubilee!

References:

Leviticus is approximately 3553 years old! Jerome's Chronicon (4th century) gives 1592 BC for the birth of Moses, the 17th-century Ussher chronology calculates 1619 BC (Annals of the World, 1658 BC) Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses#cite_note-6 So using Jerome’s calculations and doing the math, 1592 – 40 = 1552 BC; 40 years old when Moses fled to Median. And another 40 years when he became a shepherd for 40 years. 1552 – 40 = 1512 BC. And another 40 years in the wilderness wanderings, 1512 – 40 = 1472 BC. Moses died about this time as he read from the Book of Leviticus. Add the time of Jesus, 30 AD when he was teaching and you get 1472 + 30 = 1502 years before Jesus; or 1572 + 1981 (the time since Jesus’ teachings) and you get Leviticus was written 3553 years ago! 3553 / 50 = 71.6 Jubilees since Jesus declared it that day > but in all actuality we now live in a continual Jubilee! A perpetual Jubilee! PTL!

Translations retrieved from http://www.biblegateway.com/  BibleGateway.com © Copyright 1995-2010 Gospel Communications International

The Message Bible (MSG)—Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995 by Eugene H. Peterson

Amplified Bible (AMP)—Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation


P.S. As I was about to click the publish button TBN broadcasted Joel Osteen's, "Night Of Hope" in Chicago. During his introduction, he spoke about - Jubilee! WOW! Thank you Jesus for Your confirmation! PTL!

Jubilee Copyright © 8.31.11 Jim Hughes; The Joyful Heart