The Year of Jubilee

Well, tonight marks the 49th straight night that I have posted my blog. It seems difficult to believe that seven weeks have already passed, but I checked the calendar, and sure enough, tonight is #49. And that brings up a good point that I have been thinking about. Since I have started writing, each night is spent thinking of a topic, linking it to a Scripture reference and then adding a practical application, or encouragement, and finally, prayer. And while I really enjoy doing it, the truth is that sooner or later, I can see that something is going to get in the way of writing and what happens then? Our daughter Jill is probably the #1 fan of these posts; and I know that she will be disappointed if the day comes when a new entry is not waiting for her in the morning. And many of you have written words of encouragement to me about what the posts mean to you, and that warms my heart to know that people are actually out there reading these writings each day.

Several of my clients have told me that they want to donate a website, and logo, for this blog, and then add some neat features, like an area to subscribe, so each post can wind up in your inbox. And I am told that you can already subscribe to an RSS feed on the lower right section of this page and also receive the post each day – but that’s a little technical for me and I don’t know how to tell you to do it! And I would really like readers to be able to ask questions, and suggest topics, so that this can be something of an interactive exchange. And, this is important, I think we should have an area for prayer requests, where people can ask the rest of us to pray for them. So, things are moving along. But we are still a month or more away from all this taking shape. And, of course, I really hope you respond to this post and let me know other things you would like to see happen.

But in the meantime, it seems like tonight is a perfect time to talk about the Year of Jubilee. You see, in the Old Testament, we read quite a bit about the observance of a Sabbath – which occurred every seventh day. As you already know, God created the world in seven days – he worked on the first six, and then rested on the seventh – and by the way, and this is pretty neat, God blessed the seventh day. The first time we see that God blessed something. So, we know that God endorses rest. And in Leviticus 25, we learn that every seventh year the fields are to lie fallow, and the land is to rest! So God had a concern for nature as well as for people.

But what many people do not realize is that every 7 cycles of 7 years, there is to be another celebration of one full year. Additionally, all the land is to lie dormant, and all the land that is rented to others is to be returned to the original families and tribes of Israel. This is so the tribes will remain relatively equal, and since the land was so important to God and to His people, no one tribe would be able to corner all the assets of the nation. Additionally, if family members have sold themselves into slavery, they are to be freed in the fiftieth year; and all debts are cancelled. So everybody knows that every 50 years, things go back to being equal. What would our world be like if we practiced that today?

The exact Scripture reference is in Lev. 25:8-13, “Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then 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; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.”

Anyway, this brings up the point that even God rested, and legislated rest for the people of the earth. As I write here tonight, I am thinking about rest as well, and to be honest, I don’t know how I feel about that. Take the week-ends off? Only write several times per week? So, I invite your advice and input. Right now, 25+ people tend to read almost every day. And when we get all the kinks out, and really try to grow, I pray that God may direct the right people here; those who need to hear the message of God. Who knows, that could be thousands. And my encouragement tonight is that you will continue to spread the word about God and how He is the answer to all our problems.

So, and I say this from my heart, thank you for helping me to get started; and for joining me on this journey, because we don’t know what God has in store for us. I hope that you are receiving what you need from God and that He is blessing you. And please understand if I celebrate the Year of Jubilee, for a day or two – and if I re-think posting on the Sabbath!  God Bless, and have a great day!