Year of Jubilee

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. Leviticus 25:8-12 NIV

During the year of Jubilee slaves were set free and land was returned to it's original owner. Basically, if someone could not pay their debt and lost their inheritance (land) or chose to sell themselves into slavery then it would only be temporary. In the year of Jubilee, everything would be restored as it was before. They were also not to work in the fields during that year or eat anything that didn't grow on it's own. When they asked what they would eat in the next year, they were told that the year before Jubilee would always yield enough food to last them 3 years. God asked them to only follow his commands and they would always have enough. It could be said that the year of Jubilee was a time or provision and restoration. For this reason, it was also a time of great celebration!

Now scholars argue as to if the year of Jubilee still occurs to this day in every 50th year or if it ended in the Bible. Some say even the death and resurrection of Jesus happened during the Year of Jubilee and I would agree that was definitely a time of provision, restoration, and celebration!
Most say that the next year of Jubilee that will be noticed is the coming the Lord. I won't get into sorting all of that out right now.

I think there are two important things to recognize in this observance. First, God told Moses that Jubilee must be observed so the land could rest in the 7th year. You see, man rested on the 7th day and the land rested in the 7th year. The first thing to note in this passage is that God designed everything to rest. The second and probably most important lesson to be taken away from this passage is that if God asks us to do something then He will always provide the provision for us to complete the task. We need not worry about the details or how we will work everything out. God will provide it before, during, or after His request but at some point He will make sure we have what we need to do as He commands. He truly is a God of restoration and provision for those who follow Him. And that, my friend, is reason enough to celebrate!!