SCRIPTURE – BY DOUG SMITH
Scripture Lesson text: Leviticus 25: 1-12
Related Scriptures: Deuteronomy 15:1-15; Isaiah 61:1-4; Jeremiah 34: 8-22; Leviticus 26: 32-35
God gives Moses instructions to prepare the people of Israel concerning the Sabbath, and all the celebrations that they are to observe once they enter into the land in which the Lord thy God had given them. The Jubilee year and the Sabbath year( the seventh year) brought praise to the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 15:1-15, confirms and reiterate the Sabbath that should be observed every seven years, to release and resolve all debt. God commands generosity toward those in the land, among the Israelites. This observance was referred to as the Lord’s release, so if the people would obey the LORD, He would bless them. Isaiah 61: 1-4 relates how the servant declares how God will deliver and restore His people to glory. Here Isaiah prophetically speaks for the Messiah.
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah 34: 8-22, and King Zedekiah to proclaim freedom for all the slaves. It also speaks of Jeremiah prophecies concerning the matter and how quickly those prophecies were fulfilled. It also refers to the seven years, and to the commands that are to be observed in that period. Leviticus 26: 32-35 shows how the people persistently disobeyed and they were conquered and carried off to the land of Assyria and Babylon. Even in this, the Lord told them that the command to observe the Sabbath of the seventh year were still going to be observed, even while the land was desolate.
SYNOPSIS – BY OLIVIA SAUNDERS
In this lesson that we will explore, we can all look back at how God continues to be mindful of us in our present day. Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving important instructions from God concerning His people. God is giving Moses precious promises and tools for his people to continue to prosper in the land they inherited after coming out of bondage. This key information that Moses will give to the people from God will be crucial even concerning their children and the future generations. God will always direct us in the right way to go so that we will prosper and so He will be glorified.
In Leviticus 25:2, God wants to remind the children of Israel that the land that they are entering is a gift He is giving them. With God’s gift it is important that we keep an open eye, ear and heart posture before him so we can follow his divine instruction and guidance on how to maintain it. God makes it clear that there is a time period of 6 years where they are to plant and harvest. In the word of God overall there have been other significant events in the bible that have the number 6 in them. For example, in 6 days God created everything, and he said that it was good. (Genesis 1:31).
God also gives Moses a command that the people must let the land rest after 6 years of harvest and planting. God put in place a whole year for the land to be left alone, and God mentioned a key term, (Sabbath) which means set aside for rest. In our present day, the Jewish culture and some other religions also still observe the Sabbath, but instead of just a few days God wanted a whole year that the land should rest before him. God also had something in store for the people that he brought out of bondage into this amazing land called the year of Jubilee. This was a year that is set apart to be holy to the Lord where freedom would take place for people, debts were forgiven, and land and property were managed, and ownership took place.
