The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 25:23,
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers."
In this chapter the Lord told Moses that Israel was to observe a sabbath year every seven years. The land was not to be cultivated and harvested but to have a rest. Additionally, following seven "sabbath years" (forty-nine years), there was to be a year of "jubilee" where land, if it had been sold, was to be returned to the clan from whom it was bought.
Consequently, when the promised land was divided among the various tribes and clans within those tribes it would remain, over the long term, in sync with what was originally allocated during its original distribution. It was never to be permanently conveyed.
As a result, when fields might be bought and sold, what was actually on the table were the harvests. If the year of jubilee had just previously been observed, the land would be much more valuable than if jubilee was coming up in the next few years. The price of the land would reflect where on the calendar the last jubilee took place and when the next one was due to arrive relative to the time of sale. Every forty-nine years the land was to be returned to the clan it was distributed to when Israel took possession of it from the Canaanites.
The reason for this is that the land was not to be Israel's property. It would belong to the Lord and Israel simply resided on it "as foreigners and strangers." The Lord was their landowner - interesting, isn't it?
I am reminded of something the writer of Hebrews observed about the great patriarchs of faith, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place [Canaan - the land Israel would later take possession of] he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:8-10.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers."
In this chapter the Lord told Moses that Israel was to observe a sabbath year every seven years. The land was not to be cultivated and harvested but to have a rest. Additionally, following seven "sabbath years" (forty-nine years), there was to be a year of "jubilee" where land, if it had been sold, was to be returned to the clan from whom it was bought.
Consequently, when the promised land was divided among the various tribes and clans within those tribes it would remain, over the long term, in sync with what was originally allocated during its original distribution. It was never to be permanently conveyed.
As a result, when fields might be bought and sold, what was actually on the table were the harvests. If the year of jubilee had just previously been observed, the land would be much more valuable than if jubilee was coming up in the next few years. The price of the land would reflect where on the calendar the last jubilee took place and when the next one was due to arrive relative to the time of sale. Every forty-nine years the land was to be returned to the clan it was distributed to when Israel took possession of it from the Canaanites.
The reason for this is that the land was not to be Israel's property. It would belong to the Lord and Israel simply resided on it "as foreigners and strangers." The Lord was their landowner - interesting, isn't it?
I am reminded of something the writer of Hebrews observed about the great patriarchs of faith, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place [Canaan - the land Israel would later take possession of] he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:8-10.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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