| In the year of this Jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. | ||
| Leviticus 25:13 | ||
| In the year of
Jubilee, any land that had been sold was to be returned to its original
owner. That is, if a piece of property was sold to cover a debt or to
rescue a household financially, it was to be restored to the family of
the one who had sold it initially. With release of debt, rest from labor, and restoration of property, the year of Jubilee seems like a golden opportunity. And yet neither the Bible nor extra-biblical writers give any indication it was ever observed. Before we chide the Israelites for failing to take advantage of the glorious year of Jubilee, however, we would do well to look in the mirror. If you want to experience jubilee in your own life presently, it begins with releasing people from the captivity in which you hold them because you think they let you down, disappointed, or hurt you. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus said, “your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). It is the one who doesn’t set the debtor free who remains bound in misery. Even though you don’t feel it emotionally, you can decide today to do that which Israel never did: to cancel all debts and to experience jubilee in your soul. |
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| This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Pillar By Day" by Pastor Jon. "A Pillar By Day" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the Old Testament books of Genesis through Deuteronomy. |
