Leviticus 25: Jubilee

⁸ “‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.'” -Leviticus 25:8-11

Once every 50 years, it happened–debt ended. Everyone who had lost land or income would have the opportunity to start anew in the Year of Jubilee. While we have no real record of this holiday in practice, the thought is fascinating. What if all debt was cancelled for one year for the entire nation?

Under today’s harsh economic conditions, the idea is liberating. No medical bills, student loans, mortgages, or credit card payments? It sounds like heaven on earth. God’s plan for Israel was for any debt or unbearable financial hardship to be short-term, allowing his nation to avoid the bondage Israel experience in Egypt.

While we may never see a blanket forgiveness of debt in our land, we can learn from the principle shared in Leviticus 25. Debt is not designed for life. We are to look for ways to end our financial bondage whenever possible so we can better enjoy the blessing God has given us in this life.

That iPad or motorcycle or pair of shoes that looks good today with your Visa card can wait or be avoided entirely. What cannot afford to wait is putting off full devotion to the Lord, the One who gives us life…and can redeem it.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.