Leviticus Chapter 25
We are reminded in the very first verse of this chapter that the Israelites have not yet left from the base of Mount Sinai. Most every law and commandment given were rules for the future when they would be given possession of the Promised Land. The best way to look at it is to realize that the land was truly God’s land, and He was leasing it to the Israelites. In fact, every believer should look at all that they possess as belonging to God.
In this chapter a lot is discussed regarding the land of the Promised Land. Every tribe of the twelve tribes (except for the Levites) will be given an allotment of land. And as we look at God’s plan in this chapter, we realize that God had a way of “keeping the land in the family” when they followed His ways. We also see that when they put their trust in God, for example during the sabbath years of resting the land, God promised to take care of them.
Let's Reflect
1. Every 7th year the Israelites were told to let the land rest, to neither plant it nor harvest it. This would mean trusting God to provide for them. They could eat from the land as they did when sojourning in the wilderness when they left Egypt, they just were not to harvest it. This seventh year was called what according to verse 6?
2. And then there was a very special year called the year of Jubilee. They would count out every seven years where they had let the land rest and when they had done that seven times (7 times 7) they were to celebrate with the Year of Jubilee. This special year began on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is also the Day of Atonement. What was the signal that told all of Israel that the year of Jubilee was to commence?
3. The year of Jubilee was considered another special sabbath year. What were the people expected to do? See verse 11.
4. During this special year (the 50th year) the people were to return to their original land that was allotted to them when they first entered the Promised Land. It was as if there was a reset every 50 years. This meant that if someone had lost their land due to poverty, and it had not been previously redeemed by a family member, the person would have the opportunity to buy back his property at a fair price. Negotiated into the price of the property was a consideration for what future value? See verse 16.
5. In verses 18-21 God anticipated a question that the people would have. What question would they have and how did God answer it?
6. Verses 23-28 introduces the concept of the kinsman redeemer. A kinsman redeemer was a close relative of someone who was struggling to survive and to keep his land. The kinsman redeemer (or goel) would purchase the land for his relative to keep it in the family. The principle was the same in this type of transaction, in that they were not to do what? See verse 17.
7. Houses did not have the same value as land did. There was one exception. A certain type of house was considered valuable and could be redeemed and returned to the original owner just like land. What type of house fell under the redeemer rules?
8. God instructed them to take care of their own relatives who have fallen into poverty. They were to lend them money without interest. What guiding principle did God remind them of how they should extend grace to others? See verse 38.
9. If a fellow Israelite became poor, he could become a hired servant of another Israelite man. He could not be made to serve as a slave, in other words, he must be given a salary. The debt of this man would be cancelled completely at a special time. When was that special time?
10. If a poor Israelite sells himself to be a slave to a rich non-Israelite, what should a fellow Israelite do to help the poor man?
11. How did God view all of the people of Israel?
Devotionals
