Jubilee

Jubilee is an important concept to me. It’s a state of being, a consistent joy that is ever present personally. Wikipedia defines it as: “Jubilee is a historical term for a time of celebration or rejoicing. It is defined in Leviticus 25:9 as “Yoval” in Hebrew, as the sabbatical year after seven cycles of seven years.”  ‘

 But it’s so much more. The Bible defines jubilee in the Old Testament book of Leviticus (25) as a time when, every 49 years, all debts are forgiven; each person is returned to his/her original land and family clan and slaves are emancipated; it’s a year when the land is intended to rest and only food that is taken directly from the fields should be eaten. So all property is ultimately redeemable, in the year of Jubilee.

 It’s a time of refreshment, of reminiscing, of enjoying what God has provided without wheeling and dealing and haggling.

It’s such a great concept. To me, it’s about redemption. My soul needs that jubilee so much! God is the ultimate redeemer, and I know that some day, in the year of my jubilee, hopefully after a long, love-filled, full life, I will be finally HOME. I think Christians need more joy. Not happiness–which is based upon external circumstances. Joy comes from knowing that we have a Savior who loves us and we have a permanent home waiting for us. We are gifted with little bits of grace every day and our God is the most joyous being in the universe. Shouldn’t we be sharing this with everyone we meet?