What was the Year of Jubilee?

God instructed Israel to observe a certain set of customs every fifty years.  God called this the year of jubilee.  Many misconceptions have developed about this event over the years.  There have even been questions posed to us about this topic.  This blog post examines what God intended, looks at whether or not Israel did what God intended, and concludes with what it probably means for us today.

Provisions are made for the poor to be taken care of by their wealthier brethren, and slaves are to be freed in the year of jubilee – or to be more accurate those who have become slaves are to have their financial obligations considered paid up).  (Leviticus 25:35-54).

Quite a few misconceptions about the Year of Jubilee exist.  It was NOT a blanket redistribution of wealth and NOT a complete forgiveness of all debts.  God even asked people to prorate their prices by pricing by growing season, instead of by the value of the asset as we do today.          (Leviticus 25:15)

We do not read in scripture of the Year of Jubilee ever being observed.   There are two views on this silence.  One view is that it was never observed.  The other is that it may have happened, and we simply do not read about it.  Commentators are split between these two views.  We tend to embrace the former view with the feeling that, since the event was so significant that if it had been observed there surely would have been at least one, and probably multiple references to it.  Since there is no scriptural evidence either way, we cannot be sure.

One thing seems certain.  God set up a way for liberty to be proclaimed to all inhabitants in Israel. (Leviticus 25:10) The picture of redemption setup by the slaves being set free in the Year of Jubilee is just like the way Christ set us free.  (Galatians 5:1) As Paul, points out later in his letter, He did this so we could love one another.  (Galatians 5:13)

God did not set up the Year of Jubilee so people could be free and start taking advantage of each other.  He created the Year of Jubilee to emphasize the fact that people, and the way they treated one another, not possessions, were what was really important.    Whether or not it was ever observed is irrelevant.  The lesson was then, and is now, what is really important.