All right, watch these first
17 verses. It goes on to the end of the
chapter, but we'll not read that far. First 17 verses make reference
to other things. So here we go. Leviticus 25,
1 through 17. And the Lord spake unto Moses
in Mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, when you come into the land which I give you,
then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou
shalt sow thy field, and six years shalt thou prune thy vineyard,
and gather in the fruit thereof. But in the Sabbath year, shall
be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord. Thou shalt neither sow thy field,
nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own
accord of thy harvest, thou shalt reap. Neither gather the grapes
of thy vine undressed, for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the Sabbath of the land shall
be meat for you, for thee, and for thy servant, for thy maid,
for thy hired servant, and for the stranger that sojourneth
with thee. And for the cattle, for the beasts
that are in the land, shall all the increase thereof of meat. And thou shalt number seven Sabbaths
of years unto thee, seven times seven years. And the space of
the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet
of jubilee. to sound in the tenth day of
the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall you make the
trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow
the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all of the
land unto all the inhabitants thereof. It shall be a jubilee
unto you, and ye shall return every man unto his possession,
and ye shall return every man unto his family. And jubilee
shall that fiftieth year be unto you. Ye shall not sow, neither
reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes
of it, in thy vineyard undressed, for it is the jubilee. It shall be holy unto you. You shall eat the increase thereof
out of the field. In the year of this jubilee,
you shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou shalt
sell aught unto thy neighbor, or biased of thy neighbor's hand,
ye shall not oppress one another, according to the number of years
after the Jubilee, thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according
unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee. According to the multitude of
years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according
to the fewness of years shalt thou diminish the price of it. prorated, in other words, upon
the year. For according to the number of
the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. Ye shall not
therefore oppress one another, but thou shalt fear thy God,
for I am the Lord your God." Now there are two ordinances
that are here as we plainly have read. However, as an introduction,
working our way under the subject and the matter of the day, most
of us are well aware from the study of our scripture that just
about everything that was given and that was practiced under
the Old Covenant was typical in some way of something new
and better that was to come in with the Lord and Saviors, Jesus
Christ. were in the carnal things in
Israel's life, and all of them were typical of spiritual things
that were to come when Messiah appeared in the world. And the
New Testament clearly tells us that that indeed is the case. I'll read a few verses. Hebrews
chapter 10 and verse 1, that they were a shadow of good things
to come and not the very image of the things themselves. Hebrews
8 and verse 5, they are examples and shadow of heavenly things
that were connected with the tabernacle. In Colossians 2,
verse 16 and 17, Paul said that they are a shadow of things to
come, but the body is Christ. Note the contrast, rather, in
both Hebrews 10 and 1 and Colossians 2 and verse 17. A shadow and not the very image
in Hebrews 10 and verse 1. They were shadows. They were
not the very image or the exact likeness of the thing. And in
Colossians, they were a shadow, but the body is the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, a shadow. Let's think about
that for a moment. A shadow is the obscure representation
of some body or of some object, whether a building or a tree,
and it is caused by the light or by sunshine. but it has no
real substance in itself. As it lays there on the ground,
it is but a shadow of the substance. Now the shadow, or the body,
Paul said, the shadow rather, of those things that were practiced
of old, but Christ is the body. Christ is the embodiment of those
things that were typified or foreshadowed. So, the shadow
and the body, that the meats and the drinks, and the holy
day, and the new moons, and the Sabbath day, And all of those
of like nature and collection, Paul calls a shadow. Not the real substance at all,
but a shadow. And the body is the Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. So the law, therefore, had a
rudimentary sketch of an outline of the things that were to come
in Christ. I call it a faint outline. I read that somewhere. Christ
the body or the substance, the reality of that that was foreshadowed
by those things of old under the mosaic or the ceremonial
law. And again in Colossians chapter
2 and verse 17, Paul calls them things to come. And Hebrews 10
and verse 1 says the same thing. Good things that are to come. Better things than those that
were practiced under the old economy. Now with that in mind,
and coming to our passage here in Leviticus chapter 25, where
there are two things or ordinances that were given unto the people
that were to be done. But first I call your attention
to a phrase that is found in the second verse of the text
that we have read. It says this, when you come into
the land which I give you or shall give you to possess." There
were certain typical things that were not to be done, not to be
enacted, until they were come and permanently settled in the
land of Canaan, unto the land which I give you. And of course,
that is a reference to Canaan, The promised land, the land that
was promised to Abraham for his seed and his descendants. And it was a land flowing with
milk and with honey. A good land and rich. Leviticus
chapter 20 and verse 24. Now how many times we read these
words in God's dealing and instruction for them through Moses. Verse Leviticus 23 and verse
10. When you come into the land which
I give unto you. They were to bring a sheaf offering
of their crops as a sort of a first fruit unto the Lord. Numbers
15 and verse 18. When you come into the land,
whither I bring you?" They were to reap their harvest and bring
and wave a heave offering before the Lord their God. You have
it again in Leviticus chapter 14 and verse 34, Deuteronomy
26 verse 1 and 2. Then in Deuteronomy, chapter 18 and verse 9, and again
in chapter 31 and verse 9, they were even forewarned about their
action when they went into the land. They were forewarned by
Moses against adopting the practices of the heathen that had lived
there. When you come into the land,
do not learn or practice the way of the heathen. Now all of
these things actually become and assurance that God would
fulfill his promise to put them in a land. They would inherit
it. They would dwell there. Their
enemies would be driven out and it would be their land. God,
to use a metaphor, would transplant his choice vine into a pleasant
hill. You find that in Psalm 81 and
again in Isaiah chapter 5. Now, in Leviticus chapter 25,
there are two ordinances to be enacted when they came into the
land of promise. When ye come into the land which
I give you. That would be a reality. That
would be a sure thing. They would stand their foot in
the land of promise. Now, first of all, we read it.
Verse 1 through verse 7. A Sabbath year for the land. Now, I repeat that because that
might sound strange unto us. Had we ever thought about it
before? A Sabbath land, not for the people
principally, but for the land. every seventh year was to be
a Sabbath, and a Sabbath it was unto the land. And the second
thing that we have, verse 8 and following, was a year of jubilee. Verse 8 through verse 55, when
in every fiftieth year that rolled around, a jubilee was to be kept
in the land of Israel. It was a jubilee year. We'll come to that later. Now,
before we consider these two things, let's restate that these
were among the ordinances that were to be delayed until they
were settled in the land of Canaan. The reason? It would have been
impossible to have observed these during their sojourn in the wilderness. Because they were itinerant,
they did not stay in one place, they could not sow, they could
not till, and they could not reap and wait for a harvest,
but were fed by manna from God out of heaven and quail that
they might have their appetite satisfied, and water, so often,
by a divine miracle as, for example, Moses smiting the rock. And this tells us how many great
miracles and wonders God worked in their behalf as he brought
them into the land of Canaan, in the process of transferring
them from Egypt into Canaan. And be that as it may, the land
Sabbath, or the year of Jubilee, would be the commencement would
be commenced when they were fixed and settled in the land of Canaan. After they had had time to begin
to till the land, to plow it, to plant, to pluck, and to harvest,
Matthew Henry said, this was reckoned as the eighth year of
Joshua carrying them into the land of promise. After seven
years, they were to observe a Sabbath unto the land. Now, let's look
at that a little more intensely. In verse 1 through 7, tells us
here of a particular and unique kind of Sabbath. Now we're familiar
with the Sabbath day weekly, but here is a unique kind of
Sabbath. Again, it might surprise us as
we little think of the earth as observing or needing a Sabbath
and a rest. You can see it again in Exodus
23 and verse 10 and 11. Now we're aware that
Israel was under obligation to observe the weekly Sabbath day. Every Sabbath day there was to
be a cessation of all unnecessary work on that particular day. And this extended to all that
pertained under them and under their house, not just the mother
and the father and the children. but also the servants, the slaves,
strangers that might be under their roof, and even the animals
themselves were to be exempt from labor on that day. You have
it in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 8 through 11. And in the first
seven verses here of Leviticus chapter 25, verse 2, then shall
the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord." That is every seventh
year. Let us again scan through this,
verse 7, and see what is emphasized in verse 4. In the seventh year,
it shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for
the Lord. Not only was it for the land,
but unto the Lord. Look at verse 5, you have it
again. It is a year of rest unto the
land. And then again, in verse 6 speaks,
and the Sabbath of the land. The year of rest. for the land. Now there are some striking similarities
here between the weekly Sabbath and the seventh year Sabbath
of the land. And I want to know about three
of them if we might. Number one in Exodus chapter
20 and verse 9. six days shall you labor and
do all of your work. And here in Leviticus chapter
25 and verse 3, six years thou shalt sow thy field, six years
thou shalt prune your vineyard and gather fruit. And the second
contrast is in Exodus 20 and 10, but the seventh day is the
Sabbath for the Lord thy God. And in Leviticus, 24, 25 and verse 4, but the seventh
year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land. See the contract,
how they run so close. The third one is in Exodus 20
and verse 10. Any, you shall not do any work,
you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your
maidservant, nor cattle, or the stranger that is within your
gate. And here in Leviticus 25, verse
6 and 7, the Sabbath of the land shall be meet for you, for your
servant and maid, hired servant, stranger with you, and the cattle
and the beast in your land. Now, what is the lesson in this,
if we may determine? What have we read here? A Sabbath
for the land, a Sabbath for an inanimate part of creation, a
Sabbath for the land. Can the land indeed enjoy a Sabbath
unto the Lord and take a rest? Now, when we think about that,
there are two things I thought about that I'll bring for us
to consider. Number one, in Genesis 3, 17
through 19, that the earth was cursed for the sin or the sake
of Adam. And being cursed, it would bring
forth thorns, and briars, and thistle, and wild crops undesirable
of all kind, and weeds, and things of that nature. And not only,
but Paul said, It had been subject unto bondage in Romans chapter
8, 20 through 22. And he says there, it groans,
it travails, that is, creation or the earth. The second thing
is, it shows that God is the owner or proprietor of all of
the earth. God owns it. It belongs unto
him in the essence of the word. He's the landlord of the earth
by reason of being its creator. He made it. He brought it forth.
He created it. He spoke it into existence out
of absolutely nothing. How often do we read in the scripture
that connection? God, which made heaven and earth
and all things therein. I found it in the book of Acts
4.24, 14, 15, 1724, God, who made the heaven and
the earth and all things therein. Heaven is his throne and the
earth is his footstool, one wise man said in Acts 7 and 49. He is Lord, not only of heaven,
but also of the earth and all things therein. Now, an Israelite,
Or anyone might read this and ask the question, wait a minute,
since we cannot plow, cannot till, cannot plant, cannot prune,
and cannot reap, only that which grew of itself, or naturally,
since the land must have its rest and not work that year,
then Leviticus 25 and verse 20, what Shall we eat the seven years? How are we going to subsist?
How are we going to survive? We can't raise our crops or plant
our land. I tell you, the answer is in
verse 21. Leviticus chapter 25. If you
look with me at verse 21, watch this. Well, let's look at verse
20. And if we shall say, what shall
we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow nor
gather in our increase. In verse 21, then I will command
my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth
fruit for three years. What a wonderful work did God
do in their behalf. Now, remember, there is a precedent
for that, that the six year would produce enough to tide them over
until the Sabbath of the Lamb had passed away. And I said there's
a precedent for it, and I found it in the manna that God sent
down from heaven for them to gather and to eat. Manna from
heaven. And it was sent six days a week. Six days without fail, the manna
fell in their camp, but none came on the seventh day or the
Sabbath day. And what they did? They gathered
enough on the sixth day to supply them over for the seventh day
or the Sabbath, and by a miracle of God, it stayed fresh and clean
and healthy. Now, if they gathered more than
they needed, and tried to be a little greedy, it got full
of worms, and it stunk, and it spoiled. Here is the guide for
the Sabbath year in chapter 25 of Leviticus again, in verse
5, in verse 6, and in verse 7. That verse 5, which groweth of
its own accord, thou shalt not reap neither get the grapes of
the vine undressed, for it is the rest of the year. Verse 6,
and the Sabbath of the land shall be meet for you, and for thy
servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for
thy stranger that sojourneth. And verse 7, for the cattle,
for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all be increased
thereof. Now what did this typify, if
anything? This rest of the land. A Sabbath
day or year for the rest. What was the lesson that the
people were to garner from this incident? How were they to pass
the year themselves? What were they to do during that
interval of time? Some see it, of course, as a
type of a coming millennium. And Matthew Henry tells of what
he called, quote, a vulgar tradition, quote, of the Jew that after
6,000 years of history of the earth would come then the eternal
Sabbath that some held at. Gil mentions a rest that remains
for the people of God, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 9. Now the
people could give themselves more fully to spiritual matters,
to meditating, on the things of God while the land rested
or reposed in its Sabbath unto the Lord, so could the people
have a rest and respite. All works of agriculture were
to cease. in this year. As for the land,
it could rest, not be disturbed by the plow or by the tiller,
from digging pits and from digging ditches and wells and the such
like, and regain again its vigor in that seventh year Sabbath
and strengthen, you know, We hear farmers sometimes talk about
the land being worn out that's been farmed so much and so long
that it's worn out. We heard of land being farmed
to death year after year, stirred and tilled, and the wind blows
away part of the topsoil, and some farmers believe that it
gets weak and therefore needs to be artificially fertilized
for producing with vigor the crop planted therein. Scripture
testifies that Canaan was a land blessed of God for the sake of
Israel. In Leviticus 25 and verse 21,
again in Numbers chapter 13, the spies found the land, that
it was a land that flowed with milk and with honey. Verse 27 of that chapter, plentiful
in grapes and palm granites and figs. Why, the clusters of grapes
were so huge that it took two men to carry one on a pole between
them and on their shoulder. Deuteronomy 1, verse 25. The twelve spies, or rather,
the two spies came back and they reported, quote, It is a good
land which the Lord our God gives us. In Exodus 3 and verse 8,
the Lord said unto Moses, I am come to deliver them from Egypt
and to bring them into a good land and large, a land flowing
with milk and with honey. Literally, a good land, a very
good land. Large, rich, plush, that it might
produce for them. When Israel possessed it, it
was allowed to have a sabbatical year, and that was every seventh
year that they dwelt there. Next we come to the other ordinance
that we looked at here, beginning in verse 8 and following. We have established the year
of Jubilee. Also, after they were settled
permanently in the new land. Now, think about it. This first
jubilee could not occur probably for nigh under 60 years. after
they were in the land. The 7 times 7, 49, and then the
15. As for this ordinance, it is
only written up for us in the Bible in great length in this
particular chapter. And every aspect of it is dealt
with here, and some of them are complicated and needs the wisdom
of God. Now, we do have an effect of
it that is mentioned in Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 16 through
25. In addition to that, we have
one more. A ruling concerning the daughters
of one Zillow, Zillow he had in Numbers 36. verse 1 and following,
where a tangled question needs an answer and a solution. We
won't look at that. Now, as for the time of the commencement
of the Jubilee, it was only observed once every 50 years in Israel. That would be twice a century
that this year of Jubilee would fall. And many things could change. Many disasters and many problems,
many reverses, many troubles, and even deaths could occur in
the interval period. Not a few died short of the year
of Jubilee. Perhaps they had their eye and
their hope upon that land or upon that year that when it came,
their situation would change for the better with the arrival
of Jubilee. Now, here is how the time was
calculated and reckoned for the Jubilee. Leviticus 25 and verse
8. Number 7 Sabbath years, which
Sabbath occurred every 7th year, and Moses multiplies it for us,
7 times 7 is 49, verse 8. And the 50th year was Jubilee. And its commencement was signaled
by the blast of a trumpet, loud and long, blowing throughout
all of the land. In fact, some say that the name
Jubilee is actually the word yobel, and that it has reference
to a ram's horn. A ram's horn, of course, that
made the sound of the trumpet, a loud blast upon the ram's horn. And when it sounds, when they
hear it, jubilee is here. The year of jubilee is come. This year was a great relief,
and it was a great blessing to many in Israel. and I believe
might be what is called the acceptable year of the Lord, at least in
part. Now to sum it up, I like to borrow
these words that John Calvin wrote a long, long time ago. He said, and I'm quoting, that
in Jubilee there was a renewal of all things in Israel. He said again, when many things
assumed a new face, unquote. This is the year of Jubilee,
such as it was a hallowed year unto them, in verse 10. Liberty
was to be proclaimed throughout all of the land, and I hope you
don't tire hearing me holler liberty, for liberty is the essence
of the year of Jubilee. Slaves and indentured ones went
free again in the year of Jubilee. Everyone returned to his possession
and to his family from which he had been separated by some
occasion during that time. And the great thing, debts were
forgiven. When debts were owed, they were
forgiven. Labor would cease and one enter
into A year of rest along with the Sabbath of the Lamb. Now note the dignity that God
attaches unto this and they were to give it that dignity as well. Verse 10, hallow it. Hallow that fiftieth year, it
is jubilee. Verse 11, a jubilee shall that
fiftieth year be unto you. Verse 12, for it is the jubilee,
it shall be holy unto you. Count it as holy. Look in verse
10 also. You shall proclaim liberty throughout
the land unto the inhabitants thereof. Proclaim freedom Emancipation,
the year of jubilee has come. The blast of the trumpet, tell
it far and tell it wide. In every place, let the ram's
horn, let the trumpet be heard, signaling jubilee is come. Let freedom ring in that year
of Jubilee. Now let's expand on this proclamation
of liberty throughout the land, as liberty is the central point
and focus of the year of Jubilee. In that year, many went free
from those things that had encumbered them and distressed them, some
of them even in abject poverty. And as A. A. Bonar wrote in his
little commentary on the book of Leviticus, quote, This year
was a most peculiar time, unquote, Bonar. A blessed time for many,
as we shall see before we are done with our study of the morning. But let's realize something clearly
stated in the text that we might run over it, read over it, without
actually grasping the significance of it. And that would be in verse
9. caused the trumpet of the jubilee to sound in the tenth
month, or rather in the tenth of the seventh month in the day
of atonement. Now there's a mouthful. And repeated. Make the trumpet sound throughout
all your land. And this is the thing that is
to be noted. And the point of emphasis is
this. I don't think I had realized
it until this week. And that is that the year of
Jubilee followed immediately upon the yearly atonement, the
Day of Atonement, ushered in by that Day of Atonement. Now, that Day of Atonement was
on the tenth day of the seventh month, and you can see it in
Leviticus chapter 16, 29 and 30, and chapter 23 and verse
17. Now, the full sum and meaning and extent of the
Day of Atonement you can read in Leviticus chapter 16. In fact,
the whole chapter is taken up with directions about the yearly
Atonement or the Day of Atonement. And on that day, the high priest
The first one was Aaron, made an atonement for himself and
his sin, made an atonement for the people, changed his priestly
garment, put on his linen robe to go about the work of the day
of atonement. He made a sacrifice of God's
commanding and he caught the blood of that sacrifice and he
carried it into the tabernacle of witness, past the first veil,
past the second veil, into the Holy of Holies. There sprinkled
that blood upon the mercy seat between the two cherubim that
overshadowed it." Now remember, the year of Jubilee did not follow
every year of atonement. For the Day of Atonement was
an annual event. It was done every year. Hebrew calls it once every year,
chapter 9, verse 7. Every year, chapter 9, verse
25. Year by year, chapter 10, verse
1 of Hebrew. So literally, yearly, there was
an atonement that was made on a set day. It was a full day
of work, hard work, and labor for Aaron the priest. The details
you can read back in chapter 16. This was the day, you remember,
when they used two goats to typify the sacrifice of our Lord. One
was slain And the other, with the sins of Israel pressed down
upon his head and confessed, was carried away by the hands
of a fifth man into the wilderness out of sight, never to return
again unto them. A type of our blessed Lord Jesus
Christ, a great sin bearer who bore our sin away. As for the people, they were
to afflict their souls. You find that in Leviticus 16,
29, and 31. They were to afflict their soul.
They were to be conscious of their sinfulness. They were to
feel contrite for their sins. in repentance as the work of
atonement was being made by the great high priest. They were
to be very serious minded upon this particular day and to fast
and to forego work and pleasure For in Exodus 16 and verse 31,
it was unto them also a sabbath of rest. And as they were put
in remembrance of their sin, and Aaron slayed that beast and
took its blood into the holy place. Thus, in this manifesting
of the way of pardon, Fresh in their mind that blood must be
shed, an atonement must be made, a sacrifice must be given, came
the blast of the ram's horn began to sound in the land. Yo bale
signaling the arrival of the year of Jubilee and the proclamation
of liberty of so many things that were in bonded, when everyone
was restored again to their possession, when families were again united
as a family union. Slaves went free in the year
of jubilee, even if you bought them with money. They went free. Let me give you a rather long
quote from John Gill on this matter. He was pretty well up
on the history of all of these things and how they were practiced,
and I found on Leviticus 25, verse 10, he wrote these words,
and I'll quote them. The general design of this law
was to preserve the rights of the free-born Israelite as to
person and to property, and to prevent perpetual servitude as
well as perpetual alienation of their estates and to continue
families as they were originally." Then Gill makes an application.
The liberty proclaimed was typical of that liberty from the bondage
of sin, Satan, and the law in the word of the gospel of our
Lord. Liberty, oh, liberty is a sweet-sounding
word. Bondage is sour and bitter unto
us. Christ is our jubilee, and Christ
is our liberty. just as He is our Passover Lamb. He's our Sabbath or rest of soul. He's our righteousness. He's
our sacrifice. He's our high priest. He is our
all in all. And in the gospel is proclaimed
a special liberty. In Jubilee, debts were forgiven
and wiped out. Forfeited inheritances that had
fallen in mortgage were again restored unto their own verse. In Christ was sin put away that
entered into the world by Adam. It is recovered in Christ. The
family of God is gathered together in one, in our Lord and Jesus
Christ, and an inheritance is reserved for them in heaven that
fades not away. In Christ, the heavy debt of
sin is fully forgiven and is pardoned under our justification. Of old, the trumpet sounded the
arrival of the year of jubilee and the liberty when the captives
were set free. And the gospel proclaims the
freedom which the atonement of Christ provided for us. Freedom from the dominion and
the condemnation and the guilt of sin. Freedom from the curse
of the law. freedom from the traditions of
men and their heresy, from the guilt and condemning conscience,
freedom in Christ. For if the Son make us free,
we shall be free indeed. John chapter 8. The gospel is
the trumpet, is our jubilee. the ram's horn that proclaims
the great freedom that there is in Jesus Christ. My, when
we hear the gospel, the liberty of it, Christ has come to set
the captive free. But our poor blind sinners That
is, they love darkness rather than light, so they prefer bondage
to liberty. Though they would swear that
they're not in bondage, that they're free, that they can quit
and do this and that as they would. I thought the passage
of our Lord in the synagogue in Luke chapter 4. I'd like to
turn there and read it as we near a close. In Luke chapter
4, verse 17 through verse 21, our Lord takes the role of Isaiah,
and he reads the passage, I think chapter 61, verse 1 and 2, and
then he applies it unto himself. And in Luke 4, 17 through verse
21, And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it is written. The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel unto
the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captive, and recovery of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord." And he closed the book, and he
gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of
all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he
began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears. He applies that passage of scripture
unto himself. The acceptable year of the Lord,
the time of God's appointing. when the Lord opened his ministry
with this declaration, the kingdom of God is at hand. Our Lord came
and he said, the kingdom of God is at hand. The real jubilee,
spiritual blessing, sound the gospel trump among the men and
the women of the world. Now make two applications and
I'm done. Number one, see how cumbersome
was the law, see how cumbersome was that law, that they were
put under a heavy yoke, a grievous burden, it has been called in
the New Testament. All of these things that must
be intricately observed, and in some cases, if not, carried
a penalty of death. And secondly, its ordinances
were carnal for the most part. so that even the unregenerate
could participate and reap some of the blessings of God without
being regenerate. Yes, these two things are in
our mind as we think about the jubilee in Christ. that the heart
is made new. Regeneration is performed by
the Holy Spirit of God to give us a new mind and a new thought
to keep the jubilee unto our blessed Lord. And how sweet in
our ear is yet the sound of the gospel trumpet. When we hear
that Christ is dead and sins are put away forever, the year
of our jubilee of soul. Thank God for that.