Niv Lesson 07-26-2009 (providing A Fresh Start)

Call Sealed with Promise Unit 2: Called to Be God's People (Lessons 5-8)

PROVIDING A FRESH START

INTRODUCTION

DEVOTION.1L READING:

A. ANNOUNCING JUBILEE

MAmJEW 18:21-35

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: At a certain point very early in jesus' ministr)~ he returned to his home­ LEVITICUS 25: 1-31 town of Nazareth (Luke 4: 14-30). Luke reports that he went there "in the power of the Spirit," and he went into the synagogue "as was his custom." · PRINTED TEXT: · LEvITICUS 25:8-21,23,24 Isaiah the prophet was the reading for that particular Sabbath. jesus, considered to be a special guest, unrolled the scroll to the place we know as Isaiah 61: 1,2. There he read "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, be­ cause he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me LESSON AIMS to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of Sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4: 18, After pmticipating in this · lesson, each student will be 19). After giving the scroll back to the attendant,]esus sat down to teach able to: about this text. The congregation was startled to hear him say "Today this 1. Summarize the features scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. " of the year ofjubilee. jesus had just announced a kind of "jubilee" with the beginning of his 2. Tell how the principles preaching, teaching, and healing ministr)T. In essence, he had claimed to be the Messiah, for the rabbis anticipated such a jubilee when the Messiah of the jubilee year can be ex­ would come. Those gathered couldn't believe it! "Isn't this joseph's son?" pressed in the church. · 3. State one way he or she they asked rhetorically. jesus pushed back by saying "Surely you \vill quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself]'" and "No prophet is accepted can grant jubilee-like in his hometown." freedom to a brother or jesus went on to apply his announcement ofjubilee by mentioning God's · sister in Christ. concern for Gentiles, such as the Sidonian \vidow (1 Kings 17:7-24) and 0Jaaman, the Syrian leper (2 Kings 5). In other words, the genuine Messiah's jubilee would be for the whole world, including Gentiles. This enraged the congregation to the point that they acted as an angry mob. They attempted (but failed) to cast him down from the brow of the Nazareth hill. How could jesus' hometown move so quickly [rom treating him as a special guest to hav­ ing a \villingness to murder him as a false prophet? Perhaps today's study on jubilee will shed light on this question.

B.

LESSON BACKGROUND

The concept of Sabbath (which means "ceasing") is built into the fabric of the story of creation (Genesis 2:1-3: see Leviticus 23:3). In six days God created the world and everything in it. On the seventh day God halted his labors and declared it a "cease day." When God "created" Israel by delivering the nation [rom bondage, he provided in the \vilderness a Sabbath-manna (Exodus 16). On the sLxth day of the week, the people collected t\vice their daily need. If they went out on the Sabbath, they would find none. The people had to exercise faith with regard to the Sabbath day. In addition to the Sabbath day was the Sabbath year, described in Exodus 23:10, 11; Leviticus 25:1-7 Qust prior to today's text); and Deuteronomy

•M _ _T_V_ERS_E_ _ _ _ __ Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabit­ ants. It shall be ajubilee for you; each one ofyou is to . return to his family property and each to his awn clan. -Leviticus 25:10

LESSON 8 NOTES

15: 1-18. Every seventh year was a Sabbath year, during which all debts had to be canceled (Deuteronomy :1,2). The Year ofJubilee, what may be called "a Sabbath of the Sabbath year," was an extension of this concept. This is where today's lesson picks up.

1.

DAILY BIBLE RE4.DINGS

CONCEPT

OF JUBILEE

(LEVITICUS

25:8-12)

A. CALCULATION (v. 8) 8. "'Count offseven sabbaths of years-seven times seven years-so that the seven sabbaths ofyears amount to a period offorty-nine years. A special Sabbath year must be observed every 50 years. This is known as the Year ofJubilee, as we shall see below. Its design is such that every Israelite who lives a normal lifetime \-vill experience this special year at least once. The calculation seven times seven is obviously simple. But alongside this simplicity is the elegance of the number seven as part and parcel of the concept of Sab­ bath (see the Lesson Background).

Monday, July 20-Jesus' B. PROCLAMATION (v. 9) Vision of Ministry (Lul~ 4: 9. "'Then have the tmmpet sounded eve1)'where on the tenth day of the seventh 14-19) month; on the Day of Atonement sound the tmmpet throughout your land. Tuesday, July 21­ Some scholars think that the meaning of the word jubilee is literally "ram's Forgiveness and Mercy hom." This makes a certain sense, due to the fact that a ram's hom is what is (Matthew 18:21-35) to be blown to announce the jubilee. (VVe should not think of a trumpet here Wednesday, July 22­ in terms of the modem brass musical instrument!) Compassion and Mercy The seventh month, in which the Day ofAtonL;'1nent occurs, is late Septem­ (LuJ~ 10:25-37) ber and early October to us. The designation seventh month is in reference Thursday, July 23-Com­ to the cycle of the Israelite religious year, although this particular month passion for the Helpless (Mat­ eventually becomes the first month of the Jewish civil year. A full expla­ thew 9:35-38) · nation of the Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 16:29-34; see also Friday, July 24­ Compassion for the Bereaved 23:26-32. The greatest of releases in ancient Hebrew experience is to be the annual release of sins on this day. The tabernacle (or temple) is to be sanc­ (Lu~ 7:11-17) tified once again, and the people are to have their collective sins atoned Saturday, July for by means of the high priest's sprinkling of goat blood on top of the ark MinistlY to the Needy • covering. \Vhat better time, then, to begin the Year of Jubilee in signaling, (Matthew 25:31-40) · in part, the release from debts? Sunday, July 26-The Year ofJubilee (Leviticus TRUMPETED CELEBRATION 25:8-21, 23, 24) Trumpets are ancient instruments, having been used for a variety of purpos­ es. Apparently. early human nibes formed shells, bamboo, or animal homs into trumpets in order to communicate \vith each other. Before the invention of the radio, army generals had to figure out how to communicate \-vith their troops on the battlefield. ilumpets selved this purpose (compare 1 Corinthians 14:8). Evi­ dence suggests that trumpets were used in religious services as early as 2000 Be. Moses had two trumpets of silver made for communicating with the Israelites (Numbers 10:2). Many of tl1ese ancient instruments were straight tubes \Vith curved bells. Mod­ em trumpets are "folded" instruments, consisting of several feet of tubing. Valves, developed in the early nineteenth century, divert air into side chambers, allowing precise changes in pitch. Valves greatly improve trumpets' usefulness as musical instruments. But even in ancient times, before trumpets had valves, trumpets were used on happy occa'lions of celebration. One such occasion \vas tl1e Day of Atonement in

the Year ofJubilee. The most joyous celebration that a numpenvill ever introduce, however, will be the return ofJesus (1 COlinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Expect it! B. ;'\J.

C. CONSECRATION (v. 10) 10. '''Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be ajubilee for you; each one ofyou is to return to his family property and each to his OWll clan. The Israelite nation is built on three tiers: the household, the dan, and the tribe (see Numbers 26;Judges 6: 15). jubilee is designed to protect the household's right to a particular piece of land (see the distribution of land in Numbers 26 and joshua 13-21; compare judges 21:24 and 1 Kings 21:1­ WHAT Do You THINK? 3). jubilee, the fiftieth year, is the year in which all debts are to be rescinded. Further, all Israelites who have indentured themselves into debt-slavery are What was a time when to be released so they can return to their own possessions and household you longed for afresh start? (e.xtended fami~y). What a joy! The concepts of freedom and restoration come How did things turn out? over into the New Testament era in profound, eternal ways through jesus (see the lesson's Introduction). WHAT Do You THINK? D. RESTRICTION (w. 11, 12)

How are the Passover and 11, 12. '''The fiftieth year shall be ajubilee for you; do not saw and do not reap Year ofJubilee observances what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is ajubilee and is to different from one another in be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

concept? How are they simi­ In addition to release from debt and the return of land, the land must lie lar? How do those d~fferences fallow for the jubilee. It is to be a holy year, devoted to genuine rest for hu­ and similarities speah to us mans, animals, and land. No sO\ving is allowed, but one and all can certainly today? eat from the fields, meaning the open country.

II. RETURN DURING JUBILEE (LEVITICUS 25:13-17) A. RECLAIM FAMILY PROPERTY (v. 13) 13. '''In this Year ofJubilee everyone is to return to his own property. This is a repeat of part of verse 10. The purpose of repeating this is to em­ phasize the nature of land in Israel. No one owns the land (see v. 23, below); only the use of the land, in terms of harvests, is sold (v. 16. below), So any "sale" of land is really a form of leasing. Fuller eX'Planation follows.

B. RESTRICT UNDUE ADVANTAGE (vv. 14-17) 14. '''If you sell land to one ofyour countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. The command not to take advantage ofeach other is repeated in verse 17. Thus this repeated command serves as bookends for what is said next. 15, 16. "'You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since theJubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years arefew, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number ofcrops. Sale of land is to be regulated according to the number ofyears until a ju­ bilee is proclaimed. The cost is calculated according to how many harvests remain before the jubilee, when the land is to be restored to ancestral ovvner­ ship. The one who "buys" the land thus is leasing rather than purchasing.

Do You THINK? Vlhat does todcry's text teach us about the use of debt, if anything? [Proverbs 22: 7 and Ro­ mans 13:8 will enrich your answeJ:] WHAT

The importance of family property is seen in the inquiry of Zelophehad's five daughters in Numbers 27: 1-11. Since their father died vvithout leaving any sons, they feared their father's name would disappear from the clan. An allowance of property to the daughters would ensure that the family name could continue. A follow-up inquiry in Numbers 36 clarifies further still what is (and is not) to happen. Thus the jubilee procedure we see spelled out here is tied closely to household, clan, and tribal identities. 17. "'Do not take advantage ofeach other, but fear your God. I am the Lord

your God.

Visual for Lesson 8. Point The exhortation not to tahe advantage ofeach other is repeated from verse to this visual as you ash, ; 14. This exhortation is based on the fear of God that the people are to have. "\\11at biblical safeguards do , Thus we get the idea that economic oppression is carried out by those who we have to help us not tahe : do not fear God (see Proverbs 1: 7). advantage of others?" The fact that Yahweh is their God should cause the Israelites to value their relationships vvith each other by not oppressing one another economi­ i cally. The sad story of Naboth and his vineyard reveals that even an Israelite king is not to force a fellow Hebrew to sell family property (l Kings 21, es­ peciallyv. 3). What happened to Naboth is an example of the arrogance of power. III. OBEDIENCE TO GOD (LEVITICUS 25:18-21) A. MANDATE AND BENEFIT (vv. 18, 19) WHAT Do You THINK? . 18. '''Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely \Vhich is your usual pat­ tern in your relationship )'vith i in the land. \Ve sometimes sing the old hymn "liust and Obey." The Israelites are first God: "trust, then obey," or to obey the Lord and then trust that he \vill provide the resources for them "obey, then trust"? \\11at's to live safely in the land. This is the essential message of the book of Deuter­ the difference? onomy (see 28: 1-14 for the blessings of obedience). To disobey is to be thrust from the land (29:25-28). 19. '''Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.

\Vhen God's people obey the Lord in terms of jubilee, he blesses them beyond imagination. To practice jubilee takes faith and even courage. "Can we survive by letting the land lie fallow?" the people may ask themselves. . The Lord knows such a question vvill pop up, so he answers it in the next verse.

B.

(\lv. 20, 21) 20, 21. "'}bu may ash, "\Vhat will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops ?" I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. '" ; Agood salesperson anticipates objections before they come up. God, the master salesman, does just that. He knows the people will hesitate to let the land lie fallow out of a concern for having enough to eat. This anxiety is not ! just about the jubilee year, but also concerns the Sabbath-years of Leviticus 25:1-7. God gives a promise, and the people must trust! He fed them during all those years in the \\ilderness, didn't he? As he promises food during the fal­ low Sabbath-years (again 25: 1-7), so he promises food during the Year of Jubilee. I

QUESTION AND ANS\VER

IV. PROVISION OF REDEMPTION (LEVITICUS 25:23, 24) A. WHAT NOT TO Do (v. 23) 23. '''The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Although the land is an inheritance to the Israelites (Leviticus 20:24), it ultimately belongs to God. Thus the Israelites should think of themselves as tenants. Since God is the owner, the land can only be leased, \vith the price being set by the number of harvests until the next jubilee. The word aliens also appears in 1 Peter 2: 11. This word speaks to the mind-set that God's people are to have. (Contrast the use of the word entitlement that is thrown around so much today.) The aliens-and-tenants outlook is to keep the ancient Israelites from having a \-\Tong perspective. God is the real owner of the land. Under his protection and care, the peo­ ple can experience the good of the land. These facts set the standard by which they are to treat one another. Treatment of the poor and those who have had to sell themselves into debt-slavery is of special concern (see Le­ viticus 25:35-43,47-53). For our part, we must remind ourselves continually that an attachment to the things of this world is deadly. The world itself is good (Genesis 1:31), but we do not o\vn it. The principles of this world are bad, and we are to re­ ject them (Colossians 2:8). Either way, we should be strangers to that which passes away (1 Corinthians 7:31).

Do You THINK? How does (or sl1Ould) our perspective change when we remember that God owns all the land?

WHAT

LAND O\\;'NERSHIP

As settlers from Europe began to arrive in the new world, one of the most dis­ tressing points of contention to emerge between them and the A.merican Indians was the issue of land o\vnership. Many e.x-plorers representing European royalty claimed land in the name of their sovereign. In the process, these e;l{plorers ignored the native peoples already established in the land. Sometimes settlers purchased land from the Indians; think of the (in)famous purchase of Manhattan Island for about $24 worth of trade goods. On occasion, Indian leaders protested the whole idea of buying and selling land. In the early nineteenth century, ChiefTecumseh reacted, "vVhy not sell the air, the clouds, the great sea?" Many Indians could not understand the concept of "ovvning" land. tain tribes might have hunting rights, agricultural invesnnent, or occupation of the land, but how could anyone own the land? God had given the promised land to the Israelites. They had possessed it, dividing it among the 12 tribes. But God said that ovvnership ofland could not be transferred "because the land is mine." vVe would do well to apply that outlook to our own property today. Sure, we hold titles of ovvnership to our houses, cars, etc. And we're free to buy and sell such things a.<; we see fir. But it all really belongs to God; we are the stewards. B. N.

How TO SAY IT

Gentiles. JEN-tiles.

Leviticus. Leh-VIT-ih-kus.

Moses. MO-zes or MO-zez.

Naaman. NAY-uh-mun.

Naboth. NAY-bawth.

B. \VHAT TO Do (v. 24) Nazareth. NAZ-uh-reth.

24. '''Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide peonage. PEA-ult-ny.

for the redemption of the land.'" Sidonian. Sigh-DO E-nee-un.

Leviticus 25:23-38 discusses the details concerning the law of redemp­ synagogue. SIN-uh-gog.

tion of the land (compare Ruth 4; Jeremiah 32:6-8). Over several decades, Syrian. SEAR-ee-un.

an astute person can accumulate much land and become very wealthy. Yahweh (Hebrew). YAH-weh.

Rich landowners will have free reign with those caught in the spiral of pov­ Zelophehad. Zeh-LOW1eh­ erty that can lead to permanent debt-slavery (the modem term for this is had.

IULY

26, 2009=----_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _4~5~6~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

PRAYER

Our Father, teach us to forgive as we have been forgiven, to give as we have been given to, and to love as we have been loved. In the comfort of your sovereign provisions and the name ofour SaviorJesus Christ. Amen.

PROVIDING A FRESH START

peonage). After selling land to payoff a debt, a person in economic distress · loses the primary means of earning a living. Jubilee prevents the land from being sold permanently (vv. 23-38) and keeps the debt-slaves from being in that condition indefinitely (vv. 39-55). In jubilee, land "ownership" reverts back and the slaves are set free. These are ~o.t rules to be sprung. unfairly on someone who, unaware of jubilee : provrslOns, has already paId for some land. i

CONCLUSION

A.

THE]UBILEE IDEAL AND PRACTICE

Jubilee was to be the year in which (1) liberty was proclaimed for all Israel­ ites who were enslaved for debt; (2) the remission of debt occurred; (3) land was restored to families who had been compelled to sell it in the previous 49 years; and (4) the land had to lie fallow. This is described fully in Leviticus 25:8-55 and referred to in Leviticus 27:16-25 and Numbers 36:4. Jubilee thus was in large part God's loudspeaker of care for the poor. God . has always been concerned for the poor. This is why the farmer was com­ manded not to glean the comers of his field (Leviticus 19:9, 10; 23:22; Ruth 2:2). The harvest in such areas was to be left for the poor. Jubilee was God's gift to the destitute and despairing, providing them a fresh start. Can this practice teach us something today? We also may wonder if Israel ever practiced jubilee as a nation. We don't really have any firm evidence that they did (Isaiah 37:30 is a possible refer­ ence to jubilee ideas). We know that the generation that followed Moses rebelled against God and his laws Qudges 2: 10-13). The lack of reference to jubilee in the historical narratives of the Old Testament does not mean that jubilee was not practiced. That would be an argument from silence. We sim­ ply do not know. After Solomon's reign, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were ruled by many kings who would not have welcomed the practice ofjubilee. Other ancient Near Eastern kingdoms did practice the remission of debts at the ac­ cession of a new king, but nothing exactly like jubilee. Despite its possible disuse, the prophets appeal to the jubilee ideal metaphorically as part of the coming kingdom of God (example: Isaiah 61: 1-3). !

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B.

NEW TESTAMENT JUBILEE

The "servant" of Isaiah has a jubilee-like ministry to restore Israel to the "land" (see Isaiah 35,42,58, 61).Jesus saw himself as that servant when he announced his jubilee ministry to those of his hometown (see the lesson's • Introduction). But they rejected him. Even so, Jesus inaugurated his min­ , istry with the concept ofjubilee in mind; forgiveness of the sin debt and : restoration of relationship to God were key features of the proclamation of • the kingdom. The first-century church proclaimed Jesus' idea of a kingdom characterized by a jubilee spirit (see Acts 4:32-37). The thought of "restoring" was jubilee vocabulary (Acts 1:6; 3:21). As the church proclaims the eternal jubilee available in Christ, she needs to discern if she is practicing an earthly jubilee ideal asJesus would have us do. Yet as we engage in prayer and soul searching in this regard, we will be careful not to "read into" the New Testament an Old Testament law that was operative only for ancient Israel. The jubilee principle as stated by Paul is I

this: '1\t the present time your plenty ,,,,ill supply what they need, so that in tum their plenty ,vill supply what you need Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gath­ ered little did not have too little'" (2 Corinthians 8: 14, 15). Practicing this ideal will be easier when we come to grips ,vith the fact that we are "aliens and strangers" here (again, 1 Peter 2:11).

: THOUGHT TO REMEMBER

Practice both the eternal and earthly ideals ofjubilee in Christ.

Discovery Learning

The following is an alternative lesson plan emphasizing learning activities.

Classes desiring such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At the

back of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance activity learning.

INTO THE LESSON

Display the phrase Fresh Start on the board. Say, "There are many areas of life where people may long for a fresh start. What are some of those areas?" Jot responses on the board. Ideas include money management, marriage, spiritual disciplines, relationships with children, relationships \vith par­ ents, relationships 'vith the Lord, education, and career: Be ready to stimulate class thinking by offer­ ing examples. Make the transition to Bible study by saying, "The concept of a fresh start is very appealing to those in trouble. God had a wonderlul plan for a periodic fresh start for the Old Testament Israelites. From the Old Testament principle ofjubilee, I be­ lieve we'11 find great lessons for the church today." INTO THE "VORD

Early in the week, ask a class member to prepare a brief lecture (about five minutes) on the Lesson Background. Give this person a photocopy of the Lesson Background from the commentary. Also give this person three strips of poster board on which you've written (one phrase each) these three words/ phrases: Sabbath Day, Sabbath Year, and}ubilee. Ask your guest speaker to affix these small posters to the \vall as each concept is defined in succession. After the presentation, say, "\Vouldn't you find it a real joy to discover that all your debts are re­ leased? What a fresh start that would be! Let's read to see how the jUbilee concept was to work. " Distribute a handout of today's printed text. You will need to create this handout so students can "'TIte on it. Lead the class through the follow­ ing sequence:

l. Read verses 8-10. Use the lesson commentary to explain to the class the concept of atonement. Also, note the tllree-tier structure of Old Testament Israel. 2. Ask your students to underline on their hand­ outs everything the Israelites were to do duringju­ bilee and circle everything they were not to do. Ask two class members to serve as "scribes" to list the do and not do answers on the board as findings are shared. Option: Students can fill out the reproduc­ ible activity "Do What?" on page 507 at this point. 3. Ask the follOwing three discussion questions. Lse the lesson commentary to assist you in guiding responses: (a) \Vhat does verse 13 mean when it states "everyone is to return to his own property"? (also see v. 10); (b) As you read verses 11, 12, what are some reasons you could suggest for God requir­ ing his people to celebrate jubilee? What are some of the values you see to this program? (c) If the land ,vere to lie fallow for a year, how would the people eat? (see vv. 20,21) Option: Use the reproducible activity "Get Real?" on page S07in this segment. 4. Ask class members to paraphrase verses 14­ 17,23, making the meaning as clear as pOSSible. They may write their paraphrases on the bottom of the handouts you distributed. Ask two students to read their paraphrases. Follow that 'With a brief e..xplanation of how land costs were to be calculated in relation to the Year ofJubilee. 5. Reread verse 23. Say, "This verse sounds like a worldview statement. What does this verse say about how we view our role in this world?" 6. Use your lesson commentary to summarize verse 24, emphasizing the fresh start given to peo­ ple. Then summarize the practice ofjubilee as given in the lesson's Conclusion.

INTO LIFE Create four think-tank teams. If vou are short on time, ask only the question pos~d to Team #2; if you do so, you can use the reproducible activity "How Now?" from page 507 at this point. Team # 1: Discover reasons why a literal follow­ ing of the jubilee law is not required of Christians today. Team #2: vVhat jubilee principles should still pervade the Christian community? You may find Matthew 6: 12 and 2 Corinthians 8: 13-15 helpful. Team #3: Forgiveness and restoration are

key benefits of being a Christian. Review today's printed text and discover hints or shadows of these blessings that \vill come for today's Chris­ tian. Team #4: List ways a Christian can grant a jubilee freedom to a brother or sister in Christ. Allow each team to report. Conclude with two prayers. The first student to pray \\111 thank God for grace and the fresh start we have in Jesus. The sec­ ond to pray \vill ask God to help us develop an at­ titude of mercy, forgiveness, and generosity toward those in our Christian familv. I