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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Year of Jubilee possible in capitalism? | Lev 25:33 | Makarios | 8638 | ||
In Deuteronomy 15:1-3, the 7th year is assigned as the peroid at which all the liabilities of a Jew were suspended (or possibly, as Josephus supposes, entirely cancelled); this provision was to be of universal operation. In Deut. 15:12-18, the law is repeated in Ex. 21 with regard to the emancipation of slaves; here again prescribes that the Law is to be read every 7th year (the 'year of release') at the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Nehemiah 8:13-18). Nothing is said in Deuteronomy about a possible resumption of land.. We would especially enjoy this 'Sabbatical benefit'! If all of our debts where cancelled after seven years, then credit card companies would become bankrupt! Not only that, but it would spell an abrupt end to the Business world as we know it.. Actually, this proposal isn't sounding too bad after all! :) In God's sovereignty, He gave Israel the law in such a time when the technology was not so far advanced as it is today, and in this way God 'protected' the Israelites through His timing and the timing of the revelation of technology in that they would not have to worry so much about property, credit, debt, like we do today. Yes, we could enforce a 'sabbatical releasing of debt' in today's world, but not without retribution from large businesses and the other nations of the world at large.. This proves also that a "Year of Jubilee" would not be practical for our nation today.. Sources: "What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity" by James D. Gwartney, "Economics and God" by E.E. Tasker, Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible by Hendrickson, The Ryrie Expanded Edition Study Bible, The Complete Works of Josephus Good study on the "Sabbatical Year"! Nolan |
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2 | Year of Jubilee possible in capitalism? | Lev 25:33 | Makarios | 8640 | ||
In Leviticus 25:1-55, a provision is made for a seventh-year fallow; but there is no mention of the poor. The reason assigned is that the land, being God's land, must keep Sabbath- the Sabbath principle is extended to cover nature as well as man. We also find here the jubilee ordinances. After 49 years had elapsed, every 50th year was to be inaugurated as a jubilee by the blowing of the trumpet on the Day of Atonement. All slaves were to be emancipated (this may be a modified substitute for the earlier provisions with regard to emancipation after 7 years); no mention is made of the possibility of perpetual slavery, but it is ordained that the Hebrew slave of a foreigner may be redeemed by a relative, all Jews being essentially God's servants. The land was to lie fallow, and providential aid is promised to ensure sufficiency of produce during the period of three years when no harvest could be gathered- the 49th year- which would be a sabbatical fallow, the Year of Jubilee, and the following year, when tillage would be resumed. Here we also find elaborate directions for the redemption of land in the Jubilee Year. Summarized, they are: 1) No landed property may be sold, but only the usufruct of its produce up to the next Jubilee, and the price must be calculated by the distance from that period. 2) A kinsman may redeem land thus mortgaged, or (the meaning may be) exercise a right of pre-emption upon it. 3) The mortgager may redeem at the selling price, less the yearly proportion for the time elapsed since the sale. 4) House property in walled towns (not in villages) may be sold outright, and is redeemable only during one year. Such property was presumably regarded as human and artificial, while all land was essentially the property of God. 5) The Levitical possessions were redeemable at any time, and did not come under the Jubilee provisions. 6) Nothing is said in Leviticus as to the remission of debts, but there is a general prohibition of usury. 7) In Leviticus 27:16-25 a field devoted to God must be valued at once at a fixed rate, and might be redeemed at this price, plus a fine of 20 percent, up to the year of Jubilee. If not redeemed by then it became sacred property; no redemption of it was thereafter possible. Sources: "What Everyone Should Know about Economics and Prosperity", "Economics and God", Hasting's Bible Dictionary, The Ryrie Study Bible |
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3 | Year of Jubilee possible in capitalism? | Lev 25:33 | Makarios | 8643 | ||
What is the significance in a Year of Jubilee? Or why did God create such an 'expansion' of the Sabbath day by creating this ordinance? For basically four reasons: 1) The periodical fallow- this is a common provision in agriculture and the seven years' period is still observed today in Syria. Since the fallow year was not at first everywhere simultaneous, the earlier historical books are silent about it; and indeed it cannot have been generally observed. For the 70 years' captivity and desolation of the land was regarded as making up for the unobserved Sabbaths of the land (2 Chr. 36:21, Lev. 26:34,43). The reference in Nehemiah 10:31 could be to the periodic fallow or remission of debts. 2) The emancipation of slaves (Jer. 34:8-9). Such a provision must have been extremely difficult to enforce! This is the only reference to it. 3) The remission or suspension of debts. The only reference is the dubious one found in Nehemiah 10:31.. 4) The redemption of real property. This is not uncommon in other countries. Jeremiah 32:6, Ruth 4, Ezekiel 7:13; 46:17 shows that something like this did exist in Palestine. But it was in no sense 'universal', since Isaiah and Micah speak of 'land grabbing'; on the other hand, 1 Kings 21:3-4 gives us an example of the inalienability of land. Even though God provided Israel with this "Year of Jubilee" ordinance, we have no sign that the sabbatical and jubilee provisions were ever strictly observed in Biblical times. Their principles of rest and redemption, though never practiced as a piece of social politics, were preached as ideals, and may have had some effect in discouraging slave-owning, land-grabbing, and usury, and in encouraging a more merciful view of the relations between Jew and Jew. Isaiah 61:1-3 is steeped in Jubilee phraseology, and Christ adopted this passage to explain His own mission (Luke 4:18).. Nolan |
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