Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Leviticus 27:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
After what seemed the conclusion of the laws God gave Moses at Mount Sinai to pass on to the people in chapter 26, here the Lord continues speaking to Moses. We will see that it is a totally different topic, but as chapter 26 covered what would happen if the people did not do God's previous commands, it seems logical that chapter should have been the last in Leviticus. Indeed, Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that he thought this 27th chapter originally followed the 25th chapter, and that the 26th chapter was the last in the book of Leviticus:
"As the law was anciently written upon skins of parchment, sheep or goat skins, pasted or stitched together, and all rolled up in one roll, the matter being written in columns, one of those columns might have been very easily displaced, and thus whole chapters might have been readily interchanged - It is likely that this might have been the case in the present instance. Others endeavor to solve this difficulty, by supposing that the 27th chapter was added after the book had been finished; and therefore there is apparently a double conclusion, one at the end of the 26th and the other at the end of the 27th chapter. However the above may have been, all the ancient versions agree in concluding both the chapters in nearly the same way; yet the 26th chapter must be allowed to be by far the most natural conclusion of the book."
Now back to what God told Moses in the 27th chapter:
(2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man makes a special vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by your estimation.'"
God gave Moses more instructions to give to the children of Israel. This apparently pertained to special vows made that involved devoting a person himself or his children, livestock, or fields, etc., to the service of the Lord. The people vowed were to be evaluated as follows:
(3) "'And if your estimation shall be of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old, then your valuation
shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the
sanctuary.'"
A man from twenty to sixty years of age, if consecrated to the Lord by a vow, had a monetary value of fifty shekels of silver, according to the standard that was kept in the sanctuary. As often such vows might be made impulsively in cases of illness or danger, I believe a way was made for people to be redeemed. According to the 18th and 19th century commentators I study, fifty shekels was equal to about seven pounds, 10 shillings of silver. While that may not seem like a huge value for a person, I believe precious metal was probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than it is now; plus, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now.
(4) "'And if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.'"
If a woman was dedicated in a vow, she would be worth thirty shekels, as she would most likely be inferior in strength to a man, and perhaps could not be of so much use in the service of the sanctuary as would a man. Lest feminists get their ire up at this notion, let's remember that in Christ women are no less esteemed than men, because, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
(5) "'And if it be from five years old to twenty years old, then your estimation for a male shall be twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.'"
If the vow was for a person between the ages of five and twenty, then the value was set at twenty shekels for a male, and ten shekels for a female. Again this would have been because a young person could not be expected to accomplish as much as an adult, and the female being less was related to the estimate of her probable value as an adult in relation to an adult man.
(6) "'And if it be from a month old to five years old, then your estimation for a male shall be five shekels
of silver, and for a female your estimation shall be three shekels of
silver.'"
If a dedicated child was only one month to five years in age, then the valuation was to be five shekels of silver for a male, and three shekels for a female.
(7) "'And if it be from sixty years old and above, if it is a male, then your estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.'"
If a dedicated person was beyond sixty years of age, then it might be assumed they were past the age of useful labor, and were valued less.
(8) "‘But if he is poorer than your estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall
set a value for him; according to the ability of him who vowed, the
priest shall value him.'"
If the man is poorer and cannot pay according to the estimation given, he may present his case to the priest, and the priest would consider his circumstances and ability to repay, and would set a value accordingly.
(9) "'And if it is a beast that men may bring as an offering to the LORD, all that anyone gives to the LORD shall be holy. (10) He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; and if he at all changes beast for beast, then it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy.'"
I believe the meaning is that if a man vowed a beast as an offering to the Lord, then any beast that was so vowed was holy to the Lord. After it was vowed, it was not to be put to any common use, or altered in any way, and it could not be exchanged with another beast because the person who made the vow was having second thoughts. If the person who made the vow tried to exchange the beast vowed with a different beast, then both beasts would then be considered holy and for the Lord.
(11) "'And if it is an unclean animal which they do not offer as a sacrifice to the LORD, then he shall present the animal before the priest, (12) And the priest shall value it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.'"
If the person vowed an animal that was unclean and not to be sacrificed to the Lord, then that animal was to be presented to the priest and he would give a value to it according to how useful the animal might be. Whatever value the priest set upon such an animal, that is what it was to be.
(13) "‘But if he wants at all to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth to your estimation.'"
However, if a man vowed an unclean animal and then wanted to redeem it, he had to pay the priest's valuation plus an additional one-fifth of the valuation. I imagine this was designed so that a person would not make a rash vow with a rather worthless animal, as regard to its usefulness to the priest or the Lord's sanctuary, and then be able to buy it back at a low valuation, when that animal might actually be more valuable to the person who made the vow. That would be cheating the Lord, and having to add 20% more to redeem it might prevent people from being tempted to make such vows.
(14) "‘And when a man sanctifies his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as the priest estimates it, so shall it stand.'"
If a man vowed his house to be used for the Lord, either set apart for sacred service or perhaps to be rented or sold and the money given to the tabernacle, then the priest was to give an estimation of its value, and according to his estimation, it was to be so valued.
(15) "'And if he who sanctified it would redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of the money of your estimation to it, and it shall be his.'"
Once again, a person's own house might be of more value to himself, the one who vowed it, so to buy it back, he must add 20% of the value to the original value set by the priest.
(16) "'And if a man sanctifies to the Lord part of a field of his possession, then your estimation shall be according to the seed of it; a homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.'"
The word "part" was supplied by the King James Version translators and it is generally agreed by Biblical scholars that it should be supplied here because apparently it was not lawful for a man to vow his whole estate, thus leaving his family with nothing. In this case, if a man vowed some of his land, there was a particular formula for valuing it; the valuation was to be set according to the quantity of seed which could be sowed. The conversion of a homer into a present dry measure seems to be all over the place, but an important point is that a homer is not to be confused with an omer. An omer was one-tenth of an ephah, and a homer was ten ephahs. Since an omer was described as what a man could eat in one day, I suppose its measure was not exactly known. By calculations I have used in the past, I believe a homer was about 50 gallons, which is in the middle of the range I have seen, so I guess my guess is as good as any. A homer of barley seed was to be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
(17) "‘If he sanctifies his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. (18) But if he sanctifies his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money due according to
the years that remain till the Year of Jubilee, and it shall be deducted
from your estimation.'"
If a man vowed his land in a jubilee year so that it was dedicated for a full term until the next Jubilee, the priest's full valuation of the land was to stand. However, if he dedicated his land after the Jubilee, then the priest was to estimate the value according to the number of years that remained until the next Year of Jubilee.
(19) "‘And if he who sanctified the field ever wishes to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of the money of your estimation to it, and it shall belong to him.'"
Just as with his animals and house, if the man who vowed his land wished to redeem it, he must add 20% of the value to the priest's estimated value and then it would be returned to his ownership.
(20) "‘But if he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore.'"
At first glance, this verse is a bit confusing, but I believe there are two different "hes". If he, the original owner who vowed the land, did not wish to redeem his land, and he, the priest, had then sold the land to another man, it was not allowed to be redeemed again.
(21) "'But the field, when it is released in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field; it shall be the possession of the priest.'"
That land that had been vowed and dedicated to the Lord, when released in the Jubilee, would not go back to the original owner, but was to be the Lord's, devoted to Him, and was to be a possession of the priest.
(22) "‘And if a man dedicates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not the field of his possession, (23) Then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your estimation, to the Year of Jubilee, and he shall give your valuation on that day as a holy offering to the LORD.'"
The previous verses spoke of a man dedicating part of the land that was his inheritance; verse 22 deals with a man dedicating a field that he had bought with his own money and not part of land passed down to him and part of his family's possession. In this case the priest would estimate the value of the field, allowing for the years until Jubilee, and the owner of the field who dedicated it to the Lord would give that amount as a holy offering to the Lord.
(24) "‘In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to him who owned the land as a possession.'"
Still referring to the field that had been purchased that was dedicated to the Lord, the one who dedicated it having given the value of it as an offering to the Lord, the land would be returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. This did not mean the man who had bought it, but the person he had bought it from, that person being the owner through inheritance from his fathers before him. As stated before, people could not vow or sell their entire estates and leave their family with nothing. If a man did sell part of his estate because he was in financial straits, that part would be returned to him in Jubilee.
(25) "‘And all your estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary; twenty gerahs to the shekel.'"
All the priest's estimations were to be according to the shekel kept in the sanctuary which was to be the standard. There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, a gerah being defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money.
(26) "'Only the firstborn of the animals, which should be the LORD’s firstborn, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is the LORD'S.'"
No man could make a vow or dedicate a firstborn animal because that was to have been set aside for the Lord already (Exodus 13:2): "Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
(27) "‘And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your estimation, and shall add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your estimation.'"
The firstborn of an unclean animal could be redeemed according to the estimation made by the priest plus an additional one-fifth of that estimated value. If it was not redeemed by the owner, it was to be sold according to the priest's value, but the one-fifth was not added. The original owner who vowed an unclean animal probably placed more value on it than would anyone else. By having to add one-fifth the value would prevent someone from being tempted to make a rash vow with a practically worthless animal only to be able to buy it right back at a cheap price; that would not be a vow worthy to the Lord. That would not be the case if it was sold to another person.
(28) "‘Nevertheless no devoted thing that a man may devote to the LORD of all that he has, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.'"
Apparently things completely devoted to the Lord were different than more common vows dedicating something to the Lord. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it this way: "The difference between these and other sanctified things arose from the different expression of the vow. If a man dedicated any thing to God, binding himself with a solemn curse never to alienate it to any other purpose, then it was a thing devoted." Therefore a man could either dedicate something for the use of the Lord's sanctuary that could be later redeemed or sold, or he could devote something (servant, beast, or field) totally to the Lord which could never be sold or redeemed, but was most holy to the Lord.
(29) "'None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.'"
This is a rather difficult verse to interpret. I believe the sense must be that no devoted person could ever be redeemed, but would die in that devoted state. What was translated as "put to death", that is, "muth", can indeed mean "kill", but it can also mean merely "die".
(30) "‘And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.'"
All tithes, "maasar", of the land, that is, one-tenth from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, was to be the Lord's, holy and devoted to Him.
(31) "'And if a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.'"
This seems a rather odd verse, as I would think a tithe was devoted to the Lord only. Perhaps the meaning is that the first tenth that should have been the Lord's could be instead used by the owner, maybe unintentionally, but he then would have to give an additional one-fifth to the Lord.
(32) "'And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.'"
Concerning tithes of a herd or flock, one tenth were to be holy to the Lord. "Whatever passes under the rod" might just pertain to whatever animal was led out or brought in under the shepherd's rod, under his care and direction, or it might have a more distinct and detailed meaning as suggested by Adam Clarke (and others): “When a man was to give the tithe of his sheep or calves to God, he was to shut up the whole flock in one fold, in which there was one narrow door capable of letting out one at a time. The owner, about to give the tenth to the Lord, stood by the door with a rod in his hand, the end of which was dipped in vermilion or red ochre. The mothers of those lambs or calves stood without: the door being opened, the young ones ran out to join themselves to their dams; and as they passed out the owner stood with his rod over them, and counted one, two, three, four, five, etc., and when the tenth came, he touched it with the coloured rod, by which it was distinguished to be the tithe calf, sheep, etc., and whether poor or lean, perfect or blemished, that was received as the legitimate tithe.”
(33) "'He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change
it; and if he change it at all, then both it and the exchanged one
shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.'"
This verse does indeed make it sound as if the sheep or calves were to be counted, and specifically every tenth one was to be given to the Lord as tithe. The owner and offerer of the tithed animal was not to examine it to determine if it was good or bad, even if he would exchange it for a better animal. God would accept it as tithe as if it were a perfect unblemished animal, and just because He would, men were likewise not to exchange it for a poorer quality animal knowing He would accept any tenth animal. Every tenth animal was to be considered tithe, and was not to be exchanged for another in its place; if a person chose to exchange it, then the tenth animal and the one exchanged would be holy to the Lord. A tithed animal could not be redeemed; it was the Lord's.
(34) These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.
"These commandments" may refer to all the commandments in the book of Leviticus. This conclusion is very similar to that at the end of the 26th chapter. It has already been suggested that this chapter may have followed the 25th, and that the 26th originally terminated the book.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Promises for Keeping God's Laws
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Leviticus 26:1) "‘You shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall you set up an image of stone in your land, to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.'"
God continued to tell Moses the words to speak to the people. At the end of the last chapter God discussed the case of an Israelite who sold himself into servitude to a foreigner who dwelt among them. Some of the early Jewish writers, like Jarchi and Aben Ezra, thought this law against idolatry was mentioned on account of the Israelite sold to a stranger, as he might be drawn into idolatry as was the custom of the stranger, I suppose was their reasoning. I'm not sure I believe that in this case. I suppose it's possible there was some idolatry going on in the foreigners' homes, but these were foreigners who dwelt among the Israelites and had to adhere to certain laws, including how they were to release the Israelites who sold themselves into servitude to them, and how they were to treat them while in their possession. It may just be that this was a principle law that bore repeating at this time. The original word for "idol" here was "eliyl", and it literally meant "nothing", a thing of no value. Any likeness of any man or beast made out of anything--wood, stone, gold, silver, or brass--was literally worthless and could in no way represent their Lord God. He alone was their Lord God.
(2) "'You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the LORD.'"
The people were to observe and keep all God's Sabbaths, the seventh day Sabbaths, and the seventh year Sabbaths, that had just been discussed in the last chapter. They were to honor and reverence God's sanctuary, for He alone was their Lord God who had the supreme right to such reverence and worship, and the right to command such laws and to expect them to be obeyed.
(3) "‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and do them, (4) Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.'"
God promised that if the people walked in His statutes and kept His commandments, then He would bring them rain in due season which would make their land fruitful.
(5) "'And your threshing shall reach till the vintage, and the vintage shall last till the sowing time; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.'"
Continuing His promises to the people if they would walk in His ways and obey His commandments, God would bless the people with plentiful harvests, so abundant that there would be no intervals between threshing and vintage, and vintage till the next sowing time. They would be able to dwell in their land in safety as they would have no need to go out of it in search of food.
(6) "'And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; and I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land.'"
God promised peace in the land; the people would be able to lie down in peace with no fear of evil beasts or war in their land.
(7) "'And you will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.'"
Rather they would chase their enemies and those enemies would fall before them by the sword of the Israelites.
(8) "'And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.'"
As the proportions are not the same, I believe the sense is that a small number of Israelites will put a large number of enemies to flight, and they will fall before them, through the blessing of God.
(9) "'For I will have respect to you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with you.'"
The word translated as "respect" was "panah" and it literally meant "to turn to or face". If they walked in His ways and obeyed His commands, God would turn toward them, be with them, making them blessed and fruitful, and He would increase their numbers in the land. I think rather than "establish", one of the other meanings of the original word "qum"--"confirm" or "continue"--would be a better interpretation; if the Israelites adhered to their side of the bargain, and followed in the Lord's commands, He would bless them and confirm and continue His covenant with them.
(10) "'And you shall eat the old harvest, and bring out the old because of the new.'"
The sense is that the people would have so plentiful a harvest, they would still be eating of the old harvest, and would have to move it out to make room for the new harvest.
(11) "'And I will set My tabernacle among you; and My soul shall not abhor you.'"
Continuing His promise to the people if they walked in His ways and obeyed His commandments, God would set His tabernacle among them and be a constant presence with them. Although in their sinful selves, they were loathsome and abominable, God would not detest them if they adhered to His laws.
(12) "'And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be My people.'"
God would be a constant presence with the Israelites, He being their God, and them being His special people, if they walked in His statutes and obeyed His commandments.
(13) "'I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.'"
The Lord God who was to be with the Israelite people constantly was the same God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, breaking the bonds of slavery and allowing them to walk upright, that is, not under the yoke of bondage, but as a free and confident people.
(14) "‘But if you will not hearken to me, and will not do all these commandments, (15) And if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant, (16) I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, consumption and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart; and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.'"
However, if the people did not listen to their Lord and obey His commandments, and even worse, if they treated His word and laws with disrespect and contempt so that they had no intention of even trying to adhere to His laws, thereby breaking their part of their covenant with their God, then He would bring terror to them. The original word translated as "terror" was "behalah" and indicated panic or sudden ruin or destruction. The terror would include panic, and also disease that would not only seize their bodies, but would fill their hearts with grief and sorrow because of their pain and agony. It would also mean that they would sow their fields in vain for their enemies would besiege their cities and plunder their fields and granaries. Note these are the very opposite of what God promised if His people would follow Him and obey His commands. Instead of peace they would have panic; instead of more than enough food from their harvests, it would be stolen by their enemies, which also indicated war where He had promised none if they walked in His statutes.
(17) "'And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies; they who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.'"
Indeed, if the people refused to adhere to their Lord's statutes, He would not only turn His face away from them, turning His protecting arm away from them, but He would actually set His face against them, actively exerting His power against them to be slain before their enemies, in direct contrast to their enemies falling before them. Rather than the people being free and walking upright in liberty and confidence, they would again be ruled by their enemies, and in their fear, they would flee even though no one actively pursued them, in stark contrast to the promised blessing of very small numbers of them being able to chase hundreds of their enemies.
(18) "‘And after all this, if you will not yet hearken to me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.'"
If after these punishments the people still did not listen to their Lord and walked in disobedience to Him, He would punish them abundantly more, not necessarily exactly seven times more, but the number seven generally represented perfection or completion, which in this case, might mean the complete measure of His wrath, which no man could endure.
(19) "'And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass.'"
With that more complete and severe measure of His wrath, He would indeed break their pride and arrogance in their own power. To make their heaven as iron would be to make it solid and dry, giving no rain or dew; their earth would be as brass, so that nothing could grow out of it.
(20) "'And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.'"
All their work would be in vain as their land and the trees of the land would not bear any fruit or produce.
(21) "'And if you walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.'"
If still the people refused to walk with their Lord, but were in active opposition to His ways, He would bring even more plagues in proportion to their transgressions of His righteous laws. Again, it's not another seven times His wrath, but a more complete measure of it now including the following additional plagues:
(22) "'I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.'"
Not only would they work in vain and be attacked by their enemies, but even wild beasts would be allowed to destroy their livestock, kill their children, even kill them reducing their number, and making their highways desolate, both by the reduced number of them and because of their fear of the beasts of prey. Again this is in stark contrast to the peace they would feel when God rid the land of evil beasts (v. 6) if they obeyed Him and followed in His statutes.
(23) "'And if you will not be reformed by Me by these things, but will walk contrary to Me, (24) Then I will also walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.'"
Finally, if the people refused to be reformed by God's previous punishments (for that is always the goal of God's chastisement, to bring His people back to Him, back to their only life), and if they continued to walk contrary to Him and His ways, then He would also be contrary to them, turning away from them, and even setting His face toward them to punish them even more severely.
(25) "'And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of My covenant; and when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.'"
If the people refused to be reformed, God would bring a sword against them, bringing war and captivity by their enemies, or killing them Himself by pestilence. He would avenge the outraged cause of His covenant.
(26) "'When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.'"
When God cut off the supply of their bread, rather than everyone baking in her own oven, there would be only enough for ten women to bake in one oven, and it would be divided and rationed by weight among ten families, and would not be enough to satisfy their hunger.
(27) "'And if you will not, after all this, hearken to me, but walk contrary to me, (28) Then I will walk contrary to you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.'"
If still the people refused to reform their ways, and continued to walk contrary to the ways of their Lord, He would also walk contrary to them in fury. Not just contrary to them, but in heated anger. The original word translated as "fury", "chemah", a form of our word "chemical", also means "venom, poison". The Lord Himself, even HE, would bring even greater punishment than they could imagine, as described in the following:
(29) "'And you shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat.'"
Truly this was an unimaginable horror that they would be reduced to cannibalism of their own children because of their desperate hunger.
(30) "'And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you.'"
The high places were elevated areas dedicated to idol worship according to other scriptures (Deut. 12:2, Num. 22:41). The word translated as "image" is "chamman" and referred to idols and images used in idol worship; I can't help but see the similarity to our word "shaman" that refers to someone dealing with supernatural and otherworldly spirits. The Lord then vowed to cast their dead bodies upon their dead worthless idols, and He would detest them. I couldn't help but notice that all the other verses above spoke of "IF you...", but this one didn't say "if you" worship images of idols in high places, but assumed the people would positively be worshiping idols if they were not following God's statutes and refused to reform their ways. I think this proves people will always choose to follow something; even if they think they are agnostic and don't take a position either way, they are listening to spirits that are seeking to move them away from the one true God of life. There are only two choices, life and death, everlasting life in the one true God and death in anything else:
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20a
He alone is your life! Anything else in which you put your faith is a worthless idol, and you will die upon your dead worthless idols, whatever they might be.
(31) "'And I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the scent of your sweet odors.'"
If the people repeatedly refused to reform and follow God's statutes, He would destroy their cities or allow them to be destroyed by their enemies, and would also destroy their sanctuaries. Since the word is plural here, it seems to imply that the people might have more than their one sanctuary, their Lord's tabernacle; He vowed to bring them all to desolation, and He would refuse to accept any of their incense and sacrificial offerings.
(32) "'And I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it.'"
God would bring their entire land to desolation, and their enemies who took possession of their land would be astonished at the desolation of the land once so fruitful.
(33) "'And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.'"
The Lord would drive the people out of their promised land and scatter them far and wide among the heathen nations. Whether the Lord figuratively drew a sword and drove them out or if by the swords of their enemies they were driven out, they would be definitely driven out. Possibly the meaning is that the sword would follow them into the heathen nations and they would have no rest there, either. The fact that their land would be desolate and their cities waste is repeated.
(34) "'Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. (35) As long as it lies desolate it shall rest because it did not rest in your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.'"
When the people were driven out of the land into their enemies' lands, their promised land would then enjoy those sabbatical years of rest from tilling that they did not give it in their disobedience. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out that this was prophecy that became a historical truth:
“From Saul to the Babylonish captivity are numbered about four hundred and ninety years, during which period there were seventy Sabbaths of years; for 7, multiplied by 70, make 490. Now the Babylonish captivity lasted seventy years, and during that time the land of Israel rested. Therefore the land rested just as many years in the Babylonish captivity, as it should have rested Sabbaths if the Jews had observed the laws relative to the Sabbaths of the land.”
(36) "'And upon them who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when no one pursues. (37) And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.'"
God would then strike any of the children of Israel who were left alive in the lands of their enemies with such a fear that the sound of a rustling leaf would cause them to flee, as if fleeing for their lives, and they would fall even when no one was really pursuing them. In their fear and confusion, they would stumble over one another, fleeing for their lives, even though no one was actually pursuing them. They would have no power or strength of spirit to oppose their enemies.
(38) "'And you shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.'"
The people would die among the heathen in their lands that would eat them up, in one way or another, perhaps by the sword or by disease. Perhaps the meaning is just that they would die in these heathen lands as the graves in these lands would swallow them.
(39) "'And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they waste away with them.'"
The children of Israel who remained alive after all this, would waste away in their enemies' lands for their iniquities, the same iniquities of their fathers before them, and they would likewise waste away with them.
(40) "'If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me, (41) And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, (42) Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.'"
Wow! What a merciful and loving God He was, that no matter how far and long the people rejected and resisted their Lord, if they were to confess their iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers, acknowledging that they had been sinning against their Lord for a long time, admitting they had walked contrary to their Lord, acknowledging that was the reason He, in turn, had walked contrary to them and had brought them to the land of their enemies... If then their uncircumcised hearts were humbled, "uncircumcised" meaning "exposed", as in the acknowledgment of the sin in their hearts, and if they then bore their punishment without grumbling, realizing it was just punishment for their sins against their God, then He would remember His covenant with their fathers before them. It's not that He had ever forgotten it, but He would then fulfill and make good all He had promised Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, and He would remember their promised land.
(43) "'The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they shall accept the punishment of their iniquity because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes.'"
When they accepted their just punishment, and acknowledged their land lay desolate because of their iniquity, they would understand it was all because they had despised and resisted the judgments and statutes of their Lord.
(44) "'And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.'"
Even after all their wickedness and refusal to reform that would necessitate the ever increasing severity in the punishment of His people in verses 14 through 39 above, God would never totally destroy them thus breaking His covenant with them. He will always leave a remnant and allow for the repentance of His people and their return to Him, for He is, was, and will always be their Lord God.
(45) "'But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God; I am the LORD.'"
Not for the sake of their merits, but because He so loved them, for their own good and benefit, He would remember the covenant of their ancestors whom He brought out of bondage to the heathen Egyptians, that He might be their God. Once again, He was their Lord, THE Lord, whose sovereign power rescued them and continued to save a remnant of them in spite of their sinful ways, ever faithful to His promise to their forefathers, no matter how far these descendants might have strayed.
(46) These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.
All the preceding statutes and judgments and laws in this and preceding chapters of the book of Leviticus were part of the covenant made between the Lord and the children of Israel in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, delivered through Moses. This chapter dealt mainly with God's promises to His people if they kept the commandments laid out in previous chapters, His punishments if they refused to obey them, and His promise to remember those who repented and to always save a remnant. How wonderful that our sweet Lord saves us in spite of our sinful selves! Isn't that exactly what He did by sending Jesus to save us?
(Leviticus 26:1) "‘You shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall you set up an image of stone in your land, to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.'"
God continued to tell Moses the words to speak to the people. At the end of the last chapter God discussed the case of an Israelite who sold himself into servitude to a foreigner who dwelt among them. Some of the early Jewish writers, like Jarchi and Aben Ezra, thought this law against idolatry was mentioned on account of the Israelite sold to a stranger, as he might be drawn into idolatry as was the custom of the stranger, I suppose was their reasoning. I'm not sure I believe that in this case. I suppose it's possible there was some idolatry going on in the foreigners' homes, but these were foreigners who dwelt among the Israelites and had to adhere to certain laws, including how they were to release the Israelites who sold themselves into servitude to them, and how they were to treat them while in their possession. It may just be that this was a principle law that bore repeating at this time. The original word for "idol" here was "eliyl", and it literally meant "nothing", a thing of no value. Any likeness of any man or beast made out of anything--wood, stone, gold, silver, or brass--was literally worthless and could in no way represent their Lord God. He alone was their Lord God.
(2) "'You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the LORD.'"
The people were to observe and keep all God's Sabbaths, the seventh day Sabbaths, and the seventh year Sabbaths, that had just been discussed in the last chapter. They were to honor and reverence God's sanctuary, for He alone was their Lord God who had the supreme right to such reverence and worship, and the right to command such laws and to expect them to be obeyed.
(3) "‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and do them, (4) Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.'"
God promised that if the people walked in His statutes and kept His commandments, then He would bring them rain in due season which would make their land fruitful.
(5) "'And your threshing shall reach till the vintage, and the vintage shall last till the sowing time; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.'"
Continuing His promises to the people if they would walk in His ways and obey His commandments, God would bless the people with plentiful harvests, so abundant that there would be no intervals between threshing and vintage, and vintage till the next sowing time. They would be able to dwell in their land in safety as they would have no need to go out of it in search of food.
(6) "'And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; and I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land.'"
God promised peace in the land; the people would be able to lie down in peace with no fear of evil beasts or war in their land.
(7) "'And you will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.'"
Rather they would chase their enemies and those enemies would fall before them by the sword of the Israelites.
(8) "'And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.'"
As the proportions are not the same, I believe the sense is that a small number of Israelites will put a large number of enemies to flight, and they will fall before them, through the blessing of God.
(9) "'For I will have respect to you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with you.'"
The word translated as "respect" was "panah" and it literally meant "to turn to or face". If they walked in His ways and obeyed His commands, God would turn toward them, be with them, making them blessed and fruitful, and He would increase their numbers in the land. I think rather than "establish", one of the other meanings of the original word "qum"--"confirm" or "continue"--would be a better interpretation; if the Israelites adhered to their side of the bargain, and followed in the Lord's commands, He would bless them and confirm and continue His covenant with them.
(10) "'And you shall eat the old harvest, and bring out the old because of the new.'"
The sense is that the people would have so plentiful a harvest, they would still be eating of the old harvest, and would have to move it out to make room for the new harvest.
(11) "'And I will set My tabernacle among you; and My soul shall not abhor you.'"
Continuing His promise to the people if they walked in His ways and obeyed His commandments, God would set His tabernacle among them and be a constant presence with them. Although in their sinful selves, they were loathsome and abominable, God would not detest them if they adhered to His laws.
(12) "'And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be My people.'"
God would be a constant presence with the Israelites, He being their God, and them being His special people, if they walked in His statutes and obeyed His commandments.
(13) "'I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.'"
The Lord God who was to be with the Israelite people constantly was the same God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, breaking the bonds of slavery and allowing them to walk upright, that is, not under the yoke of bondage, but as a free and confident people.
(14) "‘But if you will not hearken to me, and will not do all these commandments, (15) And if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant, (16) I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, consumption and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart; and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.'"
However, if the people did not listen to their Lord and obey His commandments, and even worse, if they treated His word and laws with disrespect and contempt so that they had no intention of even trying to adhere to His laws, thereby breaking their part of their covenant with their God, then He would bring terror to them. The original word translated as "terror" was "behalah" and indicated panic or sudden ruin or destruction. The terror would include panic, and also disease that would not only seize their bodies, but would fill their hearts with grief and sorrow because of their pain and agony. It would also mean that they would sow their fields in vain for their enemies would besiege their cities and plunder their fields and granaries. Note these are the very opposite of what God promised if His people would follow Him and obey His commands. Instead of peace they would have panic; instead of more than enough food from their harvests, it would be stolen by their enemies, which also indicated war where He had promised none if they walked in His statutes.
(17) "'And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies; they who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.'"
Indeed, if the people refused to adhere to their Lord's statutes, He would not only turn His face away from them, turning His protecting arm away from them, but He would actually set His face against them, actively exerting His power against them to be slain before their enemies, in direct contrast to their enemies falling before them. Rather than the people being free and walking upright in liberty and confidence, they would again be ruled by their enemies, and in their fear, they would flee even though no one actively pursued them, in stark contrast to the promised blessing of very small numbers of them being able to chase hundreds of their enemies.
(18) "‘And after all this, if you will not yet hearken to me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.'"
If after these punishments the people still did not listen to their Lord and walked in disobedience to Him, He would punish them abundantly more, not necessarily exactly seven times more, but the number seven generally represented perfection or completion, which in this case, might mean the complete measure of His wrath, which no man could endure.
(19) "'And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass.'"
With that more complete and severe measure of His wrath, He would indeed break their pride and arrogance in their own power. To make their heaven as iron would be to make it solid and dry, giving no rain or dew; their earth would be as brass, so that nothing could grow out of it.
(20) "'And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.'"
All their work would be in vain as their land and the trees of the land would not bear any fruit or produce.
(21) "'And if you walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.'"
If still the people refused to walk with their Lord, but were in active opposition to His ways, He would bring even more plagues in proportion to their transgressions of His righteous laws. Again, it's not another seven times His wrath, but a more complete measure of it now including the following additional plagues:
(22) "'I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.'"
Not only would they work in vain and be attacked by their enemies, but even wild beasts would be allowed to destroy their livestock, kill their children, even kill them reducing their number, and making their highways desolate, both by the reduced number of them and because of their fear of the beasts of prey. Again this is in stark contrast to the peace they would feel when God rid the land of evil beasts (v. 6) if they obeyed Him and followed in His statutes.
(23) "'And if you will not be reformed by Me by these things, but will walk contrary to Me, (24) Then I will also walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.'"
Finally, if the people refused to be reformed by God's previous punishments (for that is always the goal of God's chastisement, to bring His people back to Him, back to their only life), and if they continued to walk contrary to Him and His ways, then He would also be contrary to them, turning away from them, and even setting His face toward them to punish them even more severely.
(25) "'And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of My covenant; and when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.'"
If the people refused to be reformed, God would bring a sword against them, bringing war and captivity by their enemies, or killing them Himself by pestilence. He would avenge the outraged cause of His covenant.
(26) "'When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.'"
When God cut off the supply of their bread, rather than everyone baking in her own oven, there would be only enough for ten women to bake in one oven, and it would be divided and rationed by weight among ten families, and would not be enough to satisfy their hunger.
(27) "'And if you will not, after all this, hearken to me, but walk contrary to me, (28) Then I will walk contrary to you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.'"
If still the people refused to reform their ways, and continued to walk contrary to the ways of their Lord, He would also walk contrary to them in fury. Not just contrary to them, but in heated anger. The original word translated as "fury", "chemah", a form of our word "chemical", also means "venom, poison". The Lord Himself, even HE, would bring even greater punishment than they could imagine, as described in the following:
(29) "'And you shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat.'"
Truly this was an unimaginable horror that they would be reduced to cannibalism of their own children because of their desperate hunger.
(30) "'And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you.'"
The high places were elevated areas dedicated to idol worship according to other scriptures (Deut. 12:2, Num. 22:41). The word translated as "image" is "chamman" and referred to idols and images used in idol worship; I can't help but see the similarity to our word "shaman" that refers to someone dealing with supernatural and otherworldly spirits. The Lord then vowed to cast their dead bodies upon their dead worthless idols, and He would detest them. I couldn't help but notice that all the other verses above spoke of "IF you...", but this one didn't say "if you" worship images of idols in high places, but assumed the people would positively be worshiping idols if they were not following God's statutes and refused to reform their ways. I think this proves people will always choose to follow something; even if they think they are agnostic and don't take a position either way, they are listening to spirits that are seeking to move them away from the one true God of life. There are only two choices, life and death, everlasting life in the one true God and death in anything else:
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20a
He alone is your life! Anything else in which you put your faith is a worthless idol, and you will die upon your dead worthless idols, whatever they might be.
(31) "'And I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the scent of your sweet odors.'"
If the people repeatedly refused to reform and follow God's statutes, He would destroy their cities or allow them to be destroyed by their enemies, and would also destroy their sanctuaries. Since the word is plural here, it seems to imply that the people might have more than their one sanctuary, their Lord's tabernacle; He vowed to bring them all to desolation, and He would refuse to accept any of their incense and sacrificial offerings.
(32) "'And I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it.'"
God would bring their entire land to desolation, and their enemies who took possession of their land would be astonished at the desolation of the land once so fruitful.
(33) "'And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.'"
The Lord would drive the people out of their promised land and scatter them far and wide among the heathen nations. Whether the Lord figuratively drew a sword and drove them out or if by the swords of their enemies they were driven out, they would be definitely driven out. Possibly the meaning is that the sword would follow them into the heathen nations and they would have no rest there, either. The fact that their land would be desolate and their cities waste is repeated.
(34) "'Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. (35) As long as it lies desolate it shall rest because it did not rest in your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.'"
When the people were driven out of the land into their enemies' lands, their promised land would then enjoy those sabbatical years of rest from tilling that they did not give it in their disobedience. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out that this was prophecy that became a historical truth:
“From Saul to the Babylonish captivity are numbered about four hundred and ninety years, during which period there were seventy Sabbaths of years; for 7, multiplied by 70, make 490. Now the Babylonish captivity lasted seventy years, and during that time the land of Israel rested. Therefore the land rested just as many years in the Babylonish captivity, as it should have rested Sabbaths if the Jews had observed the laws relative to the Sabbaths of the land.”
(36) "'And upon them who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when no one pursues. (37) And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.'"
God would then strike any of the children of Israel who were left alive in the lands of their enemies with such a fear that the sound of a rustling leaf would cause them to flee, as if fleeing for their lives, and they would fall even when no one was really pursuing them. In their fear and confusion, they would stumble over one another, fleeing for their lives, even though no one was actually pursuing them. They would have no power or strength of spirit to oppose their enemies.
(38) "'And you shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.'"
The people would die among the heathen in their lands that would eat them up, in one way or another, perhaps by the sword or by disease. Perhaps the meaning is just that they would die in these heathen lands as the graves in these lands would swallow them.
(39) "'And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they waste away with them.'"
The children of Israel who remained alive after all this, would waste away in their enemies' lands for their iniquities, the same iniquities of their fathers before them, and they would likewise waste away with them.
(40) "'If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me, (41) And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, (42) Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.'"
Wow! What a merciful and loving God He was, that no matter how far and long the people rejected and resisted their Lord, if they were to confess their iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers, acknowledging that they had been sinning against their Lord for a long time, admitting they had walked contrary to their Lord, acknowledging that was the reason He, in turn, had walked contrary to them and had brought them to the land of their enemies... If then their uncircumcised hearts were humbled, "uncircumcised" meaning "exposed", as in the acknowledgment of the sin in their hearts, and if they then bore their punishment without grumbling, realizing it was just punishment for their sins against their God, then He would remember His covenant with their fathers before them. It's not that He had ever forgotten it, but He would then fulfill and make good all He had promised Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, and He would remember their promised land.
(43) "'The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they shall accept the punishment of their iniquity because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes.'"
When they accepted their just punishment, and acknowledged their land lay desolate because of their iniquity, they would understand it was all because they had despised and resisted the judgments and statutes of their Lord.
(44) "'And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.'"
Even after all their wickedness and refusal to reform that would necessitate the ever increasing severity in the punishment of His people in verses 14 through 39 above, God would never totally destroy them thus breaking His covenant with them. He will always leave a remnant and allow for the repentance of His people and their return to Him, for He is, was, and will always be their Lord God.
(45) "'But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God; I am the LORD.'"
Not for the sake of their merits, but because He so loved them, for their own good and benefit, He would remember the covenant of their ancestors whom He brought out of bondage to the heathen Egyptians, that He might be their God. Once again, He was their Lord, THE Lord, whose sovereign power rescued them and continued to save a remnant of them in spite of their sinful ways, ever faithful to His promise to their forefathers, no matter how far these descendants might have strayed.
(46) These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.
All the preceding statutes and judgments and laws in this and preceding chapters of the book of Leviticus were part of the covenant made between the Lord and the children of Israel in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, delivered through Moses. This chapter dealt mainly with God's promises to His people if they kept the commandments laid out in previous chapters, His punishments if they refused to obey them, and His promise to remember those who repented and to always save a remnant. How wonderful that our sweet Lord saves us in spite of our sinful selves! Isn't that exactly what He did by sending Jesus to save us?
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Year of Jubilee
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Leviticus 25:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.'"
After an interruption in the delivering of laws by God to Moses in the last chapter, when a law concerning blasphemy was sought and given and executed, we return to the Lord delivering laws to Moses to pass on to the people. The Lord spoke to Moses near Mount Sinai where the people were encamped. The Lord instructed Moses to tell the people that when they came to the land of Canaan that He was giving to them, the land itself was to keep a Sabbath to the Lord, which was explained in subsequent verses.
(3) "‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; (4) But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of rest for the land, a sabbath for the LORD; you shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.'"
For six years the people were to sow their fields and prune their vineyards and gather the fruit of their fields and vineyards, but the seventh year was to be one of sabbath rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord, when the people were to do no sowing or pruning.
(5) "'That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.'"
Even that which grew of its own accord without sowing or tending was not to be gathered, as there was to be a complete year of rest for the land.
(6) "‘And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you, for your servant, for your maid, for your hired man, and for the stranger who dwells with you, (7) And for your cattle, and for the beasts that are in your land; all its increase shall be for food.'"
That which grew on its own accord during the sabbath rest of the land was to be food for all, for the people and all connected to them, including the animals. Exodus 23:11 made it a point to state that during this year the land would provide for the poor and the animals: "But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie still, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and with your olive grove." Here in Leviticus 25:6, it states plainly it would be food for all, but in no way was it to be gathered and stored for the owners, to the neglect of others, including the poor and animals, but was to be left as food for all.
(8) "‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.'"
The people were to count for themselves seven such seventh-year sabbaths, seven times seven years, making forty-nine years.
(9) "‘Then you shall cause the trumpet to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.'"
After the end of the forty-nine years, at the beginning of the fiftieth year, specifically the tenth day of the seventh month of Tisri, about September or October, on the Day of Atonement, which was to be on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 23:27), they were to sound the trumpet throughout their land. Interestingly, the original King James Version of the Bible stated "cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound, but according to Albert Barnes and other Bible commentators, the word "jubilee" did not occur in this verse in the Hebrew. Since the time the KJV was translated, older manuscripts have been found, and those do not include the word "jubilee". That apparently was a note made by a scribe and picked up as part of the original scripture by the KJV translators. This became known as the Year of Jubilee and the time when this trumpet of jubilee would be sounded, but it apparently was not called as such at this particular point in this particular verse.
(10) "‘And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, and you shall return every man to his possession, and you shall return every man to his family.'"
The fiftieth year was to be set aside as holy, and liberty was to be proclaimed throughout the land to all inhabitants. It was to be a year of jubilee, the original word "yobel" having more to do with the continual sound of the trumpet, than it meant rejoicing or jubilation. It was a year of liberty for all servants and from all debts. The ancient historian Josephus said the word "jobel" signified "liberty". Any possession that had been mortgaged to another or any person who had sold himself into servitude was to be returned. This was not to be understood as a wrong to the purchaser since the time of the year of Jubilee was always known, and negotiations were made accordingly.
(11) "‘That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine.'"
Just as in the seventh year sabbath rest for the land, in the fiftieth year, the year after seven seven-year periods, called the year of Jubilee, the people were not to sow or reap what grew of its own accord in the fields and vineyards.
(12) "‘For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.'"
The jubilee was to be holy to them. They were not to gather and store the produce that grew of its own accord, but were rather to go out every day and gather only what was needed for their present consumption.
(13) "'In the year of this jubilee you shall return every man to his possession.'"
This is repeated from verse 10; in the year of Jubilee, every man was to have his possession returned, and have himself returned to his family if he had sold himself into servitude.
(14) "‘And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another.'"
If and when the people sold to or bought anything from their neighbors, they were not to cheat one another. They were not to take advantage of one another by giving less than an item was worth or selling it for more than it was worth.
(15) "‘According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of the fruits he shall sell to you.'"
The number of years until the next Jubilee was to be taken into consideration when determining a fair market value. Additionally, in the case of land or crops, it was to be taken into account how many of those years would be fruitful ones, deducting the sabbatical years when the land was allowed to rest.
(16) "‘According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewness of years you shall diminish its price; for according to the number of the years of the fruits he sells to you.'"
A fair price was to be set according to the number of harvests. The average value of a yearly crop might be estimated and the sabbatical years were to be deducted from the number. If the Jubilee to come was far away, the price would be more; if it was soon to come, the price would be much less.
(17) "‘Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.'"
The people were strictly forbidden to cheat one another, but were to fear their Lord God who knew all things done in secret and was well able to avenge the oppressed.
(18) "'Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my judgments, and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety.'"
God promised that if the people observed and performed His commandments, they would dwell in safety. Some people want to accuse God of simply being authoritarian and if people dare to step out of line, they are punished. That is not the point. God's laws are about life and life more abundant, and by choosing to obey God's wise laws, people chose life and safety from the elements and from enemies:
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20a
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." - John 10:10
(19) "'And the land shall yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.'"
If the people adhered to God's wise laws, including the ones regarding how to treat the land, that land would provide for them, not merely in the bare minimum to sustain them, but they would have their fill, and would dwell in their land in safety. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that the original word "betach", translated as "safety", signified "both outward safety and inward security and confidence of spirit, that they should be quiet both from evil and from the fear of evil." Indeed, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines it as "properly a place of refuge; abstractly safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust)."
(20) "‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year if we shall not sow, nor gather in our produce?" (21) Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.'"
God assured the people that if they wondered what they would have to eat in the seventh year if they were not allowed to sow nor gather any produce, that He would indeed bless their obedience, and in the sixth year, they would have produce enough for three years! I made it a point to say earlier that the wise laws of God were of themselves designed to provide blessing and abundance. However, in this case, there is nothing so special about the sixth year of harvest that it should produce three times as much as the fourth or fifth year. This was certainly the providence of the Lord God to bring blessing to those who trusted Him completely and depended on Him alone for their sustenance. What an awesome truth to remember about our Lord and Savior! Whereas the world and secular worldly people depend on themselves and other mere men and government, etc., to provide for their needs, those people who love their Lord, follow Him to the best of their ability, and look to Him for their provision, will indeed be taken care of:
"Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘How shall we be clothed?’ (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:31-33
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. - Psalm 84:11
The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish, but He casts away the substance of the wicked. - Proverbs 10:3
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19
It must be noted that God supplies our needs, but not necessarily our wants! We may not even realize what all our spiritual needs are, but we should remember that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). If we seek to live our lives according to the will of God, ALL things will work together for good! However, that doesn't necessarily mean what our puny mortal beings consider good, but what our all-seeing, all-knowing God knows is good! If we recognize that our Lord is all good and trustworthy, then we can have faith through even the most difficult circumstance and leave it to His greater will. I believe that is the true meaning of Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's not that we can do all the things we want because He always strengthens us to do them, but rather He gives us the strength to do all things that come our way.
(22) "‘And you shall sow the eighth year, and eat still of old fruit until the ninth year; until its fruits come in you shall eat of the old harvest.'"
In the sixth year before the sabbath rest of the land, because of the Lord's blessing, the land would bring forth so much produce that while they sowed in the eighth year, they would still be eating of the sixth year's produce, even until the ninth year, to sustain them until the fruits of the eighth year's harvest came in.
(23) "'The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.'"
The land could never be permanently sold, because it was always released during the year of Jubilee. The reason given for this was that the land was the Lord's and it was He who was giving it to be used by them, strangers, guests invited to dwell in it with Him. If only we saw all things as belonging to the Lord and to be shared as He has so blessedly shared with us! The year of Jubilee reminded the people of this fact. All debts were forgiven then and all things returned to the original owners, so that no person ever bought something permanently. Obviously, that couldn't pertain to perishable things or things that were totally consumed, but land, people, and I would imagine animals, and maybe even structures, tools, and the like, were considered the Lord's. It is obvious to us that land and people and animals might be considered as belonging to God, but maybe not so obvious that things "we created ourselves" also belong to God. We should always remember that it is the Lord who gives us the talents, resources, and conditions, to achieve goals, get wealth, and acquire things (Deut. 8:17-18).
(24) "‘And in all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption for the land.'"
In all the land of Canaan that the Lord was giving to His people, they were to grant the power to recover the land to the original holder who had parted with it, as the land was never to be permanently sold.
(25) "'If your brother becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.'"
If one of the Israelites became poor and sold some of his possessions through necessity, a relative was permitted to redeem it by buying it back, in the interim between Jubilees.
(26) "'And if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, (27) Then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession.'"
If the poor man had no relative to immediately redeem his possession, but later became able to redeem it himself, then the number of years since the sale were to be taken into consideration, and he was to pay for the rest of the years still to come, and he must be allowed to thus buy back his possession during the interim between Jubilees.
(28) "‘But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.'"
If the poor man was unable to have his possession redeemed either by a relative or by himself at a later date, then his possession was to remain in the hand of the purchaser until the Year of Jubilee, at which time all possessions were to be returned to their original owners.
(29) "'And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it.'"
It appears that a difference was placed between houses in the city and houses in the country. If a man sold a dwelling house within a walled city, he had just one year to redeem it. I believe we can safely surmise the reasons for this. A house within a city stood a very good chance of housing a business. If a man bought a house and sought to start a business, it would be most inconvenient to have that business moved in a few years because of Jubilee. Matthew Henry suggested that perhaps "houses in walled cities were more the fruits of their own industry than land in the country, which was the immediate gift of God's bounty."
(30) "'And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall be established forever to him who bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the Jubilee.'"
A year was given to the man who sold his property within the city, as he may have had a financial necessity that forced him to sell but planned to buy it back when able within the year. However, if it was not redeemed within a full year, the property became the permanent property of the man who bought it, and was not to be released at Jubilee. At this point in scripture, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, also made it a point to speculate that "houses were not like lands, the gift of God, and held under Him, but were built by men, and were their absolute property, and therefore they could dispose of them..."
(31) "'But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country; they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.'"
Houses outside the walled city, even those in villages, as long as they were outside the city walls, were to be treated as the open fields of the country, and could be redeemed at any time or released at Jubilee.
(32) "‘Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.'"
In the case of the Levites, their houses within their cities could be redeemed at any time.
(33) "‘And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.'"
If a man bought a house from the Levites, that house was to be released in the Jubilee. The reason for this was that the Levite priests had no real inheritance of their own in Israel; all they had were the houses in their cities in which to dwell, and the freewill offerings and support they received from the people.
(34) "'But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.'"
Only houses of the Levites could be sold, but never permanently. The fields surrounding their houses could never be sold. A Levite's land was not something he personally owned and could add to or improve, but was given to him for sustenance. The land surrounding Levites' houses was more of a common land in which to keep their cattle, etc., and not individually owned.
(35) "'And if your brother becomes poor, and falls into decay among you, then you shall help him as you would a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.'"
If one of their own people fell into poverty, he was not to be regarded as an outcast, but was to be helped and supported, and treated with the same respect and consideration as they might give a foreigner who could possess no land, but could accumulate personal property and live in comfort among them.
(36) "‘Take no usury or increase from him, but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.'"
There was to be no interest added to the help and support given a brother who had fallen into poverty, but the people were to fear their God who commanded this in His mercy to care for the poor among them. What a wonderful principle! People who have fallen on hard times being expected to repay help along with high interest often can never climb out of their destitution. However, a wealthy man who buys to add to his assets should be expected to pay interest and allow the seller or lender to share in the profit with the buyer or borrower.
(37) "‘You shall not give him your money on usury, nor lend him your food for increase.'"
Speaking of a brother who became poor and borrowed out of necessity (not one who borrowed for gain), the child of Israel was not to charge any interest on money he lent, nor ask for any increase above what he loaned.
(38) "‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.'"
This expounded on the 36th verse which stated the people were to fear their God, their Lord, the One who brought them out of Egypt to give them the land of Canaan. As God was gracious and merciful to them when they were in bondage, so ought they be to their brethren who fell into "decay" (v. 35).
(39) "'And if your brother who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave, (40) But as a hired servant and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.'"
If a neighboring brother became so poor that he sold himself into service, he was not to be treated as a slave, as property, but as a hired servant who received his wages and went on his way, or as a lodger or guest in his home.
(41) "‘And then he shall depart from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers he shall return.'"
Then at the time of Jubilee, that neighbor must be allowed to leave his service, he and any of his family with him, and return to his own family and take possession of the inheritance of his fathers that may have been what he was obliged to sell in his time of desperate poverty.
(42) "‘For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.'"
The people, those poor neighbors who had sold themselves into servitude, were some of the very people God Himself redeemed and brought out of servitude in Egypt. They were His people and could never be sold as slaves.
What an awesome scripture! Although it speaks specifically of God redeeming the people He b(r)ought out of bondage in Egypt, I can't help but think how we are all servants of God, every one of us! Sure, everyone can accept that a Christian is a servant of God, but all over the Bible are examples of how everyone, people and animals, can be used by God as His servants. After all, we are all created by Him and for Him:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him. - Colossians 1:16
Even our leaders, it appears, whether they profess to be Christians or not, were created by God and for Him and His purposes. Consider also:
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring to themselves damnation. - Romans 13:1-2
That is not to say that every governing authority is good, but not one can come into power outside the power of God. Every leader we have ever had is either appointed or allowed by God. That can be very uncomfortable to some when we think of the likes of Hitler. However, there is a balance of free will and God's will that occurs. Bad things happen to good people. I don't say that to trivialize the atrocities that happened under Hitler. I have come to understand that we live in this bad fallen world, and awful things happen. But God also uses the bad to bring about good:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28
God may even allow those bad things to bring about greater good. Think of a parent who would die to save her child. Is that not what Jesus did for us? For all of us? If a child witnessing the faith of his father in a horrific situation brought that child to salvation in Jesus Christ, how many fathers would willingly go through it again to save their children? How many times has the very worst of circumstances brought out the best in people? How many times has sinking to the very bottom finally brought a person back to God, His only salvation? Punishment by God in the Bible was often used to bring His people back to Him, their only salvation:
"I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me," says the LORD. - Haggai 2:17
Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. - Deuteronomy 4:36
My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? - Hebrews 12:5b-7
It is also important to note that as a perfect being, God's absolutely pure and holy nature cannot tolerate sin. Not only that, but His absolute love requires that He hate sin and evil. A lack of wrath against wickedness would be a lack of caring which is a lack of love. He loved us so much that He saved us in spite of our evil selves! (Romans 5:8) Because He is absolutely pure, perfect, and completely loving, we can have faith that what He brings or allows is for our ultimate good, and we can trust Him completely. When good people or small children go through horrific pain and death, we can be assured their reward is great with God:
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:8
The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. - Isaiah 57:1
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:10-12
We can trust God! Because He is perfect and loving and just, He will do the right thing! He just will! It's his nature; He can't do anything but what is perfect and right. Therefore we never have to question Him. We may not totally understand His ways in our flawed selfish human minds, but we can be sure that He is perfect and loving and faithful and will do the perfect thing. To be absent from the body and this earth is to be with the Lord in everlasting peace and joy and love and perfection. I also don't believe anyone will be taken out of this world before his time, and before he would have come to accept the Lord had he lived just a little longer. Once again, because the Lord is completely just, and because He knows all, He knows the heart of man and whether or not he would have come to accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ, so we can have faith and trust Him completely!
Back to us all being servants of God--although Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, he was called a servant of God:
And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. - Jeremiah 27:6
In Numbers 22, we have the story of God opening the mouth of His servant at that particular time, a donkey, to explain to Balaam what he could not see with his eyes:
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”...And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. - Numbers 22:28, 30-31
Oh, that we would always remember that we are ALL servants of God! Because we are all God's creations and His servants, we should never enslave one another, nor kill one another, as in murder or through abortion.
Now back to Leviticus 25:
(43) "‘You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God.'"
Referring to the poor brother who was God's servant (v. 42), he was not to be treated with severity or cruelty, but the people were to fear their God and obey Him in this respect, as He was the One who could avenge His people who were treated cruelly.
(44) "'Both your bondmen and your bondmaids whom you shall have, shall be from the heathen that are around you, from them you may buy bondmen and bondmaids.'"
If the people were to have slaves, they were allowed to have them from the heathen nations around them, but not of the people of Israel. Why would God allow slavery at all if all people were His creations? All I can say is that slavery existed already in all cultures around the world, but God put forth rules regarding how they should be treated civilly. The Old Testament world where there were laws that had to be obeyed put a divide between God's people and heathens. However, in our present New Testament world where God sent Jesus to save us all from our sins and the law, God desires all men be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Did He not care for all people in the Old Testament? Of course, He did! “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live." (Ezekiel 18:23 NLT) In Old Testament times, the Law was all there was. When Jesus came, He saved us from the Law. That is not to say He eliminated the law, He just gave us a way to God even though we could not adhere to it; He covered our sins with His precious blood and made us pure and able to be with God.
(45) "‘Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they begat in your land; and they shall be your possession.'"
Children of foreigners who dwelt among them and their families that they brought forth in the Israelites' land, were permitted to be owned as slaves. Once again, all I can say about slavery is that it was the custom of the times. Although it was not the only way a person could become a slave, one thing about it was that a person always had something of value to sell even when they had sold every possession. They could sell themselves into servitude and then they would be housed and fed. In that respect, if done by a person's free will, it wasn't a bad thing, and the Law protected slaves against injustice and cruelty at the hands of their owners.
(46) "‘And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your bondmen forever; but over your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.'"
The bondmen or slaves that the people were permitted to own of the groups described above, these would be as their property that could be passed on to their heirs to be their possessions. They would be their bondmen or slaves forever, meaning they did not have to be released at Jubilee. However, it was repeated that their Israelite brothers were never to be taken as slaves.
(47) "‘And if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and your brother who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, (48) After he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him, (49) Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself.'"
In the case of a foreigner who dwelt among them who became rich, and an Israelite brother who had become poor and sold himself into bondage to the rich foreigner or a member of his family, illustrating how a brother might become a slave among them, that slave was permitted to be redeemed. Any of his near kin could redeem him, or if he was able, he could redeem himself.
(50) "'And he shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he was sold to him to the year of Jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant shall it be with him.'"
The price of the redemption of the brother sold into bondage to a foreigner who dwelt among them (v. 47) was to be calculated according to the years of service until Jubilee. The brother who sold himself into bondage to a foreigner who dwelt among them was never to be considered permanent property of the foreigner, and that foreigner must take that into account when he "purchased" the Israelite bondmen, knowing he would never be paid back more than that amount.
(51) "‘If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. (52) And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption.'"
This is further explanation of the price of redemption for the Israelite brother who had sold himself into bondage. At the time he was redeemed, if there were many years left until Jubilee, then the redemption price would be higher, according to that number of years remaining, and if there were only a few years left until Jubilee, that was also taken into consideration, and the redemption price would be lower.
(53) "'And he shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight.'"
Being able to be redeemed at any time and allowed to go free, the Israelite brother who had sold himself into bondage to the wealthy foreigner who dwelt among the Israelites, was to be treated as a hired servant rather than as a slave, personal property of the owner. The person he was sold to was not permitted to treat him harshly or cruelly. I don't believe the meaning here is that he could be treated cruelly in private, but that the people were charged with revealing knowledge of any such cruelty they had witnessed. Obviously, a foreigner in a foreign land could not be expected to adhere to such rules, but one who wished to dwell with the Israelites was required to obey them.
(54) "‘And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he and his children with him.'"
Being treated as a yearly hired servant, redeemable every year, even if he was not redeemed in any of those years, he was to be released in the Year of Jubilee, he and any of his family with him.
(55) "‘For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.'"
Once again, God asserted that the children of Israel were His people, His servants, the ones He brought and redeemed out of the land of Egypt, and He alone was their Lord God, to whom they belonged. This redemption and Jubilee were beautiful symbols of the Christ to come. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the slave to sin, who was in debt to God's judgment, can have his life redeemed and his debt discharged. A person who sold himself into bondage to Satan and sin can be redeemed and freed and can become a son of God through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. We, all being children and servants of God, forfeit our rights to the Kingdom of God because of our sins, but we are all able to be redeemed by faith in Christ. Compare a slave released in Jubilee to a life in bondage for decades released and completely free from those bonds of sin in an instant "jubilee" when he accepts Jesus's saving grace. I also can't help but think of a life on earth that is filled with heartaches and struggles, but because of his faith in Christ, oh what a jubilation there will be when he gets to heaven!
(Leviticus 25:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.'"
After an interruption in the delivering of laws by God to Moses in the last chapter, when a law concerning blasphemy was sought and given and executed, we return to the Lord delivering laws to Moses to pass on to the people. The Lord spoke to Moses near Mount Sinai where the people were encamped. The Lord instructed Moses to tell the people that when they came to the land of Canaan that He was giving to them, the land itself was to keep a Sabbath to the Lord, which was explained in subsequent verses.
(3) "‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; (4) But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of rest for the land, a sabbath for the LORD; you shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.'"
For six years the people were to sow their fields and prune their vineyards and gather the fruit of their fields and vineyards, but the seventh year was to be one of sabbath rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord, when the people were to do no sowing or pruning.
(5) "'That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.'"
Even that which grew of its own accord without sowing or tending was not to be gathered, as there was to be a complete year of rest for the land.
(6) "‘And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you, for your servant, for your maid, for your hired man, and for the stranger who dwells with you, (7) And for your cattle, and for the beasts that are in your land; all its increase shall be for food.'"
That which grew on its own accord during the sabbath rest of the land was to be food for all, for the people and all connected to them, including the animals. Exodus 23:11 made it a point to state that during this year the land would provide for the poor and the animals: "But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie still, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and with your olive grove." Here in Leviticus 25:6, it states plainly it would be food for all, but in no way was it to be gathered and stored for the owners, to the neglect of others, including the poor and animals, but was to be left as food for all.
(8) "‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.'"
The people were to count for themselves seven such seventh-year sabbaths, seven times seven years, making forty-nine years.
(9) "‘Then you shall cause the trumpet to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.'"
After the end of the forty-nine years, at the beginning of the fiftieth year, specifically the tenth day of the seventh month of Tisri, about September or October, on the Day of Atonement, which was to be on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 23:27), they were to sound the trumpet throughout their land. Interestingly, the original King James Version of the Bible stated "cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound, but according to Albert Barnes and other Bible commentators, the word "jubilee" did not occur in this verse in the Hebrew. Since the time the KJV was translated, older manuscripts have been found, and those do not include the word "jubilee". That apparently was a note made by a scribe and picked up as part of the original scripture by the KJV translators. This became known as the Year of Jubilee and the time when this trumpet of jubilee would be sounded, but it apparently was not called as such at this particular point in this particular verse.
(10) "‘And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, and you shall return every man to his possession, and you shall return every man to his family.'"
The fiftieth year was to be set aside as holy, and liberty was to be proclaimed throughout the land to all inhabitants. It was to be a year of jubilee, the original word "yobel" having more to do with the continual sound of the trumpet, than it meant rejoicing or jubilation. It was a year of liberty for all servants and from all debts. The ancient historian Josephus said the word "jobel" signified "liberty". Any possession that had been mortgaged to another or any person who had sold himself into servitude was to be returned. This was not to be understood as a wrong to the purchaser since the time of the year of Jubilee was always known, and negotiations were made accordingly.
(11) "‘That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine.'"
Just as in the seventh year sabbath rest for the land, in the fiftieth year, the year after seven seven-year periods, called the year of Jubilee, the people were not to sow or reap what grew of its own accord in the fields and vineyards.
(12) "‘For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.'"
The jubilee was to be holy to them. They were not to gather and store the produce that grew of its own accord, but were rather to go out every day and gather only what was needed for their present consumption.
(13) "'In the year of this jubilee you shall return every man to his possession.'"
This is repeated from verse 10; in the year of Jubilee, every man was to have his possession returned, and have himself returned to his family if he had sold himself into servitude.
(14) "‘And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another.'"
If and when the people sold to or bought anything from their neighbors, they were not to cheat one another. They were not to take advantage of one another by giving less than an item was worth or selling it for more than it was worth.
(15) "‘According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of the fruits he shall sell to you.'"
The number of years until the next Jubilee was to be taken into consideration when determining a fair market value. Additionally, in the case of land or crops, it was to be taken into account how many of those years would be fruitful ones, deducting the sabbatical years when the land was allowed to rest.
(16) "‘According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewness of years you shall diminish its price; for according to the number of the years of the fruits he sells to you.'"
A fair price was to be set according to the number of harvests. The average value of a yearly crop might be estimated and the sabbatical years were to be deducted from the number. If the Jubilee to come was far away, the price would be more; if it was soon to come, the price would be much less.
(17) "‘Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.'"
The people were strictly forbidden to cheat one another, but were to fear their Lord God who knew all things done in secret and was well able to avenge the oppressed.
(18) "'Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my judgments, and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety.'"
God promised that if the people observed and performed His commandments, they would dwell in safety. Some people want to accuse God of simply being authoritarian and if people dare to step out of line, they are punished. That is not the point. God's laws are about life and life more abundant, and by choosing to obey God's wise laws, people chose life and safety from the elements and from enemies:
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20a
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." - John 10:10
(19) "'And the land shall yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.'"
If the people adhered to God's wise laws, including the ones regarding how to treat the land, that land would provide for them, not merely in the bare minimum to sustain them, but they would have their fill, and would dwell in their land in safety. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that the original word "betach", translated as "safety", signified "both outward safety and inward security and confidence of spirit, that they should be quiet both from evil and from the fear of evil." Indeed, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines it as "properly a place of refuge; abstractly safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust)."
(20) "‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year if we shall not sow, nor gather in our produce?" (21) Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.'"
God assured the people that if they wondered what they would have to eat in the seventh year if they were not allowed to sow nor gather any produce, that He would indeed bless their obedience, and in the sixth year, they would have produce enough for three years! I made it a point to say earlier that the wise laws of God were of themselves designed to provide blessing and abundance. However, in this case, there is nothing so special about the sixth year of harvest that it should produce three times as much as the fourth or fifth year. This was certainly the providence of the Lord God to bring blessing to those who trusted Him completely and depended on Him alone for their sustenance. What an awesome truth to remember about our Lord and Savior! Whereas the world and secular worldly people depend on themselves and other mere men and government, etc., to provide for their needs, those people who love their Lord, follow Him to the best of their ability, and look to Him for their provision, will indeed be taken care of:
"Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘How shall we be clothed?’ (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:31-33
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. - Psalm 84:11
The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish, but He casts away the substance of the wicked. - Proverbs 10:3
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19
It must be noted that God supplies our needs, but not necessarily our wants! We may not even realize what all our spiritual needs are, but we should remember that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). If we seek to live our lives according to the will of God, ALL things will work together for good! However, that doesn't necessarily mean what our puny mortal beings consider good, but what our all-seeing, all-knowing God knows is good! If we recognize that our Lord is all good and trustworthy, then we can have faith through even the most difficult circumstance and leave it to His greater will. I believe that is the true meaning of Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's not that we can do all the things we want because He always strengthens us to do them, but rather He gives us the strength to do all things that come our way.
(22) "‘And you shall sow the eighth year, and eat still of old fruit until the ninth year; until its fruits come in you shall eat of the old harvest.'"
In the sixth year before the sabbath rest of the land, because of the Lord's blessing, the land would bring forth so much produce that while they sowed in the eighth year, they would still be eating of the sixth year's produce, even until the ninth year, to sustain them until the fruits of the eighth year's harvest came in.
(23) "'The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.'"
The land could never be permanently sold, because it was always released during the year of Jubilee. The reason given for this was that the land was the Lord's and it was He who was giving it to be used by them, strangers, guests invited to dwell in it with Him. If only we saw all things as belonging to the Lord and to be shared as He has so blessedly shared with us! The year of Jubilee reminded the people of this fact. All debts were forgiven then and all things returned to the original owners, so that no person ever bought something permanently. Obviously, that couldn't pertain to perishable things or things that were totally consumed, but land, people, and I would imagine animals, and maybe even structures, tools, and the like, were considered the Lord's. It is obvious to us that land and people and animals might be considered as belonging to God, but maybe not so obvious that things "we created ourselves" also belong to God. We should always remember that it is the Lord who gives us the talents, resources, and conditions, to achieve goals, get wealth, and acquire things (Deut. 8:17-18).
(24) "‘And in all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption for the land.'"
In all the land of Canaan that the Lord was giving to His people, they were to grant the power to recover the land to the original holder who had parted with it, as the land was never to be permanently sold.
(25) "'If your brother becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.'"
If one of the Israelites became poor and sold some of his possessions through necessity, a relative was permitted to redeem it by buying it back, in the interim between Jubilees.
(26) "'And if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, (27) Then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession.'"
If the poor man had no relative to immediately redeem his possession, but later became able to redeem it himself, then the number of years since the sale were to be taken into consideration, and he was to pay for the rest of the years still to come, and he must be allowed to thus buy back his possession during the interim between Jubilees.
(28) "‘But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.'"
If the poor man was unable to have his possession redeemed either by a relative or by himself at a later date, then his possession was to remain in the hand of the purchaser until the Year of Jubilee, at which time all possessions were to be returned to their original owners.
(29) "'And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it.'"
It appears that a difference was placed between houses in the city and houses in the country. If a man sold a dwelling house within a walled city, he had just one year to redeem it. I believe we can safely surmise the reasons for this. A house within a city stood a very good chance of housing a business. If a man bought a house and sought to start a business, it would be most inconvenient to have that business moved in a few years because of Jubilee. Matthew Henry suggested that perhaps "houses in walled cities were more the fruits of their own industry than land in the country, which was the immediate gift of God's bounty."
(30) "'And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall be established forever to him who bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the Jubilee.'"
A year was given to the man who sold his property within the city, as he may have had a financial necessity that forced him to sell but planned to buy it back when able within the year. However, if it was not redeemed within a full year, the property became the permanent property of the man who bought it, and was not to be released at Jubilee. At this point in scripture, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, also made it a point to speculate that "houses were not like lands, the gift of God, and held under Him, but were built by men, and were their absolute property, and therefore they could dispose of them..."
(31) "'But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country; they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.'"
Houses outside the walled city, even those in villages, as long as they were outside the city walls, were to be treated as the open fields of the country, and could be redeemed at any time or released at Jubilee.
(32) "‘Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.'"
In the case of the Levites, their houses within their cities could be redeemed at any time.
(33) "‘And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.'"
If a man bought a house from the Levites, that house was to be released in the Jubilee. The reason for this was that the Levite priests had no real inheritance of their own in Israel; all they had were the houses in their cities in which to dwell, and the freewill offerings and support they received from the people.
(34) "'But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.'"
Only houses of the Levites could be sold, but never permanently. The fields surrounding their houses could never be sold. A Levite's land was not something he personally owned and could add to or improve, but was given to him for sustenance. The land surrounding Levites' houses was more of a common land in which to keep their cattle, etc., and not individually owned.
(35) "'And if your brother becomes poor, and falls into decay among you, then you shall help him as you would a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.'"
If one of their own people fell into poverty, he was not to be regarded as an outcast, but was to be helped and supported, and treated with the same respect and consideration as they might give a foreigner who could possess no land, but could accumulate personal property and live in comfort among them.
(36) "‘Take no usury or increase from him, but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.'"
There was to be no interest added to the help and support given a brother who had fallen into poverty, but the people were to fear their God who commanded this in His mercy to care for the poor among them. What a wonderful principle! People who have fallen on hard times being expected to repay help along with high interest often can never climb out of their destitution. However, a wealthy man who buys to add to his assets should be expected to pay interest and allow the seller or lender to share in the profit with the buyer or borrower.
(37) "‘You shall not give him your money on usury, nor lend him your food for increase.'"
Speaking of a brother who became poor and borrowed out of necessity (not one who borrowed for gain), the child of Israel was not to charge any interest on money he lent, nor ask for any increase above what he loaned.
(38) "‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.'"
This expounded on the 36th verse which stated the people were to fear their God, their Lord, the One who brought them out of Egypt to give them the land of Canaan. As God was gracious and merciful to them when they were in bondage, so ought they be to their brethren who fell into "decay" (v. 35).
(39) "'And if your brother who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave, (40) But as a hired servant and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.'"
If a neighboring brother became so poor that he sold himself into service, he was not to be treated as a slave, as property, but as a hired servant who received his wages and went on his way, or as a lodger or guest in his home.
(41) "‘And then he shall depart from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers he shall return.'"
Then at the time of Jubilee, that neighbor must be allowed to leave his service, he and any of his family with him, and return to his own family and take possession of the inheritance of his fathers that may have been what he was obliged to sell in his time of desperate poverty.
(42) "‘For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.'"
The people, those poor neighbors who had sold themselves into servitude, were some of the very people God Himself redeemed and brought out of servitude in Egypt. They were His people and could never be sold as slaves.
What an awesome scripture! Although it speaks specifically of God redeeming the people He b(r)ought out of bondage in Egypt, I can't help but think how we are all servants of God, every one of us! Sure, everyone can accept that a Christian is a servant of God, but all over the Bible are examples of how everyone, people and animals, can be used by God as His servants. After all, we are all created by Him and for Him:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him. - Colossians 1:16
Even our leaders, it appears, whether they profess to be Christians or not, were created by God and for Him and His purposes. Consider also:
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring to themselves damnation. - Romans 13:1-2
That is not to say that every governing authority is good, but not one can come into power outside the power of God. Every leader we have ever had is either appointed or allowed by God. That can be very uncomfortable to some when we think of the likes of Hitler. However, there is a balance of free will and God's will that occurs. Bad things happen to good people. I don't say that to trivialize the atrocities that happened under Hitler. I have come to understand that we live in this bad fallen world, and awful things happen. But God also uses the bad to bring about good:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28
God may even allow those bad things to bring about greater good. Think of a parent who would die to save her child. Is that not what Jesus did for us? For all of us? If a child witnessing the faith of his father in a horrific situation brought that child to salvation in Jesus Christ, how many fathers would willingly go through it again to save their children? How many times has the very worst of circumstances brought out the best in people? How many times has sinking to the very bottom finally brought a person back to God, His only salvation? Punishment by God in the Bible was often used to bring His people back to Him, their only salvation:
"I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me," says the LORD. - Haggai 2:17
Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. - Deuteronomy 4:36
My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? - Hebrews 12:5b-7
It is also important to note that as a perfect being, God's absolutely pure and holy nature cannot tolerate sin. Not only that, but His absolute love requires that He hate sin and evil. A lack of wrath against wickedness would be a lack of caring which is a lack of love. He loved us so much that He saved us in spite of our evil selves! (Romans 5:8) Because He is absolutely pure, perfect, and completely loving, we can have faith that what He brings or allows is for our ultimate good, and we can trust Him completely. When good people or small children go through horrific pain and death, we can be assured their reward is great with God:
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:8
The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. - Isaiah 57:1
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:10-12
We can trust God! Because He is perfect and loving and just, He will do the right thing! He just will! It's his nature; He can't do anything but what is perfect and right. Therefore we never have to question Him. We may not totally understand His ways in our flawed selfish human minds, but we can be sure that He is perfect and loving and faithful and will do the perfect thing. To be absent from the body and this earth is to be with the Lord in everlasting peace and joy and love and perfection. I also don't believe anyone will be taken out of this world before his time, and before he would have come to accept the Lord had he lived just a little longer. Once again, because the Lord is completely just, and because He knows all, He knows the heart of man and whether or not he would have come to accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ, so we can have faith and trust Him completely!
Back to us all being servants of God--although Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, he was called a servant of God:
And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. - Jeremiah 27:6
In Numbers 22, we have the story of God opening the mouth of His servant at that particular time, a donkey, to explain to Balaam what he could not see with his eyes:
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”...And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. - Numbers 22:28, 30-31
Oh, that we would always remember that we are ALL servants of God! Because we are all God's creations and His servants, we should never enslave one another, nor kill one another, as in murder or through abortion.
Now back to Leviticus 25:
(43) "‘You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God.'"
Referring to the poor brother who was God's servant (v. 42), he was not to be treated with severity or cruelty, but the people were to fear their God and obey Him in this respect, as He was the One who could avenge His people who were treated cruelly.
(44) "'Both your bondmen and your bondmaids whom you shall have, shall be from the heathen that are around you, from them you may buy bondmen and bondmaids.'"
If the people were to have slaves, they were allowed to have them from the heathen nations around them, but not of the people of Israel. Why would God allow slavery at all if all people were His creations? All I can say is that slavery existed already in all cultures around the world, but God put forth rules regarding how they should be treated civilly. The Old Testament world where there were laws that had to be obeyed put a divide between God's people and heathens. However, in our present New Testament world where God sent Jesus to save us all from our sins and the law, God desires all men be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Did He not care for all people in the Old Testament? Of course, He did! “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live." (Ezekiel 18:23 NLT) In Old Testament times, the Law was all there was. When Jesus came, He saved us from the Law. That is not to say He eliminated the law, He just gave us a way to God even though we could not adhere to it; He covered our sins with His precious blood and made us pure and able to be with God.
(45) "‘Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they begat in your land; and they shall be your possession.'"
Children of foreigners who dwelt among them and their families that they brought forth in the Israelites' land, were permitted to be owned as slaves. Once again, all I can say about slavery is that it was the custom of the times. Although it was not the only way a person could become a slave, one thing about it was that a person always had something of value to sell even when they had sold every possession. They could sell themselves into servitude and then they would be housed and fed. In that respect, if done by a person's free will, it wasn't a bad thing, and the Law protected slaves against injustice and cruelty at the hands of their owners.
(46) "‘And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your bondmen forever; but over your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.'"
The bondmen or slaves that the people were permitted to own of the groups described above, these would be as their property that could be passed on to their heirs to be their possessions. They would be their bondmen or slaves forever, meaning they did not have to be released at Jubilee. However, it was repeated that their Israelite brothers were never to be taken as slaves.
(47) "‘And if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and your brother who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, (48) After he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him, (49) Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself.'"
In the case of a foreigner who dwelt among them who became rich, and an Israelite brother who had become poor and sold himself into bondage to the rich foreigner or a member of his family, illustrating how a brother might become a slave among them, that slave was permitted to be redeemed. Any of his near kin could redeem him, or if he was able, he could redeem himself.
(50) "'And he shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he was sold to him to the year of Jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant shall it be with him.'"
The price of the redemption of the brother sold into bondage to a foreigner who dwelt among them (v. 47) was to be calculated according to the years of service until Jubilee. The brother who sold himself into bondage to a foreigner who dwelt among them was never to be considered permanent property of the foreigner, and that foreigner must take that into account when he "purchased" the Israelite bondmen, knowing he would never be paid back more than that amount.
(51) "‘If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. (52) And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption.'"
This is further explanation of the price of redemption for the Israelite brother who had sold himself into bondage. At the time he was redeemed, if there were many years left until Jubilee, then the redemption price would be higher, according to that number of years remaining, and if there were only a few years left until Jubilee, that was also taken into consideration, and the redemption price would be lower.
(53) "'And he shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight.'"
Being able to be redeemed at any time and allowed to go free, the Israelite brother who had sold himself into bondage to the wealthy foreigner who dwelt among the Israelites, was to be treated as a hired servant rather than as a slave, personal property of the owner. The person he was sold to was not permitted to treat him harshly or cruelly. I don't believe the meaning here is that he could be treated cruelly in private, but that the people were charged with revealing knowledge of any such cruelty they had witnessed. Obviously, a foreigner in a foreign land could not be expected to adhere to such rules, but one who wished to dwell with the Israelites was required to obey them.
(54) "‘And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he and his children with him.'"
Being treated as a yearly hired servant, redeemable every year, even if he was not redeemed in any of those years, he was to be released in the Year of Jubilee, he and any of his family with him.
(55) "‘For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.'"
Once again, God asserted that the children of Israel were His people, His servants, the ones He brought and redeemed out of the land of Egypt, and He alone was their Lord God, to whom they belonged. This redemption and Jubilee were beautiful symbols of the Christ to come. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the slave to sin, who was in debt to God's judgment, can have his life redeemed and his debt discharged. A person who sold himself into bondage to Satan and sin can be redeemed and freed and can become a son of God through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. We, all being children and servants of God, forfeit our rights to the Kingdom of God because of our sins, but we are all able to be redeemed by faith in Christ. Compare a slave released in Jubilee to a life in bondage for decades released and completely free from those bonds of sin in an instant "jubilee" when he accepts Jesus's saving grace. I also can't help but think of a life on earth that is filled with heartaches and struggles, but because of his faith in Christ, oh what a jubilation there will be when he gets to heaven!
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Laws Continued, Including the Law of Blasphemy, and the Stoning of a Blasphemer
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Leviticus 24:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, to make the lamps burn continually."
In the past few chapters, the Lord had been delivering to Moses various laws, most recently concerning the feasts the people were to keep and the sacrifices they were to offer. The Lord continued speaking to Moses giving him laws to give to the people. The people were to supply the priests with oil for the light of the candlestick in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:6). It was to be pure olive oil, hand beaten in a mortar, as opposed to ground in a mill or cooked with heat. The lamps referred to here were the seven lamps in the golden candlestand (Exodus 25:37) in the tabernacle that were to burn continually (Exodus 27:20).
(3) “Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, Aaron shall order it from the evening until the morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations."
The lamps from verse 2 are further described here. These were the lamps of the candlestick that was placed outside the veil which separated the Holiest of Holies, where the Ark of the Testimony was. Moses's brother, Aaron, as high priest, and the priests that succeeded him, were to be in charge of tending the lamps and keeping them burning continually through the night. This was to be a statute forever until the Messiah came, who was the true light of the world. As discussed before, again we see a picture of the coming Christ in this law--a continual light among the people.
(4) "He shall order the lamps on the pure candlestick before the LORD continually."
Aaron was to be in charge of the lamps on the pure gold candlestick to see that they burned before the Lord continually.
(5) “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two tenth deals shall be in one cake."
Here the preparing of the showbread (Exodus 25:30) is described. Twelve cakes were to be baked with fine flour with two-tenths of an ephah or two omers of flour in each cake. An omer was said to be as much as a man could eat in one day; therefore one of these cakes was as much as two men could eat of bread in one day.
(6) "And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure table before the LORD."
The twelve loaves were to be set upon the gold showbread table in two rows of six. I like the way Matthew Henry described it in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "Where there is plenty of bread there is no famine; and where bread is not there is no feast. There was a loaf for every tribe, for in our Father's house there is bread enough."
(7) “And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD."
Pure frankincense was to be placed on each row to be a memorial for the bread. When the bread was removed and given to the priests, this frankincense was burnt on the altar, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
(8) “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant."
Every sabbath these twelve cakes or loaves were to be set in order with the frankincense. The showbread table was to be set before the Lord continually; the old loaves were removed and new ones put in place, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant made between God and His people.
(9) “And it shall be Aaron's and his sons', and they shall eat it in the holy place, for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute.”
The twelve cakes of old bread when taken off the showbread table were given to Aaron and his sons to eat. They were to eat the bread in the holy place, some place within the tabernacle, as opposed to in their own houses, because it had been of a most holy offering to the Lord. The bread itself was not an offering made by fire, but it was the frankincense that had been placed on it as a memorial for the bread that was to be burned by perpetual statute.
(10) And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp.
Here we have an interruption in the delivering of laws to Moses to tell of an incident that occurred. There was a man whose mother was an Israelite, but whose father was Egyptian, who went out among the children of Israel, probably meaning when they left Egypt; he was probably one of the "mixed multitude" who went out of Egypt with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38). This man fought with a man of Israel in the camp.
(11) And the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed. And they brought him to Moses (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan).
At some point during this conflict or maybe it was even the reason for it, the man who was the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed. The original text said only that he blasphemed "the name", and the translators added "of the Lord". That is certainly implied as what other name could be so blasphemed, that name which is above every name, that name which a man should tremble to mention, which should only be mentioned with reverence. He also cursed and so they brought him to Moses. Although he was not named, the Israelite names of his mother and her father are given, and the name of the tribe from which they came.
(12) And they put him in custody, that the mind of the LORD might be shown to them.
They put the man in custody as Moses did not judge hastily, but sought the will of God. Surely they knew that blasphemy was punishable by death, as lesser offenses were, but a law against blasphemy had not been expressly set forth by God as of yet. Those who sit in judgment should always desire, and by prayer and the study of God's word, to know the mind of the Lord because they judge for Him and to Him they are accountable: "And said to the judges, 'Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.'" - 2 Chronicles 19:6. If only all our judges now sought the mind of God! What a different and better world it would be!
(13) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (14) "Bring forth he who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him."
The man was to be taken outside the camp, probably to show that he had no part in the children of Israel. All the people who heard him blaspheme and curse were to lay their hands on his head. It was in this way that they bore their public testimony that he had indeed cursed and blasphemed the Lord. After that public testimony, he would be convicted and stoned to death by the congregation. I have to admit the idea of me taking a stone and striking a person to kill him, and watching the person be struck by hundreds of stones until he died, makes me very uncomfortable. Aben Ezra, a Jewish biblical commentator and philosopher of the Middle Ages, wrote that "the great men" of Israel were the ones who did the casting of stones, as it was not reasonable to expect that every one of the thousands of Israelites cast stones. (Adam Clarke gave a description of stoning that I included at the end of this blog post.) Whether the regular people did any stoning or not, they were certainly present at the public stoning to show their detestation of the sin and their zeal for the honor of God's name. In addition, being a participant in the stoning would certainly permanently affect those who once helped to stone a blasphemer to be ever cautious about anything that ever bordered on blasphemy. Back to the idea of me personally participating in the stoning of a person, it certainly solidifies the need to know the mind of God. In all things, we should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. I am thankful that Jesus came and eliminated the threat of stoning as in the case of the woman accused of adultery (John 8:7-11). Jesus trumped legalism! However, it must be understood that Jesus did not eliminate the law:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled...You have heard that it was said by those of old, 'Thou shalt not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment,' but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...You have heard that it was said by those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:17-18, 21-22a, 27-28)
The law still applied, but Jesus taught the spirit of the law. God judges the heart of man:
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)
The law still applied and still does today, but Jesus taught us to love our enemies and let God take care of the lawbreakers:
“You have heard that it has been said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you that you not resist evil; but whoever smites you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also...But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:38-39, 44)
(Leviticus 24:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, to make the lamps burn continually."
In the past few chapters, the Lord had been delivering to Moses various laws, most recently concerning the feasts the people were to keep and the sacrifices they were to offer. The Lord continued speaking to Moses giving him laws to give to the people. The people were to supply the priests with oil for the light of the candlestick in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:6). It was to be pure olive oil, hand beaten in a mortar, as opposed to ground in a mill or cooked with heat. The lamps referred to here were the seven lamps in the golden candlestand (Exodus 25:37) in the tabernacle that were to burn continually (Exodus 27:20).
(3) “Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, Aaron shall order it from the evening until the morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations."
The lamps from verse 2 are further described here. These were the lamps of the candlestick that was placed outside the veil which separated the Holiest of Holies, where the Ark of the Testimony was. Moses's brother, Aaron, as high priest, and the priests that succeeded him, were to be in charge of tending the lamps and keeping them burning continually through the night. This was to be a statute forever until the Messiah came, who was the true light of the world. As discussed before, again we see a picture of the coming Christ in this law--a continual light among the people.
(4) "He shall order the lamps on the pure candlestick before the LORD continually."
Aaron was to be in charge of the lamps on the pure gold candlestick to see that they burned before the Lord continually.
(5) “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two tenth deals shall be in one cake."
Here the preparing of the showbread (Exodus 25:30) is described. Twelve cakes were to be baked with fine flour with two-tenths of an ephah or two omers of flour in each cake. An omer was said to be as much as a man could eat in one day; therefore one of these cakes was as much as two men could eat of bread in one day.
(6) "And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure table before the LORD."
The twelve loaves were to be set upon the gold showbread table in two rows of six. I like the way Matthew Henry described it in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "Where there is plenty of bread there is no famine; and where bread is not there is no feast. There was a loaf for every tribe, for in our Father's house there is bread enough."
(7) “And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD."
Pure frankincense was to be placed on each row to be a memorial for the bread. When the bread was removed and given to the priests, this frankincense was burnt on the altar, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
(8) “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant."
Every sabbath these twelve cakes or loaves were to be set in order with the frankincense. The showbread table was to be set before the Lord continually; the old loaves were removed and new ones put in place, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant made between God and His people.
(9) “And it shall be Aaron's and his sons', and they shall eat it in the holy place, for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute.”
The twelve cakes of old bread when taken off the showbread table were given to Aaron and his sons to eat. They were to eat the bread in the holy place, some place within the tabernacle, as opposed to in their own houses, because it had been of a most holy offering to the Lord. The bread itself was not an offering made by fire, but it was the frankincense that had been placed on it as a memorial for the bread that was to be burned by perpetual statute.
(10) And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp.
Here we have an interruption in the delivering of laws to Moses to tell of an incident that occurred. There was a man whose mother was an Israelite, but whose father was Egyptian, who went out among the children of Israel, probably meaning when they left Egypt; he was probably one of the "mixed multitude" who went out of Egypt with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38). This man fought with a man of Israel in the camp.
(11) And the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed. And they brought him to Moses (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan).
At some point during this conflict or maybe it was even the reason for it, the man who was the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed. The original text said only that he blasphemed "the name", and the translators added "of the Lord". That is certainly implied as what other name could be so blasphemed, that name which is above every name, that name which a man should tremble to mention, which should only be mentioned with reverence. He also cursed and so they brought him to Moses. Although he was not named, the Israelite names of his mother and her father are given, and the name of the tribe from which they came.
(12) And they put him in custody, that the mind of the LORD might be shown to them.
They put the man in custody as Moses did not judge hastily, but sought the will of God. Surely they knew that blasphemy was punishable by death, as lesser offenses were, but a law against blasphemy had not been expressly set forth by God as of yet. Those who sit in judgment should always desire, and by prayer and the study of God's word, to know the mind of the Lord because they judge for Him and to Him they are accountable: "And said to the judges, 'Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.'" - 2 Chronicles 19:6. If only all our judges now sought the mind of God! What a different and better world it would be!
(13) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (14) "Bring forth he who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him."
The man was to be taken outside the camp, probably to show that he had no part in the children of Israel. All the people who heard him blaspheme and curse were to lay their hands on his head. It was in this way that they bore their public testimony that he had indeed cursed and blasphemed the Lord. After that public testimony, he would be convicted and stoned to death by the congregation. I have to admit the idea of me taking a stone and striking a person to kill him, and watching the person be struck by hundreds of stones until he died, makes me very uncomfortable. Aben Ezra, a Jewish biblical commentator and philosopher of the Middle Ages, wrote that "the great men" of Israel were the ones who did the casting of stones, as it was not reasonable to expect that every one of the thousands of Israelites cast stones. (Adam Clarke gave a description of stoning that I included at the end of this blog post.) Whether the regular people did any stoning or not, they were certainly present at the public stoning to show their detestation of the sin and their zeal for the honor of God's name. In addition, being a participant in the stoning would certainly permanently affect those who once helped to stone a blasphemer to be ever cautious about anything that ever bordered on blasphemy. Back to the idea of me personally participating in the stoning of a person, it certainly solidifies the need to know the mind of God. In all things, we should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. I am thankful that Jesus came and eliminated the threat of stoning as in the case of the woman accused of adultery (John 8:7-11). Jesus trumped legalism! However, it must be understood that Jesus did not eliminate the law:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled...You have heard that it was said by those of old, 'Thou shalt not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment,' but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...You have heard that it was said by those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:17-18, 21-22a, 27-28)
The law still applied, but Jesus taught the spirit of the law. God judges the heart of man:
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)
The law still applied and still does today, but Jesus taught us to love our enemies and let God take care of the lawbreakers:
“You have heard that it has been said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you that you not resist evil; but whoever smites you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also...But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:38-39, 44)
Dearly beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. - Romans 12:19
Now back to Leviticus, chapter 24, verse 15:
(15) "And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.'"
God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that any person who cursed his God would be considered guilty and would indeed bear the punishment of it, as described in verse 14.
(16) "'And he who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land; when he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death.'"
The person who blasphemed the name of the Lord was to be put to death by stoning by the congregation, as was the person who cursed God (v. 14). In the case of blasphemy, even the stranger who blasphemed the name of the Lord was to be put to death. The original word translated as "curse" is "qalal", and it means "to make light or trifling"; "blaspheme" was translated from "naqab" and it is weightier and more serious than trifling; it means literally to "puncture, pierce, strike through". Blasphemy is worse than merely cursing, but it is not to be understood that cursing was to be taken lightly. Cursing God's name is to take it in vain, use it carelessly and not give it the honor and respect it deserves. Cursing is one part of blasphemy, but blasphemy, more than just a curse word, encompasses a broader mocking or complete denouncement of God.
(17) "'And he who kills any man shall surely be put to death.'"
In addition to cursing and blaspheming God, any man who killed another man, was also to be put to death.
(18) "'And he who kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.'"
Anyone who killed the animal belonging to another was to pay for it, by giving an animal of equal value, or by giving the monetary value of it.
(19) "'And if a man causes a blemish in his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him.'"
If a man caused injury or disfigurement in his neighbor, he was to pay damages equal to the harm he caused his neighbor. I don't believe that the perpetrator was maimed in the exact way that he maimed his neighbor, although it is certainly possible that the civil magistrate might order such a punishment. However, there are other scriptures that make it sound as if monetary payment for the crime had to equal the damages suffered by the victim, but that it was not literally an eye paid for an eye:
"And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but is kept in his bed, if he rises again and walks about outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted; he shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed." - Exodus 21:18-19
In this case, one man struck another so that he was maimed and had to walk upon a cane, but the one who struck him was to be acquitted and was just to pay damages. However, I suppose it is possible that had the victim remained bedridden, an equal maiming of the perpetrator might have been required by the law. We know that life was required for life: "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." - Exodus 21:12
It must be noted that men were not to be their own avengers requiring eye for eye or life for life, but they were to appeal to the civil magistrate, who would award damages and satisfaction to the injured in proportion to the hurt done.
(20) "'Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him.'"
Once again, I believe this was not necessarily to be taken literally, but the compensation to the injured must be equal in value to the damage he suffered. It is possible that the law required a literal eye for eye in some cases, but this was to be decided by the civil magistrate and not to be left to the victim or his family to avenge themselves.
(21) "'And he who kills an animal shall restore it; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.'"
If a man killed an animal belonging to another, he was required to replace it. Animals that were free roaming and did not belong to anyone were lawful to kill. However, if a man killed another man, then he was to pay with his life.
(22) "‘You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.'"
These laws applied to strangers among them, as well as to the Israelites. Strangers, as well as native Israelites, were both entitled to the benefit of the laws, so as not to suffer wrong, and were liable to the penalty of the law if they did wrong.
(23) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him who had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses told the children of Israel what he had been commanded by God, that they should take the man who had cursed outside the camp and stone him to death. The people did what the Lord had commanded Moses they do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, went into great detail commenting on this verse, and with the references he gave, it all seems very reasonable to me:
"We are not to suppose that the culprit was exposed to the unbridled fury of the thousands of Israel; this would be brutality, not justice, for the very worst of tempers and passions might be produced and fostered by such a procedure. The Jews themselves tell us that their manner of stoning was this: they brought the condemned person without the camp, because his crime had rendered him unclean, and whatever was unclean must be put without the camp. When they came within four cubits of the place of execution, they stripped the criminal, if a man, leaving him nothing but a cloth about the waist. The place on which he was to be executed was elevated, and the witnesses went up with him to it, and laid their hands upon him, for the purposes mentioned Lev. 24:14. Then one of the witnesses struck him with a stone upon the loins; if he was not killed with that blow, then the witnesses took up a great stone, as much as two men could lift, and threw it upon his breast. This was the coup de grace, and finished the tragedy. When a man was stoned by the mob, then brutal rage armed every man, justice was set aside, and the will and fury of the people were law, judge, jury, and executioner. Such disgraceful stonings as these were, no doubt, frequent among the Jews. See Calmet’s Dict., article Stoning, and Ainsworth on this place. What the crime of Shelomith’s son was, we cannot distinctly say; doubtless it was some species of blasphemy: however, we find it was a new and unprecedented case; and as there was no law by which the quantum of guilt could be ascertained, nor consequently the degree of punishment, it was necessary to consult the great Lawgiver on the occasion; the man was therefore secured till the mind of the Lord should be known. Moses, no doubt, had recourse to the tabernacle, and received the directions afterward mentioned from Him who dwelt between the cherubim. In what way the answer of the Lord was communicated we know not, (probably by Urim and Thummim), but it came in such a manner as to preclude all doubt upon the subject: the man was declared to be guilty, and was sentenced to be stoned to death; and on this occasion a law is made relative to blasphemy in general. However sinful the Jews might have been at this time, we have reason to believe they did not take the name of the Lord in vain, and blasphemy was not known among them."
If a man caused injury or disfigurement in his neighbor, he was to pay damages equal to the harm he caused his neighbor. I don't believe that the perpetrator was maimed in the exact way that he maimed his neighbor, although it is certainly possible that the civil magistrate might order such a punishment. However, there are other scriptures that make it sound as if monetary payment for the crime had to equal the damages suffered by the victim, but that it was not literally an eye paid for an eye:
"And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but is kept in his bed, if he rises again and walks about outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted; he shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed." - Exodus 21:18-19
In this case, one man struck another so that he was maimed and had to walk upon a cane, but the one who struck him was to be acquitted and was just to pay damages. However, I suppose it is possible that had the victim remained bedridden, an equal maiming of the perpetrator might have been required by the law. We know that life was required for life: "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." - Exodus 21:12
It must be noted that men were not to be their own avengers requiring eye for eye or life for life, but they were to appeal to the civil magistrate, who would award damages and satisfaction to the injured in proportion to the hurt done.
(20) "'Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him.'"
Once again, I believe this was not necessarily to be taken literally, but the compensation to the injured must be equal in value to the damage he suffered. It is possible that the law required a literal eye for eye in some cases, but this was to be decided by the civil magistrate and not to be left to the victim or his family to avenge themselves.
(21) "'And he who kills an animal shall restore it; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.'"
If a man killed an animal belonging to another, he was required to replace it. Animals that were free roaming and did not belong to anyone were lawful to kill. However, if a man killed another man, then he was to pay with his life.
(22) "‘You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.'"
These laws applied to strangers among them, as well as to the Israelites. Strangers, as well as native Israelites, were both entitled to the benefit of the laws, so as not to suffer wrong, and were liable to the penalty of the law if they did wrong.
(23) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him who had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses told the children of Israel what he had been commanded by God, that they should take the man who had cursed outside the camp and stone him to death. The people did what the Lord had commanded Moses they do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, went into great detail commenting on this verse, and with the references he gave, it all seems very reasonable to me:
"We are not to suppose that the culprit was exposed to the unbridled fury of the thousands of Israel; this would be brutality, not justice, for the very worst of tempers and passions might be produced and fostered by such a procedure. The Jews themselves tell us that their manner of stoning was this: they brought the condemned person without the camp, because his crime had rendered him unclean, and whatever was unclean must be put without the camp. When they came within four cubits of the place of execution, they stripped the criminal, if a man, leaving him nothing but a cloth about the waist. The place on which he was to be executed was elevated, and the witnesses went up with him to it, and laid their hands upon him, for the purposes mentioned Lev. 24:14. Then one of the witnesses struck him with a stone upon the loins; if he was not killed with that blow, then the witnesses took up a great stone, as much as two men could lift, and threw it upon his breast. This was the coup de grace, and finished the tragedy. When a man was stoned by the mob, then brutal rage armed every man, justice was set aside, and the will and fury of the people were law, judge, jury, and executioner. Such disgraceful stonings as these were, no doubt, frequent among the Jews. See Calmet’s Dict., article Stoning, and Ainsworth on this place. What the crime of Shelomith’s son was, we cannot distinctly say; doubtless it was some species of blasphemy: however, we find it was a new and unprecedented case; and as there was no law by which the quantum of guilt could be ascertained, nor consequently the degree of punishment, it was necessary to consult the great Lawgiver on the occasion; the man was therefore secured till the mind of the Lord should be known. Moses, no doubt, had recourse to the tabernacle, and received the directions afterward mentioned from Him who dwelt between the cherubim. In what way the answer of the Lord was communicated we know not, (probably by Urim and Thummim), but it came in such a manner as to preclude all doubt upon the subject: the man was declared to be guilty, and was sentenced to be stoned to death; and on this occasion a law is made relative to blasphemy in general. However sinful the Jews might have been at this time, we have reason to believe they did not take the name of the Lord in vain, and blasphemy was not known among them."
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