Lev 25:1-38
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
25:1-7 {s} Law of the seventh year Sabbath of the land
25:8-24 {s} Law of the 50th year of Jubilee
25:25-28 {s} Law of redemption of land in the year of Jubilee
25:29-34 {s} Law of redemption of houses in the year of Jubilee
25:35-38 {s} Law of lending to the poor of the children of Israel
“And you shall number seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be for yourself forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all its inhabitants; it shall be a Jubilee for yourselves, and you shall return every man unto his possession, and you shall return every man unto his family.” Lev 25:8-10
The law of the Jubilee is the law of redemption from bondage.
“Redemption” is from גאל ga’al , Strong’s H1350, a verbal root meaning, “to redeem, to buy back.” The pictographs are gimel + aleph + lamed.
gimel ג = foot, thus foot, walk, gather
aleph א = ox head, thus strength, power, leader
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind
The cognate words will help us find the parable. The most common of them has the meaning of “to roll; round,” with others signifying round objects, or a circle, because to walk (gimel) as authority (aleph) has taught us (lamed) to walk, is to observe the holy days through the circle of the year, year after year. Inherent in the root is the concept of something coming around again for a second time. To redeem, then, is to let someone or something see another day, to return to their life again, to receive a second chance.
“Redemption” is the abstract concept, from the verbal root “to redeem.” The concrete noun between them is the kinsman-redeemer, the next of kin who redeems his relative if he comes into bondage or if he must sell his inheritance in a time of poverty. The kinsman-redeemer gives their kinsman a second chance. For us, YHVH Himself has stepped in, in Messiah Yeshua, and made Himself our Kinsman-Redeemer.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near. Luk 21:27-28
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph 1:7
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Heb 9:12
And they sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and have made us kings and priests unto our God, and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev 5:9-10
Lev 25:39-26:2
25:39-46 {s} Law of redemption of servants of the children of Israel
25:47-26:2 {p} Law of the redemption price of the children of Israel
This section of Scripture concludes a chiastic structure begun in Emor:
The law of the Sabbath, and the law of the Sabbaths, surrounds the proclamation of death for those who do not leave Egypt, that is, the kingdom of darkness. Sabbath is a beautiful picture of rest in Messiah.
“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Mat 11:28-30
Sabbath is a picture of grace through faith. We have to exercise faith and trust in YHVH to not work on the seventh day, to not sow our fields in the seventh year, and to cancel debts in the Jubilee. The seventh day, the seventh year, and the Jubilee, all the Sabbaths, prophesy of the seventh millennium of rest we will enjoy under the kingship of Messiah Yeshua.
Can the Scripture speak any more plainly? The physical structure of this chiasm is proclaiming death swallowed up in life, in Messiah, in grace, in rest, in not working to earn salvation; in trust, in faith, in honor and obedience of YHVH for He is God. Yes, obedience walks hand in hand with faith and rest.
The law of the Sabbath is the law of grace.
LEVITICUS 25:1-26:2 ANNUAL BEHAR “ON THE MOUNT” OUTLINE | LEVITICUS in CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
FINDING MESSIAH in TORAH: A MESSIANIC DISCOVERY THROUGH the TORAH PORTIONS
THE LAW of LOVE: THE GOSPEL of GRACE REVEALED in the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
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