The year of liberty


But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance--it shall belong to his sons.
-Ezekiel 46:17

The meaning of liberty is the idea of being freed to flow and the Hebrew word carries the picture of a bird free in flight. The idea of the year of freedom or liberty or jubilee is that of restoration. That which was lost from misfortune is restored. Isaiah wrote about a time of liberation that would happen through the Messiah and Jesus quotes the same passage. As D.A Carson wrote, "Jesus announced the inbreaking of the reign of God, in his own ministry. The 'Nazareth manifesto' (Lk. 4:16–30) is the clearest, programmatic statement of this, and quotes directly from Is. 61, which was strongly influenced by jubilee concepts."(D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary)

Ezekiel 46:17 teaches that if the prince gives land to somebody that is not his child, that the land has to go back to the children of the prince at the jubilee (50th) year. We don't know the details of why people outside a family would be given stuff that normally would be the inheritance for the children, but as it happens now, it happened in ancient times as well.

Imagine that your earthly father gave away your inheritance. Or maybe your life feels like God has given what you thought was your destiny to other people and left you behind. We don't want to get into a sense of entitlement with God, but what if who you believe God is to his children and your experience of him just don't line up. You don't want to blame God or your self. Maybe you were ripped off and God allowed it? That's Biblical. Did you know that NT Wright says that the exodus, the liberation from Egypt is the central event that the whole OT is organized around and is the back drop for Jesus?

Many people have declared that 2007 would be a jubilee year, in a practical way of God moving in people's lives and I'm with them and believe it is a widespread issue that will be happening during the second half of the year.

Here are the best words I can find directly on Ezekiel 46:17, from John Gill (d. 1771):

Ezekiel 46:17

".. the allusion is to the year of jubilee, when liberty was proclaimed throughout the land, and every man returned to his possession, and to his family, (Leviticus 25:10) , and so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, interpret it of the year of jubilee; a type of the heavenly glory, and of the joy of the Lord, which Christ's faithful servants enter into; and when there will be a manifest difference between them and slothful servants, and the gifts of the one and of the other, and of their use of them, as well as between sons and servants: after it shall return to the prince; signifying that such gifts are not durable; they are revertible to the donor of them; who will call these servants to an account for them at death or judgment, if not in time of life: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them; the prince's inheritance shall be theirs; for being sons they are heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: or that which is given them for an inheritance shall always continue; it shall never be taken from them or returned; but it shall be their own, for themselves, and enjoy it for ever; which is a confirmation of what is said in the preceding verse."
(The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible.)

The point that John Gill makes that I see as well, is that just as in Jesus day and before Jesus and to today; there are people who say they are speaking for God and doing God's work, who are really not God's children. Yet, God allows these players to play. But God also deals with them sooner or later and promotes those that are truly his to places of spiritual care.

Comments