Claim the Blessings

"You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field." -Leviticus 25.8-12

After a total of seven sabbath years, year fifty was to be the year of Jubilee. This was a time of freedom and restoration. In this year debt was forgiven, property was returned, and slaves were set free. It was a time of new beginnings, a fresh start. It kept the rich from oppressing the poor, and it gave the poor a chance to get back on their feet. Sadly, it never happened.

There is no indication that Israel ever practiced the Jubilee. They didn't follow the sabbath years, so why would they have followed the year of Jubilee? God gave His people the amazing opportunity to be able to start again, and they never took advantage of it.
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Men, what gift has God given you that you are refusing? Maybe it's salvation. God has offered it to you time and again, but you refuse to accept His free gift of grace. Maybe it's an opportunity. God has opened a door for you, it demands faith and trust, and it involves risk, but it's what you've always wanted. Maybe it is simply His presence and peace. He simply wants to fellowship with you and calm your heart and mind.

What blessing is God offering that you are refusing? The question to ask is why? Maybe you're refusing salvation because of what you think you'll be giving up. But are the momentary, sinful, pleasures worth an eternity of separation from God? Maybe you're refusing to step out in faith because you're afraid of the risk, or overwhelmed by it. But is the risk something you want to look back and regret not taking? Are you willing to wonder "What if" for the rest of your life? Maybe you just feel too busy, or unworthy for God's presence. Just know that you can't survive without it, and that He longs to fellowship with you.

The year of Jubilee was an unclaimed blessing for Israel, and it's too late for them. But we have a choice. We still have time. What are you going to do with the time that you have? Will we claim the blessings, embracing everything that they entail? Or will we choose to go our own way, play it safe, and rely on ourselves? The choice is ours.

May we choose to claim the blessings that God has poured out to us. Let us celebrate the Jubilee.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor