The fifty years that consummated in the jubilee comprising eight sabbath years, being sabbath upon sabbath to be an eightfold sabbath (cf. v. 8), signifies the superabundance of the fullness of God’s rest with satisfaction to us.
The first and last years of this fifty-year period were eighth years, and in between there were six eighth years. Hence, there was a total of eight eighth years. Since the number eight signifies resurrection, this indicates that the jubilee is something that is altogether from resurrection, to resurrection, in resurrection, and with resurrection.
The jubilee is a matter of sabbath upon sabbath, an eightfold sabbath signifying resurrection upon resurrection. This eightfold sabbath signifies a superabundance of the fullness of God’s rest with satisfaction to us. This is not simply rest but rest with satisfaction.
“Then you shall cause the blast of the trumpet to go forth on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of propitiation you shall cause the trumpet to go forth through all your land” (v. 9). This signifies that the jubilee is based on the propitiation for sin that the full freedom might be proclaimed to all the people. This type was fulfilled by the full redemption of Christ for the proclamation of the full freedom to all the human race.
Young’s Concordance shows us that there are two Hebrew words that are translated jubilee. The first of these words bears the denotation of a time of shouting; the second bears the denotation of trumpeting. This kind of trumpeting is actually a shouting. Jubilee is a matter of joy becoming a shout. The jubilee, therefore, was a time of excitement. Many of us experienced such joy and excitement when we got saved. We were happy and full of rejoicing. Our salvation was a real jubilee.
The preaching of the gospel is simply the proclamation of the jubilee. We need to go forth and sound the trumpet so that the people may shout. Today most people are silent. But if we proclaim the jubilee, sounding the trumpet, they will begin to shout. They will learn to say, “Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”
“You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim release throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you” (v. 10a). Verse 11a also speaks of the jubilee: “The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you.” This signifies that the full responsibility (typified by the number fifty) to meet all the requirements of God has been fulfilled so that man does not need to bear any responsibility.
Human life is hard. It is full of responsibility, and everyone bears a great deal of responsibility. But in the jubilee there is no labor and there is no responsibility-everyone is free. There is no need even to reap. We may simply go to the field and eat without any burden or responsibility. Instead of responsibility, we have rest, enjoyment, and shouting. Many of us had such an experience when we were saved. On the day of our salvation, we were released, fully freed from all our burdens. This is the experience and enjoyment of the jubilee.
“Each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family” (v. 10b). “In this year of the jubilee each of you shall return to his possession” (v. 13). This signifies that in the New Testament jubilee the believers have returned to their lost divine possession and to their divine family.
We all had lost the possession allotted to us by God. But in our salvation, the New Testament jubilee, we returned to our possession. Furthermore, we have returned to our family, to the divine family. We had sold ourselves as slaves and thus lost the right to be with our family. But the year of jubilee came, and we were released to return both to our possession and to our family. Now we are rich, and we are free in our divine family. Therefore, we need to shout joyfully, making a joyful noise to the Lord in the church meetings. This is the real jubilee.
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