In 4:14-30 we see that the Man-Savior began His ministry by proclaiming the jubilee of grace. On the Sabbath day in the synagogue at Nazareth, He read from the book of Isaiah and proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord (4:16-21). This acceptable year is the New Testament age of grace typified by the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8-17), the fiftieth year in which all the slaves were liberated and every man’s inheritance was restored to him. Beginning with this message, we shall consider further the jubilee. In this message and in the message following we shall give a definition of the jubilee.
The word “jubilee” is anglicized from the Hebrew word yobel. This Hebrew word denotes the blast of a horn, specifically the signal of a silver trumpet. Hence, the word came to signify the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced. Concerning this, Leviticus 25:9 says, “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.”
We have seen that yobel refers specifically to the blasting of a silver trumpet. In typology silver signifies redemption. Hence, the blasting of a silver trumpet indicates the trumpeting of God’s redemption. The Hebrew word yobel, anglicized jubilee, refers to the blast of a horn, the instrument itself, and finally to the festival introduced by the blasting of a silver trumpet.
The basic thought concerning the jubilee is that it is the sounding out of God’s redemption. The blasting of the silver trumpet was a proclamation of redemption. It was a proclamation based on God’s redemption and also a sounding out of this redemption.
This sounding out, this proclamation, of God’s redemption was not the proclaiming of any commandment or requirement. On the contrary, it was a proclamation of freedom, of release. Leviticus 25:10 says, “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” Here we see that the proclamation of release or liberty was related to people and to their possessions. Regarding every human being we need to consider the person himself and his possessions. Therefore, the release proclaimed for the jubilee affected the Israelites and their possessions.
The study of political methods has been going on for thousands of years. Those who study politics know that if someone is to rule others, the first thing he must do is take care of feeding them. In other words, a ruler must manage the economy well. If the people do not have food, they will rise up against those ruling them.
An important issue in the election of any president of the United Sates is whether a particular candidate can provide jobs and insure a proper standard of living. A good president must be able to meet this need. For example, Roosevelt became president during the great depression. Because he changed the economic situation of the country, he is regarded by many as a great president. Some claim that Roosevelt was great not merely in political affairs but in uplifting the living standard of the American people.
The point we are making here is that if any politician or statesman is to be successful he must find a way to improve the living of the people. The more successful a political leader is in this, the longer he will be able to remain in office. The political leaders who are respected most by the people are those who have the ability to improve the level of daily life.
Because of man’s economic needs, especially the need for food, certain “isms” have developed. These “isms” include communism, capitalism, and socialism. According to communism, economic resources should be held in common, land should not belong to certain property owners, and social wealth should not belong to the capitalists. Communism teaches that something should be done to balance the wealth. In some countries taxation is used as a means of balancing wealth. In these countries a person may earn a great deal of money, but much of it must be given to the government in taxes. Socialism is also concerned with man’s economic needs. Statesmen and philosophers have tried their best to find ways to meet man’s need for food. However, the more “isms” they have invented, the more the people have suffered.