YOVEL IN MESSIAH PASTOR ELY HERNANDEZ THOUGHTS ON TORAH BEHAR-BECHUKOTAI 120 JUBILEES The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, "Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.'" (Lev. 25:1-2) Introduction: In addition to the weekly seventh day of rest (i.e., Shabbat), and the holy convocations on the seventh month (the Days of Awe), every seventh year the land was commanded to rest and remain fallow. This seventh year was called a shemittah, a word that means "to let go" or "to withdraw." The shemittah was a full calendar year in which Jewish farmers were to abstain from all farming in order to let the land rest. During a shemittah year, no work on the land could be done (i.e., no farming, planting, or other cultivation). Any naturally occurring produce became free for the taking for both man and animals. The produce that grows during this year does not belong to the owner of the land, but is regarded as the LORD's, and therefore anyone who wants to come a pick some without charge (i.e. the farmer cannot sell the fruit or control access to the land). The shemittah was more than a year of cessation from agricultural labor, however, since all outstanding debts were canceled during this year as well. All loans were forgiven in the shemittah year, and no lender of money could demand repayment from a debtor (see Deut 15:1-4). According to the sages, the LORD promised Israel that the harvest of the year before the shemittah would be so bountiful that it would last for three full years. In addition, during the shemittah year, everyone would feel satisfied, and the land would dwell safely from Israel's enemies. Finally, it is said that the Mashiach will come at the end of a shemittah year, so those who observe this mitzvah are helping bring him into the world. The observance of shemittah was a real test of faith, since it meant that the Jews had to completely trust that the LORD would provide for them, despite abandoning their usual farming and banking practices. Sadly, the people did not observe the laws of shemittah, and this eventually lead to the 70 year captivity in Babylon, one year in captivity for each year that shemittah was disregarded (see 2 Chron. 36:20-21). This implies that for (at least) 490 years before the siege of Nebuchadnezzar in 606 B.C., the Jews had failed to keep the shemittah, and the LORD required middah keneged middah ("like for like") punishment: one year of captivity for each year the land was forced to serve.
Leviticus 25; 1-4 The Land most rest All depts are forgiven Slaves are set free The Shemitah can build or tear down nations (יוֹב ל) The Year of Jubilee: Yovel After seven of these seven-year sabbatical cycles (shemittot) elapsed, a fiftieth year -- called Yovel, or the Jubilee year -- would occur, at which time work on the land also would cease (in addition to the shemittah), servants would be set free, and the original tribal inheritances in the land would be restored to their original owners. Just as Shavuot comes on the fiftieth day of Sefirat HaOmer and represents a departure from the natural world into the divine (by reversing the 49 levels of sin the Jewish people had lapsed into while in Egypt), so the Yovel signals an opportunity to rise above nature. 1. Where does the Yovel year get its name? a. According to Rashi, from the sounding of the shofar. A ram's horn is called a yovel in Hebrew (Josh 6:4-14). b. The meaning of the word Yovel goes back to a ram's horn, or a trumpet. i. the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); 1. You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement, you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year (Ex 12) and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. Lev 25:8-10 ii. Yovel ל) (יוֹב has a root word. Lamed. yabal: This word means to lead. Yod, Bet, יבל 1. #2986 a. Leading you back to the house. 2. What was Yeshua s main assignment? a. To bring the people back to the father i. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. -Luke 4: 16-21 The Jews themselves acknowledge, that these words are spoken of the Messiah. One of their writers (i) says, "these are the words of the prophet with respect to the Messiah; for the Messiah shall say so, "because the Lord hath anointed me'' "these are the words of the prophet with respect to the Messiah; for the Messiah shall say thus, "because the Lord hath anointed me", &c. or they are the words of the prophet concerning himself.'' And elsewhere it is said by them (l), "the holy, blessed God, will send his Messiah to us, and he shall be worthy of this, (i.e. the character of a meek person) as it is said, Isaiah 61:1 "he hath sent me to preach glad tidings to the meek."'' (i) Kimchi in Sepher Shorash. rad. (l) Juchaain, fol. 69. 1. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM TODAY Dispensationalism BAD ESCATHOLOGY!!! Dispensationalism is an evangelical, futurist, Biblical interpretation that understands God to have related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of "dispensations," or periods in history. As a system, dispensationalism is expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800 82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement, and propagated through works such as Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. The theology of dispensationalism consists of a distinctive eschatological end times perspective, as all dispensationalists hold to premillennialism and most hold to a pretribulation rapture. Dispensationalists believe that the nation of Israel is distinct from the Christian Church, and that God has yet to fulfill his promises to national Israel. These promises include the land promises, which in the future world to come result in a millennial kingdom and Third Temple where Messiahs, upon his return, will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years. In other areas of theology, dispensationalists hold to a wide range of beliefs within the evangelical and fundamentalist spectrum There is a lot of things wrong with such a teaching and yet so many churches throughout the world teach this false doctrine. Note that this was not taught by the Early Church. This teaching began as late as 1800's. How can a teaching that is less than 200 years old find its way in 80% of churches in America? It is just amazing and yet so many people are taught this. Lack of Biblical Context and much of personal ego.
3. The Most holy place or the most holy one? a. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place Daniel 9:24 i. According to The Sages, The Second Temple was considered to had been not anointed because of the lack of evident presence of God. It was missing God's Shekinah (Yoma 21b) ii. The Second Temple was standing before the Messiah was "cut off" or put to death as Daniel 9:26 fore told. No where in the ending verses of Daniel, it speaks about another temple. iii. Many revered rabbis mention that the last and second temple (destroyed in 70 A.D.) had never been anointed because it had lacked both the Ark of the Covenant and the Shekinah (The Divine Presence). According to rabbinical thinking, the Ark will be revealed by the Messianic King, who will also build a Temple. 4. The 70 weeks of Daniel. a. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy. Know and understand that seven weeks (49 years) and sixty-two weeks (434 years) will pass from the time the people are told to build Jerusalem again until the Messiah Prince. (total amount of years from the building of Jerusalem to Messiah, is 483 years. b. And after the sixty-two weeks (49+434=483), the anointed one (Messiah) shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. v.26 c. And he (Messiah) shall make a algabar biryt great covenant with many for one week (7 years), and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. i. Correct version base in the LXX and the MT 1. and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
5. The Chapter is not talking about a building, but about Messiah to anoint the most holy one. a. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. b. CR: Daniel 7: 21-22 As I looked, this horn made war with the qaddiysh and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the qaddiysh of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 6. The Whole verse of Is. 61: 1-2 a. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; b. The phrase "Coming in the clouds" by Yeshua, was well known and understood by the Jewish leader of the times and the disciples and was not related to a physically appearance, neither to the "Shakan" of the Creator, but a metaphorically expression of God moving in power of an army for deliverance or destruction. The Shemitah can build or tear down nations Deu 33:26-27, 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18:9-10, Isaiah 19:1 The forgiveness of debts and return of slaves on Yovel is called the "Jubilee Release." The Brit Chadashah portion reveals that Yeshua the Mashiach was sent to set the captives free by releasing them from their slavery to sin. Yeshua read these words during an aliyah He performed at the synagogue: Yeshua then stated that "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," indicating that He was the Substance of which the ritual was merely a type. God wants to walk with us again. He wants to bring you back to the garden I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. -Lev 26:11-12 The Shemitah/Yovel year is a time of release, is a time for fresh starts. It s a time to let the past go and start fresh.