Pastor shared with us three principles that can help us enjoy the covenantal lifestyle with God’s supernatural provision.
Shabbat – 7th Day of the week
The origin — shortly after the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and entering into the wilderness, God instructed them to begin the observance of Sabbath, which was to rest on the 7th day of every week. They were not to do any work on that day, for that day is set apart for God. They were instructed to gather the manna which God provided and only for that day. The manna was not to be kept for the night as it would go bad. There would be no manna on the ground every Sabbath. God would supernaturally supply the manna twice the amount on the sixth day. To enable them to observe Sabbath, God would double His supernatural supply for them every 6th day of the week so that they did not have to gather it on the Sabbath.
The Principle of Sabbath is to set aside a day of the week from our work, and to gather with other believers to worship and honor God. That is why we set aside every Sunday in the church to worship Him and to hear His voice. This is covenantal lifestyle (Leviticus 23:3).
Some examples -The early believers gathered in the synagogues every Sabbath to hear the Word of God taught to them: a) Luke 13:10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, b) Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath and c) Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
Shemitah - The Sabbath of Years or every 7th year
God also taught the Israelites that the principle of Sabbath not only applies to days, but also to the years.
- Just as every 7th day is to be set apart for God, so should they set apart every 7th year to Him.
- Just as every 7th day was the Sabbath day, so every 7th year was the Sabbath year. This 7th year is called the Shemitah.
During the Sabbath year, not only the people but also the land must rest. Leviticus 25:4 - But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Whatever grew of its own accord on the 7th year belongs to God, which He wants to be given to the poor. The principle of Tithing corresponds to this Principle of Shemitah, where we give to God what belongs to Him and He uses it to help the needy (Exodus 23:10). And the 8th year’s food supply was supernaturally supplied by God (Leviticus 25:19-21).
God also instructed that the year of the Shemitah is the year where all financial accounts will be wiped clean (Deuteronomy 15:1-2). The Shemitah ends imbalances, levels accounts, and nullifies that which has built up in the previous years—a massive cleansing of the financial and economic slate. It means “remission” or “release”. It ends entanglements and brings release for both the ones releasing and the ones being released. It requires people to release their attachments to the material realm: their possessions, their finances, their real estate, and their claims and pursuits concerning such things.
The Shemitah was a sign of Israel’s covenant with God:
• Everything they had belongs to God, and they are but only stewards.
• To cease from their labor is an act of trusting in God’s provision. So is the forgiveness of debts.
• The keeping of the Shemitah above all is an act of devotion and worship, to put God above everything else in one’s life.
The Principle of Shemitah is to declare and honor God as the source of all blessings:
• That we are to trust Him and Him alone for our sustenance and well-being.
• That our wealth is to be used to express His love and faithfulness.
Yobel – 7th cycles of 7 years or 50th year (The Year of Jubilee)
The 50th year brought to a close a cycle of 7 Sabbatical years (49 years). During this year, economic debts were to be forgiven, land restored to families who sold in order to repay debt, and slaves sold to repay debt were to be liberated. The onset of the Year of Jubilee required that all land sold during the preceding forty-nine years be returned to the original owners or their descendants. When poverty forced an Israelite to sell himself into the service of a countryman, he was to be treated as a hired hand, not as a slave.
Then when the Year of Jubilee came, the indentured one and his sons were to be released so they could return to their own land. All people and their land belonged to God, and they were not to belong to any other people as slaves permanently. The Year of Jubilee was to serve as a reminder that the land is special to Yahweh and a divine gift to the Israelites. Since Yahweh redeemed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, ultimately making them His property (Lev 25:42, 55; 26:13, 45), the Israelites were now the property of Yahweh, they were not able to permanently sell one another into debt slavery. The year of Jubilee is like “the Shemitah of all Shemitahs”.
The Jubilee declares that God is the owner of us and everything we possess, including the land we dwell on (our nation, Singapore). We are to claim our land and our nation for God’s purpose and glory for they belong to Him!
The Jubilee is the year of divine “reset” - a clean slate and fresh start in every area of our life. If you allow God, He wants to remove bondages, evict every “squatter” from your land and restore every inheritance lost. Yobel speaks of ultimate restoration. From Luke 4:18 – 19, “Let us proclaim this as the favourable year of the Lord!” In Christ, every year is the year of favour for us. The key is to honour God in keeping the Shabbat, Shemitah and Yobel principles.
Discussion Questions
1 What did the Lord instruct the Israelites to do for Sabbath, Shemitah and Yobel? Why? [10 min]
a. Sabbath
b. Shemitah
c. Yobel
2 How do the above benefit the people of Israel and their land? What might be the physical and spiritual implications if not observed. [10 min]
3 How does tithing relate to the principle of Shemitah? How does tithing benefit us? [10 min]
4 God desires for us to have a clean slate at the start of this Jubilee year. What would you ask of Him and receive His favour? [10 min]
