Big Idea: God wants people to be free to serve him and not be trapped in permanent poverty.

Understanding the Text

Leviticus 23 describes special religious days during Israel’s calendar year. Leviticus 25 describes special religious years: the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. These “consecrated” and “holy” years (25:10, 12) contribute to making Israel a holy people, the theme of Leviticus 17–27. This chapter’s introduction (25:1) also serves to introduce the next chapter (see further comments there).

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern kings sometimes released debts at the beginning of their reigns. The most famous example
is the Edict of Ammi-saduqa, a seventeenth-century BC Babylonian king. Kings could declare anduraru (“release”) to establish misharam (“equi…