REDEEMED!

"If he is not redeemed in any of these [ways], he and his children are to be released at the Year of Jubilee. For the Israelites are My slaves. They are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 25:54, 55 HCSB)

Bob Dylan was right.

"You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody."

The question is not whether you will serve, but whom you will serve--but serve you will.

Neither can you serve two masters at the same time. Jesus said, "No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money." (Matthew 6:24 HCSB)

You have to choose.

But, we have the privilege of making that choice. We are slaves, yet free! That is the message of redemption. It is what was pictured in the Year of Jubilee.

Consider, THE PROBLEM THAT DEMANDS REDEMPTION.

"The land is not to be permanently sold because it is Mine, and you are only foreigners and temporary residents on My land. You are to allow the redemption of any land you occupy. If your brother becomes destitute and sells part of his property, his nearest relative may come and redeem what his brother has sold. If a man has no family redeemer, but he prospers and obtains enough to redeem his land, he may calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man he sold it to, and return to his property. But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of its purchaser until the Year of Jubilee. It is to be released at the Jubilee, so that he may return to his property." (Leviticus 25:23-28 HCSB)

There was no welfare system run by the government in ancient Israel--no social "safety net" as we are fond to speak of in America. If financial hardship came, you might have to sell your property to pay your debts. You might even become desperate enough to have to sell yourself to serve another. You became a slave to survive. It sure beat starvation.

"If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him to do slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired hand or temporary resident; he may work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released from you, and he may return to his clan and his ancestral property. They are not to be sold as slaves, because they are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt. You are not to rule over them harshly but fear your God." (Leviticus 25:39-43 HCSB)

Spiritually, we are bankrupt. We owe a debt which is beyond our ability to settle. We are all sinners (Rom.3:23) and the debt to be paid is eternal death in the lake of fire (Rom.6:23). We need someone to redeem us.

This is the message of the Year of Jubilee. It was THE PROVISION THAT DELIVERS REDEMPTION.

There were several sabbaths that Israel was to observe. There was the weekly sabbath with which we are most familiar. Then, every seventh year was to be a sabbath where the land was unplowed and given rest. Counting off seven of these sabbath years led to the fiftieth year--Jubilee--and that meant redemption.

The land would be restored and liberty would be resumed.

Jesus is our Jubilee. He has paid the debt to give us paradise. It was taken from us because of our sin. It is given back to us because of the Savior. A place in heaven is ours, purchased by our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ!

But, let's also be clear about THE PURPOSE THAT DRIVES REDEMPTION. It isn't freedom to serve our whims, but freedom to serve God's will. Israel would always be enslaved--free from the Egyptians, but fettered to God! "For the Israelites are My slaves. They are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 25:55 HCSB)

You see, as Bob Dylan declared in his award winning song, "Gotta Serve Somebody" this is the only option open. The lyrics underscore the Biblical reality:

You may be an ambassador to England or France,

You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,

You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,

You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Jesus Christ has paid the debt of our sin. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He is our Jubilee! Why? We are purchased to be His slaves.

Joshua would later call for a decision, "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

What is your choice?