| IN CELEBRATION OF GOD |
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| planting. All land bought or sold during the previous 49 years went back to its original family ownership. Since the land had originally been equally distributed, this meant that no family would ever become either totally destitute or overwhelmingly rich. Any Israelites who had sold themselves as slaves would also be freed in that year. Prosperity Came from God Hard work and the resulting abundance were never scorned in Israel. But prosperity always came ultimately from God, not from hard work or clever dealings alone. The feasts and Sabbaths, set aside as special days, helped people remember and praise the God who had given them so much. So far as we know, no Year of Jubilee was ever actually practiced. Some of the feasts were forgotten for long periods of time. But such failure is not surprising. After all, think what we have done to the holy day of Christmas! The feast days described in Leviticus give us a good idea of what God wanted Israel to be. Sadly, reality did not often match the ideal. Life Questions: If someone examined the way you spend your holidays and weekends, what would he or she conclude about your priorities? |
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