What connections exist between Leviticus 27:21 and the concept of redemption in Christ? Leviticus 27:21 in Its Original Setting • “When the field is released in the Jubilee, it shall become holy to the LORD like a field permanently set apart; it will become the property of the priests.” (Leviticus 27:21) • A landowner could “devote” (consecrate) his field to the LORD. • He had the right to “redeem” it by paying its assessed value plus 20 percent (vv. 19–20). • If he chose not to redeem, the field was forfeited at the Year of Jubilee and became priestly property—never to return to the original family line. Key Themes That Point Forward • Redemption requires a price. • Jubilee announces release and restoration. • Whatever is not redeemed passes wholly into the LORD’s possession. • Priests become the stewards of what is surrendered. Christ Fulfills—and Intensifies—These Themes • He declared “the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19), echoing Jubilee freedom. • He is our “kinsman-redeemer” (cf. Ruth 4:4–10) who pays the full price with His own blood (1 Peter 1:18–19). • All who trust Him are transferred “from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13–14). • Believers become “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), mirroring the priests who received the unredeemed field. Parallel Lessons: Field vs. Believer 1. Ownership – Field: originally belonged to a family line. – Believer: created for God yet estranged by sin (Isaiah 53:6). 2. Consecration – Field: formally set apart to the LORD. – Believer: set apart in Christ—“sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). 3. Redemption Price – Field: silver valuation plus one-fifth. – Believer: “You were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20)—the infinite worth of the Savior’s life. 4. Jubilee Transfer – Field: if left unredeemed, became the priest’s inheritance. – Believer: once redeemed, becomes God’s treasured possession and serves in His priestly service (Revelation 1:5–6). Implications for Today • The Jubilee principle proclaims liberty; Christ embodies it, freeing us from sin’s debt. • God’s ownership is total, yet He graciously provides redemption rather than immediate forfeiture. • Redemption is voluntary from our side—accepted by faith—but costly and complete from His side. • Our lives, like that field, are meant to be holy to the LORD, administered under the true High Priest. Summing Up Leviticus 27:21 prefigures the gospel: a surrendered possession is either redeemed by a price or devoted permanently to God. In Christ, the price is paid, Jubilee freedom is announced, and we become holy property in the hands of our great High Priest. |
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