What is the meaning of Leviticus 25:15? You are to buy from your neighbor • God keeps transactions within the covenant community, just as Leviticus 25:14 instructs, “If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of one another”. • Buying “from your neighbor” implies mutual care: Romans 13:9 sums up the Law with “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. • The land was allotted to each tribe (Joshua 13–19). By limiting sales to fellow Israelites, God protected family inheritances while fostering an atmosphere of trust and accountability. according to the number of years since the last Jubilee • The Jubilee came every fiftieth year (Leviticus 25:10-11). Because the land returned to its original clan at that point, any sale was really a long-term lease. • Pricing land by counting years from the most recent Jubilee anchored the deal in an objective timeline. It guarded against both greed and panic-selling. • This standard reminds us that “the land is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me” (Leviticus 25:23). Since God owns it all, His calendar—not human haggling—sets value. he is to sell to you • The seller had a duty as well: no inflated prices. Proverbs 11:1 warns, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD”. • Leviticus 25:25 provides a safety net: if poverty forced a sale, the nearest relative could redeem the land. Fair selling practices preserved dignity for the poor, echoing Deuteronomy 15:7-8. • In this mutual respect, both buyer and seller mirror God’s justice—“Whatever you want others to do for you, do the same for them” (Matthew 7:12). according to the number of harvest years remaining • Verse 16 clarifies: “You are to increase the price according to the greater number of years and decrease it according to the lesser number, for he is selling to you the number of crops”. • Practical outworkings: – More years left = more harvests = higher price. – Fewer years left = fewer harvests = lower price. • By tying price to future crops, God makes fairness measurable. This anticipates modern notions of depreciation and lease value. • James 5:4 condemns unfair wages; the principle is identical—workers (or sellers) must receive what is right for the time involved. summary Leviticus 25:15 commands covenant partners to trade fairly: buy only from fellow Israelites, price land by counting years since the last Jubilee, and adjust value to the harvests still ahead. These details honor God’s ultimate ownership of the land, protect family inheritance, and cultivate love for neighbor through transparent, time-bound dealings. |
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