What is the meaning of Leviticus 25:50? He and his purchaser will then count the time The verse opens with a shared calculation, emphasizing that both parties stand before God under the same standard of justice. • This mutual counting prevents exploitation and keeps the process transparent (see Leviticus 19:35-36). • The principle reflects Exodus 21:2, where the servant’s term is clearly defined, and echoes Jesus’ call to mutual fairness in Matthew 7:12. • By involving the servant in the math, the Lord guards his dignity; he is not property to be managed in secret but a covenant brother whose rights must be openly respected (Leviticus 25:17). From the year he sold himself The clock starts at the point of voluntary indenture, a response to poverty rather than criminal penalty (Leviticus 25:39). • The servant chose this path to survive, similar to the widow’s plight in 2 Kings 4:1-7. • Marking the exact year prevents adding hidden time and reminds Israel that hardship has a measurable limit (Deuteronomy 24:18). • God never forgets the beginning of a trial, and neither should His people. Up to the Year of Jubilee The endpoint is fixed: “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (Leviticus 25:10). • However long the servant has left, Jubilee guarantees freedom, land restoration, and a fresh start. • Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18 connect this release to the Messiah’s ministry, showing God’s heart for liberation. • Every calculation moves toward hope; oppression ends on God’s schedule, not man’s. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years Value is prorated, not arbitrary. • If twenty years remain until Jubilee, the buyer pays more; if two, far less—mirroring the sliding scale in Leviticus 27:16-18. • This guards against profiteering while compensating the purchaser for lost labor, balancing mercy and responsibility. • It teaches fairness in all business dealings (Proverbs 11:1). Based on the daily wages of a hired hand God equates the servant’s value to that of a free laborer, not livestock. • Leviticus 25:40 affirms, “He shall serve you as a hired worker or a temporary resident.” • Deuteronomy 24:14-15 commands prompt payment to hired workers, and James 5:4 warns against withholding wages; those same protections apply here. • This provision underscores the servant’s humanity and the divine insistence that work be honored with just compensation (Colossians 4:1). summary Leviticus 25:50 anchors servitude in justice, hope, and human dignity: both parties count the years, starting from the moment of need and ending unconditionally at Jubilee; the redemption price is precisely proportioned to remaining time and tied to fair daily wages. God insists that His people mirror His character—righteous, compassionate, and eager to set captives free. |
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