Topical Bible: Seven: Years: Seven Times, the Period Between the Jubilees

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the number seven holds significant theological and symbolic importance throughout the Bible, often representing completeness or divine perfection. One of the most profound applications of the number seven is found in the context of the sabbatical cycles and the Jubilee year, as outlined in the Mosaic Law.

The Sabbatical Year

The sabbatical year, or "Shemitah," occurs every seventh year and is a time of rest for the land of Israel. According to Leviticus 25:3-4 , "For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard." This commandment underscores the principle of rest and reliance on God's provision, as the Israelites were to trust that God would provide enough in the sixth year to sustain them through the seventh.

The Jubilee Year

The Jubilee year is an extension of the sabbatical cycle, occurring after seven cycles of seven years, or 49 years. The 50th year is declared a Jubilee, a time of liberation and restoration. Leviticus 25:10 states, "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan." During the Jubilee, debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and ancestral lands were returned to their original families, symbolizing a profound reset and renewal in the community.

Theological Significance

The period between the Jubilees, consisting of seven cycles of seven years, emphasizes the importance of divine order and justice. It reflects God's sovereignty over time and His desire for social and economic balance among His people. The Jubilee serves as a reminder of God's ultimate ownership of the land and His provision for His people, as well as a call to live in accordance with His statutes.

Prophetic Implications

The concept of seven times seven also carries prophetic implications. In Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the "Seventy Weeks" is often interpreted as a period of seventy sevens, or 490 years, pointing to the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. This prophetic framework underscores the anticipation of ultimate restoration and redemption, themes that resonate with the principles of the Jubilee.

Practical Observance

While the specific observance of the Jubilee year is not recorded in biblical history, its principles continue to inspire discussions on economic justice, debt forgiveness, and social equity within Christian thought. The Jubilee serves as a model for addressing systemic inequalities and promoting a society that reflects God's justice and mercy.

In summary, the period between the Jubilees, marked by seven cycles of seven years, is a profound biblical concept that encapsulates themes of rest, restoration, and divine order. It serves as a testament to God's provision and a call to live in harmony with His divine principles.

Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 25:8
And you shall number seven sabbaths of years to you, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty and nine years.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Book of Jubilees
... the city, after they had marched round it seven times with seven priests blowing
seven trumpets ... rest after being cropped for six successive years, and by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... it is very probable that on the seventh day, when the seven trumpets have ... of Paul
to the Galatians: "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years," &c ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
... Alms were collected at regular times every week, either in ... are again arranged into
"weeks," each of seven years (a day ... year, of a certain "week" of years, of a ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 18 brief outline of.htm

The Evening of the Third Day in Passion-Week - on the Mount of ...
... that period of rebellion is stated to be seven years. ... must not be limited to the
times of the ... expressly placed between them the period - apparently protracted ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vi the evening of.htm

Chapter xi
... use of the divine name Yahweh, three times in these ... after he begat Serug, two hundred
and seven years, and begat ... not die till Jacob was forty-eight years old. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xi.htm

The Ascension of Isaiah.
... Indeed, in the earliest times the tradition of the Great Forty Days ... Isaiah asserts
that Antichrist shall reign for three years and seven months, being 1290 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the ascension of isaiah.htm

The Heidelberg Catechism. AD 1563.
... devil); while Luther (with Augustine) numbers seven petitions, and ... of the Palatinate,
now three hundred years old, is ... Its utterances rise at times to a sort of ...
/.../ 69 the heidelberg catechism.htm

The Assumption of Moses
... And he shall call his seven sons unto him, and thus address them ... Jude to post-apostolic
times. ... took Jerusalem AUC 691; the nine weeks, or 63 years, at the close ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the assumption of moses.htm

New Testament History and Prophecy.
... its origin; for it was in the last years of the ... We have six or seven books of this
kind, which ... That these writings appeared in troublous times, and that they ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter x new testament history.htm

Introduction.
... Him shall rejoice four hundred [24] years, and that ... of Isaiah He passes through the
seven heavens unrecognised ... to have been well known before Christian times. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/introduction.htm