This devotional is from the Triumphing Series. It accompanies the song ” It’s Time for Jubilee.”
SONG: IT’S TIME FOR JUBILEE
The decree of the Lord is Jubilee
The decree of the Lord is Jubilee
Let my people go
Go set the captive free
It is time for Jubilee!
For the King won it all at Calvary
By His death He conquered the enemy
In His Name go we
Satan is under our feet
It is time for Jubilee!
For the King rides ahead of His army
In His Presence the victory is guaranteed
He’s clothed in armour bright
He’s full of strength and might
It is time for Jubilee
The decree of the Lord is Jubilee
The decree of the Lord is Jubilee
Let my people go
Go set the captive free
It is time for Jubilee!!
Scripture Reading
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” Exodus 8:1 (NIV)
When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” Luke 13:12 (NIV)
“Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee.” Leviticus 25:54 (NIV)
Our key words in this devotional are decree and jubilee. I always find it helpful to look up the definitions of key words:
Decree – A judicial decision or an order having the force of law. (Source: Webster’s Dictionary)
Jubilee – The name of a great festival of the Hebrews that lasted for a year and which took place every fiftieth year. All property that had been sold reverted to its original owner, all slaves were set free and all debts were cancelled. The Jubilee was proclaimed with a blast of trumpets which sounded throughout the land. The Jubilee prevented generational poverty as well as long term inequalities between rich and poor. It also prevented generational slavery. Moreover, it gave people who had suffered financial misfortunes the opportunity to have a fresh beginning. (Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary).
God is Passionate about Justice
Over and over again in His Word, God reveals to us that He is a God of justice. He is the Righteous Judge that every victim of injustice and oppression longs for. In a very real sense, all of humanity needs the decree of full and final freedom that only God can issue and enforce. Only Jesus’ death on the Cross makes this kind of freedom possible – He is the King whose sacrificial death cancels every accusing law or contradicting verdict against mankind (Colossians 2:14).
God is relentless in His quest for justice. Since He has decreed that you and I are to be set free, then we can rest assured that it will happen. We see this in the exodus. The Hebrews had been enslaved for hundreds of years by a powerful people – the ancient Egyptians. If ever there was a stubborn cruel leader it was Pharaoh. Over and over again, despite evidence that he was up against the divine, Pharaoh defied the decree of the Lord “Let my people go!” In the end it cost Pharaoh dearly to have resisted the Lord that long (Exodus 11:5).
With God, it’s never too late nor too hard to reverse the consequences of injustice. A woman had been bent over with sickness for over eighteen years. Jesus saw her, heard the silent cry of her heart and with the words “You are free” decreed Jubilee! (Luke 13:10-17). This stands in contrast to the the religious leaders of the day who were indifferent about her plight, seemingly ignorant of the nature of the God that they claimed to serve. They were not pleased that Jesus chose to set her free on a Sabbath (the Jewish day of rest).
God will find a way for you to find justice. The Lord instituted the year of Jubilee – which occurred every 50 years – in order to set people free from crippling debt, slavery, homelessness or any other kind of economic justice. And just incase someone tried to find a loophole or a way out of the Jubilee provisions, God included an “overriding clause” in the Jubilee Decree to ensure their freedom. “Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee.” Leviticus 25:54
Setting people free from debilitating conditions and problems was a big part of what Jesus did when He was on earth. Since Jesus represents God perfectly, this is a strong indicator that liberation is the essence of who God is. He is a Deliverer! It gives Him pleasure and joy to set people free!
Jesus charged Christians, as His disciples to share the good news about this to all mankind. So whilst I don’t know what you are going through, my prayer is that hope will rise within you as a result of reading this. No matter how long your situation has gone on, or how deeply it has affected your life or how much the enemy has tried to keep you from knowing freedom, never forget that the irrevocable and incontestable verdict in the Highest Court of the Universe is Jubilee!
So break free! Absolute Freedom is yours. All you need to do is believe in the One who issues that verdict, and obey what He tells you to do.
One of the reasons He sets us free is so that we might worship Him. (Exodus 8:1). So for those of you who might be threatened by persecution and rejection, don’t let the fear of the potential consequences of choosing to worship and serve Jesus hold you back from receiving Jubilee.
Jesus, the King of Kings and your Saviour will find a way for you to be free. He has both the authority and power to veto or override everything that opposes His will in your life.
He will make a way. He IS the Way.
Photo by Tumisu on Pixabay
Kairos Songs 