Bahar (On the Mountain) – Bechukotai (in My statutes)

Torah Portion:  Bahar (On the Mountain) – Bechukotai (in My statutes)

Torah Reading:  Bahar-Leviticus 25:1-26:2  –   Bechukotai-Leviticus 26:3-27:34

Prophetic Reading:  Bahar-Jeremiah 32:6-27   –   Bechukotai-Jeremiah 16:19-17:14

This week there is a double Torah portion reading and Baruch has selected one portion instead of a portion for each.

“Freedom Relates to Obedience to the Will of God”

In this week’s Torah reading, the Jubilee year is discussed. In regard to this commandment it is stated,

“And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the Land for all its inhabitants….” Leviticus 25:10

There is only one point I want to share concerning this verse. The text states that we are to proclaim דרור “freedom”. It is very important that one understands the unique implications of this Hebrew word. According to the context, the individual was obligated (in bondage) to serve his creditor. However, when the year of Jubilee arrived, he was to be set free. Why was this one obligated to serve his creditor? The answer is because he was not able to uphold his agreement in regard to the terms of a loan. In other words, his violation caused him to be in bondage. There is a spiritual message to this issue. Because of Adam’s violation of the word of God, we find ourselves in bondage to sin. Likewise, because of HaShem’s provision of the Messiah, believers have been set free from the bondage of sin. The Messiah is a type of Jubilee blessing.

The Jubilee blessing is uniquely related to “freedom”. So too is faith in Messiah Yeshua. It is important to understand the nature of the word used in this text. This “freedom” relates to obedience to the will of God. In the same way that the servant was not set free so he could immediately act in the same manner which would cause him to return to bondage; likewise, those who experience the freedom of Messiah are not called to engage in sin, but to use the freedom to obey the word of God. In other words, the freedom that a believer receives from Yeshua should not be used as an opportunity for sin. In fact, a true believer will not desire sin. This does not mean that believers never have temptation to sin, nor does it mean that we will never again struggle with sin. It means rather, that a believer will not have as his or her goal the committing of sin. The reality of the matter is that a primary motivation for receiving the grace of God is for the specific purpose of turning away from sin and to embrace the purposes of God.

With this in mind, it is not surprising that one reads in this same passage,

“For it is a Jubilee, holy you shall be….” Leviticus 25:12

It is clear from the text that there is an inherent relationship between the Jubilee freedom and holiness.