The Glory and Fruits of Jubilee
Despite our many daunting challenges, we still have many reasons to praise our merciful God as Burundi and other African countries celebrate their jubilee anniversaries next year. However, according to the Bible, for jubilee to be a living reality, we all need to send strong prayers of petition and intercession to the God of Heaven for His quick help and intervention. The year of Jubilee is a Sabbath of rest and full release from slavery back into family possessions. It marks a new start for all into the enjoyment of the fullness of God’s blessing and peaceful existence.
As our nation, Burundi and some other African nations mark their 50th independence anniversary next year, we have to deliberately press forward to enter into the reality of Jubilee. Jubilee presupposes that before now, there has been enslavement, forfeiture of inheritance, oppression, servitude, unprofitable hard work, groaning and restlessness. All these and even more have characterized the life of our nation for long. We cannot continue to enumerate over and again the perpetual backwardness, infrastructural decay and negligence, senseless killings, injustice, ethnic skirmishes, armed robberies, ritual killings, bribery and corruption in high and low places, political thuggery and election riggings which have become the bane of our society.
Youth restiveness, kidnapping and criminal acts have added a serious and worrisome dimension to it in recent times. However, “…In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” Rom. 8:37
The only two recorded instances in the Bible where and when Jesus Christ wept were at the grave of His friend Lazarus John 11:35 and over Jerusalem because she missed the period of God’s visitation unto her by not recognizing her time of Jubilee in Christ Luke 19:41-44.
If our Lord was physically present with us today, he probably would have wept over our nation, as well as other nations who have not been responsive to our/their own season(s) of Jubilee. Our own season of jubilee has come and we must blow this trumpet of jubilee loudly and clearly for it to give distinctive sound to adequately prepare the Church which is the harbinger of the jubilee.
THEOLOGY OF JUBILEE
“And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the Day of Atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. Lev.25:8-11
The jubilee year were connected with the day of Atonement. Every 7th Sabbath and every 50th year was a Jubilee. After 7 sabbaths of years (7x7=49) there was Jubilee year.
The Hebrew word is “yobel” and means “the blast of a horn from its continuous sound; the signal of the silver trumpets, hence the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced jubilee, the ram’s horn or trumpet. The word trumpet has a root meaning of “to flow or to bring with pomp”. Similar words are watercourse, stream, produce, river outgrowth, also a cry of joy, joyful shout, trumpet signal, alarm.
From this scripture we see that liberty was proclaimed throughout the land to all inhabitants as men were set free and prison doors were opened. This 50th anniversary of the independence of Burundi is so significant. I believe Burundi is entering her rest from the previous years of turmoil.
Holiness marked this jubilee year, which also a Sabbath year for the land. No sowing or reaping was to be done. The land was to rest. The release of all slaves also produced much celebration.
The jubilee first of all is prophetic of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to deliver the Beggar, Brokenhearted, Bound, Blind and Bruised Isa 61:1-3, Luke 4:17-19 and to proclaim the acceptable year (jubilee) of the Lord. This year is also called the year of my redeemed Isa 63:1-4, the year of release Lev 25:1-7, and the year of liberty and so we decree that it is the year of God’s true redemption in Burundi, the year of the release of God’s mercy and Grace upon Burundi, the year of the release of Burundi from grip and struggle and struggle of the enemy and her year of liberty from endless toiling and struggle.
“But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of Liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them. ” Ezek 46:17
Next year ultimately points to Burundi being delivered from any and every curse and thus returning to her Garden of Eden and her dominion and place on the planet earth.
“And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.” Lev 25:19 “Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.” Lev 25:21
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF JUBILEE
Next year is the year of our Jubilee; it is therefore the time for true liberation of our country from endless experiments in the hands of our cadaverous politicians. We must put an end to this vicious cycle of retrogression in the comity of nations by fielding best candidates; we must henceforth seek and support those who have recorded successes in their personal lives.
Governance has become a serious business and must be treated as such. In business, we must get positive results; there is no justification for failure. Until we manage to install viable democratic platforms, nothing would ever work here.
Today, the quality of leadership has nosedived. Leaders are picked from the dregs of society based on primordial sentiments. No man with blood flowing in his veins should wish Burundi other years in the hands of these clueless politicians. Burundi deserves much better. The solution is not too difficult if the current leadership is willing and ready to do what is right.
In summary, let us earnestly and fervently pray and trust God to bless us irreversibly with jubilee blessings, as He has blessed the nation of Ghana during their Jubilee 5 years ago, with the following blessings among others. A sudden discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities, electoral reforms and successful national elections, good leadership and Ghana has become an investors’ haven for people from all over the world, good security and world class infrastructures.
What God has done for others, He will also do for us amen.
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