It’s hard to believe that I am celebrating my 50th birthday. In honor of this milestone, I decided to look up the scriptures concerning the yovel, or jubilee, as well as the number 50 which also happens to be the Hebrew letter Nun נ.
The number 50 is represented with the festival of Shavuot, also known as Pentecost. The festival of Shavu’ot arrived, and the believers gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1-2 Regarding Shavuot, The Complete Jewish Study Bible says, “On the holy day called Yom HaBikkurim (Day of the Firstfruits), the firstfruits of the harvest (barley)were brought in and waved before the Lord. Fifty days later, the later firsfruits (wheat) were offered to the Lord on another holy day, which is known by two names. Jewish people know it as Shavu’ot (which means “weeks”) because it occurs seven weeks after Pesach (Passover; Deut. 16:10). Greek speaking Jews and many Christians called this day Pentecost (which means “fiftieth”), because it occurs fifty days after Yom HaBikkurim (Lev 23:16). Shavu’ot is designated as a time of thanksgiving for the early harvest. God’s faithfulness providing the early wheat harvest increases faith for an abundant fall harvest as Sukkot (Tabernacles). Giving thanks for present provision leads to faith for future fruit.”
Hebrew, being alphanumeric means that each word also has a numeric value. As I was looking at words with the value of 50, the one that stood out to me is Kol כל.
Kol – Completeness, totality, the whole, the whole of, to be rendered, to avoid stiffness, with the whole of my heart, continually, all things.
The first verse that I looked up with the word Kol is from the book of Jeremiah, and I couldn’t help but smile because it speaks of being made complete in Him through the forgiveness of sin.
I will cleanse them from all their sins through which they offended me; and I will pardon all their sins, through which they offended and rebelled against me. Jeremiah 33:8
When we come to Him and confess our sins, make Yeshua Lord of our lives, and live for Him, He does more than just forgive us, He cleanses us and pardons us, for the totality of sin in our life. When He was on the cross, He BECAME our sin and gave us His righteousness. He took it ALL, and as we stay in Him and repent when we fall short, He continues to forgive them all, helping us to avoid stiffness and becoming hard hearted or stiff necked.
Leviticus 25 discusses in detail about the yovel, יובל the Jubilee, which translates to ram’s horn or trumpet, and explained as “the blast of a horn, specifically the signal of the silver trumpets, hence the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced.” The jubilee year was marked by the blowing of trumpets.
As I was looking over the verses, there was a line from verse 10 that leapt off the page. Everyone is to return to his family. If we are honest with ourselves, each of us has a family member that we are distanced from. Rabbi Jason Sobel talks about this in his book Mysteries of the Messiah, discussing the types of exile created from the fall, “spiritual exile, relational exile, emotional and psychological exile, and physical exile.” Rabbi Sobel says this of relational exile, “Man and woman became disconnected and distant from each other. When questioned by God the man blamed the woman and even the Lord who gave her to him. The relational disconnection spread to their family and only worsened. Their firstborn son, Cain, murdered his younger brother, Abel, out of jealousy. Humanity has struggled with unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships ever since. Diverse, sibling rivalries, abuse, misogyny, racism, discrimination, and even genocide all have their roots in the relational exile that resulted from the Fall.” Mysteries of the Messiah p.28-29
Because of the work of the cross, these exiles have been overcome, and I am believing that as I turn 50, as I have my own personal jubilee, that everyone in my family that I have disconnect with returns. I am believing that relational exile will no longer have any place in my family.
The words “to” and “return” in this phrase from Leviticus 25:10 each display an act of motion in both the physical and the spiritual. To in Hebrew is the word el אֵל and is defined as “of motion to or unto a person or place”. It can mean to join together, a direction towards anything, and has a spiritual implication of trembling or turning towards or to pray towards God. It also with words expresses the direction of the mind. Return or shuwb שוּב however means to turn back, return, or to be restored and in a spiritual sense, repent. One cannot help but think of the parable of the prodigal son and the restoration between the father and son. While this parable is indeed symbolic of our restoration towards our Abba Father, how many have children or other family members that they long to have this reunion and restoration with? How many people long for their relationships to be resurrected with new life breathed into them?
One of the most common aspects of the jubilee that I have heard has been the freeing of slaves, or “setting the captives free”. We are drawn to Yeshua when we read this as we know that he declared in John 8:34-36, “Amen, amen I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the Son abides forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” Paul also spoke of freedom in his second letter to the Corinthians saying, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Ruach Adonai is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
When your birthday approaches, people will always ask what you want for your birthday. While there are material things that I would indeed like to have, they are not the desire of my heart. What I truly want for this birthday that marks a jubilee, I want what the Word declares for that 50th year. I want the return of estranged family, I want to understand and walk in that freedom He has given me as I am no longer a slave to sin, I want each day to go towards Yeshua, and away from the things of this world. I want to be whole and complete, without stiffness, and not be stiff-necked towards Him and His ways. I want a fresh outpouring of the Ruach, the Spirit, as on the day of Shavuot. I want more of God. That is the ultimate birthday present. Happy 50th birthday, Melisa! Happy jubilee! Here’s to a new year of going deeper into the things of God.
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