https://odb.org/2023/10/26/beauty-for-ashes
Under Mosaic law, the Israelites were to tend and cultivate their fields for 6 years and then let it rest for a year as a sabbath. It’s a good law that allows the soil to recover its fertility naturally. In geography, we know that most large river deltas like the Mekong or the Irrawaddy have a major flood every 10 years or so. Or a volcano will erupt every now and then, like in the Javan island, spewing its ashes and larva. That’s nature’s way of fertilising the soil.
But Mosaic law takes it further because after seven cycles of cultivating and resting the land, after 49 years, it’s the year of the jubilee. That’s the year when prisoners are released, slaves are freed, and land bought are returned to their original owners. It seems that there was no evidence in the bible that this law was ever practised because if land sold needed to be returned after 49 years, the sale was practically only a long-term lease.
Notwithstanding the actual application of the law in the lives of the Israelites, Jesus fulfiled that law when He died for our sins. He proclaimed the good news of the year of jubilee and set the captives and slaves free. He gave us a crown of beauty for ashes. In other words, He became the year of jubilee.
There is freedom and redemption in Christ. A prevailing theme in the Word of God is that He will restore what the locusts have devoured (Joel 2:25), like exchanging a crown of beauty for ashes in Isaiah 61:1-4. There is always restoration in the kingdom of God. From our time prior to our time in it and even things lost due to our foolishness when we are already in the faith. The Israelites were exiled twice, and the Temple and Jerusalem destroyed. Yet, in 1948, the state of Israel was established. The Temple remains buried, but one day, it will be restored in the new heaven and new earth. Trust in the Lord, live in accordance with His will – He will give us a crown of beauty for the ashes in our lives!
Ronnie's Thoughts 