How to Spot a Sabbath Year

[Ged]

One of the least researched topics in the Bible is the subject of Sabbatical years.

others that were kept.a Sabbath year is indicated when one of the following things happen:

(to continue)

[Ged]

The Sabbath years were not only to do with agriculture.

Also, I would just like to assure any who may be wondering: No, Im not trying to talk us into modern day Sabbath keeping. However, the Sabbath and Jubilee systems are well worth studying insofar as they pointed to Christ.

Will try to get back to this soon.

Ged

[Ged]

explicitlyA Sabbath year is indicated when one of the following things happen:

At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord. (Deut. 31:10-12)

(to continue)

[Just Some Dude]

Am watching this topic.

[Ged]

So what do you reckon? I say Joshua 8 is the first recorded example of a Sabbath year being kept. Yes?

Ged

[Ged]

Date of Joshua's death is known after all!

At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord. (Deut. 31:10-12)

The sabbatical years provide Bible history with an unexpected bonus at the beginning of the Promised Land. The length of Joshua's rule, and his date of death is not given, and this has made it difficult to construct a chronology of the Judges because he was the first Judge.

What is known is his final age of 110 and a brief comment concerning his 'youth' when he began serving Moses. (Numbers 11:28) Also, he spied out the land with contemporaries, all of whom died before the land was divided, except Caleb, who was 85 by then. So, Joshua was probably the youngest spy, but by how many years is not said.

However, when we study the background of Joshua's final year, it becomes apparent that he died on a Sabbatical.Sabbath year of 1368 BC.

[Ged]

The Sabbath Years enable us to date events in the book of Judges

An important distinctive of the Jubilee is that it began with the sound of the trumpet on the seventh month of the 49th year. (Lev. 25:8-10) All other years began on the 1st of Abib. (Exodus 12:2) In other words, the 50th year was superimposed over the last half of the 49th year and the first half-year of the next jubilee cycle.

Diagram of Jubilee Cycle

Are there any examples of such an occasion in the history of the Judges? Yes! When the rule of judges, the times of oppression, and the continuous count of seven is laid down together, a Jubilee year is produced in 1298 BC in the year that Israel was set free from the Moabite oppression.

Please have another look at post #3 showing how to spot a Sabbath and notice these things:

1. Ehud's daring act happened late summer, because Israel's 'tribute' would have come from the harvest. (Jdg. 3:15-20)
   
2. Ehud blew the shofar - the Jubilee trumpet - at which the Israelites rallied and defeated their foes.
   
3. The trumpet was blown from to where the people gathered. This location is Mts Gerizim and Ebal.
   
4. The eastern tribes enjoyed a long peace of 80 years indicating repentance and the Lord's favour.

Together with the sabbatical count, these factors confirm a 49/50 year and enable us to reliably date events that happened during the book of Judges. I.O.W. Ehud's rule began in September 1298 BC.