Leviticus
ויּקרא

 

Lesson 11

Primary texts:
    Leviticus 25
    Jer. 25:11-12, 29:10
    Dan. 9:1-2, 24-27
   

  1. What does "Sabbath" mean?
     
  2. In addition to the weekly Sabbath, Lev. 25:1-7 describes another periodic Sabbath. How frequently was it to be observed?
     
  3. Whereas the weekly Sabbath was a rest for man, this other Sabbath was a rest for what?
     
  4. When did the law concerning the weekly Sabbath go into effect, and when did the law concerning this other Sabbath become effective? (See Lev. 25:2)
     
  5. Were the Israelites prohibited from planting in the 7th year?
     
  6. Were the Israelites allowed to harvest crops that simply sprang up on the own during the 7th year?
     
  7. After every 49 years, the fiftieth year was to be a "Jubilee." Our English word "Jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word (by way of Greek, Latin, etc.) yovel, which is the word used in the Hebrew text of Lev. 25. What is the basic meaning of this word and how is it translated (several times) in Josh. 6:4-13? (One way of finding out about this is to go to http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=03104&version=kjv. Or you might check the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE). The article found in the original ISBE is available online at http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T5180 and also at http://www.biblemaster.com/bible/ency/isb/view.asp?number=5180. )
     
  8. Were the Israelites allowed to plant or harvest crops during a Jubilee year?
     
  9. What would the Israelites do for food during a 7th year or during a Jubilee year?
     
  10. During the 8th year, the Israelites would be allowed to plant and harvest. But what would they eat while they waited for the crops planted that year to come in?
     
  11. If the 8th year were also a 50th year, it would be a Jubilee, which would mean that for two consecutive years (the 49th being a Sabbath year, and the 50th being a Jubilee), the Israelites were not to plant or harvest. Was there provision sufficient to provide food for two consecutive years?
     
  12. Explain real estate transactions according to the law, and especially explain what was to happen at the Jubilee year.
     
  13. What distinction is made between houses in walled cities and houses outside walled cities?
     
  14. For what group of people was there no distinction between houses in walled cities and houses outside walled cities?
     
  15. While there was no outright prohibition on the transfer of property as long as it was not sold in perpetuity, can you see how Lev. 25 could account for Naboth's unwillingness to sell his property to Ahab? (1 Kings 21:1ff)
     
  16. While there was no outright prohibition on the transfer of property as long as it was not sold in perpetuity, can you see how Lev. 25 could account for Naboth's unwillingness to sell his property to Ahab? (1 Kings 21:1ff)
     
  17. What significance did the Jubilee have with regard to slavery?
     

    THE LAND, THE SABBATHS, AND THE CAPTIVITY
     

  18. When and where did Jeremiah live?
     
  19. What was Hananiah saying about the duration of the captivity? (Jer. 28:1-4)
     
  20. How did Hananiah illustrate his point? (Jer. 28:10-11)
     
  21. What did the Lord, through Jeremiah, say about Hananiah? (Jer. 28:12-17)
     
  22. According to Jeremiah, how long was the captivity to last? (Jer 25:11-12, 29:10)
     
  23. In Daniel 9:1, the year is given as "the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of Median descent." This would be the same Darius who was forced to put Daniel in the lions' den (Dan. 6), and he apparently ruled beginning about 539 B.C. Do you remember in what year Daniel was taken to Babylon (Dan. 1:1-7)? How long would Daniel have been in Babylon at the time of Dan. 9:1?
     
  24. What was Daniel reading? (Dan. 9:2)
     
  25. You might find it interesting to compare Daniel's prayer in Dan. 9, particularly 9:15, with part of Solomon's dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:46-50, particularly 8:47.
     
  26. Beginning in Lev. 26:14, the penalties of disobeying God's law are declared. Note in particular Lev. 26:32-35. What was it that God was going to accomplish, one way or another, either through the people's obedience, or by means of the people being carried away into exile?
     
  27. What do we learn about the captivity from 2 Chronicles 36:20-21?