“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10). What a wonderful verse! Let’s take a look at the context behind this scripture.
For ancient Israel, every seventh year was a sabbath year. It was “a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: th[ey] neither sow[ed] th[eir] field[s], nor prune[d] th[eir] vineyard[s].” (Leviticus 25:4).
But every seventh seventh year (the 50th year) was special. It was designated as the “sabbath of sabbaths”. During the fiftieth year, the Israelites celebrated their freedom from Egypt. They released their slaves, returned property to the original owners or their descendants and as in the seventh year, the land was to rest from crops. Most importantly, they rejoiced in the One who had made them free, their Savior, Jesus Christ.
Fast forward thousands of years later to the American continent and we see another nation brought out of bondage by that same being who led the children of Israel. This nation was “conceived in Liberty”, and was founded on principles of religious freedom, equality, justice, and most of all, righteousness. Just like when Israel was lead out of Egypt, we were led out of the hands of the nations of Europe and allowed by God to be a free nation.
In 1751, the Liberty Bell was made for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s Charter of Priviledges—Pennsylvania’s first constitution. When it came time to inscribe a scripture on the bell, it’s no surprise that they chose Leviticus 25:10. Just like the Israelites, the pennsylvanians were enjoying their fiftieth year of liberty under their original state constitution.
Now, we are approaching the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. July 4th, 2026 will be the fifth half century since our nation formally began. Let’s begin now to make it a glorious celebration. Let’s take the next five years to educate our fellow Americans, “proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof”, and return to our founding principles, so that five years from now, we can be a truly free people!
