Leviticus 23-25 describes God's plan for keeping his glory in continual commemoration among his people. In the Bible, forgetfulness of God is failure. God's people are called to remember his holiness, his glory, his judgement, and most importantly, his salvation. God set up the calendar of the Israelites to reflect this priority. Annual celebrations as well as daily practices were meant to keep God at the forefront of their minds and hearts. His name is to be honored continually (24:10) and his image bearers protected (24:17).The section culminates in the magnificent once-a-generation celebration of the Sabbath year (25). In this year, property is to be restored to its original owners and the land itself is to take a rest. God's people are to be restored to their inheritance. No matter how far down the economic ladder some of the people had fallen, they would always know that in the end their inheritance was guaranteed to return to them in the Sabbath year. God's inheritance might be neglected, it might even be forgotten, but it would be restored. On the sabbath year, God's salvation leading to a promised land and a promised rest would be remembered again.
How are we doing keeping God's name and salvation in remembrance? Does our calendar commemorate his glory and his preeminence in our hearts? Are we consistently celebrating our great redemption? And do we believe that we have an inheritance, glorious, eternal, unfading, kept in heaven for us?
