Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land
Today is July 4th, 2022 on the Gregorian calendar — 246 years since America's 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain. When the Declaration of Independence was read publicly 4 days later on July 8th, 1776, bells rang out all over the colonies in celebration. The most famous of these bells, the Liberty Bell, bears this inscription: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." The bell was cast with its famous inscription in 1751 — 25 years before American independence! The inscription quotes part of Lev. 25:10: "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family." In AD 27, when Jesus Christ began His ministry/service, He quoted Isa 61:1-2, which itself referenced back to this passage in Leviticus. We read in Luke 4:16-21: "So He c...