Leviticus 25: The World's First One-Pay Lease

A simple google search will state that the first leases took place in the 1700's with horses, buggies, and wagons. However, the Bible introduced the concept of a lease thousands of years prior. In the Old Testament, God used Moses to implement The Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25:8-13. This Jubilee, which took place every 50 years, would require the Israelites to return any property that was sold to the initial owner/family. At first glance, this may start to evoke thoughts of socialism or wealth redistribution; however, that could not be further from what was happening. The verses that immediately follow add additionally context and clarity.

"If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other.?You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years?since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops.?When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price,?because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops." - Leviticus 25:14-16

When the Israelites sold land back then, it is not what we would typically think of when we hear "real estate sale" today. They would sell the rights to the land for a set number of years (until the next Jubilee) in exchange for a one-time upfront payment. That, by definition, would be the first ever recored series of one-pay leases in history. God goes so far as to specify that the time until the next Jubilee (the lease length) affects the price that is paid for the land. This basic economics principle is easily understood by most today, however, at the time was a revolutionary concept. Why would God implement this strange one-pay lease system for his people? It allowed the people to adopt a stewardship mindset. They realized that what they "owned" was God's and that He had entrusted them to manage it for a season.

Why Does it Matter?

New financial strategies and techniques will always continue to be developed as investment and tax laws are constantly changing. Yet, God's Word is never-changing. Despite being written thousands of years ago, the Bible contains principles that are still applicable to the financial markets and our own personal finances today. Understanding God's desire for how we steward our wealth is a pivotal point in our faith journeys. God has given us over 2,000 verses in scripture that speak directly to money and possessions which is evidence that this topic is near to the Lord's heart.

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." -Ecclesiastes 1:9