“Sabbath Years and Jubilees” Exodus 23:10-11’ Leviticus 25:1-7

Introduction

It’s interesting to note that modern agriculture has been around for thousands of years.

It was during the horrible years of the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains that experts began suggesting letting fields lie dormant every few years in order to replenish the soil’s nutrients and give it time to renew itself. The idea of windbreaks being planted beside the various fields was introduced to help battle soil erosion.

Other ideas were suggested, but it can all be traced back to the Bible. It was while the people of Israel were still in their wilderness wanderings that God instructed them about the need for Sabbath year, not for the people, but for the land.

Background

The Israelites were a people who had long been ranchers, but that was almost half a century ago. Jacob and his sons traveled to Egypt to seek relief from the famine and Pharaoh, as a favor to Joseph, allowed them to settle in Goshen to tend their flocks.

But then came a time when those who ruled Egypt did not remember Joseph, and the people of Israel ceased to be ranchers and became slaves instead. By the time Moses leads them toward the Promised Land, it had been generations since Israel had practiced any agricultural skills. These men and women were about to become farmers and ranchers again, but they were largely ignorant of how to do these things. It’s possible some of them worked the fields as slaves, but we know the majority were used in the construction fields.

As God would lead His people into the Promised Land, so, too, would He guide them into their new vocations.

Central Truth: God gives the Sabbath year and Jubilee to remind us that He is our provider and that all we have is His.

God gives rest to the land:

1. To remind us that the land is the Lord’s (1-4a)

Last week, we learned the Sabbath day was given as a day of remembrance, rest and celebration. It was a day set aside by God as holy, to remind us that He is God and that we, as His chosen people, are also holy. The Sabbath extended to everyone in the household, even to servants and animals.

Now God introduces the Sabbath year as a time of rest for the land itself. God, the Creator of all things, knew the need for the land to lay fallow and to find restoration. The resting land benefits the farmer when he replants the field, since it will have regained much needed nutrients.

But the land is also to be fallow for the very reason that we are to observe a Sabbath day. The Sabbath year reminds us again that God is Lord of all, and that the land is His as well. By resting on the seventh year, the field is allowed to return to nature to some degree.

It is also a reminder that the land and its yield is to be dedicated to the Lord. As holiness separates us for God’s service, so the declaration that the Sabbath year is holy is to designate the land for the Lord’s service. Toward that end, the land (and our labors on it) are not to be seen as a means of getting ahead in the world, but it is reminder that we are stewards of all that God gives us. As stewards, we have an obligation to use the resources God gives us wisely and in accordance to His will.

1. To restore us and to restore the land (4b-7)

There seems to be a contradiction in these verses. In the first two verses, God is very clear that the fields are not be worked—no reaping or sowing or pruning. The land is to lie dormant. Anything the land produces is not to be reaped or harvested. It is to be left on the field for the year.And yet, in the next few verses, God tells them that whatever the land yields will be food for them and their household.

Which is it to be?

I believe the answer lies in the purpose of the food in the field. In vs. 4b-5, God is telling the people they are not to work the field. They are not to look at the grains and the vines and try to gather it all up for storage and future use. Instead, as they are planning a meal, they may say, “Grapes would go well with this meal.” In that case, go out to the field, find a nice bunch, take it from the vine, take it home and eat it. But leave the rest. The same with the grain and anything else that grows from the land. Simply take what you need for that day’s nourishment and take no thought for tomorrow.

By giving these instructions, God is reminding us that we are live in the moment and not worry about what tomorrow may bring. We are instead to trust in God to provide our needs as they arise, to focus on our relationship with Him and our reliance on Him. This defeats the call of materialism and self-reliance.

It is reminiscent of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 about worrying about the day, what we shall wear and what we shall eat. He reminds us that we are seek first the kingdom of God and let everything else fall into place. Let tomorrow take care of itself. We can’t change the future one whit by worrying about.

That’s not to say we should not plan or figure out where we hope to be in the future. But James reminds us that our planning must be dependent upon the Lord. “Instead you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15).

1. To remind us of our duty to the less fortunate (Exodus 23:10-11)

The final element of the Sabbath year is to remind us that there are those who are less fortunate than are we. Those who have, through circumstances beyond their control, have been unable to do for themselves as much as they would like. For this reason, the land lies fallow for a year so that the less fortunate may find the best of the fields for themselves for one in every seven years.

Lest we think this is a reward to laziness, we need only look at the book of Ruth. Naomi and Ruth were women who, beyond their control, found themselves widowed in a foreign land. Ruth follows Naomi back to Naomi’s land, and there they avail themselves of God’s provision for the poor. Ruth works the fields behind the laborers who are gathering the crops. It is part of God’s law that such is to be the practice throughout the land of Israel. The poor would always be allowed to come behind the laborers and take whatever was left behind. Usually, that meant the less appealing or slightly overripe or under ripened produce.

In the Sabbath year, though, they could have the select fruit as though they were the owners of the land themselves. For that year, they could eat well and be nourished. To be sure, they were responsible for gathering the food for that day, but they could gather the best the orchards and fields had to offer for that day.

In providing for the poor, God reminds us that even those less fortunate than ourselves are worthy of His love and protection, and that all are precious in His sight.

Conclusion

Just as the Sabbath day was to be held to honor and celebrate the Lord and to remind us of our relationship with Him, so the Sabbath year is a reminder that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). We are but stewards, and we are to be responsible in how we use God’s resources and blessings.