84_The Sabbath year – living in faith
Exodus 23:10-13 “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
13 “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.
Imagine a farmer, standing in his fields at sunset, watching scattered heads of grain growing among plumes of wild grasses. For six years, he has toiled—plowing, planting, watering, and harvesting. Moving in the rhythm of the seasons, his diligence, and the fruitfulness of the land, have brought him profit. Now, in the seventh year, he has put down his tools. The land is at rest. He neither sows nor reaps. He neither prunes his vines nor stores up grain in his barns. He simply trusts.
The idea of a hardworking farmer leaving a field fallow for a whole year seems impractical, even reckless. Yet it was part of God’s law for Israel. As an agrarian society, Israel relied entirely on the land for survival. The weekly Sabbath reminded them of God’s provision. He gave them strength to labor and made the earth yield fruit. He provided manna in the wilderness. Daily they received their share, but twice the portion on the sixth day to honour the sabbath rest of the seventh. On any other day the stored manna would rot, but not on the sixth day. Yet, some went out looking for manna on the sabbath, and were rebuked for their unbelief and disobedience.
Exodus 23:10-13 introduces the concept of the sabbath year, or “shmita,” the year of release. The land was to be allowed to rejuvenate itself, free from cultivation. Whatever grew of itself – the volunteer grain – was available for everyone, rich or poor, without cost. Even the animals benefited from this unrestricted provision. The land, for that year, belonged to no one and to everyone.
This radical command defied human logic. How could an entire nation survive a whole year without sowing and reaping? God anticipated this question. In Leviticus 25:20-22, He promised, “If you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.” Those who trusted God would never be left wanting. The sixth-year harvest would more than sustain them well into the eighth year, when the next crop was ready.
Deuteronomy 15 expands the sabbath year to include the forgiveness of debts and the release of Hebrew servants. Every seven years, creditors were to wipe the slate clean, giving debtors a fresh start. This was a remarkable display of grace, preventing economic oppression and permanent enslavement due to poverty. God attached an incentive to their obedience: “The LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.” (Deuteronomy 15:6).
Observing the sabbath year was a declaration of faith. It was a tangible acknowledgement that they relied on God, not on their land, their wealth, their work, or their health. It was a call to live trustfully, to rest in His sufficiency. Yet, Israel struggled to obey. The lure of self-sufficiency was strong. They ignored the commandment. They hoarded their debts. They refused to release their servants. They farmed the land through the seventh year.
After 490 years of disregarding the sabbath years, they paid the price. Leviticus 26:33-35 warned, “I will scatter you among the nations, and your land will be laid waste… Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate.” They were carried away as captives by Babylon. The land rested, not for one year, but 70, the number of sabbath years they had skipped. (2 Chronicles 36:21).
After the exile, those who returned to their land recognized their error. Nehemiah 10:31 records their renewed commitment: “We will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.” Having tasted the bitter fruit of disobedience, they determined to walk in God’s ways.
The sabbath year was never just an agricultural innovation. It spelt out God’s desire that his people enjoy his rest. This rest in him prevents the stress and anxiety of typical adult life. It leads us to know him who provides, sustains, and protects, and to enjoy everything as the provision of his hand, rather than the fruit of our sin-cursed labor. It reveals God’s heart, that longs for His people to rest from their labor and striving. He does not desire perpetual toil, relentless anxiety, or crushing debt. He calls His people to step away from their obsession with productivity and profit, and to trust in His provision.
In a world that glorifies busyness, it feels risky to trust in God and set aside time to rest. We pride ourselves on our ability to work harder, longer, and smarter. The Lord calls, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). The sabbath year foreshadowed the rest Christ gives, the rest of doing God’s will and nothing else. Just as God provided for Israel’s physical needs when they rested, He provides for us. We can confidently trust in Him rather than in our own efforts.
The debt release in the seventh year predicted the forgiveness and restoration of being in Christ. Our sin-debt was insurmountable, but by his death, he made atonement, giving us a fresh start. We have been freely forgiven, and therefore we can release others. We can let go of grudges, cancel the debts of resentment, and extend grace freely.
Let us cultivate a lifestyle of hard work based on godliness rather than fear. Let us step back from our relentless striving for security, for the present and for generations to come. Rather, let us be diligent in our workplaces for the glory of God. Trusting God’s promise to take care of us, let us work well without anxiety for the results. Let us not clutch our possessions tightly, but share them with those in need. Let us cast off our burdens of care, the burdens we placed on ourselves and others, and rejoice in our great Provider’s faithfulness in every situation.
The sabbath year was a time of faith, a reminder that God makes and keeps the land fruitful, and sustains our lives. It was a call to live trustfully, resting in the goodness and faithfulness of God. Let us walk daily in that trust, for the God who commanded rest for the land is the One who has called us to enter his rest. God bless.