Leviticus 25:1-7

4. SABBATICAL AND JUBILEE YEARS 25:1-55
a. THE SABBATICAL YEAR 25:1-7
TEXT 25:1-7

1

And Jehovah spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

2

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto Jehovah.

3

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruits thereof;

4

but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto Jehovah: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

5

That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather: it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.

6

And the sabbath of the land shall be for food for you; for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for thy stranger, who sojourn with thee.

7

And for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:1-7

585.

Are we to understand from Leviticus 25:1 that Moses is now called up on the mount to receive these instructions?

586.

Besides the benefit to the land was there another purpose in the sabbath year?

587.

There is a work principle here. Does it have any relation to present society? Discuss.

588.

Vineyards and orchards would already be planted. What is to be done with them?

589.

From what would the nation live if the increase was for the slaves and servants?

590.

How would they feed their animals?

PARAPHRASE 25:1-7

While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him these instructions for the people of Israel: When you come into the land I am going to give you, you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year. For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow before the Lord, uncultivated. Don-'t sow your crops and don-'t prune your vineyards during that entire year. Don-'t even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that come up, and don-'t gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of rest for the land. Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to allfor you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living among you. Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to graze there.

COMMENT 25:1-7

Leviticus 25:1-4 The seventh year is a very important time in the book of Leviticus: (1) to teach equality; the slaves were set free, the land was free for indiscriminate use by all the inhabitants; (2) to teach kindness and thoughtfulness to slaves, servants and cattle; (3) to teach a dependence on God who must provide in the sixth year what they would not have in the seventh or the eighth; (4) break the routine of the pursuit after mammonthey did have time to teach and worship; (5) to let Israel know they did not own the land but were only using it. (Calmet) In Leviticus 25:20-21 of this chapter, God plainly states He will provide three times as much in the sixth year than in any other year. This would be necessary for the sixth year, the sabbath year, and the eighth year. What a lesson such care would give to the stranger in the land! Just when this practice began would be hard to determine. Some believe it was in the twenty-first year after their entrance into Canaan. It is calculated by considering seven years for conquest (Joshua 14:10), seven years to dividing the land among the tribes (Joshua 18:1), and seven years of crops.

Leviticus 25:5-7 There is a most intriguing principle taught here: God wants man to enjoy the creation He has provided. God will actually enable the land to produce enough for three years for the express use of man in a year of rest, learning, worship and relaxation. Could this be but a foretaste of the sabbath of rest God has for all His children in that upper and better Canaan? Cf. Hebrews 4:9.

FACT QUESTIONS 25:1-7

599.

Show the importance of the seventh year.

600.

The strangers in the land could learn a very important lesson. What was it?

601.

When did the first sabbath year begin, i.e. after entrance into Canaan?

602.

What intriguing principle is taught in Leviticus 25:5-7?