Leviticus 25:11
A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
The fiftieth year is the jubilee, a year when the land is to rest with no sowing, no reaping of what grows of itself, and no gathering of grapes from undressed or untended vines. The land belongs to the Lord, and its produce is not solely for its cultivators, for He is the Householder and owner over the whole earth and the people are His tenants. He makes the land productive by His blessing when He is obeyed, proving that heaven had communicated with His people.
The rest and the spontaneous growth are His own provision by His interposition for the poor, strangers, and animals, showing His care for the poor. The sixth year is made to yield enough for three years. The command is part of the gospel of the Old Testament and practical missionary work showing duties to one another, given to teach liberality and generosity and to overcome stinginess and selfishness.
In the jubilee landed property reverted to its original owner, securing each family in its inheritance. It is one of God's laws regarding the distribution of property, guarding against extremes of wealth and poverty. Carried out in the world today, this law would change the condition of the people and make it different. It would prevent the oppression of the poor by the rich and the hatred of the rich by the poor. While it might hinder the amassing of great wealth, it would prevent the ignorance and degradation of tens of thousands whose ill-paid servitude builds colossal fortunes, and it would bring a peaceful solution to problems that now threaten to fill the world with anarchy and bloodshed.
The lesson of liberality is to be brought into practical life now by helping brethren working in hard fields and not closing the heart to them. The jubilee points to the final deliverance, commencing after God speaks deliverance to His people and at Christ's return. At that jubilee the pious slave will rise in triumph and victory and shake off the chains that bind him, while his wicked master will be left in confusion and not know what to do because the wicked cannot understand the words of the voice of God.
To claim the jubilee has arrived and use this command to argue that people must not work now, that the land must rest now, and that the poor must be supported without labor, joined to the command to sell what is owned and give alms, is error and dishonesty. Such a course confuses and distracts, deceives some, and cannot prosper. It will continue in darkness resisting reproof until its folly is made manifest to all while truth triumphs in the end.