Leviticus 25:5
That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
The seventh year after settlement in Canaan was appointed as a sabbath for the land, when it was left fallow unplanted, unsown and unpruned, and what grew of itself was not reaped or stored but eaten fresh and shared with the poor, the stranger, servants, the fatherless, the widow, livestock and wild beasts. The rest declares that God owns the land and makes it productive while the people hold it only as tenants, and it renews worn-out soil and restores its power, prosperity and beauty. It teaches dependence on God's governing blessing rather than on nature, for the sixth-year harvest supplied food for three years, and it teaches liberality rather than selfishness by caring for those in need. The yearly pause also gave more opportunity for study, fellowship, worship and kindness, and shows the Lord knows better than men the proper treatment of land by rest, change of crops, thorough preparation and patient labor for His glory. The rest points to the jubilee that begins when God delivers the everlasting covenant and the pious rise in triumph, yet it does not make labor sin now nor put believers in the jubilee to live without work.
The Seventh-Year Rest
The verse belongs to the special laws for tilling the soil, which appointed the seventh year after settlement in Canaan as a sabbath for the land.
In that year cultivation stopped and the land was left fallow, unplanted, unsown and unpruned.
What grew of its own accord was not to be reaped, and the grapes of the undressed, untrimmed vine were not to be gathered.
The spontaneous growth was left unharvested for the poor, the stranger, servants, and livestock to use, and its natural produce was left for the poor as common food.
It could be eaten while fresh but was not to be stored.
The year's produce was thus made available to the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, and the animals of the field, the poor being allowed to gather what sprang up by itself with what remained left for the wild animals.
The yearly pause in farm labor also gave the people more opportunity for study, social fellowship, worship, and acts of kindness.
Purposes of the Provision
The seventh-year rest declares that the land belongs to God, who cares for it and makes it productive, while the people hold it only for a time as tenants. They were therefore not to treat it as their own by refusing it this rest, but to follow His directions in cultivating the soil. Obedience to this direction helps restore the land's prosperity and beauty, while selfishly managing it without God's wisdom causes it to lose vigor.
The rest renews the soil and restores its power to grow, allowing worn-out land to recover. The provision teaches dependence on God's care and blessing rather than on nature, for God governs and supervises the land and its produce and may withhold or bestow its blessings. Under His supervision the sixth-year harvest supplied food for three years, showing dependence on the Lord's blessing. Dearth and sickness testify to disobedience in this management of the land.
The provision teaches liberality rather than selfishness and stinginess by caring for those in need. The Lord knows better than men the proper treatment of land: after land has been cultivated several years and given its treasure, portions should rest and crops should be changed. Properly worked land will yield rich returns, so to condemn land as unproductive is false witness, and mourning over unproductive soil comes from narrow plans, little strength put forth, and little study of the best methods, which calls for reform. Farming should keep God's glory in view with patient labor, for patient labor will do wonders, and if the crop fails there should be no discouragement but trying again, remembering that there can be no harvest unless the ground is properly prepared for the seed, since failure may be wholly due to neglect on this point.
Jubilee Hope and Misuse
The fallow year points forward to the jubilee when the land is to rest. That jubilee commences when God announces the day and hour of Jesus' coming and delivers the everlasting covenant. Then the godly slave rises in triumph and victory and shakes off the chains that bound him. His wicked master is left in confusion, because the wicked are unable to understand the words of the voice of God.
The command for the land to rest in the sabbatical year and jubilee, leaving what grows of itself unreaped and the undressed vine ungathered, does not make labor sin. It does not place believers in the jubilee at the present time. It does not require that the land now lie idle while the poor are supported without work. To turn it to that use is error that confuses and distracts, deceives some, cannot prosper, and will be brought down while truth triumphs in the end.