Provision of the Jubilee
Leviticus 25:11-13
11A 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. 12For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.
In the 50th year, no one is allowed to reap nor gather for profit. So, how many years could one potentially go without reaping or gathering? Three years, possibly into the 4th year. This is because a Sabbatical Year always proceeds a Jubilee. The 49th year is the 7th Sabbatical Year, therefore one does not reap nor gather in the 49th year. One is allowed to plant and reap in the 48th year. In the 50th year, the Jubilee, one does not reap nor gather nor does one plant. In the 51st year, one can plant; however, crops do not come up until the end of the year. This is the 3rd year depending on the produce.
This may seem like a long time; however, there is a blessing for those that observe, Leviticus 25:18-19.
18Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. 19And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
If one observes, God promises to provide, Deuteronomy 7:9.
9Know therefore that Yehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
If one is faithful to the covenant, our God is faithfully to provide for their needs, Leviticus 25:20-22.
20And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: 21Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. 22And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.
This is the blessing of God if one observes God’s statutes as He states. There will be enough for the ninth, three years beyond the last produce, Leviticus 25:18.
18Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
These are conditional blessings. They require faith and obedience. Faith to trust God at His word and obedience to observe God’s word as put forth by Him.
It is interesting what God states prior to this, Leviticus 25:14-17.
14And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another: 15According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: 16According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. 17Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am Yehovah your God.
This is an important issue to God. We are supposed to deal fairly with our brother. This is a consistent thought through out scriptures, Micah 6:8.
8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Yehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
It is the same in the New Testament, Matthew 20:25-27.
25But Yeshua called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
We are to be fair to our brother. Actually, we need to be more than fair. We are to serve our brother humbly. Our God is a fair God, we must trust Him over the riches and prestige of the world. When we humbly follow in God’s footsteps, He provides abundantly above our needs.
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