Leviticus - Part 8: Sabbatical
Leviticus - Part 8: Sabbatical
Pastor Scott Skones
Many of you probably remember those summer drives through the countryside where, as you drove, the farmland would continually alternate between land that was producing a crop and land next to it being left fallow for the season.
I read an article that talked about the death of Summer Fallow practices that said that in 1970 in our upper Great Plains region, 77 million acres would be left fallow during any given growing season.
By 2018, that number had dropped from 77 million acres to under 20 million acres in any given season. And just a drive out of town in any direction in July will confirm that trend.
Now I’m not an agronomist or a farmer, and so I don’t have any theories or opinions about the state of farming and soil health practices. But one thing I do know is that the practice of letting the land rest didn’t have its origin with farmers or soil researchers, but in the instructions that God gave to his people.
God is the creator of all things, and so he knows how all things were designed to work. Genesis 1 contains the account of God’s work of creation. And then, in Genesis 2, we find ourselves at the end of that list of 6 creation days, and listen to what we find in Genesis 2:1:
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
So God establishes what we have called the week: This rhythm in the life of people. And did you hear what Genesis said? God rested on the seventh day. And then it goes on to say that he “blessed the seventh day and made it holy…”
Think about what the word “holy” means. It means to be “set apart.” God sets the seventh day apart for special purposes. And if we follow the story forward, we will see that he sets it aside specifically for rest and for worship.
In Exodus 20 as God gives Moses the 10 Commandments, we find this command in verse 8:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…”
Rhythmic rest is part of God’s design for his people and for his creation.
In Luke 4:15-16, we read that, for Jesus, the Sabbath was a day of worship:
He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.
So it was a customary practice for Jesus to gather with fellow worshippers on the Sabbath.
The New Testament makes it clear that the believers continued this practice of rhythmic rest and worship, but rather than on the 7th day, they practiced their day of rest and worship on the 1st day of the week as a celebration and remembrance of Christ’s resurrection on the first day.
By Revelation chapter 1 we find that there is a new name for this day. Rather than refer to it as the sabbath which was confusing because that points to the last day of the week, Christians began to refer to their sabbath day as simply “The Lord’s Day.” Or a day that was “holy” or “set apart” for the Lord.
In our text for today from Leviticus, God takes that practice of sabbath rest one day a week and applies the principle on a larger scale.
You’ll notice if you read the entirety of Leviticus 25 that there are really two major themes: A sabbatical year for cropland and vineyards every 7 years – and a year of Jubilee every 50 years – Which is the year following 7 complete sets of 7. So after 7 sets of 7-year cycles – 7 times 7 is 49 – the next year is the 50th year – and that would be the year of Jubilee.
We are going to look at the year of Jubilee NEXT week, so for today, we are focused on the first of these instructions – that every 7 years the land should rest.
Our text today is Leviticus 25: 1-7 & 18-22.
The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.
And then skipping down to verse 18:
18 “‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.
Lord, as we consider your word, may you make us willing hearers and doers of your holy word. Give us faith to believe all that you are saying today. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today we are going to explore the particular command in our text regarding the land resting every seventh year – but as I indicated earlier, this is just one part of a whole system of Sabbath rest that God has put in place from the beginning.
Jesus gave us incredible insight into the Sabbath in Mark chapter 2. In that account, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a grain field on the sabbath and they pick some heads of grain and eat it. The Pharisees saw it and called them out for breaking the sabbath command. And Jesus says something powerful – he says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
In other words, Jesus tells us how we are to understand these Sabbath passages. They aren’t intended to be hoops to jump through – they are intended to be a gift for us. So today we will focus on five descriptions of the Sabbatical instructions that I trust will be helpful as you live in relationship with God and learn to trust in him and rest in his love and grace to you.
1 - The Sabbath is both a command and an invitation to rest.
V. 2 - When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord.
Here, as well as in the 10 Commandments, this is framed as a commandment. And it certainly is. God is giving instructions that we are to rest and that even the land must rest.
Every 7 years the land was to lay fallow. To have a chance to regain nutrients, to go undisturbed and uncultivated and unpruned. And if the LAND that God created needs that time of nourishing rest, how much more do you and I?
When we set up our weeks, we are both commanded and invited to rest and be nourished. To stop running. Stop striving. To just stop. And to listen. To be fed. To sing. To be nourished by word and sacrament - and to be encouraged by fellow believers and strengthened by the family of God.
The Sabbath is about one day that is focused differently than all the rest. It’s a day of receiving.
I want to allow scripture to show us the two aspects of this: both command and invitation.
We see the command in verse 2 - “the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord.” Or verse 4 - “the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord.”
This is important because the rest of what is commanded and offered here isn’t just arbitrary. It’s not “you do you.” It’s not “do whatever makes you happy.” It’s not a day for you to just pursue your own interests and desires. The instruction includes “a sabbath TO THE LORD.” So it’s a focused sabbath. It’s a time set apart in obedience to the Lord and for the purposes of the Lord.
And at the same time, let’s be reminded of the invitation:
Think of Jesus’ words: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Jesus declares that this is a time set aside, set apart, made holy for the Lord – but that it’s also for us and for our good. So it certainly is a command, but it is also an invitation to enter into what our creator has designed for us.
The Sabbath is both a command and an invitation to rest.
2 - The Sabbath is permission to say no.
This might be the single greatest gift of the Sabbath and sabbatical system. God gives his people permission to say no.
In our text for today, we find this in verses 4-5: But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
God tells his people to say no to what is normal. Say no to what is expected. Say no to the demands of life in this world. And rest. And be nourished.
And for the Christian today, this is a tremendous gift. God gives you permission to say no to all of the normal requirements and obligations and opportunities. He gives you permission to not schedule anything. To come and receive, to be filled with his word, to receive his grace, to have his blessing pronounced over you.
We live in a world in which there are thousands of opportunities all the time. God gives you permission to say no. He gives you an excuse to simplify your life one day a week. To come and receive and rest.
3 - The Sabbath is an exercise in your trust in God's provision.
This is one of the areas of a sabbath that we might not think of normally, and so I’m grateful that God brings it up in verse 20. After he’s given his command to let the land lie fallow in the 7th year, he says: You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.
God promises that if you will trust him by saying no to everything else, he will prove himself faithful and provide all that you need.
And so what we see is that to stop and rest and worship and say no to everything else is the physical and tangible act of trusting the Lord. Trusting that what he has for you is better than what you can get elsewhere. Trusting that he will provide whatever you might lose out on. Trusting that he knows better than our world does and that he knows better than we do what is right and best for us and for our families.
If you were at our annual business meeting last month, you know that the Elders have granted me a sabbatical for this coming summer. And that practice has its roots in our text for today. It was actually timed almost perfectly – the last three months of my 7th year of service as your pastor will be spent resting, growing, lying fallow, and being nourished.
But, I’ll be honest, it’s a scary thought for me. Ask my wife, I don’t sit well. I get antsy. I like to go. I like to be busy. I love to work. And yet I know that God has some important things to teach me during this time.
But it will also be an exercise in the congregation’s trust in God’s provision. It means more work for other people. It means that everything won’t be the same. It means that some of the things that normally happen might lie fallow for a season.
And God has already and will continue to provide.
The Sabbath is an exercise in your trust in God’s provision.
4 - The Sabbath is an expression of our greatest priority.
This might be the most difficult one for many of us as we reflect on all of the sabbath and sabbatical instructions and commands in scripture.
What we do with the Lord’s day will indicate what our greatest priorities, treasures, and desires are.
If you choose something else over consistent, rhythmic worship with God’s people — whether it be work or play – you are declaring with your actions that that particular thing is of higher and greater importance and value to you.
Let’s frame it this way – whatever it is that might have a tendency to draw you away from regular, rhythmic worship is less important than what you receive when you gather to worship with God’s people.
To elevate something else above what God has prescribed for his day is declaring with your actions that you care MORE about that something else than what God has prescribed.
Now you might think that I’m sounding a little legalistic here – but we must remember that God put this rhythm in place for a very specific reason. He says “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” “Keep it set apart.” It’s supposed to be different from all the other days.
And here’s why this is so critical: God wants you to keep this day holy because he has gifts to give you. Gathering together weekly as Christians have for thousands of years isn’t about checking a box. It’s not about meeting your obligation. It’s about receiving what God offers you. And any time you prioritize something else, you are saying that you want that thing, whatever it is, more than you want what God offers you in the gathering of his people.
And when we prioritize other things above God’s people we aren’t the only ones who lose. You don’t just need other people, other people need you. And so to deny the sabbath is to make four declarations:
Something else is a higher priority.
I don’t need what God offers.
I don’t need other believers.
I don’t care that they need me.
Now I’m not saying that every time someone misses church that’s what they are consciously declaring. But just because we don’t declare something CONSCIOUSLY, doesn't mean we aren’t still declaring it. Just because something isn’t our direct intent, doesn't mean it’s not reality.
Just like for those believers who received these commands in Leviticus, the sabbath will cost you something. Being faithful to the Lord, and organizing your life around consistent rhythmic worship will cost you something.
Our culture used to largely be organized around leaving Sunday morning free for worship. That’s not true anymore. There are many activities happening this morning, competing for your time, energy, and attention. Particularly for those of you with children, it will cost you something to choose to prioritize worship. It will cost you something to make this the Lord’s Day.
But it’s worth it – because this is the context in which God has promised to meet us. This is the context in which God has given his gifts. This is the context in which God’s spirit works. This is the context in which we receive what God offers.
It’s worth it. It’s worth the cost. What you receive when you gather with God’s people – it’s worth it. It’s worth the cost.
Well, there’s one other description of the sabbath that is helpful for us:
5 - The Sabbath is a reminder that we are stewards.
This makes the most sense in terms of the Land’s time of rest – and it will become even more clear next week as we talk about the year of Jubilee. But scripture wants us to understand something important about this life: you are merely a steward. A trustee of your time, your resources, your land, your family, your possessions, and your talents. You are a steward.
You are not the owner of your land.
You are not the owner of your things.
You are not the owner of your time.
You are not the owner of your life.
Now, this offends our American libertarian-esque sensibilities a little, doesn’t it? But it’s a principle that is echoed throughout scripture, and it’ll become even more clear next week when we talk about the provision that God puts in place for land to go back to the original owner in the year of Jubilee.
You are a caretaker, not the true owner, of everything that you have. All that is under your care has been entrusted to you for a time. God establishes, by commanding and inviting us into rest, that we are not our own. That we belong to God, as do our things and our time.
As we close today, consider this: A Sabbath, whether it is one day a week, or a longer period every seven years, is intended to leave us resting entirely in the Lord and to lead us to find our value in what he has done, not in what we do.
We are wired to find our identity in what we do. In what we earn, produce, or achieve. God says that your identity is in what HE has done, not in what you can do.
Hear those words again: Your identity is in what God has done, not in what you can do.
Your identity is not in what you can produce or what you can achieve. Your identity is in Jesus. And Jesus invites you to experience true and lasting rest. Rest from the demands of this world, and rest from the never-ending hamster wheel of trying to be good enough.
Jesus says, in Matthew 11:28 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jesus says, bring me your sin. Bring me your sickness. Bring me your workaholism. Bring me your idols. Lay them down and exchange them for the rest that I offer. Bring me your weariness and your burdens, and I will give you rest.
And we have just that opportunity this morning as we come to the Lord’s Table. If you stand up and walk to the front, you’re not declaring that you’re worthy, that you’re holy, that you’ve got everything together. You’re declaring just the opposite. That you’ve put other things before the Lord. That you’ve seen yourself as an owner, not as a steward. That you’ve struggled to trust in God’s provision. That you are a person in need.
If you get up and come to the Lord’s table today, you do so to exchange your sin and your heavy burden, for the rest that Jesus offers. For the promises that he makes to you. For the grace that he pours out upon all who believe. And so let’s pray, and then sing and prepare our hearts to receive what Jesus offers us today.
This sermon is offered as a resource by Living Word Lutheran Brethren Fellowship in Dickinson, North Dakota. It has been lightly edited for the website, but the original tone remains unchanged, and no grammatical revisions or style adjustments have been made.