The Year of Jubilee….a time when slaves are set free, and those who have been forced to sell their family countryside lands are given them back. Every fifty years, the Lord created a time of release…for the land, to let it lie fallow, and for the people.
God’s Word is full of wisdom. Our scientific minds can tell us why allowing the land to lie fallow is a good idea. They can cite evidence of nutrient depletion, erosion, and other factors that render soil barren unless it is given a chance to rest. Yet God, the creator of that very land, told the people to let it rest every seven years even before people even knew that soil contained nutrients. His command was, once again, for the benefit of his people.
When we understand that Jesus’ yoke upon us is for our good and for our protection…when we rest in His plans for our lives instead fighting against him in a battle that we will never win…we, like the land and like the slaves of old during the great Jubilee, experience sweet release.