What is the meaning of Leviticus 25:5? You are not to reap The Lord forbids Israel to conduct a normal harvest in the seventh year. Harvesting implies planning, labor, and expectation of profit. By stepping back: • They confess that the earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1). • They rely on His promise to supply (Leviticus 25:20-22; Matthew 6:25-33). • They mirror the weekly Sabbath principle (Exodus 20:8-11; 23:10-11). Trust replaces toil, and worship replaces worry. the aftergrowth of your harvest “Aftergrowth” refers to volunteer grain that springs up from seed left behind. God even restricts this easy food source so that: • Israel cannot quietly skirt the command by harvesting what they never sowed (2 Kings 19:29; Isaiah 37:30). • The land itself enjoys a break from cultivation (Leviticus 25:4). • Poor and stranger may freely gather what grows (Exodus 23:11). The Lord guards both the spirit and the letter of His sabbatical law. or gather “Gather” speaks of collecting, storing, marketing—turning produce into personal gain. The command frees Israel from: • Constant economic pressure (Leviticus 25:14; Deuteronomy 15:2). • Self-centered ownership (Leviticus 19:9-10; Ruth 2:1-3). When God blocks ordinary gathering, He opens extraordinary giving. the grapes of your untended vines Vines left “untended” (literally “un-pruned, un-cultivated”) will still bear fruit. Yet Israel must not harvest them for profit. Instead: • Strangers, widows, and orphans may eat freely (Deuteronomy 24:21). • Even animals share in the bounty (Leviticus 25:7). • God promises abundance afterward (Proverbs 3:9-10). The vineyard owner yields control, proving that fruitfulness comes from the Lord (John 15:5). The land must have a year of complete rest Just as God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3), the soil rests every seventh year. This: • Prevents exhaustion of the land, showing God’s care for creation (Psalm 65:9-13). • Foreshadows the ultimate rest found in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-10). • Warns of judgment if ignored—Israel’s exile lasted “until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths” (2 Chronicles 36:21). The sabbatical year weaves together ecology, economy, and theology into one fabric of faith. summary Leviticus 25:5 commands Israel to cease normal harvesting, even of volunteer grain and un-pruned vines, so the land can enjoy a full Sabbath rest. By obeying, the people declare God’s ownership of the earth, trust His provision, care for the poor, guard creation, and anticipate the deeper rest ultimately fulfilled in Christ. |
    |