The term "unworked" in a biblical context often refers to land or resources that have not been cultivated, developed, or utilized. This concept is significant in understanding various biblical principles related to stewardship, rest, and divine provision.

Biblical References and Context

1. Sabbath Year and Jubilee: The concept of unworked land is prominently featured in the laws concerning the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25:4, the Israelites are commanded to let the land rest every seventh year: "But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard." This command underscores the importance of trusting in God's provision and recognizing His sovereignty over creation.

2. Divine Provision: The unworked land during the Sabbath year serves as a testament to God's provision. In Leviticus 25:20-22, God assures the Israelites that He will provide enough in the sixth year to sustain them through the seventh year of rest: "You may ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’ But I will send My blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years."

3. Symbol of Judgment: Unworked land can also symbolize judgment and desolation. In Isaiah 7:23, the prophet speaks of a time when cultivated lands will become overgrown with briers and thorns, indicating neglect and divine judgment: "And on that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found."

4. Spiritual Application: The concept of unworked land can be applied spiritually to the human heart and life. Just as land requires cultivation to be fruitful, so too does the spiritual life require discipline and nurturing. Proverbs 24:30-34 provides a vivid illustration of the consequences of neglect: "I went past the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was broken down."

Theological Implications

The principle of leaving land unworked during the Sabbath year and Jubilee reflects a broader theological theme of rest and reliance on God. It serves as a reminder that human effort is not the ultimate source of provision; rather, it is God who sustains and blesses His people. This principle encourages believers to trust in God's timing and provision, recognizing that rest and obedience to His commands are integral to a life of faith.

Furthermore, the imagery of unworked land as a symbol of judgment calls believers to vigilance in their spiritual lives. Just as neglected land becomes overgrown and unproductive, so too can a neglected spiritual life lead to stagnation and fruitlessness. The call to cultivate one's spiritual life is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, urging believers to remain diligent and faithful in their walk with God.

Quotations from the Lxx. In Early Christian Writings.
... "THE quotations from the LXX. in the Greek Fathers are an almost unworked field
[850] ." So wrote Dr Hatch in 1889, and the remark is still true. ...
/.../chapter iii quotations from the.htm

viii
... We have learning far more than enough, and zeal enough for the pursuit of study
in other departments, but this unworked field lies fallow, and no one thinks it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns of the holy eastern church/viii.htm

The Call of Elisha
... before! Then the ground was parched, the farming districts unworked, for
neither dew nor rain had fallen for three and a half years. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 17 the call of.htm

The Folly of Image Worship and Its Dishonour to Art.
... seeing, nor at all considering that they are worshipping, not gods, but the carver's
art.2. For so long as the stone is uncut and the wood unworked, they walk ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 13 the folly of.htm

Prefatory Note
... We have learning more than enough, and zeal enough for the pursuit of study in other
departments, but this unworked field lies fallow, and no one thinks it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns of the greek church/prefatory note.htm

"Show Me Thy Glory!"
... crown. Oh, the unworked jewel-mines of heathendom! Oh, the joy His own
are missing if they lose this one last chance! Sometimes ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter xxxii show me thy.htm

Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher of Prayer (Continued)
... Earthly fields are rotting. They are untilled because prayer is silent. The labourers
are few. Fields are unworked because prayer has not worked with God. ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/vi jesus christ the divine.htm

Index ii.
... Fourth Gospel, quotations in the, 388, 398. Fragments, uncial, still unworked,
146 ff. G, cod., 72 f., 78, 137 f.; , 234, 485 ff.; G, 146. ...
/.../an introduction to the old testament in greek additional notes/index ii.htm

The Old Testament and Modern Criticism
... the term to Old Testament study, has this to say: "I have been obliged to bestow
the greatest {77} amount of labor on a hitherto entirely unworked field: the ...
/.../the christian view of the old testament/chapter iii the old testament.htm

On the Soul and the Resurrection.
... And if they are plunged again into the unworked clay, the discernment between what
has been already worked and that clay will be a more unerring one still. ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the soul and the 2.htm

Unworked (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Unworked (1 Occurrence). Jeremiah 4:3 For this
is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem ...
/u/unworked.htm - 6k

Unplowed (3 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 4:3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns. ...
/u/unplowed.htm - 7k

Unworthily (2 Occurrences)

/u/unworthily.htm - 7k

Unwonted (1 Occurrence)

/u/unwonted.htm - 7k

Metals (1 Occurrence)
... operations. It is hardly to be conceived that the large deposits of lead
(galena) in Asia Minor were unworked by the ancients. No ...
/m/metals.htm - 10k

Ploughed (16 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 4:3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns. ...
/p/ploughed.htm - 11k

Seeds (24 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 4:3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns. ...
/s/seeds.htm - 13k

Syria (73 Occurrences)
... of mineral wealth. They consist chiefly of coal, iron, bitumen, asphalt and
mineral oil, but they are mostly unworked. In the Jordan ...
/s/syria.htm - 60k

Unworked: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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