Sabbath

God instructs his people to allow for a year where the ground is not worked but left to rest.

“Plant and harvest your crops for six years, 11 but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.-Ex 23:10

 It's a big ask! 

 Plan to save enough in the first six years to allow you to have enough to get through the seventh year with no crops. 

 The lessons could be. 

 The land will be rested, and therefore the crops from the following six years will be more bountiful than if rest had not taken place.

 It is a practical demonstration of trust upon the word of God.

 Trust that your neighbours will help you during your fallow year, and help them during theirs!

See beyond just the immediate, plan ahead

 We can imagine many others lessons which may be learned by those who choose to practice this instruction from God.

 The challenge is realising this is not unique to being a farmer. In the next verse, God instructs

 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed."-Ex 23:12

 All the same principles in microcosm. Give one of the days provided to you to rest you and your whole estate, to change the routine, to reflect, to restore, to trust that the call to work on the others six days does not extend beyond healthy boundaries into the seventh.

 To understand a person resting in God is more bountiful than one who is not!

 In God's economy, this Sabbath was to start with a meal at sundown, a gathering together, a celebration of God and each other. Then to spend time with one another during the following day both in collective worship and in family time. This is God's view of refreshment, community, focused on God, not survival, focused on God's present blessing to one another, not future endeavours.

 We may wonder how many farmers ever practised fallow planting, yet we must ask ourselves do we practice Sabbath?

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