“‘When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD.’” (Leviticus 25:2b)
While the people of Israel were camped at Mount Sinai after leaving Egypt, God gave them His laws. He instructed them on everything from dietary laws to health concerns to justice for murderers. He also taught them to set aside every seventh day as a day of rest. This rule carried over into a law to let the land also rest every seventh year. In this year, the Israelites were not to plant their fields or work the ground at all. The land was to be entirely left alone.
The Israelites must have been a bit concerned when they heard this. After all, if they weren’t able to plant anything for an entire year, then where would they get their food? The harvest in the previous year would have to be a bumper among bumpers!
And that’s exactly what God promised. If the people would keep the Sabbath year, He told them that the crop in the sixth year would produce enough to last three years. They would have more than enough food for the off-year and wouldn’t really need the produce they would get from the eighth year’s harvest. If the people would obey God, He promised to provide for them.
God is still the same way today. When He tells us to do something, He also provides the way to do it. He’ll take care of us in whatever He’s called us to do. His blessings are unlimited, and nothing is too hard for Him to do. When He says He will provide for us, that is exactly what He will do. So whether you’re giving your land a rest for a year or moving to another country, you can trust God to provide. That’s just Who He is.