Let It Go! Let It Go! – Deut. Chpt. 15

Today we are going to talk about something known as the sabbatical year. Israel's normal sabbath was the 7th day of the week -- the equivalent of our Saturday. God had also instituted additional sabbaths related to the various feasts. For example, the feast of Unleavened Bread began with a sabbath, regardless of the day of the week it fell on. But God didn't stop there. He also instituted a number of other sabbaths, including the sabbatical year.

The sabbatical year was essentially a year-long sabbath that was to take place every 7th year. It consisted of two parts: the land sabbath and the LORD's Release. Let's start by looking at the land Sabbath. During that 7th year, they were not to work the land. They were to rest AND let the land rest. Anything that grew of it's own accord was to be left for the poor. Incidentally, Israel did not faithfully practice this Sabbatical year, which explains the 70-year exile in Babylon.