This proverb doesn’t make sense to my modern ears. Does it make sense to you? Well, let’s see if I can help unpack it.
One of the laws of the Old Testament was called the Jubilee Year. Every 50 years the LORD required that the land would be left unused for that 50th year. During that year the only people who were allowed to harvest the fields were the poor. Everyone else had to trust the LORD to provide for them for that period of time. The poor had to rely on the LORD for the rest of the years.
The LORD promised that the abundance of that year would sustain them. They had to trust the LORD. That is what they had to do. Trust and justice have to go hand in hand. The rich had a responsibility to help out the poor every year.
The rich also had to trust the LORD. They had to be willing to let the land go unused for two full years. Then they would plant in the 51st year and wait for the harvest. You see it is always about trust. It would be easy to just ignore what the LORD has commanded. I mean, it is only every 50 years. Surely the LORD really didn’t mean it, right.
The reality is that Israel never did fulfill this command! They never let the land rest as they were commanded to do, and as a result they were send to a foreign country to live for seventy years. Quite a price to pay for disobedience!
So what should we take from this proverb? Well, first we need to be obedient! There is a high price for disobedience.
Second, we need to do our part to take care of the poor. We in the US are especially wealthy, even if we don’t want to admit it. We have food. We have shelter. Much of the world has neither on a consistent basis. Do something about it.
Third, do justice! Every day, in every way, do justice. Don’t compromise. The short term gains are never worth the long term costs.
The Arnold Journey 