(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 15:1–11, “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”
The Lord established the system whereby people would be able to get back to their land in the last year of every seven year period. The Lord had taken care to make sure that a census of the nation was taken before they went into the Promised Land. Every family in Israel was given their own portion of the Land and that was meant to belong to that family as long as they kept the commandments and remained in the Land. This procedure meant that every family would retain access to their own Land as long as the nation remained in the Land. This was guaranteed as long as they kept their part of the contract that they had made the Lord. The Lord also insisted that the people act with integrity as far as the Land was concerned. In many ways, this method of land management was like a superannuation system. The person who was working the land at any time would pass that land on to their children and then the children would take care of their parents when the parents were too old to work the land. There may have been some people who wanted to exploit the poor in using this system but the Lord established regulations that prevented this from happening as well. The Lord had already though about every problem that might occur and made provisions to prevent these problems from occurring. The fact that the people didn’t follow this system and allow their land to rest at the end of the seven period was one of the reasons that they were forced into exile. (compare Lev 26:34, “Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.” with 2 Chronicles 36:21, “To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”)
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