The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.'”
Leviticus 25:1-4
Shana Tova! Happy New Year!
It’s Rosh Hoshanah again. Another Jewish new year has arrived. The year 5776 has begun.
This new year is extra special. It is a shemitah (sabbath) year. Every seven years the Lord instructed his people to give the land a sabbath rest (Leviticus 25:1-7) and cancel all debts (Deuteronomy 15:1-11). Think about this for a moment. Imagine looking over your farm and debating whether to plant or not. Will God provide for my needs even if I don’t plant this year? Or imagine you’ve loaned someone money. Should you forgive the debt or not? Can you afford that loss? A common solution in Israel today is to “sell” land to Palestinians for the year and keep farming it since it isn’t technically Jewish land. It’s hard to step out in faith and act against our human nature.
As this new year dawns, I’m doing something new. I’m taking a Biblical Hebrew class at a local seminary. Over the years, I’ve picked up bits and pieces of the language in a haphazard way. Recently I felt like I should do something more formal. However, like Moses arguing with the burning bush, I came up with every reason why this is a bad idea. Can I do it? Will I fit in? How do I rearrange my work schedule for this morning class? Why should I do this? What’s the goal? In the end I felt like I needed to simply take the step of faith and do it.
I don’t know where this new year or these new studies will take me. Lord willing, the next time I’m in Israel, my grasp of the language will be significantly better. For now I’m just trying to listen, trust, and follow the Lord. I have to admit: it isn’t easy.
Where is God leading you?
