INTRODUCTION. Regularly allowing one’s land to rest was a practice God prescribed for the people of Israel when they entered the Promised Land. Ancient Israel was primarily an agricultural economy. God instituted two laws concerning land management to teach His people that all the land was His and that they were only tenants who used it during their sojourn here on earth (see Leviticus 25:23). Unlike many of the feasts or festivals prescribed by God for Israel to observe, the Year of Jubilee was a time to refrain from doing certain things, restoring lands, and releasing people from debts and servitude. It was also a time of rejoicing for God’s provision for His people. It was really a special kind of Sabbath, not for resting from work on the seventh day, but for giving the land rest during the seventh year, and then a special jubilee rest on the fiftieth year after “seven times seven years” (see Leviticus 25:8). Like the laws concerning the firstfruits (see Leviticus 23:9-14), the laws for the Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee were intended to be times of joy and remembrance of God for His mercy and provision.