God’s economy truly is different, and His fingerprints in historical and modern society are everywhere. The principles He instituted for His kingdom are so radically different from today’s expectations, and they craft a unique vision for how His heart can be translated into practical life.
In every 7th year, there was a command to release debts, and release slaves. We won’t get too deep in these topics, as there are too many nuances and considerations to address here, but I’ll share a basic overview of what was to take place during the Sabbath Year, along with some of my thoughts and interpretations.
We haven’t introduced this yet, but now seems an appropriate time: the Sabbath Year in Hebrew is the word “Schmita”, which roughly translates to the “year of release”. This is a central theme in why God wanted a Sabbath year. During Shmita, both debts and slaves are to be released.
release of debts
At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the LORD’S release has been proclaimed.
The LORD (Deuteronomy 15:1-2)
God’s heart for building His kingdom is not to build up an abundance of material wealth, but spiritual wealth (see Matthew 6:19-21). The currencies in His kingdom are righteousness, grace, and mercy.
This command to release debt every 7 years is an incredible one, and hard for us to grasp today. For example, a fundamental wealth-building instrument for the average American is the 30-year mortgage for homebuyers. Imagine if this was capped to 7 years: there are so many cascading effects to imagine! What would happen to loan access and availability? Would this shrink or grow the wealth gap?
Some argue this loan repayment period cap was to prevent systematically uneven accumulation of wealth1,2. We see this happening today: wealthy lenders continue to increase the wealth gap by profiting off the debt of others, and predatory lenders exploit individuals who may be ignorant, uneducated, or hitting rough times. In a world where debts were released every 7 years, is it possible that society would become a more equitable (if less profitable) place?
Additionally, a very natural line of thinking goes like this: if it’s 1 year before the Sabbath year, and someone asks me for a loan, why would I lend to them, knowing they can’t pay it back in time before I must forgive their debt? The passage immediately after this one addresses it:
If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
The LORD (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)
Amazingly, God calls the creditor to cheerfully give, despite knowing that this person will likely not pay them back! His imperative is that we take care of the needy, rather than ourselves.
There’s a similar type of wisdom I’ve heard that says: if you are lending money to family or friends, assume you won’t get paid back. Give it joyfully and think of it as a gift to help someone in their time of need. If you can’t afford to forgive the debt, you can’t afford to lend it in the first place. This helps to strengthen and preserve relationships, one of the most valuable forms of capital for all of us.
Finally, one thing to note: the original commands here refer to releasing debts of “your neighbor” or “your brother”, which is to say, a fellow Hebrew/Israelites. God specifically states that you may exact this debt from a foreigner:
Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.
Deuteronomy 15:3
What are we to make of this? In a place like America with so many foreigners and non-natives, does this mean we can exploit the debt of those who are not like us? Many far smarter than I have probably researched this and written about it, but when I think about how to contextualize this for a modern society, I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.
{A lawyer, upon hearing Jesus say to “Love… your neighbor as yourself”, asks the questions “And who is my neighbor?”}
{Jesus replies with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and asks, “which of these three [the priest, Levite, or Samaritan (a foreigner)]… proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”}
“He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Luke 10:25-37 (summarized)
In my mind, the easy solution to this apparent cognitive dissonance is to realize that for today’s day and age, we can follow Jesus’ definition of a “neighbor” that was made explicitly clear in this parable; that is, anyone around us.
release of slaves
If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
Deuteronomy 15:12-14
In ancient Israelite times, people who hit hard times and couldn’t afford their land could sell themselves as slaves to their neighbors (this is more like “indentured servitude”, rather than the modern-day American understanding of the word “slave”). The master would pay for food & housing, and the servant would work for a fixed period. When Shmita (the Sabbath year; “release”) comes around, the servant can decide either to stay with their master if he’s been good (see Exodus 21:5-6); or leave servitude, return to their land and previous life, and become independent. And according to the above command, if the servant leaves, the master is to provide a generous departure gift to help them restart their life.
I love this idea, and it seems to go along with the previous theme of preventing systematic and extended inequality. It doesn’t remove the existing structure of indentured servitude (which admittedly, if done well, was likely beneficial for both parties anyways). However, I imagine that this mandated release every 7 years would prevent the systematic exploitation of the less well-off and prevent the creation of a large “servant class” that are unable to escape the cycle of servanthood. To further this goal, the master is called to send off the servant with departing gifts to help them get back on their feet. I think this is a great practical example of how to help others within your existing context.
One last note: this periodic release of slaves would’ve been excellent symbolism to regularly remind the Israelites that God released them from slavery in Egypt many years ago.
so what?
To be honest, this idea of “release” is the most challenging for me to contextualize to modern life today. For most of us, we are in systems where we are actually the debtor, rather than the creditor – as such, there’s not a clear action to take regarding the release of debts (side note: for the creditors out there, if you’ve been convicted by God to release some of the debts owed you, please reach out and let me know! I’d love to capture those stories.).
Additionally, slavery is not a societal norm (though sadly, modern-day slavery still runs rampant underneath the surface of civilization), and a system of indentured servitude isn’t really standard practice for modern-day America (another side note: if you do have a servant, especially outside of America, I’d love to hear more about your experience, and see if God has convicted you to give generously upon their release/departure).
During my studies, I’ve tried to understand the heart of God’s kingdom and God’s economy. It’s a system built upon grace and dignity, where there are mechanisms in place that guarantee freedom to people. And to me, this system acts as a continual reminder of these two facts:
- As the LORD has blessed us, let us bless others.
- As the LORD has rescued us from slavery (to masters, to sin, etc.), let us aim to help others and rescue them from their slavery/bondage (whether physical, emotional, financial, etc.).
A healthy conclusion to the topic of release is a reminder that the only reason God can freely release people from their debts and servitude, is because He is wealthy enough to cover any unpaid debt, no matter how large. The riches of God’s grace and mercy are what brought Jesus down to earth, dying to pay the price for our sins (the debt that we owed and couldn’t pay back), and releasing us from slavery to sin, making a way for our freedom.