Trust And Obey

Saturday February 7, 2026

Trust and Obey.  I remember a song that says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”.  Those two instructions came to mind as I thought about today’s blog based on our daily Scripture reading.  God instructed Israel to give the land rest every seven years, a sabbath for the land. They were allowed to sow for six years, prune the vineyard, and gather its produce for six years.  But, on the seventh year they were instructed to not sow or reap, but to give the land rest (Leviticus 25:1-7).  So, how would they be sustained?  God specifically addresses that question and states that He would appoint His blessing for them in the sixth year, so that it would produce a crop sufficient for three years (v.20-21).  In other words, they were to trust the Lord.  You can imagine the temptation, can’t you, to cheat.  You can imagine just selling the abundance from that sixth year and planting and harvesting the seventh year?  Maybe they would justify their actions by not planting as much in that seventh year, or by coming up with some other excuse as to why they needed it.  And, ultimately, we know, due to their time in exile many years later, that, in fact, this is exactly what they did.  They ignored the instructions and planted that seventh year anyway.  But God was teaching them to trust Him.  Now, we could also use this for our obedience, or lack thereof, portion of this blog.  However, let’s look at something else God tells them.  The land was not to be permanently sold because the land belonged to God (v.23).  God tells them that the land He is giving to them is still His and that they were only aliens and temporary residents.  This sets up the discussion about the year of Jubilee.  If someone was in financial hardship, they could sell their land to another, but, if they weren’t able to buy it back before the year of Jubilee, that land was to be returned to the one that sold it (so that they may return to their property) (v.23-28).  Also, if someone becomes destitute, they were not to lend silver with interest or sell them food for profit (v.36).  It was God that brought them out of Egypt to give them the land and be their God (v.37).  You can imagine the temptation to gain by not releasing the land at Jubilee, but still requiring payment, or to gain financially from a brother by charging interest or charging higher prices for food (supply and demand, we might say).  So, what was to keep them from doing this?  What would restrain them?  Twice it is mentioned – the fear of the Lord (v.36 and v.43).  The fear of the Lord would be what they would need, and need to practice, to obey and treat one another the way God was instructing.  “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”.