(The audio recording of this sermon will be uploaded here after the Sunday service.)
Today we are going to talk about the Year of Release, the Year of Canceling Debts. Many of you have probably heard about the Sabbath Year. In the Bible, every seventh year was called the Sabbath Year. During that year, the people were not allowed to plant crops, and the land was given time to rest.
Even today, some pastors take a sabbatical. They take time away from their regular work to rest, study, and spend more time with God. This idea comes from the Sabbath Year in the Bible.
But what is the Year of Release? What is the Year of Canceling Debts? Is it the same as the Sabbath Year, or is it different? The answer is both yes and no. They refer to the same seventh year, but they focus on different things. The Sabbath Year teaches us that the land needs rest. On the other hand, the Year of Release teaches us about cancelling debts and setting people free.
Today, we are going to take a look at the Year of Release. We are going to learn what God wants to teach us through it. God gave this law because He didn’t want poverty and oppression to continue forever among His people. Every seven years, God gave people a chance to start again. God gave them a fresh start.
Now let’s take a look at verse 1. It says, “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” There is a Hebrew word called Shemitah. It means to release. Especially, it means to release people from their debts. Or it means to let it go. Imagine that you are holding something very tightly. God says, “Open your hand. Let it go.” This command is not only about money. God is also telling us to let go of greed, selfishness, pride, and hatred. Sometimes we hold on to these things so tightly that they control our lives. But God says, “Trust Me. Let them go.”
Why did God make this law? In ancient Israel, people usually borrowed money because they were going through difficult times. Maybe their crops failed because of a drought. Maybe someone in the family became sick. Maybe they did not have enough food to eat. Most people borrowed money simply because they wanted to survive. Then the seventh year arrived. During the sabbath year, the people could not plant seeds or harvest crops. Without a harvest, they had no income. Without income, they could not pay back their debts. God understood this. So He commanded the lenders, “Do not demand payment.” “Cancel their debts.” “Give them another chance.”
What a beautiful heart God has! God never wanted poverty to continue forever. He never wanted people to live without hope. He wanted every family to have a new beginning. Brothers and sisters, the Year of Release was much more than an economic law. It showed God’s mercy. Just as God forgives our sins, He wanted His people to forgive one another and show grace to those who were struggling.
Now let’s move on to verse 2. “This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.”
The word “creditor” means the person who lends money. In Israel, most people borrowed money because they were poor. God didn’t want a society where poor people stayed poor forever.
He didn’t want people to spend their whole lives trying to pay back debt. That is why He gave them a fresh start every seven years. Another important word in this verse is “require payment.”
It means to keep asking someone to pay back the money. God did not simply say, “Cancel the debt.” He also said, “Do not keep putting pressure on them.” Sometimes the greatest burden is not the debt itself. It is the fear. It is the shame. It is the feeling that there is no way out. God wanted to remove that burden. His forgiveness does more than cancel a debt. It gives people hope. It gives them a new beginning.
Verse 2 also says, “Because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.” This sentence is very important. The Year of Release was not simply a social policy or an economic system. It was an act of worship. It was an act of faith. Think about the lender. Did the lender lose money? Yes. From a human point of view, it’s a loss.
But God said, “Trust Me.” “Let it go.” “I will take care of you.” The Year of Release was never mainly about money. It was about trusting God more than trusting money. The same is true for us today. Sometimes forgiving someone feels like losing. Sometimes sharing with others feels unfair. Sometimes helping someone costs us time, money, or energy.
But God still says, “Trust Me.” ‘Let it go.” Real faith is not only holding on to God. Sometimes real faith means letting go of the things we want to hold onto. God asks us to open our hands because He knows that His hands are much bigger than ours. When we trust God, He will always provide what we truly need.
Now let’s take a look at verse 3. “You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you.”
At first, this verse may sound strange to us. Why did God tell the Israelites to cancel debts for their own people but not for foreigners? The reason is that Israel was God’s covenant community. God wanted His people to take care of one another so that no one would remain poor forever. This does not mean that Christians should love only other Christians. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us to love everyone—even our enemies.
At the same time, the Bible tells us to take special care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. In Galatians 6:10, it says: “Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
The Bible gives us two important principles. First, we should love and serve everyone. Second, even so, God tells us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ first. What I am saying is that we should not forget our church family. If someone in our church is hurting, we should be ready to help. If someone is struggling, we should pray for them and encourage them. God wants His church to be a place where no one has to carry heavy burdens alone. He wants us to stand together as one family.
Now let me read verses 4 and 5. “However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, He will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands.”
These verses show us God’s heart. God did not want poverty to continue from one generation to the next. That is why He gave Israel the Year of Release. He wanted people to have hope. He wanted families to have a fresh start. He wanted His people to live in freedom, not in endless debt. But these verses also teach us something very important. God’s blessing has a condition. What is it? First, we must listen to God’s Word. Second, we must obey God’s Word. God promises to bless those who trust Him and obey Him. This is one of the basic principles of God’s kingdom. God’s economy does not depend on luck. It does not depend only on money. It depends on God’s blessing.
Of course, we must work hard. The Bible never tells us to be lazy. We should study hard. We should work faithfully. We should do our best in everything. But after we have done our part, we remember one important truth. God is our Provider. Every good gift comes from Him. Every opportunity comes from Him. Every blessing comes from Him. When we trust Him and obey Him, He promises to take care of us.
Let me close with this. Brothers and sisters, God blesses us so that we can bless others. He gives us strength so that we can strengthen others. He gives us comfort so that we can comfort others. He gives us hope so that we can share hope with others. God never blesses us only for ourselves. He blesses us so that His blessings can flow through us.
The Year of Release teaches us an important lesson. Shemitah means letting go because we trust God. We let go of greed. We let go of hatred. We let go of bitterness. We let go of anything that keeps us from trusting God. God blesses us so that we become channels of His blessings.
Let us pray.
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