Leviticus 25:20-22
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This verse isn't just about a practical farming question; it reveals how easily doubt can creep in when obedience demands we set aside our usual plans. The question, "What shall we eat?" highlights a very human tendency to focus on immediate needs and distrust God's provision when His commands seem to disrupt our security.
And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As God details the rest required for the land in the sabbatical year and the even more significant Jubilee year, He anticipates the people's practical worries. They would naturally question how they'd survive without sowing or harvesting for an entire year, raising a real concern about provision. This verse captures that moment of doubt before God's promise of miraculous provision is revealed.
God calls us to radical trust, but our minds race with 'what ifs.' What happens when obedience seems impossible?
This verse captures a moment of pure, practical human anxiety. The Israelites are being told to observe a seventh year of rest for the land – no sowing, no harvesting. It's a command for the land to rest, but also a test of their trust.
The Voice of Doubt
'What shall we eat?' This question wasn't born of laziness or a desire to avoid work. It was a genuine concern about survival. If they couldn't sow or harvest, how would they possibly eat throughout the year? It’s the sound of faith being challenged by the undeniable logic of scarcity. It’s easy to read this and think, 'Oh, they should just trust God!' But in the moment, facing empty fields and hungry families, that logical question is powerful and real.
When our usual sources of provision are halted, God's faithfulness is revealed in unexpected ways.
The question in Leviticus 25:20 is posed right before God answers it. The full context shows that this isn't just about not sowing or harvesting; it's about relying on God's extraordinary provision.
A Miracle Harvest
God's solution, revealed in the very next verse (Leviticus 25:21), is astounding: 'I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall yield a crop for three years.' This isn't about a little extra; it's a supernatural abundance designed to carry them through.
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This teaches us that obedience to God often requires us to step beyond our own perceived capabilities and trust in His ability to provide in ways we can't predict or manage ourselves. Our 'harvest' isn't solely dependent on our 'sowing' and 'gathering.'
Understand the original words
shebii · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
A sacred period ordained by God, specifically the seventh year in the Levitical law, characterized by the cessation of agricultural labor and the release of debts, reflecting a complete trust in God's provision.
berakah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to God's active, favorable intervention and bestowment of material or spiritual prosperity upon His people. It signifies the source of all provision and the assurance of His covenant care.
This passage speaks to the assurance God gives that He will provide for Israel even when they come to Jerusalem three times a year, implying a similar principle of trusting God's provision in times of mandated rest and sacrifice.
Deuteronomy 28:8While not directly about the sabbatical year, this verse promises God's blessing on Israel's endeavors when they obey Him, providing a foundational theological reason for why they could trust His provision during the seventh year.
Matthew 6:33Jesus echoes the principle of seeking first God's kingdom and righteousness, with the assurance that He will provide earthly needs, which directly counters the anxiety expressed in Leviticus 25:20 about what to eat.
1 Kings 17:8-16The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath demonstrates God's miraculous provision in a time of famine and scarcity, mirroring the extraordinary provision promised to Israel during their year of rest.
gillLeviticus 25:20: "And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:"
And ye shall say, what shall ye eat the seventh year?.... Such as are of little faith, disbelieve the promise, and distrust the providence of God, and take thought for tomorrow, and indulge an anxiety of mind how they shall be provided with food in the sabbatical year ordered to be observed, in which there were to be no tillage of land, nor pruning of trees: behold,…
clarkeLeviticus 25:20: "And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:"
What shall we eat the seventh year? - A very natural question, which could only be laid at rest by the sovereign promise in the next verse: I will Command my Blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for Three Years. See on Leviticus 25:2 (note).
This verse isn't just about a practical farming question; it reveals how easily doubt can creep in when obedience demands we set aside our usual plans. The question, "What shall we eat?" highlights a very human tendency to focus on immediate needs and distrust God's provision when His commands seem to disrupt our security.
As God details the rest required for the land in the sabbatical year and the even more significant Jubilee year, He anticipates the people's practical worries. They would naturally question how they'd survive without sowing or harvesting for an entire year, raising a real concern about provision. This verse captures that moment of doubt before God's promise of miraculous provision is revealed.
As God details the rest required for the land in the sabbatical year and the even more significant Jubilee year, He anticipates the people's practical worries. They would naturally question how they'd survive without sowing or harvesting for an entire year, raising a real concern about provision. This verse captures that moment of doubt before God's promise of miraculous provision is revealed.
"And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth ye…" — This verse isn't just about a practical farming question; it reveals how easily doubt can creep in when obedience demands we set aside our usual plans. The question, "What shall we eat?" highlights a…
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Last reviewed October 2026
