Agriculture occupied an important place in the legislation given Israel. The land belonged to Jehovah and so was not to be abused. (Le 25:23) The land could not be sold in perpetuity, and with the exception of properties within walled cities, land sold due to misfortunes and economic reverses was to be returned to the original possessor in the Jubilee year. (Le 25:10, 23-31) A sabbath rest was required every seventh year, during which the land lay fallow and its fertility was restored, thus accomplishing what is today done by rotation of crops. (Ex 23:10, 11; Le 25:3-7) Such a requirement might have appeared hazardous and was certainly a test of the nation’s faith in God’s promise to provide in sufficient abundance to carry them through till the harvest of the succeeding year. At the same time, it encouraged prudence and foresight. The Jubilee year (every 50th year) was also a year of rest for the land.​—Le 25:11, 12.

The three annual festivals that Israel was commanded to celebrate were timed to coincide with agricultural seasons: the Festival of Unfermented Cakes at the time of the barley harvest, Pentecost at the time of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Booths at the time of the completion of the harvesting of crops of the outgoing year. (Ex 23:14-16) For the Israelites the seasons and harvest were date factors and time indicators and were used more commonly as such than the names of the calendar months. Such agricultural life also protected the Israelites in a spiritual way, since it made them largely independent of other peoples for their needs and maintained at a minimum the need for commercial intercourse with the surrounding nations.

Though it was to be a land “flowing with milk and honey” for them under God’s blessing, nevertheless, there were agricultural problems to be worked out. On condition of their obedience, there would be no need for large-scale irrigation. (De 8:7; 11:9-17)

Though subsequent disobedience led to a withdrawal of God’s blessing and brought as a consequence agricultural disasters through crop failures, droughts, locust plagues, mildew, and other problems,