Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

The law of God gave the poor a right to a certain part of the
earth's produce. A hungry person was free to go to a neighbor's
field, orchard, or vineyard, to obtain food.
Whatever was left after the harvest in fields, orchards, and
vineyards belonged to the poor. "When you reap your harvest in
your field," said Moses, "and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall
not go back to get it. ... When you beat your olive trees, you shall
not go over the boughs again. ... When you gather the grapes of your
vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger,
the fatherless, and the widow. And you shall remember that you
were a slave in the land of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 24:19-22. Also
see Leviticus 19:9, 10).
God's Mercy to Poor People
Every seventh year special arrangements were made for the
poor. At planting time, which followed the harvest, the people were
not to sow; they were not to tend the vineyard in the spring; and they
must not expect either harvest or vintage. The yield of this year was
to be free for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and even
for the creatures of the field. (Exodus 23:10, 11; Leviticus 25:5).
But if the land normally produced only enough to meet the
needs of the people, how were they to survive during the year when
the gathered no crops? The promise of God made ample provision:
"I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year," He said,
473