Leviticus 27

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:32:08utc

Vows and Dedications 27:1-34

A problem in the understanding of this chapter is that some of the information needed for a complete comprehension is withheld. We will have to reconstruct part of what is lacking in order to know what this chapter deals with. There was, evidently, a possibility for an Israelite to dedicate himself, or a person for whom he was responsible, to the Lord. This dedication could be conditional or unconditional, and is probably the same or a similar vow as the Nazarene vow which is described in Numbers 6. The dedication could apply to both man and animal, or to land and houses.

Vs. 1-8 deal with the evaluation of a person in connection with a vow that was made. We are not told whether the payment was meant to be released from the vow, or whether it was a payment made at the end of a certain period which had been determined beforehand, or whether payment and vow were one and the same thing; that is that the vow was made to pay a certain amount as an expression of gratitude, according to the sex and age group to which the person belonged. There is no doubt about the fact that the vows were made voluntarily. The money paid here was not the same as the ransom money that had to be paid during a census.

Vs. 1 reads in TLB: "When a person makes a special vow to give himself to the Lord, he shall give these payments instead." This suggests that the payment would be an expression of the dedication of a person to the Lord. This truth ought to give a new dimension to our financial dealings; Jesus asked: "What can a man give in exchange for his soul?"[ 1 ] This payment is not meant to be a ransom, but only a partial expression of gratitude. We should not think that we can buy our redemption.

TLB puts the value of 50 shekels at $25 and 30 shekels at $15 etc. We could ask the question why all this is spelled out in such detail. After all, every man was free to give to the Lord what he wanted. This precept, evidently, helps to give a person more insight into the "why" of his giving, that is, that there is a connection with his own value as a person. There also seems to be some discrimination between male and female, as well as between the age brackets. There is a sense in which all men have equal value before God. But in this context the value is determined in term of the defense of the country and the work of the Lord. The point of value seems to be the physical efforts a person can make.

It is also interesting to note that one could make a vow for another person. This must refer to persons for whom one bore legal responsibility. Yet, the main thought seems to be that one surrenders to God with body and soul. The man who makes the vow condemns himself to death before God, or rather he agrees with God's judgment upon his life. It is the Old Testament equivalent of counting oneself crucified with Christ. This is clear from the rendering TLB gives of vs. 29, which reads: "No one sentenced by the courts to die may pay a fine instead; he shall surely be put to death." The payment of a vow as a voluntary act, therefore, shows a deep insight on the side of man into his own human nature, the holiness of God and the depth of his sin. From God's side, this law indicates that God wants man to live as a redeemed and victorious person.

In a man's relationship with God whether a man is rich or poor makes no difference. It is not the amount paid that is important, but the spiritual principle that places man before God as a sinner who has forfeited his life. It is impossible for a man to evaluate himself objectively. God does this here by means of a priest's judgment. Our own evaluations are never balanced and correct. That is why Paul advises us not to evaluate ourselves. He says: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God."[ 2 ]

Vs. 9-13 deal with the dedication of animals to the Lord. The topic returns in the verses 26 and 27. The animals mentioned in this context are probably the ones that are given to the Lord as freewill offerings. A man who dedicated an animal to the Lord could not change his mind half way. We see in this a hint of the craftiness of human nature, which, even in its relationship with God, tries to make a little profit on the side. God had already forbidden anyone to bring an animal with a defect as a sacrifice. The Lord had told the people: "Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf."[ 3 ] This commandment formed the basis for the trade of animals in the temple at a later time, a practice to which Jesus reacted so sharply.[ 4 ] The animal that was brought into the temple from the outside could easily be disqualified, which meant that the person who wanted to sacrifice was forced to buy another animal that had already been approved by the priest. Both animals, the one that was disqualified and the approved one, would then become temple property.

The unclean animal, mentioned in vs. 11, was probably a baggage carrier, such as a horse, a donkey or a mule; that would be an animal that could be used but not eaten.

In principle, a sacrificial animal could not be redeemed with money. This animal represented figuratively the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom there was no possible substitute. The unclean animal could be used as a beast of burden by the priest. If the giver want to have his animal back, he had to pay the price at which it was evaluated plus 20%.

The distinction between clean and unclean animals is an image of people. God wanted Israel to understand the difference between those who had received God's revelation and obeyed it and those who had not received it. The fact that a possibility of redemption of unclean animals is mentioned at all is a sign of hope for people who never heard the Gospel. According to this commandment, the heathen are not doomed to live in eternal slavery to sin. There is hope of redemption for them.

Vs. 14 and 15 deal with the matter of the surrender of the right of ownership of a house to the Lord. The Scripture does not state whether a priest would take over the house, or whether the original owner would remain in it and pay rent. TLB renders the text as follows: "If someone donates his home to the Lord...." That sounds like a good translation. The KJV says: "And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD ..." This sounds too spiritual in the modern use of language. What is meant is that the house is set apart for the Lord's service. That is the literal meaning of the word "holy." It would be wonderful if holiness were as practical as this in our time. In the spiritual sense of the word it is also good to dedicate your house to the Lord as a place of which He takes possession. But if we spiritualize the text too much, we run into trouble with the part that speaks about buying back the house. In practice it would be possible to make a financial arrangement if one needed the space for some other purpose than direct use for the Lord's service. There is also a possibility of surrendering a house to the Lord if one does not need it. If we would learn, as Christians, not to possess more than we need, the world would be a better place to live.

The same principle is valid for gifts of fields. It is interesting to see how the Lord binds Himself to the law of the Year of Jubilee. God presents Himself here to man as an equal partner, who is open for business transactions. Some people practice the principles that are expounded in this chapter. The business man Stanley Tamm, who wrote the book God Runs My Business, put it in practice.

The value of a field is determined by the amount of seed needed to cultivate it. TLB puts this as "ten bushels of barley seed at $25." The calculation of the value of the land is then made with a view to the number of harvests to be expected between the time of surrender and the Year of Jubilee. All this is very practical. In the Year of Jubilee the field is to revert back to the original owner, for whom it was part of his heritage.

Vs. 20 is not too clear in most translations. TLB adds between parentheses: "and has given to the Lord his rights to it at the Year of Jubilee." This would mean that a person could sell his property to someone else, but that the right of heritage would be surrendered to the Lord. In that case, the field would not revert to the original owner, but become the property of the temple. That sounds logical.

Implied in all of this is the fact that in his spiritual and practical relation with God, man is allowed to make plans and decisions. Even though his life does not belong to him, this does not mean that he would have to take a passive attitude and accept things as they come. If a man chooses to be crucified with Christ and consequently his life is no longer his own, but that he has to live for Him who died for him and rose from the dead for him, he has to work this principle out in a practical way concerning with his earthly possessions. As far as I understand it, this is the deep lesson of this mysterious chapter.

Vs. 25 tells us that there has to be a standard against which all monetary values are set. My understanding of world economy is very limited. There used to be a gold standard which was the measuring stick of the currency of each country. This was no absolute standard, and it could be dropped if one country chose to. It was, in fact, dropped in the early thirties of this century. There is, however, an absolute standard for the measuring of absolute values, which is the holiness of God. TLB translates vs. 25: "All the valuations shall be stated in standard money." The NIV says: "Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel." The literal reading of "sanctuary shekel" is "holy shekel," which makes more sense than meets the eye.

The last verses of this chapter, beginning with vs. 26, deal with that what cannot be redeemed: the first-born, the condemned, and the tithes. For each of these categories, we find separate laws.

According to the law that existed already, all the first-born among the cattle belonged already to the Lord. It could, therefore, not be dedicated again to the Lord and subsequently redeemed; it had to be sacrificed. The first-born animal was an image of our Lord Jesus Christ and for Him there was no way out from undergoing death at the cross. The unclean animal, mentioned in vs. 27, had to be a beast of burden, just as in vs. 11; such as a donkey, a horse, a mule, or a camel. We find the law concerning these animals in Exodus.[ 5 ]

The word "devoted" in verses 28 and 29 seems to have the connotation of a ban. In vs. 29 it carries the meaning of a death sentence. How this would apply to a field is not clear. TLB translates vs. 29 as follows: "No one sentenced by the courts to die may pay a fine instead; he shall surely be put to death." If this verse deals with judicial decisions by a court, it could be that the previous verse also deals with the same kind of situation.

Payment of tithes was an existing command already. One could not take his tithe and consecrate it to the Lord as a fellowship offering. All tithes already belonged to Him. The law described them as God's property. But a man was allowed to redeem the tithe of the harvest of his field and give the value of the produce in money. The distance between the place of residence and the temple could be a problem for the transportation of large quantities of goods. Exchange of cattle that had to be sacrificed as tithes was also forbidden. A possibility of redemption is not even mentioned in this context.

This brings us to the end of our study.

Nabire, April 15, 1986

[ 1 ] Matt. 16:26

[ 2 ] I Cor. 4:3-5

[ 3 ] Lev. 22:20

[ 4 ] See John 2:13-25 and Matt. 21:12,13

[ 5 ] See Ex. 13:1,2, 11-16