From Leviticus 26-27

Vows are gifts given to God in return for something significant. These are usually in the context of worship or religious practice. There was no requirement on any Israelite to make vows, but once made, they were binding and had to be kept.

This post is part of my bible in a year series.

Passage and Comments

Moses has just finished Leviticus’ section on blessings and curses (Lev 26). Most scholars seem to think Lev 27 is a later addition to the text (cf. Lev 26.46), however it does contain the similar themes of Jubilee and Genesis 47 that appear in previous chapters.

[1] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the valuation of persons, (Lev 27.1-2)

‘Valuation of persons’. The first and most significant offering given to the LORD as a vow was people. Most likely these were slaves who would be given into temple service or perhaps in return for a redemption price.

There was a range values assigned to people depending on their age and sex. Essentially their value to serve in labour.

[3] then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. [4] If the person is a female, the valuation shall be thirty shekels.

[5] If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

[6] If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver.

[7] And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

[8] And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford. (Lev 27.1-8)

People. People are being offering up into service of the priesthood. They are being valued because a transaction is being made. The vower gives up the person or animal in the hope in return the LORD will give them what they request. The people were not allowed to be sacrificed (Ex 13.13). Their price was related, but not equal, to their value on the slave market which suggests a distinction between the two.

Note the greatest prices are in the 20-60 year range. The contract was only for a fixed term. Probably until the jubilee year (Lev 25.8-22).

[9] “If the vow is an animal that may be offered as an offering to the LORD, all of it that he gives to the LORD is holy. [10] He shall not exchange it or make a substitute for it, good for bad, or bad for good; and if he does in fact substitute one animal for another, then both it and the substitute shall be holy.

[11] And if it is any unclean animal that may not be offered as an offering to the LORD, then he shall stand the animal before the priest, [12] and the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall be. [13] But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation. (Lev 27.9-13)

Animals. If an animal is vowed to the Lord, it is not allowed to be exchanged for another whether it is too good or bad for sacrifice. If someone tries to reclaim it by swapping it with another, both animals are to be given up and sacrificed, or, if blemished (because sacrifices had to be unblemished), added to the herd of the priests.

An unclean animal, which might not be sacrificed, if vowed, was to be valued at a price fixed by the priest. If its original owner took it back again, he was to pay this price and one-fifth more than the sum named; if he did not, it became the property of the priests.

Leviticus finishes with a statement indicating Moses was on Mount Sinai (Lev 27.34; cf. Lev 26.46) when he received these commands from the LORD. The statement is meant to link all the commands together into one complete Torah.

Story of Israel

Old Testament vows were agreements with God that if they gave him something of value He would deliver them from some sort of distress or help them gain something they wanted.

For example, in Genesis Jacob vowed that if God stayed with him, provided for him and returned him to his father’s house in peace, then he would serve the LORD, build him a pillar (altar) for worship and give him a tenth of his possessions. (Gen. 28:20–22).

Another man named Jephthah made a stupid vow to give offer in sacrifice whatever came out of his household door to the LORD, if he was victorious in battle. (Jdg 27:9–13). His daughter came out.

Lastly, in the book of Samuel, a barren lady named Hannah made a vow that if the LORD gave her a son, she would give him into the LORD’s service (1 Sam. 1:11).

Story of Jesus

In the passage we have been reading people are giving up people, their livestock and property in the hope of gaining something in return. So what is a person worth? The people here are valued because of the expectation of their working productivity. The prices we have been looking at above reflect what they could do, not who they were.

We are all made in the image of God. Our worth and value therefore comes from him.

In the gospel of John, God shows us the depth of his love for us and what mankind is worth in his eyes.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16.)

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