Leviticus 27

The word “if’’ has been called one of the shortest and yet one of the most important words in the

English language. Debating over what might have happened in world history if Wellington had lost at Waterloo or if Lee had won at Gettysburg is an exercise in futility.

When you leave the “ifs’’ out of Leviticus 26—27, you may miss the meaning, for “if’’ is used thirty-two times. The history of Israel can’t be fully understood apart from the “ifs’’ contained in God’s covenant. When it comes to Jewish history, “if’’ is a very big word. Three “if’’ phrases in chapter 26 show us the importance of the word: “If you walk in My statutes’’ (v. 3 nkjv); “But if you do not obey Me’’ (v. 14 nkjv); “But if they confess their iniquity’’ (v. 40 nkjv). In our relationship to the Lord, “if’’ carries a lot of weight.

The statutes and instructions God gave Israel in Leviticus 26 and 27 illustrate four responsibilities that every Christian believer has toward the Lord.

It seems strange that this book should end with a chapter on vows rather than with an account of a special demonstration of God’s glory and holiness. But our promises to God must be as inviolable as His covenant with us. “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God’’ (Eccl. 5: nkjv). “It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows’’ (Prov. 20: nkjv).

The principle behind the regulations in this chapter is that of substituting money for something given in dedication to God, a person, an animal, or a piece of property, and giving that money to the priests for the upkeep of the sanctuary. The priest would evaluate the gift according to the rules laid down in this chapter. By giving money in exchange for the gift, the worshipper was “redeeming’’ the gift but still fulfilling the vow. These vows were strictly voluntary and were expressions of the worshipper’s gratitude to God for His blessing.

The redeemable things (vv. 1–25). They started with the dedication of persons (vv. 1–8). A worshipper might dedicate himself to the Lord or bring a member of the family or a servant to serve the Lord for life at the sanctuary. However, since there were plenty of Levites, and since they were especially set apart for sanctuary service, it was expected that the person given would be redeemed with money, and the money given to the priests for the ministry of the sanctuary. In the case of Samuel (1 Sam. 1—2), the lad was actually given to the high priest and trained to serve in the tabernacle. Children could be redeemed or, like Samuel, they could go into service when they became older.

The amount of money assigned to each age bracket and sex had nothing to do with the worth of the individual as a person. Everyone was precious to the Lord. The key idea was how much work they would have been able to do. A shekel was the equivalent of a month’s income for a worker, although we don’t know how much buying power it had. Thus a male from twenty to sixty was evaluated at about four years’ income. Put that into modern economic equivalents, and you will rightly conclude that people didn’t rush into making these vows! It would indeed be a costly thing to pay four years’ income to fulfill a vow to the Lord.

Animals could also be dedicated and then redeemed (Lev. 27:9–13). Every animal dedicated to the Lord was considered holy (vv. 9–10), which meant it was set apart (“sanctified’’) and belonged to the Lord. If the donor wanted to substitute an inferior beast, both animals then belonged to the Lord (v. 10)! This was one of the sins of the priests in Malachi’s day (Mal. 1:13–14). In the case of animals, the donor had to add 20 percent to the priest’s evaluation.

Property could also be dedicated and redeemed (Lev. 27:14–25), but the owner had to add 20 percent to the evaluation when he gave the redemption money to the priest. A field was evaluated on the basis of its yield and the proximity to the Year of Jubilee. If for some reason the owner sold the land after devoting it to the Lord, he was penalized by losing it at the Year of Jubilee, when it would be given to the priests and could never be redeemed. When we make promises to the Lord, we had better keep them.

The unredeemable things (vv. 26–34). There are three: the firstborn of the beasts, anything God put under a ban, and the required tithes.

The firstlings of the beasts (vv. 26–27) were set apart for the Lord at the first Passover (Ex. 13:2; see 34:19–20). These animals took the place of the firstborn of Israel whom the blood of the lamb redeemed from judgment. These animals could not be redeemed. But if the animal was “unclean,’’ which probably means blemished in some way, the donor could redeem it by paying the evaluated price and adding 20 percent. (No blemished animal would be put on the altar, and certainly a priest could never accept an animal listed as “unclean.’’)

Things “devoted’’ to the Lord (vv. 28–29) would be things that God had set aside for Himself, such as the spoils of war at Jericho (Josh. 6:17–19; 7:11–15). The phrase “accursed thing’’ in the kjv doesn’t mean that God cursed these things but that He put them under a ban so that they wholly belonged to Him. King Saul broke this law when he tried to give to God that which He had already banned, that is, the Amalekites and all their wealth (1 Sam. 15).

The tithes of the produce (vv. 30–33) had already been set apart for the Lord and couldn’t be used any other way. It appears that the Jews paid three tithes: a tithe to the Levites, who in turn tithed it to the priests (Num. 18:21–32); a tithe that was brought to the sanctuary and eaten “before the Lord’’ (Deut. 14:22–27), and a tithe every three years for the poor (vv. 28–29). No farmer could keep the Lord’s tithe and redeem it with money. It had to be given as the Lord directed.

The major lesson of this chapter is that God expects us to keep our commitments to Him and be honest in all our dealings with Him. We must not try to negotiate “a better deal’’ or to escape responsibilities. It’s good to give money to the Lord, but giving money isn’t always an acceptable way to express our devotion to God. That money might be a substitute for the service we ought to be rendering to the Lord.

What Samuel said to King Saul needs to be heard today: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’’ (1 Sam. 15:22).

Finally, we need to remember that Jesus Christ paid with His own life the redemption price for sinners, and we weren’t worth it. He redeemed us not with silver and gold but with His own precious blood (1 Peter 1:18–19). Any sacrifice we make for Him is nothing compared to the sacrifice He made for us.

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