Leviticus 27 "The Redemption of Vows"

Our series on Leviticus is coming to a close,

so I would like to remind you where we have been.

Leviticus opens with a discussion of the sacrifices (chs 1-7),

and the consecration of the priests (chs 8-10).

This followed from the lengthy account of the construction of the Tabernacle in Ex. 25-40.

These central chapters of the Pentateuch set forth the law of the altar and of the sacrifice.

Then chapters 11-24 showed us God's standard of holiness and cleanness.

The main focus of Leviticus, then, is first dealing with sin, and then holy living,

since it only because we have been cleansed by the sacrifice that we can live holy lives.

Now in these final chapters, Leviticus 25-27 is teaching about the principle of redemption.

The next chapter, Numbers 1, will take us back to the narrative of Israel at Mt. Sinai,

so this chapter is plainly bound up with what precedes it.

The redemption of vows teaches us about how God will redeem his vow in Jesus Christ.

The chapter starts, "The Lord spoke to Moses"-a familiar opening to you by now!

In today's world, vows are relics of the past.

The fate of marriage vows is a good example.

The fact that half of all American marriages end in divorce

demonstrates that we do not take our vows very seriously.

What was a vow in biblical times?

Jacob Genesis 28:20-22

Jephthah Judges 11:30-31)

Hannah 1 Samuel 1:11

"In making a vow, a person demonstrated his love for the Lord's worship,

or his thankfulness for an answer to prayer

by earnestly resolving to dedicate something or someone

as a gift to the Lord (Hannah)

or to deny himself certain pleasures (the Nazirite-Num. 6),

or to present a certain offering (Lev. 6:6)."

Dt 23:21-23 makes it clear that vows were optional,

but if they were made, they must be kept (cf. Num. 30:2-15)

The principle of Leviticus 27 is that if you wish to redeem your vow,

then you must pay a higher price than the value of the thing that you vowed.

In the end we will see that God had vowed to save his people.

Therefore he must offer something of greater value than humanity.

There are six sections in the chapter:

1-8 Redemption of Persons

Pagan nations allowed dedication by sacrifice and prostitution-

both of which were forbidden by God-

but it was still possible to devote someone or something to the service of God.

Hannah, for instance, vowed to devote her son to the LORD,

and Samuel spent his entire life in the service of Yahweh.

But what if you desired to redeem the person thus devoted?

God sets forth a cash payment that could be substituted for the devoted person.

A man between the age of 20-60 is valued at 50 shekels, a woman at 30 shekels.

From ages 5-20, 20 and 10

before age 5, 5 and 3

after age 60, 15 and 10

The specified monetary payments are directly related

to the amount of work that a person could be expected to perform.

Verse 8 is interesting, because it makes it clear that the value was not absolute.

A poor person must stand before the priest,

and the priest would value him according to what the vower could afford.

9-13 Redemption of Animals

An animal that could be used as a sacrifice could not be redeemed.

It must be sacrificed.

And verse 10 makes it clear that if he tries to substitute,

then both the original animal and the substitute would be holy,

and therefore belong to the priests.

In other words, he would pay double for his folly.

But an unclean animal (or a clean animal that could not be sacrificed),

would be valued by the priests, and if he desired to redeem it,

he would have to pay an extra 20% beyond the valuation.

Redemption is costly-beyond the value of that which is redeemed.

14-15 Redemption of Houses

The same provision is given with respect to a house.

If you dedicated your house as a holy gift to the Lord,

then the only way to redeem it would be to add a fifth of its value.

A dedicated house would be used in the service of the priests.

16-25 Redemption of Land

Likewise, a man could dedicate a part of his property to the LORD,

which would mean that all of its produce would be given to the priests.

But since the land could not be permanently alienated,

but must be restored at the Jubilee,

the valuation was based on the number of harvests before the next Jubilee.

And if he wished to redeem the field,

the owner would have to pay an extra fifth beyond its remaining value.

Verses 20-21 makes it clear, however, that if the man does not wish to redeem the land

at the Jubilee, then the land would remain the permanent possession of the priests.

Verse 23 adds that if a man dedicated a field that was not part of his inheritance

(for instance a field that he had "rented" until the next Jubilee)

then he must pay the valuation, since he did not have the authority

to permanently cede it to the priests.

26-29 Exceptions

the firstborn of the animals can neither be dedicated nor redeemed, but must be sacrificed

Exodus 13 had said that all the firstborn of every animal belonged to God.

You cannot dedicate to the Lord that which already belongs to him!

But the firstborn of an unclean animal could either be redeemed at a 20% addition,

or sold by the priests for its valuation.

But nothing devoted can be redeemed. (28-29).

There is a difference between dedicating and devoting.

To dedicate is to offer as a gift for the usage of the priests.

To devote is to dedicate directly to God by destroying a thing.

Therefore anything devoted to God is "most holy to the LORD."

It must therefore be destroyed.

If a person or animal is devoted to God, then it shall be put to death.

If a house or building is devoted to God, then it must be destroyed.

This is the first usage of the Hebrew word "herem"-to devote to destruction

God will command Israel to devote Jericho to destruction.

Not only the people, but the animals, and the buildings.

Jericho is the firstfruits of their warfare, and must be devoted entirely to God.

The gold and silver from the city must be given to the priests. (Joshua 6-7)

Saul's final rebellion, which wrenches the kingdom from him,

was when he allowed the people to take plunder from the Amalekites,

which God had explicitly commanded to be devoted to destruction. (1 Sam 15)

30-33 Redemption of Tithes

not only would you tithe a tenth of your produce each year,

but a tenth of your flocks and herds would be given to God-each year

(not just the increase as Philo argues)

The common practice was to have the animals pass through a narrow place,

and every tenth animal that passed under the herdsman's staff would be the tithe.

It would be tempting to "fix" the system

to ensure that weak or sickly animals were the tithe,

but Israel is strictly commanded not to substitute

-and if they do, then both animals would be holy,

and neither could be redeemed.

27:34 gives the concluding formula

God is teaching his people that vows are costly.

We have seen in Leviticus that the spoken word is powerful.

A curse proclaimed against a deaf man is especially wicked

because he cannot defend himself against it,

any more than a blind man can defend himself against a stumbling block (19:14).

Even so, vows are powerful.

They can take on a life of their own.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says:

"If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it,

for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.

You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips,

for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God

what you have promised with your mouth."

There are two ways you could take this.

You could say, "well in that case, I won't vow at all," because then I'll be safe!

But that misses the point of Deuteronomy 23.

Deuteronomy 23 is not just talking about speech that take the form of vows,

but of all promises that come forth from your mouth.

Jesus corrects the error of the Pharisees in Matthew 5.

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old,

'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'

But I say to you, 'Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

or by the earth, for it is his footstool,

or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King....

Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No';

anything more than this comes from the evil one."

You don't need to add lots of flowery speech for your word to take the form of a vow.

When you tell your friend, "I will do it,"

you have vowed to the Lord.

In other words, your ordinary verbal commitments are to be treated like vows.

If you say that you will do something,

you are bound to do it.

And if you fail to do that which you said,

then you have sinned.

Redeeming your vows is costly.

But the point of Leviticus 27 is to show Israel the importance of one's word.

And there is no greater example of this than the cross.

God had promised to Abraham, "I will make of you a great nation."

He had promised Eve that her seed would crush the head of the serpent.

But redemption costs more than the value of the one who was vowed.

How can humanity be redeemed?

Only a sacrifice greater than humanity could pay for humanity.

And so we see the mystery of the incarnation:

it had to be a man who paid for man's sins,

but only God could pay the price.

Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ had to be fully God and fully man.

He has fulfilled his Word-he has redeemed his vow,

so that we might not be devoted to utter destruction.

Therefore, as those who are in Christ,

who share both in his suffering and glory,

let us be truth-tellers.

Let us do what we have promised, and let our yes be yes, and our no be no.