Leviticus Chapter 27
In this final chapter of Leviticus God gave Moses instructions and laws about how the priests were to handle vows made to the tabernacle and to God through the priests. The monetary values assigned to people were in keeping with what wages that particular age or gender of person would be able to earn. Since only the priests could serve within the tabernacle, vows made to serve the Lord had to be kept outside the tabernacle. One way to keep this vow was to give money to the tabernacle with a sum of money equaling what wages that person was capable of earning.
A second way was for a person to make a vow to the Lord, was to serve directly in the courtyard of the tabernacle or temple. For example, young men were enlisted to lift the heavy animals that were given as sacrifices. If a family member decided that they needed that young man back on their own farm to help with the work, there was a process of assigning value that could be paid to the tabernacle to redeem that young man and thereby still keep the vow that was made.
In all of this God wanted the people to understand the importance of keeping the vows they made to Him and not to make vows arbitrarily.
Let's Reflect
1. In verse 8 what process did God allow for a poor person wanting to pay to the tabernacle the value of his vow made?
2. If a man made a vow that he was going to give an animal as a sacrifice to the tabernacle, that animal was considered what?
3. If a man wanted to give an animal to the tabernacle that was considered an unclean animal such as a donkey, that animal could not be used as a sacrifice. But what could the man do who vowed to give that animal to the Lord? See verses 12-13.
4. A person could also make a vow to give his house to the Lord. If he wanted to get his house back, he could pay to redeem it back, but what did he also need to do?
5. And probably the most valuable gift that could be vowed to the Lord in this period of history was land. If a man vowed to give the value of a certain piece of land to the Lord it had to be valued by the priest. According to verse 16 what needed to be considered in determining the value?
6. Another factor that came into play in determining the value of a piece of land was its timing in relation to what special year? See verse 18.
7. What happened to the land during that special year? See verse 24.
8. God made it clear that everything that was vowed to be given to the Lord whether a person, an animal or land must be given. To withhold the gift to the Lord meant what would happen? See verse 29.
9. We learn in verse 30 that the tithes we give to the Lord are what?
10. God also warned about substituting what was vowed to God with something else. God knows the human heart that can promise to give a great gift to Him and then decide to keep that gift for themselves and give a lessor gift to God. In short, we cannot outsmart God. What did God say about the gift that was promised and the gift that a person wants to substitute?
Devotionals
