And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.
But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.
He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.
And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
some part Though the words `some part' are not expressed, yet it is generally allowed that they should be supplied here; as it was not lawful for a man to alienate in this manner his whole patrimony: he might express his good will for the house of God but he must not impoverish his own family.
an homer. or, the land of an homer, etc., i.e, as much land as required a homer of barley to sow it. The homer was very different to the omer; the latter held about three quarts, the former seventy-five gallons three pints.
But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.
And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.
Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.
Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD'S firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD'S.
the firstling [heb] first born, etc. As these firstlings were the Lord's before, it would have been a solemn mockery to pretend to make them a matter of a singular vow; for they were already appointed, if clean, to be sacrificed.
And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.
and shall add. This was probably intended to prevent rash vows and covetous redemptions. The priest alone was to value the thing; and to whatever his valuation was, a fifth part must be added by him who wished to redeem it.
Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
no devoted. This is the cherem, the absolute, irredeemable grant to God.
which shall be devoted. That is, either that every person devoted to the service of God shall not be redeemed, but die in that devoted state, or, that such as were devoted to death by appointment and law of God, as the Canaanites were, shall be put to death.
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
passeth under the rod. The Rabbins say, that when a man gave the tithe of his sheep of calves, he shut them in one fold, in which was a narrow door, to let out but one at a time. He then stood by the door, with a rod dipped in vermilion in his hand, and as they passed he counted them with the rod; and when the {tenth} came he touched it, by which it was distinguished as the tithe calf, sheep, etc.
He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
Thus terminates this interesting and important book; a book containing a code of sacrificial, ceremonial, civil, and judicial laws, which, for the purity of their morality, the wisdom, justice, and beneficence of their enactments, and the simplicity, dignity, and impressive nature of their rites, are perfectly unrivalled, and altogether worthy of their Divine Author. All the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law are at once dignified and expressive. They point out the holiness of their author, the sinfulness of man, the necessity of an atonement, and the state of moral excellence to which the grace and mercy of the Creator have destined to raise the human soul. They {include}, as well as {point out}, the gospel of the Son of God; from which they receive their consummation and perfection. The sacrifices and oblations were significant of the atonement of Christ; the requisite qualities of these sacrifices were emblematical of his immaculate character; and the prescribed mode in the form of these offerings, and mystical rites ordained, were allusive institutions, calculated to enlighten the apprehensions of the Jews, the Great High Priest, called and prepared of God, who hat an unchangeable priesthood, and is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him.
Lev 27:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying- It has been thought that some of the people, moved by the promises and threats in the last chapter, expressed a resolution of dedicating themselves and their goods more immediately to God; and that this gave occasion to the following rules for the due regulation of such vows.
Lev 27:2-3. When a man shall make a singular vow, &c.- Or, it may be read, When any one shall set apart to the Lord a vow, according to such valuation of persons as thou shalt fix, and thy valuation shall be of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old; then thou shalt set the value at fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4. But if it be a female, the rate shall be, &c. The phrase in the original shall separate, or set apart, a vow, signifies to separate any thing from a common to a sacred use by solemn promise; for vows were religious promises made to God, for obtaining some blessing, or for deliverance out of some danger; and were accompanied with prayer, and paid with thanksgiving, Num 21:2-3. Psa 66:13-14. Eceles. Lev 5:4. Philo calls this the great vow, ευχη μεγαλη, as proceeding from a singular devotion; whereby a man dedicates, not his cattle or goods, but himself or children, his greatest possessions, to the service of the tabernacle, to minister to the priests in the necessary offices thereof. Any souls or persons thus devoted to the Lord, were to be redeemed according to the rate, or valuation, here appointed: fifty shekels, i.e. about 5£. 15s. (reckoning the shekel at about 2s. 4d.) were to be the valuation of a man from twenty to sixty years old: women are valued at a lower rate, because their services for the tabernacle were of less utility.-Houbigant renders the second verse, If any man shall vow a vow to the Lord, concerning souls of which valuation is to be made: (i.e. in order to redemption). This seems the most just interpretation, and the learned reader will find it largely defended in Houbigant's note on that place.
Lev 27:6. And if it be from a month old- Some children were devoted not only in the first month, but before they were born; as was the case with Samuel, 1Sa 1:11.
Lev 27:8. If he be poorer than thy estimation- If he be too poor to pay the rate. If the man who vowed was unable to pay the affixed price of redemption, he was to represent his case to the priests, who were to rate him according to his ability; or, as it is in the original, according as his hand can find who vowed; an expression which may signify, either that the valuation was to be made according to what a man could do, or earn; or according to what he possessed. By referring to Seneca, lib. i. Controv. n. 2. and Alex. ab Alex. Dic. Geneal. lib. iii. c. 22. the curious reader will see how very remarkably the regulation of vows was vested in the Roman pontiffs and priests.
Lev 27:9. And if it be a beast, &c.- A record kind of things vowed to God, are beasts; which being of two sorts, clean and unclean, it is provided, first, with respect to clean beasts, that every individual of this sort vowed to God, should be applied according to the direct intention of the vow: it was to be, and to be treated as holy. And, secondly, with respect to unclean beasts, when such were devoted, they were to be valued by the priests; and then the owner had liberty either to leave them to the priests' disposal, or to redeem them, by paying the rate set upon them, with a fifth part more, Lev 27:13. The case was the same with regard to houses and fields, the other kinds of things devoted and spoken of in the subsequent verses; see Lev 27:15; Lev 27:19.
Lev 27:12. As thou valuest it, who art the priest- According to the valuation of the priest.
Note; (1.) A zealous heart is not only willing to its power, but above its power. (2.) We should be careful not to be hasty to vow, lest we involve ourselves in difficulties, and repent of our rashness. There is a zeal not according to knowledge. But when we have vowed to the Lord, we should pay without reserve or change: for he loveth the cheerful giver.
Lev 27:15. Thy estimation- The fixed rate.
Lev 27:16. If a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession- Bishop Patrick observes, that this intimates it not to have been lawful for a man to vow his whole field or estate; because God would have no man's family made beggars to enrich his sanctuary. The valuation here is an homer of barley-seed at fifty shekels:i.e. so much land as an homer of barley would sow, was to be rated at fifty shekels: (see on Lev 27:2-3.) and so proportionably for greater or less quantities of ground so devoted. Houbigant is of opinion, that not the seed to be sown, but the seed produced by the land, is here referred to as the mode of valuation. The homer here, (as we have before observed) is a different measure from the omer mentioned in Exo 16:16.: that was but the tenth part of an ephah; this was ten ephahs; Eze 45:4. By this, Isa 5:10 may be explained, the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah, i.e. ten bushels shall yield but one. The homer, called also cor, was the largest measure of capacity for things dry; and was equal to about seventy-five gallons five pints English. In the following verses, proper rules are given for the just valuation of fields with regard to the year of jubilee. Thy estimation, is rendered by some, the valuation.
Lev 27:17. According to thy estimation it shall stand- According to the value of it, it shall stand.
Lev 27:20. And if he will not redeem the field, &c.- Our version here is very ambiguous. Houbigant renders it more clearly after the Vulgate; but if he will not redeem the field, and it be sold to another person, it shall not, &c.] The Arabic version has it, and if the priest have sold it, &c.
Lev 27:25. And all thy estimations, &c.- I find the following note on this verse in Dr. Church's Bible, in which he follows the opinion of Bishop Wilkins. "So great care was taken among the Jews for the preservation of commutative justice from all abuse and falsification in weights and measures, that the public standards, by which all other measures were to be tried and allowed, were with much religion preserved in the sanctuary; the care of them being committed to the priests and Levites, whose office it was to look unto all manner of measures and sizes, 1Ch 23:29. Hence this frequent expression, according to the shekel, &c. which doth not refer to any weight or coin distinct from, or more than the vulgar, as some fondly conceive; but doth only oblige men, in their dealing and traffic, to make use of such just measures, as were agreeable to the public standards kept in the sanctuary."
Note; Though we need not sell our houses now for God's service, it becomes us to sanctify them to him, by constant worship and his fear in the midst of them.
Lev 27:26. Shall sanctify it- i.e. Consecrate, because God had already consecrated them. See Exo 13:2.
Lev 27:28-29. Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, &c.- The word which we render a vow, in the second verse, is נדר neder, by which, (whoever devoted any thing to God,) there remained a power of redemption. Another kind of vow called חרם cherem, is here mentioned; whereby, (whoever devoted any thing to God;) there remained no power of redemption. Things thus devoted were most holy; i.e. so solemnly adjudged or separated to religious uses, that they could not be at all alienated. Some have supposed that cherem signifies a vow, with a curse or imprecation upon themselves if the thing was not employed according to that vow. Every thing thus devoted, was never to be separated from the Lord's service: whether of man or beast, it was to continue in that service till death; which is the whole meaning of the phrase in the 29th verse, rendered, certainly, too ambiguously both in ours and many other versions; but which it is amazing to find that men of learning, but of deistical principles, have perverted in such a manner, as if it countenanced and inculcated the offering of human sacrifices among the Jews. The plain meaning of the verse is only this, that nothing devoted of men shall be redeemed; but shall surely die; in the original, dying he shall die, (as in Gen 2:17.) i.e. shall continue till death in this devoted state. Thus Samuel, for instance, was vowed from infancy unto the Lord, to serve him all the days of his life; and, accordingly, his mother brought him to abide with him for ever: i.e. till he should die, as in this verse. Houbigant, however, renders this verse, whoever of men shall be devoted, shall not be redeemed, but shall be put to death: and he understands it as referring entirely to the divine anathema upon the Canaanites. Dr. Doddridge is nearly of the same opinion; "for," says he, "this passage refers to a vow to destroy the inhabitants of any place which they made war against, and was intended to make them cautious in laying themselves under such obligations. Compare Num 1:3. Deu 17:19. Jos 6:17-18; Jos 24:26; see also Jdg 21:5. 1Sa 24:22." Some of our modern infidels have enlarged with great satisfaction upon this capital defect, as they think it, of the Jewish law: but either interpretation of the words above given, renders their triumph weak and insignificant. Many excellent writers of ours, however, have been at the pains copiously to vindicate this passage: and those who are inclined to see more upon the subject, may consult Doddridge's Theological Lectures, page 358, and the authors there quoted by him.
Lev 27:30. And all the tithe of the land- The tithe is here spoken of as a thing fixed and known; upon which subject see Gen 28:22. All these tithes (whether of the seed of the land, i.e. the corn; or of the fruit of the tree, i.e. wine and oil; Num 18:12; Num 20:5. Deu 14:23.) were to be appropriated to God; i.e. to the maintenance of his priests and ministers. There is a law, indeed, in the last quoted passage of Deuteronomy, which ordains the owners to eat the tithe of their corn, wine, and oil, before the Lord; i.e. in the place where his sanctuary was. But this is to be understood of the tithe of the remainder, after the tenth had been given to the Levites: For, first of all, the first-fruits were to be paid to the priests; Exo 22:29 chap. Lev 2:12 which is reckoned to have been about a sixtieth part of the whole. Then, out of the remainder, they offered the tithes, which were divided into the first and second; the first tithes were paid to the Levites, under which name are comprehended all the ministers of religion of an inferior order to the priests; as the aeditui, door-keepers of the temple, the singers, &c. Out of these tithes, again, the Levites paid a tenth to the priests, Num 26:28 and by this offering they owned the priests to be as far superior to them in their office, as they were to the people in general in their office. The second tithes were the tithe of the residue, or remaining nine parts, out of which the owner was obliged either to take a tithe in kind, and carry to Jerusalem, or to the place where the sanctuary was, &c. there to feast before the Lord, with the Levites and the poor; or, if the place was too remote, he turned it into money, to be applied to the same use. Deu 14:23; Deu 14:29. But these second tithes were every third year to be distributed among the Levites and the poor within their respective cities; of which see Deu 14:28-29. Therefore all the difference was, that what was spent in other years at Jerusalem upon the Levites and the poor, was, the third year, spent in their own cities. Thus, according to Selden, the owner paid near one fifth of his whole yearly income. For instance, suppose it was 6000 ephahs, then the terumah, or oblation of first-fruits was 100, i.e. a sixtieth part; of the remaining 5900, the first tithe, 590 was for the Levites; out of which the priest had 59 for his tithe. Then remains 5310, of which the second tithe 531, was, the first and second year, for the Levites and poor at Jerusalem; and every third year for the same at home; see Selden's Dissertation on Tithes.
Lev 27:32. Whatsoever passeth under the rod- The Jews understand this of the tithing rod, a rod coloured with ochre, with which a man stood at the door of the field, and numbered the cattle as they came out, marking every tenth with his rod: but Bochart understands it more simply of the shepherd's rod or crook, under which the flock passed as often as he numbered them; which was generally twice a day: of this Jeremiah speaks, chap. Jer 33:13 and to this Ezekiel alludes, saying, in God's name, I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: i.e. I will take the same care of you, as a good shepherd does of his flock, which he numbers, and accurately surveys, by making them pass under his rod one by one. Eze 20:37.
REFLECTIONS.-The book thus concludes; and from the whole of these commandments we have much to learn. What thankfulness is due for the mercies we enjoy in the clear light of gospel-day, when these shadows are passed away, and Christ the Sun of righteousness is risen, to guide our feet into the paths of peace! We now no longer see through the dark glass of types and figures, but face to face behold a reconciled God in Christ. The burdensome services of ceremonial ordinances are ceased, and all our present required offering is the broken and contrite heart. In this liberty, wherewith Christ has made us free, every humble believer rejoices; and while ceremonial uncleanness is no longer his concern, he labours more solicitously to cleanse himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
We have in this closing chapter a supplement to the whole book. Hitherto we dealt with obligations and duties resting on all Israelites alike, but now we come to vows of an additional and voluntary character (Deu 23:22).
PERSONS MIGHT BE VOWED (Lev 27:1-8)
The thought is, that persons might be vowed for service in the sanctuary; but since service could not be found for so large a number, and especially for young children, who might be vowed, there might be a money equivalent for them. This equivalent, which was to be paid into the treasury of the sanctuary, was determined by the labor value of the person vowed as based on sex and age. It was always low enough not to burden the poor.
DOMESTIC ANIMALS MIGHT BE VOWED (Lev 27:9-13)
If the animal were suitable for sacrifice, it might be accepted for the service; but if otherwise, the priest must set a price on it for which it might be sold by the owner and the money placed in the treasury. In this case one-fifth more was to be added to the price, as a check perhaps, to prevent the making of rash vows.
EXCLUSIONS FROM VOW (Lev 27:26-33)
Houses and fields might be vowed (Lev 27:14-25), upon the same principles as the foregoing. But three kinds of property could not be vowed: the firstlings of the beasts (Lev 27:26); a “devoted thing,” in the sense of an accursed thing like the property in Jericho, (Lev 27:28-29 compared with Jos 7:17); and “the tithe of the land” (Lev 27:30). The reason for these prohibitions was that these already belonged to God, so their human possessors had no right to them.
There is a serious matter here in the devotement or accursing of human beings, but we postpone its consideration till we meet with a conspicuous application of the principle at a later period.
LAW OF THE TITHE
The tithe was one of the things belonging to God in any event, and which could not be voluntarily vowed.
This is specially interesting as raising the question whether the tithe is binding upon Christians at the present time. In our judgment it is not; but that does not mean that Christians may give according to impulse or caprice, since the New Testament lays down the principle of giving a fixed portion of our income to the Lord as He has prospered us (1Co 16:1-2; 2Co 8:7-9). It is customary under the Gospel to leave much to the individual conscience regarding the details of worship and conduct, which, under the Mosaic law was regulated by rule. Paul gives the explanation in Gal 4:1-5.
CHRISTIAN VOWS
Has a vow of any kind a place in the practical life of Christians? It seems not forbidden in the New Testament, but neither is it approved.
The true conception of Christian life and duty leaves no room for a promise to God of what is not due, inasmuch as through the transcendent obligation of grateful love to Him for our redemption, everything is due (2Co 5:14-15).
The question is not speculative, since it constitutes one of the distinctions between Romanism and Protestantism. The Romish theory of works of supererogation comes in here, and closely associated with it, the doctrine of purgatory. Here is the germ of the celibate life of the clergy, of sisterhoods and monasticism, the tendency of which is towards legalism on the one hand and moral declension on the other (Gal 4:9; Col 2:16-23).
QUESTIONS
1. What particular kind of vows is dealt with here?
2. For what service were persons vowed?
3. What properties could not be vowed, and why?
4. Quote 1Co 16:1-2.
5. Is a vow normal in the Christian life?
LAW OF THE TITHE
The tithe, or the dedication of the tenth of one’s possessions to God, is a practice of antiquity, and a question arises as to whether the obligation is still resting upon those who would serve God in this dispensation? An answer was given in the last lesson, but it is desirable to enlarge upon it.
While we hear nothing of the tithe in the first Christian centuries, it came into practice in the fourth century, and later was established as a law of the church for some centuries.
The modern spirit has become more and more averse to it, until under the present voluntarism it has seemed likely to disappear altogether.
In consequence of this there has been a revival of interest in it of late as necessary for the maintenance and extension of the church, those who would revive it holding that the principle is still binding on the Christian.
In settling the question, it is to be remembered that the moral obligation is one thing and the legal another. Morally it is our duty to set apart for God a fixed proportion of our income, but the precise proportion is a subject on which the New Testament is silent. For the moral obligation see 1Co 16:1-2, where no reference is made to the legal obligation. If the tithe had been still binding as to the letter, this would have been the place for the apostle to have mentioned it.
As a matter of fact, it is commonly found in the New Testament that the individual is left at liberty regarding the details of worship and conduct as compared with conditions under the Mosaic law (Gal 4:1-5).
One author however, calls attention to a matter of importance not commonly considered in the discussion of this subject. For example, the people of Israel were under a theocratic government, where God Himself ruled, where the whole system of law was divinely executed. When thus carried out this system would have prevented excessive accumulation of wealth in the hands of individuals, as we have seen in the consideration of earlier chapters of this book. There would thus have been secured an equal distribution of property, such as the world has never seen, and doubtless never will until the millennium. Under such circumstances it would have been possible to exact a certain proportion of income for sacred purposes with a certainty that it would have worked with perfect fairness to all.
But with us it is different. Wealth is unequally distributed in our economy, and no law of the tithe could be made to work as in Israel. To the poor it would be a heavy burden, and to the rich a tax so small as to amount to exemption. The poor man would sometimes be required to take bread out of the mouths of wife and children, while the millionaire would still have thousands to spend in luxuries. The latter might often more easily give nine-tenths of his income than the former one-twentieth.
While, therefore, the law of the tithe would not seem to be binding upon us to the letter, from the moral point of view it is still in force. It forbids the Christian to give simply according to impulse or whim. He is to lay by in store as the Lord hath prospered him. Let there be systematic giving to the Lord’s work under the law of a fixed proportion of gifts to income, inspired by recalling God’s grace to us (2Co 7:9), and the Lord’s treasury will never be empty, nor will the Lord Himself be robbed of His due.
QUESTIONS
1. Is the tithe a Biblical conception only?
2. What is the difference between the moral and legal obligation to tithe?
3. Why could the tithe operate successfully in Israel?