Leviticus 27:26-34

D. EXCLUSIONS FROM THE VOWS 27:26-34
1. FIRSTLINGS AMONG BEASTS 27:26, 27
2. DEVOTED THINGS 27:28, 29
3. THE TITHE 27:30-33
TEXT 27:26-34

26

Only the firstling among beasts, which is made a firstling to Jehovah, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is Jehovah'S.

27

And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thine estimation, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.

28

Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto Jehovah of all that he hath, whether of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto Jehovah.

29

No one devoted, that shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

30

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah'S: it is holy unto Jehovah.

31

And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof.

32

And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto Jehovah.

33

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 that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

34

These are the commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 27:26-34

689.

Why exclude the firstborn from dedication by vow? Cf. Exodus 13:2.

690.

Is the firstborn of an unclean beast under consideration in Leviticus 27:27?

691.

How reconcile Leviticus 27:27 with Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20?

692.

A devoted thing was different than one which was vowed or given in a vow. What was the difference?

693.

Leviticus 27:28 and Leviticus 27:29 seem to be discussing two different forms of a devoted thing. Discuss the difference.

694.

Why not vow a tithe to the Lord? Cf. Exodus 13:2.

695.

Why would anyone want to redeem his tithe?

696.

What is meant by the expression whatsoever passeth under the rod? Cf. Ezekiel 20:37.

697.

The tithe of the flock could not be changed. Why not? What was to be done if there was a change?

698.

The entire book of Leviticus was given at what time and in what place?

PARAPHRASE 27:26-34

You may not dedicate to the Lord the firstborn of any ox or sheep, for it is already His. But if it is the firstborn of an animal that cannot be sacrificed because it is not on the list of those acceptable to the Lord, then the owner shall pay the priest's estimate of its worth, plus twenty per cent; or if the owner does not redeem it, the priest may sell it to someone else. However, anything utterly devoted to the Lordpeople, animals, or inherited fieldsshall not be sold or redeemed, for they are most holy to the Lord. No one sentenced by the courts to die may pay a fine instead; he shall surely be put to death. A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord'S, and is holy. If anyone wants to buy back this fruit or grain, he must add a fifth to its value. And the Lord owns every tenth animal of your herds and flocks and other domestic animals, as they pass by for counting. The tenth given to the Lord shall not be selected on the basis of whether it is good or bad, and there shall be no substitutions; for if there is any change made, then both the original and the substitution shall belong to the Lord, and may not be bought back! These are the commandments the Lord gave to Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

COMMENT 27:26-34

Leviticus 27:26-27 The firstborn has always belonged to the Lord. We have learned of the four classes of objects which can be vowed or promised to the Lord, i.e.: (1) personsLeviticus 27:2-8; (2) animalsLeviticus 27:9-13; (3) housesLeviticus 27:14-15; (4) landsLeviticus 27:16-25. There are two exceptions to these votive offerings. They are: (1) the firstborn; (2) the devoted thing. Exodus 13:2 says: Sanctify, consecrate, set apart to Me all the firstborn males whatsoever is first to open the womb among the Israelites, both of man and of beast is Mine. (Amplified) It would therefore be meaningless to offer to God what already belongs to Him. An unclean beast could be purchased or redeemed by paying the price set by the priest plus 20% more and then the worshipper could sell it. If an unclean animal was not redeemed by the one who brought it, it was to be offered for sale by the priest. As this was at variance with Exodus 13:13 and Exodus 34:20, where it is enacted that the firstborn of an ass is either to be redeemed with a sheep, or is to be put to death, the authorities of the second Temple interpreted the expression in the passage before us as not applying to the firstborn of the unclean animals, but to unclean animals generally which were dedicated for the repairs of the sanctuary. (Ginsburg)

Leviticus 27:28-29 These verses discuss the objects that could be given to God by the worshipper for God's use and property. They actually belonged to God. They could not be redeemed by the owner who had thus given them to God, nor could they be sold to anyone else by the officials of the Tabernacle. A man (himself or his slaves), an animal, a field, or a house belongs to the priest for the use of God's service. An Israelite could at any time devote such to God. Leviticus 27:28 discusses those objects devoted by man to God. Leviticus 27:29 discusses objects God Himself had chosen to come under this ban. In such cases they were doomed or devoted to destruction and therefore must not, and cannot be redeemed. The beast at Sinai, that touched the mountain would be doomed or -devoted.-' The fields of Gilboa, wet with the blood of Saul and Jonathan, were devoted, or doomed by David. Cf. 2 Samuel 1:21. Ahab was told by the Lord that Benhadad was doomed or devoted. Such were the Canaanites; such was Jericho (Joshua 6:17), with all its spoil, hence the awful aggravation of Achan's sin. (Bonar) The vows of men could not in any way affect these objects.

Leviticus 27:30-33 A tenth part of whatever the soil produces belongs to God. Man cannot vow to God what does not belong to him; neither can man give to God that which is already His. If a man wanted to use the seed of his soil he could redeem the tithe of the seed by paying what it was worth plus 20%. Cf. Numbers 18:21-24, Deuteronomy 14:22-29.

The Amplified version renders Leviticus 27:32 as: and all the tithe of the herd or of the flock, whatsoever passes under the herdsman's staff (by means of which each tenth animal as it passes through a small door is selected and marked), the tenth shall be holy to the Lord (Cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7-9). We see in this rendering the custom of counting and marking the animals for God. Cf. Jeremiah 33:13; Ezekiel 20:37. There is to be no selection or substitution in this counting. If there is, then both animals belong to God. We refer the reader to our work on the subject of tithing as found in THE CHURCH IN THE BIBLE, page 407ff.

Leviticus 27:34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites. We take this to refer particularly to this chapter, but more generally to the entire book of Leviticus.

Thus, on this first day of March, 1975, I have completed our study of this grand book. It has been a night and day pursuit for several months, but it has been most personally rewarding to the writer. How I hope many of you have travelled with me from the first verse to the last. It is my earnest expectation and prayer that many will so travel and be benefitted in the days yet to come. What a joy to meditate upon His word!

FACT QUESTIONS 27:26-34

683.

Name the four classes of objects upon which vows could be exercised.

684.

Name the two where vows could not be used.

685.

Is there a contradiction in Leviticus 27:29 and Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20? Explain.

686.

It was no light matter to devote something to God. Discuss this thought with present day implications.

687.

God had certain objects and persons He had devoted to Himself. What were they, and what was to be done with them?

688.

Discuss the tithe of the soil and the flock as it relates to man and God, and to us.

689.

What has been your greatest benefit in your study of Leviticus?