1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons, 3if the valuation concerns a male from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. 4Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5And if the person is from five to twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
6Now if the person is from one month to five years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be five shekels of silver, and for the female three shekels of silver. 7And if the person is sixty years of age or older, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female. 8But if the one making the vow is too poor to pay the valuation, he is to present the personi before the priest, who shall set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.
“A vow is a promise made to God voluntarily and not in obedience to any divine requirement.” (Morgan)
“It was not a sin to refrain from making a vow (Deuteronomy 23:22), but once a vow was made, it had to be kept (Deuteronomy 23:21–23; Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4–6). Substitutions could be made, however, and it was this possibility of making a substitution that distinguished the vow from the sacrificial offering made on the altar.” (Rooker)
“The prices (values) of the individuals should be understood as representing either the wage of a worker (which was a shekel a month in the biblical period) or the relative worth of the value of the person’s services in the tabernacle. If the services included heavy manual labor in working with sacrificial animals or in transporting the tabernacle, it is easy to see why young men would be given higher value.” (Rooker)
“Reader, hast thou ever dedicated thyself, or any part of thy property, to the service of thy Maker? If so, hast thou paid thy vows? Or hast thou altered thy purpose, or changed thy offering?” (Clarke)
It’s easy to say in our modern age the value between a man and a woman is sexist but we need to remember two things:
- The Lord set the value.
- The value was in agricultural terms, the worth of a worker according to their physical strength.
Matthew 20: 11On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
13But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
The Lord is generous indeed! Our salvation is based upon what Jesus did upon the cross and our acceptance and belief in Him as our Lord and Savior.
It not based upon physical strength, sex, or the value set by man. It’s based on the value of the sacrificial lamb 🐑and the value of the Son’s blood 🩸 spilt on the cross!
What value does the Bible set on the Man, Jesus Christ?
What value could you place on Him who set you free?
Blessings, David
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