How Much Is It Worth?
“If a man makes an unusual vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons,” Leviticus 27:2 (translation Wenham)
Valuation – “Lord, if you only do this, then I will dedicate myself to you.” Have you ever said something like this, maybe in a moment of desperation? Have you ever made a promise to God that involved some personal commitment on your part? But when the crisis has passed, how easily we forget. Leviticus recognizes our fickle nature, especially under stress, so, it provides hefty consequences for such loose language. Leviticus tells us that we can redeem ourselves from such unexamined vows that would commit us to service to the Lord, but only at a price. As it turns out, the price is very high, for a very good reason.
Yesterday we learned about the Hebrew word ‘arach. The consonant root of this word is A R K. With the vowel “a”, the word means “to arrange, to set in order.” So, in Psalm 23, it’s about God’s setting the table. However, when the same consonants are used with the vowel “e”, the word becomes erech, a noun that means “an evaluation, a value.” Orderliness and value are connected. What is in good order produces fair value. Sloppiness leads to untrustworthy valuation. If we apply this thought to the passage in Leviticus, we see something important. When I make a vow to the Lord, I set in order something that has a very high value. After all, I am asking God to endorse my statement and God’s word is worth a lot. How much is it worth? Leviticus tells us that a hasty vow can be redeemed according to the valuation of a person. Since we aren’t used to this kind of language, we have to take a closer look at the context. That’s not a problem because Leviticus spells it out for us. The price of redeeming a hasty vow is determined by who made it. This price was determined by the normal price of a slave in the market.
If a man makes a vow, the redemption price is equivalent to what it would take to buy a male slave, namely, fifty shekels. For a woman, the price is about half this value. For a boy, the price is twenty shekels. If we convert this into today’s currency, we will be surprised to realize that the redemption of a hastily made vow of an adult male is about four years’ wages! Let that sink in for a moment. If I make a vow to the Lord and then decide that I really didn’t mean it, I must pay four years’ wages to the temple to receive redemption. Why? Because using God’s name as an endorsement is very serious business. Perhaps we should be a bit more careful about the “deals” we make with God, don’t you think? Perhaps it’s time to really pay attention to the details of our often blurted announcements.
There is one other point to be made here; one of even greater consequence. If four years’ wages are required to redeem a hastily-made vow, what do you suppose is the value of a promise that requires the death of the one who makes it? Jesus fulfills His promise by going to the cross. He dies for what He proclaims. What kind of value does that put on you? After all, He didn’t die for Himself. He died to redeem you and me from the penalty we were supposed to pay. How much is that worth?
Value is tied to order. God is orderly and so is His kingdom and government. If you make the claim, you had better be ready to pay the price. Jesus did!
Topical Index: Shalom
