In The Word
Read: Leviticus 27
Rules concerning Assessments
27 Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When someone makes an explicit vow, he shall be valued according to your assessment of persons belonging to the Lord. 3 If your assessment is of a male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your assessment shall be fifty shekels of silver, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 Or if the person is a female, then your assessment shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if the person is from five years even to twenty years old, then your assessment for a male shall be twenty shekels, and for a female, ten shekels. 6 But if the person is from a month even up to five years old, then your assessment shall be five shekels of silver for a male, and for a female your assessment shall be three shekels of silver. 7 If the person is from sixty years old and upward, if a male, then your assessment shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female, ten shekels. 8 But if he is poorer than your assessment, then he shall be presented before the priest, and the priest shall assess him; according to the means of the one who vowed, the priest shall assess him.
9 ‘Now if it is an animal of the kind that one can present as an offering to the Lord, any such animal that one gives to the Lord shall be holy. 10 He shall not replace it nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; yet if he does exchange animal for animal, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. 11 If, however, it is any unclean animal of the kind which one does not present as an offering to the Lord, then he shall place the animal before the priest. 12 And the priest shall assess it as either good or bad; as you, the priest, assess it, so shall it be. 13 But if he should ever want to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth of it to your assessment.
14 ‘Now if someone consecrates his house as holy to the Lord, then the priest shall assess it as either good or bad; as the priest assesses it, so shall it stand.15 Yet if the one who consecrates it should want to redeem his house, then he shall add a fifth of your assessment price to it, so that it may be his.
16 ‘Again, if someone consecrates to the Lord part of the field of his own property, then your assessment shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it: a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he consecrates his field as of the year of jubilee, according to your assessment it shall stand. 18 If he consecrates his field after the jubilee, however, then the priest shall calculate the price for him proportionate to the years that are left until the year of jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your assessment. 19 If the one who consecrates it should ever want to redeem the field, then he shall add a fifth of your assessment price to it, so that it may belong to him. 20 Yet if he does not redeem the field, but has sold the field to another person, it may no longer be redeemed; 21 and when it reverts in the jubilee, the field shall be holy to the Lord, like a field banned from secular use; it shall be for the priest as his property. 22 Or if he consecrates to the Lord a field which he has bought, which is not a part of the field of his own property, 23 then the priest shall calculate for him the amount of your assessment up to the year of jubilee; and he shall on that day give your assessment as holy to the Lord. 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it, to whom the possession of the land belongs. 25 Every assessment of yours, moreover, shall be by the shekel of the sanctuary. The shekel shall be twenty gerahs.
26 ‘However, a firstborn among animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no one may consecrate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s. 27 But if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall redeem it according to your assessment and add to it a fifth of it; and if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your assessment.
28 ‘Nevertheless, anything which someone sets apart to the Lord for destruction out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the field of his own property, shall not be sold nor redeemed. Anything set apart for destruction is most holy to the Lord.29 No one who may have been set apart among mankind shall be ransomed; he must be put to death.
30 ‘Now all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If, therefore, someone should ever want toredeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it a fifth of it. 32 For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. 33 He is not to be concerned whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; yet if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”
34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the sons of Israel on Mount Sinai.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
One of the greatest struggles of people everywhere is the matter of self-worth. The enemy has launched an all-out attack on the feeling of worth to all believers. Through the government and pop culture, followers of Yahshua have been made to feel like we are the outcasts. We are told that our faith is nothing more than a crutch for people who cannot cope with reality. This is also happening in most homes by parents who tell their children that they are nothing and will never be anything.
When we look in our reading today, we see Yahweh tell the Israelites to give value to everything and everyone. He assigns value to the married and to the single, to the male and the female, even to the young and the old. He told Moses they are to be valued because they belong to the Lord (Leviticus 27:2). Everything the Lord created is valuable and that creation includes you.
You may feel like you are insignificant. Someone who had influence in your life may have spoken to you negatively about your worth. Hear the Lord speak to you today and say, “You are not worthless, but you belong to Me and are valuable.” Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7 NASB).