Torah Studies · Study 28
Keep Your Word, Give with Joy
Connecting the Torah and Jesus
Day 28 · Leviticus 27
Finish Leviticus with a study of vows, gifts, and faithful promises. Learn from Jesus to speak honestly and from Paul to give with a willing heart.
In this study
Let’s begin together
Father, help us mean what we say and give with honest hearts. Teach us to honor You without making careless promises. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Leviticus 27 closes the book with instructions about vows, dedicated property, and tithes. A vow is a serious promise made to God. The chapter explains how certain gifts were valued or redeemed within Israel’s sanctuary system. These rules teach us to take commitments seriously.
Main truth: Honest promises and willing generosity honor God; His love is not something we buy.
1. A vow carried a real responsibility
Leviticus 27:1-8 King James Version
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.
3 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.
4 And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.
5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
6 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.
7 And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
8 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.
These amounts of silver were connected with vows concerning persons. The listed amounts differ by age and sex, but the chapter is setting vow payments, not measuring someone’s value to God. Verse 8 also makes provision for a person too poor to pay the stated amount: the priest was to consider that person’s ability.
2. Do not promise one thing and quietly substitute another
Leviticus 27:9-15 King James Version
9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.
10 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.
11 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest:
12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be.
13 But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
14 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.
15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
An animal dedicated for sacrifice could not simply be exchanged. Other animals and houses were valued by the priest, with stated terms for buying them back. Adding a fifth means adding twenty percent. The point is that a dedication was a real commitment, not an impressive sentence someone could casually undo.
Leviticus 27:16-25 King James Version
16 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.
17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand.
18 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.
19 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.
20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s.
22 And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession;
23 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.
24 In the year of the jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.
25 And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
Fields were valued with attention to their size, the years remaining until Jubilee, and whether they were inherited or purchased. A person could not ignore the rights attached to family land. Generosity should be truthful about what is actually ours to give and about the responsibilities we already carry.
3. Some things could not be treated as ordinary gifts
Leviticus 27:26-29 King James Version
26 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.
27 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.
28 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.
29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.
A firstborn animal already belonged to the Lord, so offering it was not a new voluntary gift. The passage then distinguishes an irrevocable dedication from things that could be redeemed. Verse 29 includes a severe sentence of death. We must read that ancient category carefully; it does not authorize a reader to make a harmful vow or kill a person.
Leviticus 27:30-34 King James Version
30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD.
31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
32 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.
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 the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
A tithe means a tenth. The chapter describes the tenth of the land’s produce and of the herd or flock as belonging to the Lord. Its rules concern Israel’s life under the covenant at Sinai. The closing words remind us whose instructions these were and to whom they were given.
4. Jesus calls for simple, honest speech
Matthew 5:33-37 King James Version
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Jesus addresses oaths and teaches His disciples to let their yes mean yes and their no mean no. We should not need dramatic promises to make ordinary words believable. This teaching calls us to dependable honesty in daily life, without using God’s name to make ourselves sound more trustworthy.
5. Give from a willing heart
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 King James Version
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Paul teaches willing, thoughtful generosity. A gift should not be squeezed out by pressure or resentment. God supplies grace so His people can share in good works. This is not a promise that a donation guarantees personal wealth. It is an invitation to trust God and give gladly for the good of others.
Talk it over with friends
1. Why does a promise need more than sincere-sounding words?
2. How did the chapter make room for a poor person?
3. What is the difference between willing generosity and giving under pressure?
Put it into practice
Review one promise you have made. Fulfill it if it is good and possible; if you cannot, speak honestly and take responsibility. Choose a thoughtful act of generosity that fits your ability and cares for someone’s need.
A verse to carry with you
2 Corinthians 9:7 King James Version
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
God welcomes a willing, cheerful giver.
Let’s pray together
Father, thank You for guiding us through Leviticus. Make our words dependable and our gifts sincere. Keep us from pressure, pride, and empty promises. Help us follow Jesus with grateful hearts and practical generosity. In His name, amen.
I love you, my friends.
Scripture and sources
Scripture text was checked against the King James Version published by eBible.org. Complete verses retain the historical wording; editorial footnotes are omitted. Scripture references link to the source chapter.