Exodus 27
Leviticus 27 is the final chapter of Leviticus and deals with vows, valuations, devoted things, and tithes. After the laws of sacrifice, purity, priesthood, feasts, and covenant blessings and warnings, this chapter explains how voluntary dedications to God are to be handled faithfully and responsibly.
1verse“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square. Its height shall be three cubits.
2verseYou shall make its horns on its four corners. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with bronze.
3verseYou shall make its pots to take away its ashes; and its shovels, its basins, its meat hooks, and its fire pans. You shall make all its vessels of bronze.
4verseYou shall make a grating for it of network of bronze. On the net you shall make four bronze rings in its four corners.
5verseYou shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.
6verseYou shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
7verseIts poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it.
8verseYou shall make it hollow with planks. They shall make it as it has been shown you on the mountain.
9verse“You shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side.
10verseIts pillars shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11verseLikewise for the length of the north side, there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.
12verseFor the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13verseThe width of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14verseThe hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15verseFor the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16verseFor the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.
17verseAll the pillars of the court around shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of bronze.
18verseThe length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of bronze.
19verseAll the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of bronze.
20verse“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
21verseIn the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Types of Vows and Detailed Regulations
- Persons vowed to the LORD: When a person is dedicated by vow, a valuation is set according to age and sex, with provision for those who are too poor to pay the stated value.
- Animals: Clean animals dedicated to the LORD may not be exchanged; unclean animals are valued by the priest and may be redeemed with an additional fifth.
- Houses and fields: Houses are valued by the priest, and fields are valued according to seed amount and the number of years remaining until the Jubilee.
- Devoted things and tithes: Certain things devoted to the LORD cannot be redeemed in the ordinary way, and tithes from the land and herd are treated as holy to the LORD.
Purpose and Meaning
The regulations prevent vows from being made or changed carelessly. What is promised to God must be treated seriously, and what is holy must not be handled as though it were ordinary property. The chapter teaches faithful fulfillment, sober speech, and responsible dedication.
Structural Characteristics
- Valuation: Values are organized by age, sex, type of property, and time remaining until the Jubilee.
- The role of the priest: The priest assesses value and helps maintain fairness and order.
- The impact of the Jubilee: The number of years until the Jubilee is a key standard for valuing fields.
- Holiness of what belongs to God: Vowed, devoted, and tithed things are treated with special seriousness.
Meditation Points
How seriously do I treat the promises, commitments, and resolutions I make before God? This chapter invites us to consider the weight of dedication and the importance of faithful follow-through in a world where promises are often made lightly.
Try Applying It to Yourself
Review the commitments I have made with my words, time, money, and actions. Rather than exaggerating, delaying, or making excuses, practice sincere and concrete faithfulness before God.
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