We’re still looking at these special “valuation offerings.” Here we see that the priest could enter into the valuation process when the offering was something exceptional, or perhaps when the value could not be readily determined. If the donor merely wanted to give a monetary gift rather than, say, his house, still, his house could provide a basis for determining how much to give. He would offer the house, then redeem it for the valued price plus one-fifth.

I confess to a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty regarding these statutes. At the very least we can say this much: God made it easy for His people to give beyond what was required of them, but, in encouraging them to do so, He protected them against capriciousness in giving, either on their parts or on the parts of greedy priests.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.