Read Leviticus 27
Background: As we come to the final chapter of the book, God addresses just a few final details on kinds of offerings that are "above and beyond" the prescribed ones already mentioned. There would be those who, in response to God's goodness and their understanding of His greatness, would want to vow to God more of what they had and even who they were. This would include animals and produce, houses and land, even persons. These vows were entrusted to the care of the priests. In the very probable event that they would need or want these back, there was a way to calculate the number of shekels to redeem them. There were, however, exceptions to these standards:
Key verses: 26 “But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord's. 27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation.
28 “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord. 29 No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
Thoughts: The firstborn would not be dedicated because it already belonged to God. This of course is a picture both looking back to the Passover and the dedication of the firstborn, as well as a looking forward to God giving His Firstborn - there was no retraction of God giving His Son. He never turned back. Also, something "devoted" could not be redeemed. This was much more binding that a basic "vow." The one last exception to the general rules was obvious: the "tithe" was expected - not above and beyond, and if the tithe was given in terms of animals, it could be redeemed at the given rate.
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