Exodus 30:11-16:
"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, When you take the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them. This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering to the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."
Another lesson given at Church.
Let's begin with the context for this passage. The entire chapter focuses on our need for cleansing and reconciliation before God. We see the altar for incense in Vss 1-10, the basin in Vss 17-21, the special anointing oil in Vss 22-33, and the special incense in Vss 34-38. Our passage is wedged into a chapter discussing how man can appear before God, which might make it seem out of place, but it is not, upon further inspection.
Well, what is the command here? In Verse 12, God commands Moses to take tax/offering every time a census was taken. Whenever the people were numbered, they were to pay a tax. The Jews in Jesus's day believed, unsurprisingly, that this was to be an annual thing, but we have no record of it until the time of David. There is no indication that this was supposed to be done at any regular interval, only that, when it was done, a tax was to be collected.
This tax was to be paid only by males (Vs 12) who were 20 years old and up (Vs 14). Because of this fact, many believe that the census had to do mainly with the military. If you wanted to know how many able-bodied soldiers you had, you'd take a census. This will be important later.
Regardless of wealth or poverty, everybody paid the same half shekel. A half shekel wasn't much. It was about two days wages for an average laborer. It was nothing to a wealthy person.
When this money was collected, it was used for the Tabernacle/Temple. This first collection was used in building the Tabernacle, while subsequent collections were to be used for the maintenance of God's house. I think this was so that kings would not use the census as a source for pride or for revenue.
Why this tax? It seems sort of strange that God would command this. Verse 16 gives us two reasons. Firstly, it was to be a memorial. It was to remind them of God's deliverance. If we think of it in the context of the military, this tax would remind them that their lives belonged to God and that sheer numbers and military might could not ensure victory in battle. Victory was only promised by God's Hand being with them.
Secondly, this tax was to be an Atonement/Ransom. Now, they weren't paying for salvation. You can't do that now and you couldn't do it then. Verse 12 gives us the key here. The word souls can be translated lives just as easily. They were saving their lives from a plague. What plague? The Israelites probably had the same question we do! The answer: the plague God was going to bring if they didn't pay the tax! It seems that taking a census was inherently a bad thing. It was often a thing of pride. It was a necessary evil though, and so God wanted them to remind themselves to whom they belonged.
Well, how can apply these things to our own lives. I have three ways. #1: Notice again that everyone paid the same tax. This teaches us that all men are equal before God, regardless of age, race, position, or wealth. We are all sinners and we all need the same Savior. All our lives must be ransomed by the same price.
Secondly, this tax is a picture of Christ. The Hebrew word for ransom means pitch--the black stuff Noah smeared around the outside of the Ark. The idea communicated here is of protection and covering. By extension, the word came to mean bribe, payment, or ransom--a payment that covers a crime or sin.
The word for Atonement means a sacrifice that atones. Both words here come from the same Hebrew word that means to cover. Jesus is our covering--our mercy seat. Our sins are covered by His blood. He is our True Ransom and our True Atonement. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 tells us that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all. 1 John 4:10 tells us that Jesus came to be our propititation--our atoning sacrifice!
Thirdly, while our tithes/offerings are not a ransom or atonement, they are a memorial. Every time we give money to our church, we should be reminded that God has freed us from bondage and given us new life. He has rescued us from the plague. Our very lives should be lived with the knowledge that we belong to God. We are not our own; we are bought with a price, and so we ought to live to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Helping to support Christ's Church is one way that we can be reminded of God's redemptive work in our lives.
"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, When you take the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them. This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering to the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."
Another lesson given at Church.
Let's begin with the context for this passage. The entire chapter focuses on our need for cleansing and reconciliation before God. We see the altar for incense in Vss 1-10, the basin in Vss 17-21, the special anointing oil in Vss 22-33, and the special incense in Vss 34-38. Our passage is wedged into a chapter discussing how man can appear before God, which might make it seem out of place, but it is not, upon further inspection.
Well, what is the command here? In Verse 12, God commands Moses to take tax/offering every time a census was taken. Whenever the people were numbered, they were to pay a tax. The Jews in Jesus's day believed, unsurprisingly, that this was to be an annual thing, but we have no record of it until the time of David. There is no indication that this was supposed to be done at any regular interval, only that, when it was done, a tax was to be collected.
This tax was to be paid only by males (Vs 12) who were 20 years old and up (Vs 14). Because of this fact, many believe that the census had to do mainly with the military. If you wanted to know how many able-bodied soldiers you had, you'd take a census. This will be important later.
Regardless of wealth or poverty, everybody paid the same half shekel. A half shekel wasn't much. It was about two days wages for an average laborer. It was nothing to a wealthy person.
When this money was collected, it was used for the Tabernacle/Temple. This first collection was used in building the Tabernacle, while subsequent collections were to be used for the maintenance of God's house. I think this was so that kings would not use the census as a source for pride or for revenue.
Why this tax? It seems sort of strange that God would command this. Verse 16 gives us two reasons. Firstly, it was to be a memorial. It was to remind them of God's deliverance. If we think of it in the context of the military, this tax would remind them that their lives belonged to God and that sheer numbers and military might could not ensure victory in battle. Victory was only promised by God's Hand being with them.
Secondly, this tax was to be an Atonement/Ransom. Now, they weren't paying for salvation. You can't do that now and you couldn't do it then. Verse 12 gives us the key here. The word souls can be translated lives just as easily. They were saving their lives from a plague. What plague? The Israelites probably had the same question we do! The answer: the plague God was going to bring if they didn't pay the tax! It seems that taking a census was inherently a bad thing. It was often a thing of pride. It was a necessary evil though, and so God wanted them to remind themselves to whom they belonged.
Well, how can apply these things to our own lives. I have three ways. #1: Notice again that everyone paid the same tax. This teaches us that all men are equal before God, regardless of age, race, position, or wealth. We are all sinners and we all need the same Savior. All our lives must be ransomed by the same price.
Secondly, this tax is a picture of Christ. The Hebrew word for ransom means pitch--the black stuff Noah smeared around the outside of the Ark. The idea communicated here is of protection and covering. By extension, the word came to mean bribe, payment, or ransom--a payment that covers a crime or sin.
The word for Atonement means a sacrifice that atones. Both words here come from the same Hebrew word that means to cover. Jesus is our covering--our mercy seat. Our sins are covered by His blood. He is our True Ransom and our True Atonement. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 tells us that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all. 1 John 4:10 tells us that Jesus came to be our propititation--our atoning sacrifice!
Thirdly, while our tithes/offerings are not a ransom or atonement, they are a memorial. Every time we give money to our church, we should be reminded that God has freed us from bondage and given us new life. He has rescued us from the plague. Our very lives should be lived with the knowledge that we belong to God. We are not our own; we are bought with a price, and so we ought to live to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Helping to support Christ's Church is one way that we can be reminded of God's redemptive work in our lives.
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