What is the meaning of Leviticus 27:33? He must not inspect whether it is good or bad - “He must not inspect whether it is good or bad” rules out any attempt to sort the flock before every tenth animal is marked for the tithe (v. 32). - The Lord, not the owner, determines which animals are set apart; this keeps the giver from holding back superior stock (Deuteronomy 17:1; Leviticus 22:20). - By prohibiting evaluation, God protects the purity of the tithe and teaches His people to trust His provision rather than their own calculations (Proverbs 3:9-10). and he shall not make any substitution - Once the animal is counted as the tenth, no swapping is allowed (Leviticus 27:10). - The principle underscores the finality of a vow: what is given to the Lord stays given (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). - It prevents a half-hearted devotion that offers God the less valuable while keeping the best (Malachi 1:14). But if he does make a substitution - Human nature might still try to trade one animal for another, so God spells out the consequence (Leviticus 27:10 again). - The clause treats the attempted exchange as deliberate disobedience, not an innocent mistake (Numbers 15:30-31). both the animal and its substitute shall become holy - The penalty is double dedication: the original and the replacement both belong to God (Exodus 13:2). - This safeguards the sanctity of the offering and deters future tampering. - It also illustrates that God’s holiness expands rather than contracts when challenged (Isaiah 6:3). they cannot be redeemed - Normally, certain dedicated items could be bought back with a surcharge (Leviticus 27:13, 15). Here, no redemption price is allowed (Numbers 18:17). - The irreversible status drives home that holy things are not commodities to trade at will (Acts 5:1-4 highlights the same principle in the New Testament). - God’s ownership is absolute; once something is His, it remains His (Psalm 24:1). summary Leviticus 27:33 insists that every tenth animal belongs fully to the Lord without the owner’s appraisal or later substitution. Any attempt to manipulate the tithe results in both animals being irrevocably consecrated. The passage affirms God’s sovereign right to the first and best, teaches integrity in giving, and warns against treating holy things casually. |
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