Years ago there was a preacher who worked with a congregation in a small Midwestern city. Now, one of the members of this congregation was a wealthy woman who regularly contributed a large sum to the church; more than anyone else. This, she thought, gave her the right to tell the preacher what his topics should be. This is not about the movie “Pollyanna”, though the scenario is strikingly similar. And it is similar because the wealthy adjust to the idea that their money buys control. Another preacher, in the south this time, was told that he must stop preaching that Jesus is God because one of the families that attended and were large contributors didn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus. The next Sunday he preached that Jesus is God and packed and moved the next day. Wealth is power. Wealth is access. Wealth is a corruptor. Wealth is a dictator. It doesn’t have to be, but it often is.
Exodus 30:11-16 covers the practice of a mandatory giving that not only covered the cost of the ministry of the Tabernacle, but also covered the sins of the people. When some review verse 12 they envision an ancient account of God being angry because the people numbered themselves. After all you have the words “ransom” and “plague” here. These sources will claim that a later redactor worked this ancient account into an account of a Tabernacle tax that provided funds for operations. But all of that seems unnecessary to me. I am no scholar, but it seems more to the point to see a God ordered census and that this census was a reminder that their sins needed covering.
The Israelites are told that when they number themselves they are to pay a ransom; a price for life. And then they are warned that this “price for life” will save them from enduring plagues or “blows”. It is the same word used in the ten plagues of Egypt account. And what is the price for life? A half shekel. Which, as our friends across the pond would say, is a pittance. Assigning an exact amount to ancient currency is always questionable, but this would have been about 5.7 grams of silver (?). The shekel appears to be a measurement of weight that is most often given to silver in the Bible. So, imagine God is furious with those census taking Israelites and in his anger he demands a . . . wait for it . . . half shekel. I know that the amount could have been changed, but again, there is nothing in the text that would suggest this. The original wrath of God over the census theory seems to be based solely on the use of the words “ransom” and “plague”. And to be honest, half a shekel seems to be a ridiculously small amount to be called a “price for life.” But maybe that is exactly the point. Wait for it . . .
God appears to be very concerned that the poor and the wealthy pay the same price. And if this is a “price for life” amount, what message does that send? Have you noticed that the wealthy tend to gather in places where the price of admission keeps out the poor? If you are able to drive a Ferrari, you might very well drive around fully conscious of the fact that most people cannot afford to drive around in a Ferrari. And this just might fill a person with a sense of superiority. Ah, but not among the Israelites. The price of life is the same for the poor and the wealthy. God does not value their life based upon their accumulated wealth. God doesn’t value the way we humans value.
But this half shekel was more than a ransom, it was also an atonement; a covering of sins. Every Israelite can stand before Yahweh with their sins covered. Which is the only way they could approach Yahweh at all. The rich cannot purchase more covering of sins than the poor. The amount is the same and it is an amount that the poor can handle. Even though the amount was small, collected from every male twenty and older, it becomes enough to pay for the maintenance and operation of the Tabernacle. You see what God did there? They take a census and every male who is twenty or older must pay a “price of life” and covering of sins tax, which stands as a memorial before the face of Yahweh and covers the cost of operations of the Tabernacle. The people are reminded that they stand in need of God’s covering and that the wealthy do not have a higher price of life than the poor. And that, boys and girls, is a good memorial.
Under the new covenant a ransom has also been paid. Only this time the “price of life” is not a pittance; it is the precious blood of Jesus. And the good news is that the wealthy have no greater access than the poorest among us. Sometimes, they still think they do, but what they think is not God’s reality. The price has been paid for all and all have access to the Presence of Yahweh. Good news indeed. Peace.