The LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate someone to the LORD by paying the value of that person, here is the scale of values to be used. A man between the ages of twenty and sixty is valued at fifty shekels of silver, as measured by the sanctuary shekel. A woman of that age is valued at thirty shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of five and twenty is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of one month and five years is valued at five shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at three shekels of silver. A man older than sixty is valued at fifteen shekels of silver; a woman of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. [Leviticus 27.1-7]
Is this really in the Bible? Yes, it is.
What does it mean?
Well, in a time when people weren't such snowflakes about every little thing, value was placed on a human life according to the amount of manual labor they were capable of. It was generally accepted that women, because of their general build and lighter frame, were capable of less manual labor than men. Children and the elderly rated accordingly.
But the valuation described here in Leviticus is not just about work. This valuation is in regard to the dedication of a particular person to God. We must not forget that.
Perhaps one way to 'soften' the blatancy of the difference in valuation of male and female would be to consider the fact that the valuation was for dedication purposes. So, would it not make sense that the valuation of a woman (for dedication to the LORD) would be lower because she, more naturally, is the nurturer of children and, therefore, has less resource of time for the things of God? However, this assumption is based on traditional roles for men and women and not the asexual roles promoted as 'desirable' and politically correct today.
When all is said and done, a person has to choose whether or not he or she will accept the Bible as true and authoritative or not. Their choice changes nothing of the validity or mandates of the Bible, but only affects their qualification for the blessings or curses of the Bible.
Of course, it all matters not if everyone sees God as removed and random, or, doing everything for unknown reasons. But, if we begin to understand blessings and curses as the result of obedience or disobedience respectively, then suddenly, the Bible becomes more critical to our existence.
Even with Jesus' Advent - Jesus, Who redeemed mankind from the curse of the Law - if we fail to see curses as indicators of the absence of faith in Jesus' redemption, then what hope do we have of ever differentiating ourselves from those who believe God is random and not actively engaged in the lives of His followers? None!
The point of political correctness, equality, and the likes is to make everyone equal. It is to establish that nothing but man's valuation of all human life makes us all the same and therefore undermines the Bible's valuation otherwise. It is also the unseen force behind pseudo-doctrines in the Church that teach that sickness and poverty are not necessarily curses (even though the Bible is clear otherwise - Deut. 28) and that all people are basically good and that faith is just some mental salve to help us get to heaven. Political correctness even goes so far as to mandate that those in blatant sin share in the blessings of God just as much as anyone else.
I believe the day is coming when man will once again demonstrate Whose he is by his likeness to the Jesus, the One Who demonstrated Whose He was first for all to follow. I believe that call is upon all today - to look and act like Jesus (not everyone else - in church or otherwise).
We are not all equal. But we enjoy or suffer blessings or curses based entirely upon the presence or absence of obedience to God in our lives. No political correctness can override God's blessings or curses. No political correctness can transcend God's design and function for humans, male and female, young and old. No political correctness can validate sin as much as holiness.
We are not all equal, but each created to equally enjoy God's blessings based on our obedience to what He has created each of us to do!
Father, Your Word reveals so much! Thank You for Your constant interaction with man as man responds to You in faith.
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