Exodus 30:12–16

Two things appear in this command — the occasion, and the object of the atonement money. The occasion was "when you number them." As they were counted, each man came before God one by one. God chose that exact moment to remind them of their condition, and of their need of redemption. While sin remains unsettled, God cannot meet men as they are without taking account of their guilt, for His nature is holy. So He made this gracious provision. What it pictures is the truth found on every page of Scripture: all men need a ransom for their souls. The object is "that there be no plague." If God notices the sinner in his sins, it must be for judgment, unless atonement protects him.

Proud of the strength of his armies, David was tempted to have his people numbered. But he neglected the rule that every man should give a ransom for his soul, and "the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men" (2 Samuel 24).

In Exodus 30:11-16 it was ordered that when the people were numbered, each, rich or poor, should give half a shekel as a kopher, a ransom, for his soul or life. This had nothing to do with sin, but with ransom, that there might be no plague — a recognition that they belonged to God all alike, and could have no human boast in numbers, as David afterwards brought the plague on Israel.

It was a token representing the animals that would otherwise have died in their place. So it was a token that every man of Israel was A MAN OF FORFEITED LIFE. He had to be ransomed — bought back from the slavery to sin into which he had fallen — before he could be numbered.

God could count no man as His without the redemption money paid for each one. There were no exemptions and no excuses. The rich were not allowed to pay more, nor the poor less, than the half shekel. If God is to have a redeemed people among whom He will dwell, it must be according to His thoughts, not theirs. The price is to be half a shekel, or ten gerahs, according to the shekel of the sanctuary — the divine estimation. A man might imagine that something else suited his redemption better: his own works, his feelings, his worthiness, or his faithfulness. But God's holiness and righteousness would not allow poor man to be so deceived.

It was appointed for the service of the tabernacle. It went to make the silver sockets that formed the foundation of the sanctuary. The house of God was founded upon redemption, and the ransomed people were bound up with it — the money each man gave stood for him. The stated object was "that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives." The silver on which the tabernacle rested testified, on behalf of the children of Israel, that atonement had been made for their souls. They might take in this blessed fact only weakly themselves; but the memorial was always before the Lord.

When they were numbered, each man was brought, as it were, individually before God. God chose that exact moment to remind them of their condition, and so of their need of redemption. As long as sin is not dealt with, God must take account of men's guilt when He meets them as they are. His very holiness requires it. So God made this gracious provision. Its meaning as a type is simply the truth found on every page of Scripture: all men need a ransom for their souls.

The weight was also defined by God: "the shekel of the sanctuary," kept as a standard in the tabernacle. Its weight was twenty gerahs. Each man who wanted to be counted brought his half shekel to be compared with this. God kept the just weight and the just balance. His priest would not take dross instead of silver. He would not accept less weight of the precious metal than the Lord required… And in the blessed reality behind the picture, the believer declares with confidence that he depends fully on Christ and His precious blood. He says it in the hearing of God and of the great High Priest of His sanctuary. He knows that this price meets the full estimate God demands.

Ten is the number of responsibility toward God. The lesson is that man's responsibility to God as a sinner must be met.

Man never has paid the ten gerahs of his responsibility, and he never could. Christ has paid in full, according to the divine estimation, and so has provided the perfect ransom. This atonement price is the solid and eternal foundation. The guiltiest sinner who believes on Him can rest there.

Silver is a figure of the blood of Christ — that is, the silver of the ransom money. Peter alludes to this. He says that you were ransomed "not with perishable things such as silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." … The half shekel of silver was a plain figure of the blood of Christ. So we learn that only that precious blood can meet our responsibility to God as sinners and make atonement for our souls.

Here it was not a question of sins or sacrifice, but of a ransom for each man's life against plague. So the principle set down was a sacred half shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary… This was a beautiful sign. Each of the people, all alike, belonged to Jehovah, their divine Guardian and Governor.

Every man had to give for himself… In this matter the rich could not give for the poor. Each man had to come into a distinct and personal relationship with God about his ransom, his redemption. Unless his own money was there in the silver sockets, he could not be regarded as redeemed. It is the same now. Everyone must have a personal interest in the blood of Christ, or he cannot be saved.

The house of God was founded on redemption. The ransomed people were identified with it. The money given represented every one of them, and so represented them in all the value of what the silver pictured… The silver on which the tabernacle rested testified, on behalf of the children of Israel, that atonement had been made for their souls. They might grasp this blessed fact only weakly for themselves, but the memorial was always before the Lord.

The law of Moses said this: when the people were numbered, everyone from twenty years old and upward had to give the LORD half a shekel as a ransom for his soul. That way no plague would break out among them. The numbering gave human pride a chance to boast about their total numbers. It was also a moment when each person was noticed. But they had to recognise this: the LORD could take account of them only on the ground of redemption. They needed reminding that they belonged to God, and each one had to pay a ransom for himself.

The Israelites were numbered from twenty years old and upward. That was the age at which they were able to go out to war and were regarded as full grown and fit for the service of life. Every man was commanded to bring a half shekel to make atonement for his soul, "that there be no plague among them." God thus provided a way to ward off His hand in government, if they would acknowledge His goodness and mercy by bringing the set sum. How gracious of Him to make known the terms on which He would withhold judgment!

This included only those who were twenty years of age and older. No doubt this took account of the younger ones, who were not yet employed and would lack the means of paying.

This chapter does not tell us why the age was fixed at "twenty years old and upward." Numbers 1 does. It adds, "all in Israel who are able to go to war." These, then, were the only ones to be numbered or taken account of. If a man is not able to stand before the enemy, he is at present of no account. He is not yet on the ground of God's full age in the experience of his soul. So he is not one of the "mature" named in 1 Corinthians 2. The Corinthians had fallen under the power of the enemy — the seductions of the world — and the apostle could not call them full grown.

Notice that every man had to give this small silver piece — no more and no less. The rich man might have wished to give more, to display his wealth and generosity. The poor man might have felt he should be excused from giving anything. All had to give alike. Here we have a foreshadowing of the "no distinction" doctrine stated in Romans 3:22-23 and Romans 10:12. In the presence of the holiness of God all human distinctions shrink and disappear. The way of atonement is the same for all.

Every man had to give for himself. In this matter the rich could not give for the poor. Each man had to come into a distinct and personal relationship with God about his ransom or redemption. Each man's money had to be represented in the silver sockets. Without that, he could not be counted as redeemed. It is the same now. Everyone must have a personal interest in the blood of Christ, or he cannot be saved.

The house of God was founded on redemption, and the ransomed people were identified with it. Every one of them was represented by the money he had given. The tabernacle rested on that silver, and the silver testified, for the people of Israel, that atonement had been made for their souls. They might grasp this blessed fact only weakly for themselves. But the memorial was always before the LORD. The real question then, as now, is this: Does He look on us as redeemed? Has He accepted our redemption price? For if He is satisfied, we too may surely rest in peace.

This was vital: no one could be counted as God's at all unless the redemption money was paid for him. God exempted no one and allowed no excuse... The price is half a shekel, or ten gerahs, by the shekel of the sanctuary — God's own estimate. Man might imagine that something else would suit his redemption better — his own works, his feelings, his worthiness, or his faithfulness. But God's holiness and righteousness would not let poor man fool himself like that. The foundation must match God's estimate; the shekel must match the weights of the sanctuary.

Once sin is the question, God sees no difference between one man and another. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Some have gone further in open wrongdoing and outright crime. But in their state before God, all are sinners under condemnation — the outwardly decent as well as the immoral, the rich as well as the poor. Wealth, position, achievements, even good character, count for nothing before God.

People may differ hugely in knowledge, experience, ability, progress, zeal and devotion. Yet the ground of atonement is the same for all. The great apostle to the Gentiles and the weakest lamb in Christ's whole flock stand on the same level when it comes to atonement... Not all are equally devoted and fruitful. But "the precious blood of Christ" — not devotion or fruitfulness — is the solid and everlasting ground of the believer's rest.

Man never has paid the ten gerahs he owes, and never could. Christ has paid in full, at God's own valuation, and so provided the perfect ransom. This atonement price is the solid and eternal foundation on which the guiltiest sinner who believes in Him can rest. In the picture, it was ten gerahs of silver. What it pointed to is this: "you were ransomed … not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Here the question was not sins or sacrifice, but a ransom for a man's life to keep plague away. So the rule laid down was a sacred half shekel, weighed by the shekel of the sanctuary... This was a beautiful sign that each of the people, all alike, belonged to the LORD, their divine Guardian and Ruler.

Here the rich could not pay for the poor. Each man had to come into a clear and personal relationship with God about his own ransom... Another person's prayers will not save him on their own, unless by the grace of God they lead him to know Christ himself as the Redeemer.

The money went to make the silver sockets that formed the foundation of the sanctuary. The house of God rested on redemption, and the ransomed people were joined to it — each one represented by the money he had given... They may have grasped this blessed fact only weakly. But the memorial stood before the Lord always, and the question then, as now, is this: Does He look on us as redeemed? Has He accepted our redemption price? If He is satisfied, we too may rest in peace.

At the counting, each man came before God one by one, as it were. That was the exact moment chosen to remind them of their condition, and of the need of redemption that follows from it. As long as sin is not dealt with, if God comes into contact with men as they are, His very holiness must make Him take notice of their guilt. So we have this gracious provision. Its meaning as a picture is simply the truth found on every page of Scripture: all men need a ransom for their souls.

If God is to have a redeemed people among whom He will dwell, it must be according to His thoughts, not theirs. The price is to be half a shekel, or ten gerahs, according to the shekel of the sanctuary — the divine estimation. Man might imagine that something else would suit his redemption better. He might think of his own works, his feelings, his worthiness, or his faithfulness. But God's holiness and righteousness would not let poor man be so deceived. The foundation must match God's estimate. The shekel must match the weights of the sanctuary.

Ten is the number of responsibility toward God. The lesson, then, is that man's responsibility to God as a sinner must be met. Now silver is a figure of the blood of Christ. Peter points to this when he says, "you were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." The half shekel of silver was a plain figure of the blood of Christ. So we learn that this precious blood alone can meet our responsibility to God as sinners, and make atonement for our souls.

Every man, whether rich or poor, was of exactly the same value before God. "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less." Once sin is the question, God sees no difference between one man and another. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Some may have gone further in outward wrongdoing, in open crimes. But as to their state before God, all are sinners under condemnation — the outwardly moral as well as the immoral, the rich as well as the poor.

In this matter the rich could not give for the poor. Each man for himself had to come into a distinct and personal relationship with God about his ransom or redemption. Unless the silver sockets included the money of each man counted, God could not regard him as redeemed. It is so now. Everyone must have a personal interest in the blood of Christ or he cannot be saved.

It went to make the sockets of silver which formed the foundation of the sanctuary. The house of God was founded upon redemption, and the ransomed people were identified with it — every one of them represented by the money given, and represented therefore in all the value of what the silver pictured. The silver the tabernacle rested on testified, for the people of Israel, that atonement had been made for their souls. The memorial was always before the Lord, and the question then, as now, is this: does He look on us as redeemed? If He is satisfied, we may rest in peace.

This offering of atonement money was only a memorial of the great fact, the ground on which each one of them stood with God — "that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD."

The atonement makes everything of God and nothing of us. Apart from Christ and His work on my behalf, I am nothing; but regarded on the ground of it, my blessing has no limit.