A summary of the different vows in the chapter

1 - 2 He that makes a singular vow must be the Lord's
3 - 8 The estimation of the person
9 - 13 of a beast given by vow
14 - 15 of a house
16 - 27 of a field, and the redemption thereof
28 - 29 No devoted thing may be redeemed
30 - 34 The tithe may not be changed

27:3 - 8 It is interesting that the value of the vow that the person gives is determined by both the age and sex of the individual. Notice also the degree of difference between male and female changes through age. Between the ages of 5 and 20 the female is estimated at 50% of the male but in the other two groups she is estimated as 60% of the male. I don't know why this is.
27:9 - 10 That the vow should not be altered is caught in the language of Ecclesiastes 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. The vows of the field and its increase is a very practical way in which the Israelite could give to his God. The priests had no inheritance. They 'lived of the temple' to use Paul's words. The extent to which Israel were not willing to make vows affected the wellbeing of the priesthood. This has its counterpart in our lives today. We can dedicate ourselves to our God in service to our brethren and sisters. The extent to which we do this affects the well being of our brethren and sisters

Everyone could make a vow to the LORD regardless of age, gender, or wealth. Conditions were made to fit all classes which could be further adjusted by the priests, if necessary.
A vow represented a promise, a covenant, with the LORD and was expected to be kept (Deut 23:21. The LORD sets the example by keeping the covenants He has made (Deut 7:9, Psa 33:4, 1Cor 1:9).
We have voluntarily entered a covenant relationship with God through Christ.  The conditions of our life in Christ fit us as individuals according to the LORD's formula. Through our High Priest our position is constantly being adjusted.
The LORD is faithful in His commitment to us (1Cor 1:9, 2Thess 3:3). What is required, as under the Law, is our faith to keep our vow. (Rom 4:16, 2Tim 4:7, Heb 6:12).

Unclean beasts could be presented to the priest and could be redeemed (vs.11,27).  These unclean beasts were not animals prohibited under the Law such as pigs.  They were permitted animals which were spotted or marred in some way, rendering them unacceptable for sacrifice.

Just a suggestion! I wonder if the first few verses of this chapter Lev 27:1-8 could
  apply to Jephthah, and his vow to give his daughter to God Judg 11:29-40.
  God here gave Moses the means of redemption of persons vowed to God.

27:17    The man who sanctified his field actually made a vow that he would give the product of that field to God.  The year of release marked the end of the period of the vow. Just like in our case. We commit ourselves to God all the days of our lives. This will be released at the year of release when we are conferred with immortality.

27:2-9 Whilst any could make a vow to give themselves to God Moses had the responsibility of valuing the offering – though the value was set by God. It was not for the individual to asses his value before God.

27:30 The idea of giving 10% of the produce of the land would not have been a problem to Israel if they had been faithful because we saw in yesterday’s chapter that God would bless them with enough to provide for them right into the following years.

Anything that a man of Israel has given to the LORD cannot be sold or retrieved. This property becomes holy to the LORD (v.28). The KJV uses the word devoted which is translated from the Hebrew cherem. Here the meaning is consecrated. Any acquisition made from the enemies of Israel, whether man or material, also becomes devoted to the LORD. However, in this case the word means appointed to destruction. Take the case of the Babylonish garment that Achan took (Josh 7:20,21). This was an accursed thing, and anyone taking it had to be killed (Josh 7:15). The accursed thing is translated from cherem. Saul sinned when he did not kill Agag nor the best captured animals (1Sam 15:9). These things had been devoted to the LORD for utter destruction. The phrases utterly destroy and destroyed utterly are translated from cherem. And so, any man ,who is an enemy of Israel, is devoted (cherem) to the LORD and must be destroyed (v.29).

27:13 The way that the law deals with ‘redeeming’ a vow is interesting. What it is saying is that God recognises that people might make a rash vow and then be unwilling to fulfil the vow. In that case there is to be a cost to the one who made the vow. In this case there is a 20% surcharge.

REGULATIONS CONVERNING VOWS AND OFFERINGS (27:1-34)

The final chapter of Leviticus deals in detail with vows and tithes, which had been mentioned only in a rather general manner elsewhere (Lev 7:16; Lev 22:18-23; Lev 23:38). A vow to God placed a person or property in a special consecrated relationship which stood outside the formal demands of the law. The daughter of Jephthah (Judg 11:30-31) and Samuel, the son of Hannah (1Sam 1:11), are instances of persons who were made votive offerings by others. Leviticus began with regulations concerning sanctuary offerings, and it is appropriate that it should conclude on the same theme.

Persons (27:1-8)

1-5. This section deals with the valuation of a male person who is offered under a vow to Yahweh. The standard of valuation is that of the sanctuary shekel (Lev 5:15), and a male in his majority was considered to be worth fifty shekels of silver (3). This money would be paid to the priests, and in later periods was used for the general maintenance of the sanctuary. Females who were vowed to divine service were appraised at thirty shekels, probably because they were physically less strong than healthy males and/or because they were available for less of the time (they were considered unholy for a period of time on a monthly basis, as is the manner of women). A similar scale applied to persons of both sexes whose age ranged from five to twenty years. The women would doubtless assist the priests in non-ceremonial duties connected with the sanctuary, and in addition would care for the more junior votaries.

6-8. The young male child dedicated in this manner to Yahweh's service was valued at five shekels and his female counterpart at three shekels. Such children would be taught how to assist the priests in various duties as long as the period of their vows lasted. Persons above the age of sixty were valued at fifteen shekels for a male and ten for a female. If the individual making the vow, whether for himself or for someone else, was too poor to pay anything, then the person being vowed was valued by the officiating priest at a lower and more realistic level in the expectation that the person involved would keep his or her vow. In Old Testament times vows were regarded as extremely serious acts (cp. Deut 23:21-23), and the precautions listed here were meant to dissuade overenthusiastic and unrealistic vows. Since the Torah did not contain legislation which prescribed vows, it was expected that someone who entered into that kind of voluntary relationship with God would complete whatever had been undertaken. Only those vows that conformed to the covenantal ethos would be acceptable to God. A wife's vow was invalid unless it was approved by her husband.

The lesson for us today is that we take very great care over our promises, and that we fulfil the obligation to carry through those promises, even if we lose out as a consequence of changed circumstances.

27:26 Israel needed to understand that there had to be a cost involved in giving things to God. As the first born was God’s anyway and had to be given to God it was hardly appropriate to then vow to give it to God. Giving it to God was already an obligation. It would be rather like us clamming that we have made a sacrifice when we are only doing what we should be doing anyway.

Psalm 140 The evil man of this Psalm is not simply someone who happens to do evil things. He is one who plans evil and sets about achieving evil ends. In sharpening his tongue (v3) he calculates what to say. This is why the psalmist says (v4) 'purposed' to do evil.

Psalm 141 The linking of prayer with incense (v2) is seen elsewhere in Scripture (Luke 19-10 Rev 5:8 8:3 ) Reflecting on the incense we remember that it had to be carefully prepared according to God's instructions - so our prayers cannot be offered haphazardly. When Nadab and Abihu offered 'strange fire' (Numbers 26:21) died.

Psalm 142 The title of this Psalm tells us that it was written by David when he was fleeing from Saul - in the cave - despite being fearful of Saul and anxious about his future he took time out to instruct others - 1 Samuel 22:1-2 and Psalm 34:11-22 (this Psalm was written at this time - see the title)

140:3 'The poison of asps is under their lips' is quoted Romans 3:13 and contrasts with Song of Solomon 4:11 where the bride's lips drop as an honeycomb. We have to decide whether we have poison or the honeycomb at our lips. We cannot have both.

141:3 In asking that God would 'keep the door of my lips' the Psalmist recognises the problems he has with his words. So should we. It is the cry of the wise man also (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

142:2 So when David was before Achish he 'poured out his complaint' - do we ever complain to God? Is it right to complain to God? Psalm 102 (title) is another occasion when a man complained. On both occasions the prayer was heard.

140:4 We might have thought that David, as king, would have been able to protect himself from the wicked – it is often thought that power and wealth is a buffer against problems. Clearly it is not.

141:5 The effect of the rebuke of the ‘righteous’ is interesting. It is seen by David as being like an anointing! How do we respond to the faithful rebuke of our brethren?

142:7 Notice that David’s desire for deliverance is not selfish  at all. He wants freedom so that he can praise God. How selfless are our prayers?

140:10              The ‘poor’ whose cause the Lord maintains are more accurately the ‘needy’ as the RV shows.

DIRECTION IN THE FOG

"When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me." (Psa 142:3)

There are times when life gets really stressful. Everything happens at once and then they not only hit us physically, but emotionally and mentally. It can seem like living in a thick fog. You know where you want to go, but you can't see where it is, and you are lucky if you can even see the next step in front of you. I have had a few of those times when, without God, life would have been totally directionless.

I had questions: What is God doing with me? How long will it last? How much more can I take? Is God listening? What should I do? All the time there are more choices to make but the confidence as to what is best and right is diminished. Even when we know what is best or right, the decision that gives us least pain or makes us feel most comfortable can have a huge pull, even if we know it is wrong.

But when our spirits grow faint within us, in the darkness of the fog, and amid our doubts and questions, God can see through it all. He knows our way.

So keep praying, keep seeking him no matter how hard it is, and he will guide you. Trust him: He knows your way.

141:4The idea of being careful in the presence of others in the context of a meal is also found in Solomon’s writing – Prov 21:1-3

141:5 The righteous smiting David s echoed by Solomon – Prov 27:6

v.18 is linked with Isa 14:12-14 by some to show that Satan was a fallen angel.
The Lucifer of Is. 14 refers to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.  Here, in v.18, the Lord is using a simile (a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another) to show that Satan's fall was as swift as lightning falling from heaven - not that Satan was descending from heaven.
Satan means adversary and could refer to anything or anyone that opposes the will of God. Unfortunately, translators of the Bible have chosen to personify this entity.
In v.18, Satan, which also refers to the enemy of v.19, was the evil in the world which endangers and imprisons humankind. Jesus had given power to the seventy to overcome this enemy. He gave them power to cure mental illness (v.17) and power not to be harmed by the natural world (v.19).

V.33 The first thing we are told of the Samaritan was that he had compassion (to be moved as to ones inwards). He who gives outward things gives something external, but he who imparts compassion gives something from his very self. The same word SPLAGCHNIZOMAI (4697) is used to describe Christ's actions, both with the multitudes Matt 9:36,; 14:14 and with individuals Mark 1:14 ;, Luke 8:13 

10:1  The 70 is like the 70 elders that Moses appointed – Num 11:16, an additional group to the heads of the 12 tribes.

10:2  In Luke 9:54 James and John suggested to Jesus that they call down fire from heaven to destroy some who did not associate with the disciples. Now Jesus is teaching them to pray for more workers – not destroy those who would work

As we read through the account of the "good Samaritan" we see many acts of love that were accomplished

10:9   That the kingdom of God had ‘come nigh’ was evidenced by the healing. The people were experiencing a foretaste of the time when all Israel would be saved.

In 2Cor 3:12-14 Paul says that there is a veil over the eyes of those who read the old testament only. This veil is demonstrated here in v21-29 with the lawyer who asked: "what must I do to inherit eternal life?". But although he had a correct understanding of the law v27-28, he couldn't accept it in its simplicity (v29). This is the veil.

Paul says in Rom 9:32 that to Jews it was hard to accept things by faith rather than by exact measures. Jesus goes on to reveal the answer to this, which is to see the law in terms of internal motivations: love, compassion, and neighbourly kindness. Jesus would go on to demonstrate these characteristics perfectly himself, thus taking that veil away (2Cor 3:14). We too can have obscured sight if we dwell too much on the old testament. We need to see it demonstrated by example in the new; in Christ. It is only by emulating Jesus that we can truly understand God and His ways (v21-22).

10:29 The lawyer was ‘tempting Jesus’. Jesus did not fall into the trap and so the man now, having been directed to the law, wanted to ‘justify himself’. Rather he should have been seeking to justify God. We often seek to justify ourselves when in reality we are the one with the problem.