ran/som

Exodus 30:12 - When a census is taken of Israel, each man is to give a ransom (a half shekel) so that no plague would break out.

When I've heard people preach on 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 (David's census), they talk about David's pride and stuff. They say that the reason a plague broke out was because David took a census. But actually the problem wasn't the census. If David would have had each numbered person give a half-shekel to LORD, there would have been no plague.

Exodus 30:13-15 - Each numbered individual, rich or poor, was to give a half-shekel to LORD for atonement, no more, no less.

An individual is incomplete (half-shekel) without the congregation. Atonement is found in unity with the whole congregation.

The rich were not to give more, nor the poor less for their atonement. The pious can do nothing extra to gain atonement, the wicked or ignorant are not given lower standards for atonement. There is to be equality in the congregation, we all have something to contribute, and whatever we have is of the same worth in God's eyes (and incomplete in isolation from the congregation).