Numbers 29 – Sacrifices for More of the Appointed Feasts

A. More offerings related to seasonal feasts.

1. (1-6) Offerings at the Feast of Trumpets.

‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

a. It is a day of blowing the trumpets: The Feast of Trumpets was the third feast regarded as a sacred gathering (a holy convocation) and a day to do no customary work.

i. “Later in Jewish tradition this feast became the time of the new year (Rosh Hashanah). The blowing of the trumpet on this feast is the blowing of the shophar, the ram’s horn, rather than the silver trumpet of Numbers 10.” (Allen)

b. One young bull, one ram, and seven lambs: These made up the burnt offering to be sacrificed on the Feast of Trumpets, together with a grain offering measured to each sacrificial animal and a sin offering of one kid of the goats.

c. Besides the burnt offering…for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering: The special sacrifices made on the Feast of Trumpets did not replace the daily, weekly, or monthly sacrifices mentioned earlier in Numbers 28. Special obligations did not replace normal obligations; they were added to them.

2. (7-11) Offerings on the Day of Atonement.

‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work. You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a sweet aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year. Be sure they are without blemish. Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the sin offering for atonement, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

a. On the tenth day of this seventh month: The sacrificial ceremonies for the Day of Atonement are described in Leviticus 16. The high priest was to sacrifice one bull, two rams, and two goats. In addition, God here commanded the sacrifice of one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs together with the appropriate grain offering and the offering of one kid of the goats as a sin offering. All this was besides the sin offering for atonement and the normal daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

b. You shall afflict your souls: The Day of Atonement was not a happy feast. It was a day to carefully consider the burden of sin, and to put it away on a national basis through the appointed sacrifice for that day.

i. The command to afflict your souls was to show the humility and repentance appropriate for those who need forgiveness. It was also an identification with the sacrifice for sin. Afflicting the soul brought the Israelite into sympathy with the afflicted sacrificial victim, even as the believer identifies with Jesus Christ on the cross. Throughout history and to the modern day, Jews who do observe the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) typically fast for that day to afflict the soul.

ii. “The term translated ‘deny’ [afflict] (ana) means ‘to afflict, oppress, be humble, or be lowly’ and is used occasionally in the context of fasting (Ezra 8:21). This latter means of self-denial became the principal means of individual participation during the late postexilic period, when the day became known as ‘The Fast.’” (Cole)

iii. Afflict your souls: “i. e. yourselves, by fasting and abstinence from all delightful things, and by compunction and bitter sorrow for your sins, and the judgments of God either deserved by you or inflicted upon you for your sins.” (Poole)

3. (12-39) Offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles.

‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year. They shall be without blemish. Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the second day present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

‘On the third day present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work. You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven lambs in their first year without blemish, and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

‘These you shall present to the LORD at your appointed feasts (besides your vowed offerings and your freewill offerings) as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’”

a. Thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs: This was the required offering on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, together with the grain offering and a kid of the goats as a sin offering. This was in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

i. “In the NT the Feast of Booths is mentioned in John 7:2, 37. It was on the last, the most significant day of the feast, that Jesus stood in the temple in Jerusalem and invited the spiritually thirsty to come to him (John 7:37-38).” (Allen)

b. Twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs: This was the required offering on the second day of the Feast of Tabernacles. One less bull was required, but the same number of rams, lambs, and appropriate grain offerings. This number diminished by one for each day of the Feast of Tabernacles, until the seventh day, when seven bulls were presented. On the final day of the feast – the eighth day – one bull, one ram, and seven lambs were offered.

i. “Hereby the Holy Ghost might teach them their duty, to grow in grace and increase in sanctification, that their sins decreasing, the number of their sacrifices, whereby atonement was made for their sins, should also decrease daily. Or it might signify a diminishing and wearing away of the legal offerings.” (Trapp)

c. And their drink offerings: This was commanded to be added to the offerings on the second day and continued to the eighth day. There is no clear reason why no mention was made of the drink offering for the first day (apart from the regular daily drink offering).

d. On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly: Both the first and eighth days of the Feast of Tabernacles were days of sacred gathering for the people of Israel.

i. On the eighth day: “In the first century A.D. the Pharisees practiced a ritual of carrying a large golden flagon of fresh spring water, drawn from the Pool of Siloam, paraded ceremonially through the city to the Temple, and where it was then poured out as a libation offering to God upon the sacrificial altar. In this ritual, water, which was a symbol of life throughout the ancient world, would be poured out unto God in thanksgiving for the rains of the past year and in prayerful anticipation of that with which he would bless the people. Jesus utilized the imagery conveyed in this ceremony to teach an amazing lesson regarding himself. He was the true source of life symbolized in the living water.” (Cole)

ii. The eighth day: “This was the last and great day of the feast, as it is called John 7:37, and yet the sacrifices were fewer than any other day, to teach them not to trust to the multitude of their sacrifices, nor to expect remission of sins from them, but from the one and only sacrifice of Christ.” (Poole)

e. These you shall present to the LORD at your appointed feasts: God required so many animals and such expensive sacrifices because the Feast of Tabernacles was a happy memorial of God’s faithfulness to Israel during the Exodus. The sacrifice of so many animals was a demonstration of the richness of God’s provision to them through the years in the wilderness.

B. The obedience of Israel.

1. (40a) Moses tells the children of Israel the words of the LORD.

So Moses told the children of Israel everything,

a. So Moses told the children of Israel everything: As Israel was now on the threshold of the Promised Land, they needed to be reminded of the essential place of sacrifice. As part of the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, it could not be ignored or rejected.

b. Everything: These commanded offerings bathed every day, week, month, and year in sacrificial submission, surrender, and honor to God.

i. “Thus the whole year was covered and conditioned by these solemn religious ceremonies. Every day as it broke and passed, every week as it began, every month as it opened, every year both as it commenced and closed was sealed with sacred matters which ever spoke to the people about the relation they bore to God, as based on sacrifice and expressing itself in service.” (Morgan)

2. (40b) A costly obedience.

Just as the LORD commanded Moses.

a. Just as the LORD commanded: For Israel to obey what God commanded in Numbers 28-29, it meant that every year, the priests sacrificed at least 1,086 lambs, 113 bulls, 32 rams, more than a ton of flour, and some 1,000 bottles of oil and wine on behalf of the nation.

i. Numerically speaking, the most prominent animal of sacrifice was the lamb. This is an obvious prophetic reference to Jesus, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

ii. “All sacrifices—whether of the morning or evening, of Sabbath or New Moon—have their ultimate meaning in the death the Savior died. Apart from his death, these sacrifices were just the killing of animals and the burning of their flesh with attendant ceremonies.” (Allen)

b. Just as the LORD commanded: All this sacrifice did not include the sacrifices made by individuals or households. The priests and Levites were clearly busy with the job of sacrifice, and it was fulfilled at considerable expense.

i. In the days of Jesus, there is a record of 255,600 Passover lambs being sacrificed at one Passover just by individuals and households.

ii. Significantly, none of it was enough! Not one of these hundreds of thousands of sacrifices over the centuries could ever take away a person’s sin; that had to wait until a perfect sacrifice was offered – the sacrifice of Jesus.

0 Shares