Numbers 28

The Word Made Fresh

1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites not to forget to bring their sacrifices as burnt offerings to raise a pleasant odor to me at the proper times. 3Tell them there should be an offering each day of two yearling lambs that have no defects. 4One should be offered in the morning and the other in the evening, 5along with the prescribed grain offering of finely ground flour and olive oil. 6This is to be a regular sacrifice as ordered at Mt. Sinai. It is a pleasing odor made to the LORD by fire. 7It should be accompanied with a half-pint of wine which is poured out to the LORD at the sanctuary. 8The two offerings, morning and evening, should be identical.

9“On the Sabbath the offering should be doubled: two yearling lambs with the accompanying grain and wine offerings. 10This is added to the daily sacrifices.

11“On the first day of each month, sacrifice two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs. None of the animals should exhibit any physical defect. 12Each bull sacrifice should be accompanied with a gallon and a half of finely ground flour mixed with oil. Each ram should be accompanied with a gallon of flour and oil 13and each lamb with a half-gallon of flour and oil. 14The sacrifice of each bull should be accompanied with two quarts of wine, each ram with a quart and a half, and each lamb with a quart of wine. These offerings are made at  the new moon every month. 15In addition to these, sacrifice one male goat as a guilt offering.

16“Observe the LORD’s Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month of each year. 17Beginning with the fifteenth day of the month you shall celebrate seven days. All the bread eaten during this week must be unleavened. 18On the first day of the Passover hold a sacred gathering and don’t engage in your usual occupations. 19Make burned sacrifices of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs, all without defects. 20The grain offerings should be one and a half gallons of finely ground flour mixed with oil for each bull, and a gallon for each ram, 21and a half gallon for each lamb. 22You must also sacrifice one male goat as a guilt offering so that you will be forgiven. 23All of these are in addition to the usual daily offerings. 24These sacrifices are to be repeated each day for the seven days of the Passover celebration, 25and on the seventh day the people will gather again in a sacred assembly and refrain from work.

26“Also, on the day when you celebrate the first fruits of the harvest and present to the LORD an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks, gather the people in a sacred assembly and refrain from work. 27Sacrifice a burnt offering of a pleasing smell two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs. 28The grain offering should be of finely ground flour and oil; a gallon and a half for each bull, a gallon for each ram, and 29a half-gallon for each yearling male lamb, 30along with one male goat that you may be forgiven. 31All these are in addition to the regular burnt and grain offerings. Make sure there are no defects in the animals.”

Commentary

Immediately after the announcement of Moses’ successor the text turns to some rather tedious descriptions of sacrifices and offerings. It is similar to what we read in Leviticus 23, but the focus here is not so much on the offerings, but rather on the calendar — the appropriate time for offerings. The whole year is covered, days and weeks and months, with special attention given to the festivals.

1-6: Daily sacrifices are described.

9-10: Sabbath sacrifices, which basically double the daily ones, are outlined.

11-15: Monthly sacrifices are enumerated, for the first day of each month.

16-25: Special sacrifices for Passover are reiterated, to be offered from the 14th to the 21st day of the first month of the year.

26-31: Special sacrifices related to the festival of First Fruits are explained.

Takeaway

Maybe today would be a good time to think about what claim God might have on your time and resources.