Num 29:12-38 | KingComments | STEP | The previous offerings already bear witness to abundance. On the occasion of this last feast, a tidal wave of offerings is added, as it were. It therefore represents the exuberant praise that will be brought to God during the kingdom of peace of which this feast speaks. We find this exuberance for example in the last psalms of the book of Psalms. The Feast of Booths lasts seven days, which means a perfect or completed period. Like the sabbath, this feast refers to the kingdom of peace. The feast starts with thirteen bulls. This is one less than the number of fourteen that speaks of double perfection or completion, for the knowledge of Christ does not reach that perfection even in the realm of peace. Even at this feast we see in the picture of the diminishing number of offerings that the appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice will diminish as the time of the kingdom of peace passes. But the diminishing goes no further than until seven bulls on the seventh day ( ). Although the appreciation diminishes, the perfect value – of which the number seven speaks – of the work itself remains in the attention. We see this phenomenon of diminishing appreciation also in the history of the church which is prophetically presented to us in Revelation 2-3. It begins with leaving the first love in the message to the church in Ephesus ( ) and ends with disgusting lukewarmness in the message to the church in Laodicea ( ). However, there is still an eighth day ( ). This speaks of a new beginning and also of a beginning without an end. The period of the empire of peace is followed by eternity. There everything is new and without end. On that day, too, the prescribed offerings must be brought. Everything that is of God, whether in time or for eternity, is exclusively based on the work of the Lord Jesus. On the eighth day the same offerings are brought as on the day of atonement. The great atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross remains forever the certain basis of all that we enjoy there continually, without interruption and perfectly ( ). With all the fullness that is present at all feasts and especially at the Feast of Booths, the sin offering does not fail. This shows that, no matter how blessed we are with all that Christ’s work has effected for us, we will always remember what has been necessary for our sins. We will never forget that His work has also been necessary for the cleansing of our sins: “For he who lacks these [qualities] is blind [or] short-sighted, having forgotten [his] purification from his former sins” ( ).

‏ Numbers 29:12-38

Offerings on the Feast of Booths

The previous offerings already bear witness to abundance. On the occasion of this last feast, a tidal wave of offerings is added, as it were. It therefore represents the exuberant praise that will be brought to God during the kingdom of peace of which this feast speaks. We find this exuberance for example in the last psalms of the book of Psalms.

The Feast of Booths lasts seven days, which means a perfect or completed period. Like the sabbath, this feast refers to the kingdom of peace. The feast starts with thirteen bulls. This is one less than the number of fourteen that speaks of double perfection or completion, for the knowledge of Christ does not reach that perfection even in the realm of peace. Even at this feast we see in the picture of the diminishing number of offerings that the appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice will diminish as the time of the kingdom of peace passes. But the diminishing goes no further than until seven bulls on the seventh day (Num 29:32). Although the appreciation diminishes, the perfect value – of which the number seven speaks – of the work itself remains in the attention.

We see this phenomenon of diminishing appreciation also in the history of the church which is prophetically presented to us in Revelation 2-3. It begins with leaving the first love in the message to the church in Ephesus (Rev 2:4) and ends with disgusting lukewarmness in the message to the church in Laodicea (Rev 3:16).

However, there is still an eighth day (Num 29:35). This speaks of a new beginning and also of a beginning without an end. The period of the empire of peace is followed by eternity. There everything is new and without end. On that day, too, the prescribed offerings must be brought. Everything that is of God, whether in time or for eternity, is exclusively based on the work of the Lord Jesus.

On the eighth day the same offerings are brought as on the day of atonement. The great atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross remains forever the certain basis of all that we enjoy there continually, without interruption and perfectly (Heb 9:12 ; Heb 10:14).

With all the fullness that is present at all feasts and especially at the Feast of Booths, the sin offering does not fail. This shows that, no matter how blessed we are with all that Christ’s work has effected for us, we will always remember what has been necessary for our sins. We will never forget that His work has also been necessary for the cleansing of our sins: “For he who lacks these [qualities] is blind [or] short-sighted, having forgotten [his] purification from his former sins” (2Pet 1:9).