Num 7:78 | KingComments | STEP | These offerings have to do with the service at the altar, the testimony before God in the tabernacle. God’s great appreciation of the offerings of the leaders is shown by the enumeration of what each leader has given individually, although that seems to be a repetition of what another has given. Repetition is not a tiring activity for God. Thus, the repeated line in every verse of the 26 verses of Psalm 136 – “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” ( ) – is an expression of God’s lovingkindness as reaction on what is mentioned in the preceding line. For God, what each person brings personally counts, and for Him it is not a pure repetition of what another person has brought. He doesn’t say, and we shouldn’t say: “That’s what someone else has already done or said.” God wants to hear it from each individual. Everyone is given the full opportunity to bring his offering and receives the full attention of God. The fact that all bring the same shows a common understanding. Yet everyone brings it personally. For God, not only the total counts, but also what the individual brings. He sees the separate gift of each of His own, though many will bring the same as what another brings. In praise, we often use the same words, but God never says: “I have heard that before.” God sees in the praise of His people again and again the glorious work of His Son. And about this He gladly hears ( ). In the dedication offerings are offerings that are durable, such as the dishes and pans. There are also offerings that are no longer there after use, such as the different offerings. Furthermore, the daily offering is also important. Every day a gift is offered to God. In the gift of the leaders, the sacrifice of the peace offering occupies a prominent place. But first they offer dishes and pans. Those silver dishes and gold pans represent believers. They can, if they separate themselves from sin, serve at the altar ( ). Those who have a place of responsibility in the local church can bring such believers to the Lord. They can offer them in the prayers. The silver dishes are filled to the brim (“full”) with fine flour mixed with oil and the gold pans are filled to the brim (“full”) with incense. In the lives of such believers, God sees abundantly Who the Lord Jesus has been in His life on earth. The fine flour speaks of the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. Mixed with oil speaks of the fact that He has let Himself be guided in everything by the Holy Spirit. The incense indicates that such a life is a pleasant flagrance for God. As offerings are offered burnt offerings, a sin offering and peace offerings. This shows that the leaders have an insight into the distinction between the offerings. Leaders among the believers know the different aspects of the work of the Lord Jesus. That there are different kinds of burnt offerings indicates that there are different aspects in what the Lord Jesus did for God. There is only one animal as a sin offering. The aspect of the forgiveness of sins does not occupy the greatest place. They are more filled with Him as a burnt offering and still more as a peace offering. The peace offering is the offering that expresses the fellowship between God and His people and between the members of the people with each other. The order in which the leaders bring their offerings begins with Judah and ends with Naphtali. That is the same order in which the camp of the tribes is set up described in Numbers 2.

‏ Numbers 7:78

The Offering of Each Leader

These offerings have to do with the service at the altar, the testimony before God in the tabernacle. God’s great appreciation of the offerings of the leaders is shown by the enumeration of what each leader has given individually, although that seems to be a repetition of what another has given. Repetition is not a tiring activity for God. Thus, the repeated line in every verse of the 26 verses of Psalm 136 – “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psa 136:1-26) – is an expression of God’s lovingkindness as reaction on what is mentioned in the preceding line.

For God, what each person brings personally counts, and for Him it is not a pure repetition of what another person has brought. He doesn’t say, and we shouldn’t say: “That’s what someone else has already done or said.” God wants to hear it from each individual. Everyone is given the full opportunity to bring his offering and receives the full attention of God.

The fact that all bring the same shows a common understanding. Yet everyone brings it personally. For God, not only the total counts, but also what the individual brings. He sees the separate gift of each of His own, though many will bring the same as what another brings. In praise, we often use the same words, but God never says: “I have heard that before.” God sees in the praise of His people again and again the glorious work of His Son. And about this He gladly hears (Heb 13:15).

In the dedication offerings are offerings that are durable, such as the dishes and pans. There are also offerings that are no longer there after use, such as the different offerings. Furthermore, the daily offering is also important. Every day a gift is offered to God.

In the gift of the leaders, the sacrifice of the peace offering occupies a prominent place. But first they offer dishes and pans. Those silver dishes and gold pans represent believers. They can, if they separate themselves from sin, serve at the altar (2Tim 2:20-21). Those who have a place of responsibility in the local church can bring such believers to the Lord. They can offer them in the prayers.

The silver dishes are filled to the brim (“full”) with fine flour mixed with oil and the gold pans are filled to the brim (“full”) with incense. In the lives of such believers, God sees abundantly Who the Lord Jesus has been in His life on earth. The fine flour speaks of the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. Mixed with oil speaks of the fact that He has let Himself be guided in everything by the Holy Spirit. The incense indicates that such a life is a pleasant flagrance for God.

As offerings are offered burnt offerings, a sin offering and peace offerings. This shows that the leaders have an insight into the distinction between the offerings. Leaders among the believers know the different aspects of the work of the Lord Jesus. That there are different kinds of burnt offerings indicates that there are different aspects in what the Lord Jesus did for God.

There is only one animal as a sin offering. The aspect of the forgiveness of sins does not occupy the greatest place. They are more filled with Him as a burnt offering and still more as a peace offering. The peace offering is the offering that expresses the fellowship between God and His people and between the members of the people with each other.

The order in which the leaders bring their offerings begins with Judah and ends with Naphtali. That is the same order in which the camp of the tribes is set up described in Numbers 2.