Numbers 28
Numbers 28:1 – Laws Concerning Sacrifices. This section reviews the laws about sacrifices that God gave to Israel. God repeated these laws for a new generation, many of whom had not heard them before. The reminder was important because the people were about to enter Canaan and might face war, but God wanted them to keep up their worship and offerings even during difficult times. The daily sacrifices were a way to keep their relationship with God strong and to show that He was the source of all their blessings. Even when they were enjoying a good life in the Promised Land, God wanted them to remember to thank Him and obey His commands (Psalm 105:44,45 a). v. 2: God gave a general order that His offerings must be brought at the right times . The laws were repeated not because the people had stopped all worship in the wilderness, but because many sacrifices had been neglected (Amos 5:25; Acts 7:42 b). Now, as they prepared to enter Canaan, God made sure the people understood His laws clearly. v. 3: God commanded that every day a lamb should be offered in the morning and another in the evening as a continual burnt offering (Numbers 28:3 c). This regular sacrifice teaches us to be faithful in worship every day, at least every morning and evening. – – v. 6: This daily sacrifice was first established at Mount Sinai, when God gave the law to Moses (Numbers 28:6; Exodus 29:38 d). The Israelites were to keep this command as long as they lived in the land. v. 7: The wine for the drink offering was to be strong wine, the best they had, even though it would be poured out and not drunk (Numbers 28:7 e). This teaches us to give our best to God, not just what is left over. – Numbers 28:9 – Sacrifices for the Sabbath and New Moon. This section explains the special sacrifices that were to be offered on the sabbaths and new moons. Both days were important times of worship for Israel. The sabbath was a time to rest from work and focus on God, while the new moon marked the start of a new month and reminded the people of God’s care over time and creation. These sacrifices also pointed forward to greater spiritual blessings that would come later through Jesus, and remind us today to honor God regularly and give thanks for His gifts.vv. 9-10: On every sabbath, the regular daily offering of two lambs was doubled. Two extra lambs were added—one likely in the morning and one in the evening (Numbers 28:9,10 f). This teaches us to increase our worship and devotion on the sabbath. In the future, in Ezekiel’s vision of temple worship, the offerings would be even greater, showing that sabbath worship would become even more special in the days of the Messiah (Ezekiel 46:4,5 g). v. 10: The scripture says, “the burnt-offering of the sabbath in his sabbath,” which shows that every sabbath has its own special worship and we should use all of our sabbath time for God . We should not try to move our sabbath duties to another day, but do them when they are due. v. 11: On the new moon, the beginning of each month, special sacrifices were required: two bullocks, a ram, and seven lambs, with their grain and drink offerings (Numbers 28:11 h). The new moon reminded people of God’s control over time and seasons (Psalm 89:37 i). – – – v. 15: Along with the other offerings on the new moon, a sin-offering was to be given . This teaches us that even as we thank God for His blessings, we must also admit our sins and remember the need for forgiveness through sacrifice.Other references: On the new moon, people also rested from work (Amos 8:5 j), blew trumpets (Numbers 10:10 k), and sometimes gathered to hear God’s word (2 Kings 4:23 l). The worship on the new moons pointed forward to the greater worship that believers would have in the time of the gospel (Isaiah 66:23 m). Numbers 28:16 – Passover and Pentecost Sacrifices. This section explains the special sacrifices that were to be offered during the Passover and the Feast of Pentecost. The main Passover lamb had already been explained in earlier laws, so here the focus is on the sacrifices for the seven days of unleavened bread that followed Passover, and on the offerings for Pentecost, also called the day of first-fruits. These sacrifices were meant to show thankfulness to God for deliverance from Egypt and for the blessings of harvest. They also pointed forward to spiritual truths in the gospel, reminding believers to live lives of gratitude and devotion to God. v. 17: The sacrifices and offerings were also reminders of Christ’s sacrifice for us. The wine poured out was a symbol of the blood of Christ and the sacrifice of believers, as Paul wrote about being poured out like a drink offering (Philippians 2:17 n). vv. 18-25: During the seven days of unleavened bread after Passover, the first and last days were to be treated as sabbaths, with holy rest and a special gathering. Each day, the people were to offer two bullocks, a ram, and seven lambs as sacrifices. This showed their constant thankfulness for God’s rescue from Egypt. In the New Testament, living a life of gratitude for Jesus, our Passover sacrifice, is called “keeping the feast” (1 Corinthians 5:8 o). It is not enough to remove sin from our lives; we must also continually offer praise and thanks to God. – – – – – – – v. 26: At Pentecost, also called the day of first-fruits, the people brought a new grain offering to God at the end of the harvest . Earlier, at the start of harvest, they offered a sheaf of barley as the first-fruits (Leviticus 23:10 p). Pentecost was a time to thank God for giving and preserving the harvest. In the New Testament, Pentecost became the day when the Holy Spirit was given and many people believed in Jesus (Acts 2:1-13 q). vv. 27-30: At Pentecost, in addition to the regular and special offerings, the people were to offer two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs, and a kid for a sin-offering (Numbers 28:27-30 r). This showed that when God blesses us greatly, He expects us to respond with generous worship and thankfulness. The burnt-offerings were for God’s honor, showing complete devotion, while the sin-offerings pointed to the need for forgiveness through sacrifice, which is fulfilled in Christ.
Copyright information for
MHM