Numbers 29:12-40 - Offerings at Appointed Times

Numbers 29:12-40

Offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–44)

12 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. 13 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. 14 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, 15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

17 ‘On the second day present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 18 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; 19 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

20 ‘On the third day present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 21 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; 22 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

23 ‘On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish, 24 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; 25 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

26 ‘On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 27 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; 28 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

29 ‘On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 30 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; 31 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

32 ‘On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 33 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; 34 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

35 ‘On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work. 36 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, 37 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; 38 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

39 ‘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.’”

40 So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the LORD commanded Moses.

This seventh and last appointed time for offerings, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), shared much the same as the others previously mentioned.  There was the ceasing of work and an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD.  Here there were separate offerings on successive days for seven days with sin offerings, the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering, then on the eighth day would be a sacred assembly.  We see that the offering made by fire as a sweet aroma was only mentioned on the first and last days, supposedly to emphasize prayerful thanksgiving to the LORD to begin and end the festival of the tabernacles which was when the Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem to remember God's provision in the Wilderness wandering after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and also a time to look ahead to the promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with them.  Surely this would have been a time of great joy in reflecting on their four hundred years of suffering and their deliverance through the baptism of the Red Sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Romans 6:3) as His chosen people about to inherit the promise of a kingdom of their own country at last as deeded to Abraham long before and anticipated before them then.  They were glad to sacrifice all they had in thankfulness and worship in remembrance of their past journey and their promised deliverance veiled (Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 3:5, 9, Colossians 1:26-27, 2 Timothy 1:9-10) in the promised Messiah to lead them home to the heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13, 16) of promise which they could not fully grasp yet until Christ came to earth to walk among them as Immanuel to fulfill the promise and guarantee the hope through the gospel.  May we now then offer the sacrifices of praise to our God for our deliverance from the bondage and penalty of sin and the certain hope (Colossians 1:5, 27, Titus 1:2, 1 Peter 1:3) of the promise of the kingdom of God which we now are citizens of and that will continue through death to inhabit forever (Psalm 145:13, 2 Peter 1:11) in His presence with continued and continuous (Hebrews 13:15, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 19:5) praise.  We also then offer praise at all appointed times, now and in eternity, as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 2:5) for His eternal sacrifice (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 10:10) for all who are in Christ as His chosen people by the faith of Abraham through repentance to receive the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ who is Jesus.