Numbers 28:1-31
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweeta savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.
3 And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day,b for a continual burnt offering.
4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;c
5 And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.
6 It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
7 And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering.
8 And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot;
12 And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram;
13 And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
14 And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
15 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the LORD shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:
19 But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish:
20 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram;
21 A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.
23 Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.
24 After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:
27 But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year;
28 And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram,
29 A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs;
30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.
31 Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.
Numbers 28:11. The beginnings of your months; the new moons, as many affirm. Colossians 2:16. Every Hebrew at the new moon made some small offering, or performed some extra devotion to the Lord.
Numbers 28:15. And one kid of the goats, as soon as the new moon was seen. The Sabians at this time, Numbers 28:11, made offerings to the moon, calling her the queen of heaven; here the Lord diverts the people from those practices by a hallowed attendance at his altar. The fat &c. of this goat was burned on the altar, and the flesh of all the ordinary sin-offerings was eaten by the priests.
REFLECTIONS.
The old generations having passed away, the Lord here reports to the rising age, the leading sacrifices prescribed in the Levitical law: viz. the daily, the weekly, the monthly, and the annual victims. Next follow in order the national festivals, all of which have been illustrated. These sacrifices forming here the subject of a new revelation, we may notice not only their importance, but also the necessity of inculcating with new force, religious precepts on the young people of every age. Man, attracted by the glare of the exterior world, forgets his God, and forgets himself. Religion has need to be obtruded on his regards, pressed on his conscience, and enforced by every new motive which providence daily affords. If the religious precepts are not thus often inculcated, and if discipline is not maintained, the church of God very soon becomes as a neglected garden, or a desert.
We find here a double lamb ordained for the sabbath. On that hallowed day we should appear before the Lord with a double devotion, and with peculiar diligence and fervour. We should, in particular, ever have before our eyes the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. A lamb was the most frequent victim presented on the Hebrew altar, being most expressive of the innocence and meekness of our Saviour. A male of the first year was chosen to indicate his sovereignty and strength; and a lamb without spot, to mark the innocence of his nature, and consequently his fitness to atone for our guilt. And as these lambs, and pieces of the other victims, were kept burning night and day on the altar, we learn that the merits of Jesus, embraced by faith, are every moment the ground of our standing approved in the sight of God. The Lord having been graciously pleased to repeat to the new generation, the heads of the ritual law, let us be cautious to keep and revere every command of Christ; and lest we should forget, let us pray the Holy Spirit to be a remembrancer to us, and to write the law of kindness and love on all our hearts. The souls most exact and conscientious in the discharge and exercise of religion, are generally found the most stedfast in the time of temptation, and happy in the hour of death.