Commentary - Numbers 28:26-31

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Numbers, God is renewing His covenant with the new generation of Israel, poised to enter the Promised Land. The previous generation had perished in the wilderness, and so it is necessary not only to count the people again (the second census), but also to rehearse the laws of their corporate worship. God is a God of order, and He is teaching His people how to approach Him. This is not arbitrary bureaucracy; it is the grammar of communion. These chapters, Numbers 28 and 29, lay out a calendar of sacrifices. It is a rhythm of worship that is meant to shape the entire life of the nation. The passage before us deals with the offerings for the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost. This feast was a celebration of the harvest, a time of thanksgiving for God's provision. But as with all Old Testament feasts and sacrifices, it was a shadow pointing forward to a much greater substance. It was a picture of the great harvest of souls that would be gathered in after the resurrection of Christ, which is precisely what happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

The detailed instructions for the various offerings, the bulls, the ram, the lambs, the grain, and the goat for a sin offering, all serve to underscore two central realities. First, sin is a deadly serious business that requires a costly atonement. Second, God's holiness demands perfection, which is why every animal had to be "without blemish." This relentless repetition of sacrifice was meant to create a deep longing for the one, final sacrifice that could truly take away sin. These rituals were a tutor, as Paul would say, pointing Israel to Christ.

Outline

Context In Numbers

Numbers 28 comes after the account of the second census and the appointment of Joshua as Moses' successor. Israel is on the plains of Moab, on the very brink of Canaan. The old, rebellious generation is gone. A new generation is preparing for war and for inheritance. It is at this crucial juncture that God reiterates the laws of public worship. This is not incidental. Before they can conquer the land, they must know how to worship the God who gives them the land. Their success in battle and their prosperity in the land are directly tied to their fidelity in worship. The calendar of sacrifices detailed here is the constitutional framework for their life as a holy nation. It establishes the rhythm of their relationship with Yahweh. The daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings were to be the heartbeat of the nation, constantly reminding them of their dependence on God's grace, the seriousness of their sin, and the provision of His atonement.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 26 ‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you bring near a new grain offering to Yahweh in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.

The "day of the first fruits" is another name for the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. It fell fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits during the Passover week. This earlier feast celebrated the beginning of the barley harvest, while the Feast of Weeks celebrated the conclusion of the wheat harvest. The people were to bring a "new grain offering," acknowledging that the entire harvest was a gift from God. He owns it all, and they are returning the first portion to Him in gratitude. This act of bringing the first fruits is an act of faith, trusting that God will provide the rest of the harvest. It is a tangible rejection of the anxiety that leads men to hoard. But notice the central commands: a "holy convocation" and "no laborious work." This is a Sabbath principle. God commands His people to stop their regular work in order to gather together and focus on Him. Worship is their most important work. We see here that true rest is not inactivity, but rather a reorientation of our activity toward God. This feast was a community event, a holy gathering, not a private devotion. The Christian life is a corporate reality, and our worship on the Lord's Day is our holy convocation.

v. 27 And you shall bring near a burnt offering for a soothing aroma to Yahweh: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs one year old;

Now we get to the specifics of the burnt offering. The purpose of the burnt offering was not primarily about dealing with sin, though it was related. It was an offering of complete surrender and devotion, ascending to God as a "soothing aroma." This is the language of acceptance and pleasure. God is pleased with the total consecration that the offering represents. The number and quality of the animals is significant. Two bulls, a ram, and seven lambs. This is a substantial, costly offering. Worship costs something. Cheap worship is no worship at all. These animals represent the worshiper. In offering them, the Israelite was symbolically placing himself on the altar, surrendering his life completely to God. Of course, this points directly to Christ, whose entire life was a burnt offering, a life of perfect obedience that was a soothing aroma to the Father. He is the one who held nothing back, and it is only in Him that our offerings of self-dedication are accepted.

v. 28 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 29 a tenth for each of the seven lambs;

Every burnt offering was accompanied by a grain offering and a drink offering (mentioned in verse 31). They were a package deal. The grain offering, made of fine flour mixed with oil, represented the fruit of man's labor, offered back to God. The flour speaks of the substance of life, and the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, of richness and consecration. The specific amounts are prescribed, corresponding to the size of the animal. This is not mindless ritual. It teaches that our devotion (the animal) and our work (the grain) must be offered up together. We cannot separate our "spiritual" life from our daily labor. Everything we are and everything we do is to be consecrated to God, saturated with the oil of His Spirit. This offering acknowledges that our strength to work and the fruit of that work both come from Him.

v. 30 also one male goat to make atonement for you.

Here is the crucial addition. Alongside the burnt offering of consecration, there must be a sin offering. One male goat "to make atonement for you." This is a stark reminder that even in their highest acts of worship and thanksgiving, the people are still sinners. Sin infects everything they do. Before their worship of consecration can be fully accepted, the issue of their sin must be dealt with. The goat is the substitute. It bears the sin of the people, and its death pays the penalty. This provision of a sin offering at every major festival was a constant drumbeat of grace. It prevented their worship from becoming a prideful display of their own generosity. It grounded everything in the reality of their need for redemption. Every bull, every ram, every lamb, every measure of flour pointed to their need for the one true Lamb of God, and every goat for the sin offering shouted it. Christ is both our burnt offering, the one who lived a perfect life of consecration for us, and our sin offering, the one who died a substitutionary death for us.

v. 31 Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall offer them with their drink offerings. They shall be without blemish.

This verse ties it all together with two important bookends. First, these special feast day offerings were "besides the continual burnt offering." This refers to the daily morning and evening sacrifices. The special occasions did not cancel out the ordinary, daily rhythm of worship. Our Christian life should be the same. The great festivals of Christmas and Easter do not replace the weekly worship of the Lord's Day. Faithfulness is found in the steady, continual pattern of devotion. Second, the final word is that all these animals "shall be without blemish." This is the non-negotiable standard of God's holiness. God requires perfection. An animal with a defect was an insult to a holy God. This requirement would have been a heavy burden, for it highlighted the people's own blemishes and defects. It was meant to show them their inability to provide a perfect sacrifice and to make them long for the day when God Himself would provide the Lamb, the one truly without blemish, Jesus Christ our Lord.