Bird's-eye view
In this section of Numbers, we find ourselves in the middle of a dense liturgical calendar, specifically the offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles. The sheer volume and repetition of the sacrifices can be bewildering to the modern reader, seeming like a tedious exercise in ritual bookkeeping. But we must resist the temptation to let our eyes glaze over. This is not mere filler. This is the heartbeat of Israel's worship, and it is designed by God to teach them, and us, profound truths about sin, grace, and the nature of true communion with a holy God. The central theme here is the relentless demand of God's holiness and the utter inadequacy of animal sacrifices to satisfy that demand permanently. The ever-accumulating number of bulls, rams, and lambs is a picture of a debt that keeps growing, a sin that is never fully paid. This mountain of blood and flesh is meant to create a deep longing for a final, perfect sacrifice. It is a shadow, and a very dark and bloody one, that is cast by the coming reality of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The meticulous detail, the insistence on animals "without blemish," and the precise ordering of each day's offerings all point to the fact that man cannot approach God on his own terms. Worship is not a free-for-all; it is a divinely prescribed activity. The structure and rigor of this worship trained Israel to take God seriously. And in the midst of this crescendo of burnt offerings, which are about total consecration, we find the daily inclusion of a sin offering. This is a crucial reminder that even in their highest acts of worship and celebration, sin is present and must be dealt with. The entire system is designed to shout one thing over and over: you are sinners, the wages of sin is death, and only a perfect substitute can save you.
Outline
- 1. The Liturgical Calendar of Israel (Num 28-29)
- a. Offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles (Num 29:12-40)
- b. The Third Day's Obligation (Num 29:20-22)
- i. The Burnt Offering: Consecration (Num 29:20)
- ii. The Attendant Offerings: Communion (Num 29:21)
- iii. The Sin Offering: Atonement (Num 29:22)
Context In Numbers
Numbers 29 comes at the end of Israel's 40-year wilderness wandering. The rebellious generation has died off, and a new generation is poised on the plains of Moab, ready to enter the Promised Land. Before they do, God, through Moses, reiterates and codifies the laws of their national life, particularly their life of worship. Chapters 28 and 29 form a unit, a comprehensive guide to the public, corporate sacrifices required daily, weekly, monthly, and at the annual feasts. This is not new information so much as it is a solemn re-establishment of the covenant with the generation that will possess the land. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, described here was the final and most joyous of Israel's annual feasts, celebrating the completion of the harvest and commemorating God's provision in the wilderness. The sheer scale of the sacrifices during this week-long festival, with a descending number of bulls each day, made it the liturgical climax of the year. This passage, detailing the offerings for the third day, is a snapshot of Israel at the height of its prescribed devotion.
Key Issues
- The Purpose of Repetitive Sacrifice
- The Typology of the Burnt Offering
- The Meaning of "Without Blemish"
- The Relationship Between Burnt and Sin Offerings
- The Sufficiency of Christ's Atonement
The Drumbeat of Grace
When you read a passage like this, it is easy to get lost in the numbers. Eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs. The next day, ten bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs. And so on. It is a steady, percussive drumbeat of death. Every day, more blood. Every day, more fire. We are conditioned to look for novelty, for variety. But God is teaching something profound in the monotony. This is the rhythm of life under the old covenant. Every single day, the people were reminded of the cost of sin and the necessity of atonement.
This was not a system for earning salvation. It was a system for teaching them how desperately they needed a salvation that could not be earned by the blood of bulls and goats. The very repetition was a sermon. Did yesterday's sacrifices suffice for today? No. A new day brings with it new sins, new failures, new reminders of the distance between a holy God and a sinful people. And so, the altar is never idle. The smoke is always ascending. This relentless liturgy was a constant, visible, tangible, and olfactory reminder that their entire existence was lived out on the basis of grace, a grace that was bloody and costly. It was a grace that had to be applied again, and again, and again.
Verse by Verse Commentary
20 ‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without blemish;
We are on the third day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. The offerings are primarily burnt offerings, which represented the complete consecration of the worshiper to God. The animal was entirely consumed on the altar, a picture of "giving your all." The number of bulls, which began at thirteen on the first day, decreases by one each day. This might seem odd, but it is part of the divine pedagogy. The number of lambs and rams, however, remains constant. The key qualifier for all these animals is that they must be without blemish. This is not merely about presenting God with a healthy animal. It is a typological pointer to the moral and spiritual perfection required of a true substitute. A blemished sacrifice cannot atone for a blemished people. This requirement, impossible for any son of Adam to meet, creates the need for one who is truly perfect, the Lamb of God without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19).
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 legal judgment;
Sacrifice in Israel was never just about blood and death. It was about communion. Alongside the burnt offerings came grain offerings (flour and oil) and drink offerings (wine). These were "food" offerings, representing the fruit of the people's labor, offered back to God in thanksgiving. When these were placed on the altar with the burnt offering, it symbolized a shared meal between God and His people. God's portion went up in smoke, a "soothing aroma," and the priests partook of the rest as His representatives. This shows that atonement is not the end of the story; it is the foundation for fellowship. First the blood, then the meal. First forgiveness, then friendship. These offerings had to be presented according to the legal judgment, or the prescribed ordinance. You do not get to improvise in your worship of a holy God. He sets the terms, because He is the host of this covenantal meal.
22 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
This is a crucial verse. After the mountain of burnt offerings, which symbolized total dedication, God requires a sin offering. The burnt offering was voluntary and expressed a desire for consecration. The sin offering was mandatory and dealt with the problem of guilt. The male goat was the standard sin offering for the nation as a whole. Its inclusion here, during the most joyous festival of the year, is a stark reminder. Even at their best, in the midst of their most extravagant worship, Israel was still sinful. Sin infects everything we do. Our best efforts, our most sincere worship, our most dedicated acts of service are all tainted. Therefore, before the offerings of consecration (the burnt offerings) could be acceptable, the underlying problem of sin had to be dealt with. This sin offering was offered besides the continual, daily burnt offering. Sin is a constant problem that requires a constant provision. The old covenant provided a constant reminder of the problem, but only a temporary solution. It pointed to the need for a sin offering that would not have to be repeated, the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Application
We are not required to offer bulls and goats today. To do so would be an act of profound unbelief, a denial that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. But the principles embedded in this Levitical liturgy are timeless. First, we learn the staggering cost of sin. We tend to domesticate our sin, to treat it as a minor character flaw. The Old Testament altar, drenched in the blood of thousands of animals, screams otherwise. Sin is ugly, violent, and it demands death. We must never lose our horror at sin, because to do so is to lose our wonder at the cross.
Second, we learn that God demands perfection. The call for an unblemished sacrifice finds its fulfillment in Christ, our perfect High Priest and perfect Lamb. But it also applies to our worship. We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom 12:1). Our worship, our service, our whole lives are to be offered to Him without blemish. Of course, we fail at this constantly. And that is why, third, we learn our constant need for the "sin offering." We never outgrow our need for the blood of Jesus. Our worship, our prayers, our good deeds are acceptable to God only because they are offered "through Christ," constantly being cleansed by His atoning work. This passage, with its overwhelming list of sacrifices, should not lead us to despair. It should lead us to Christ, in whom the relentless drumbeat of the old covenant gives way to the triumphant, final declaration: "It is finished."