N
U M B E R S
CHAP. XXIX.
This chapter appoints the offerings that
were to be made by fire unto the Lord in the three great solemnities of the
seventh month.
I.
In the feast of trumpets on the first day of that month, ver.
1-6. II. In the day of atonement on the tenth day, ver. 7-11. III. In the
feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day and the seven days following, ver.
12-38. And then the conclusion of these ordinances, ver. 39, 40.
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Solemnities
of the Seventh Month.
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B.
C. 1452.
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1 And in the seventh
month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy
convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets
unto you. 2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour
unto the LORD;
one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without
blemish: 3 And their meat offering shall be of flour
mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals
for a ram, 4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven
lambs: 5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to
make an atonement for you: 6 Beside the burnt offering of the
month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat
offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet
savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy
convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
8 But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD
for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs
of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish: 9 And
their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth
deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram, 10 A
several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 11
One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of
atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and
their drink offerings.
There were more sacred solemnities in the seventh month than in any other
month of the year, not only because it had been the first month till the
deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (which, falling in the month Abib,
occasioned that to be thenceforth made the beginning of the months in
all ecclesiastical computations), but because still it continued the first
month in the civil reckonings of the jubilees and years of release, and also
because it was the time of vacation between harvest and seedtime, when they
had most leisure to attend the sanctuary, which intimates that, though God
will dispense with sacrifices in consideration of works of necessity and
mercy, yet the more leisure we have from the pressing occasions of this life
the more time we should spend in the immediate service of God. 1. We have here
the appointment of the sacrifices that were to be offered on the first day of
the month, the day of blowing the trumpets, which was a preparative for
the two great solemnities of holy mourning on the day of atonement and of holy
joy in the feast of tabernacles. The intention of divine institutions is well
answered when one religious service helps to fit us for another and all for
heaven. The blowing of the trumpets was appointed, Lev. xxiii. 24. Here
the people are directed what sacrifices to offer on that day, of which there
was not then any mention made. Note, Those who would know the mind of God in
the scripture must compare one part of the scripture with another, and put
those parts together that have reference to the same thing, for the latter
discoveries of divine light explain what was dark and supply what was
defective in the former, that the man of God may be perfect. The
sacrifices then to be offered are particularly ordered here (v. 2-6),
and care taken that these should not supersede the daily oblation and that of
the new moon. It is hereby intimated that we must not seek occasions to abate
our zeal in God's service, nor be glad of an excuse to omit a good duty, but
rather rejoice in an opportunity of accumulating and doing more than ordinary
in religion. If we perform family-worship, we must not think that this will
excuse us from our secret devotions; nor that on the days we go to church we
need not worship God alone and with our families; but we should always
abound in the work of the Lord. 2. On the day of atonement. Besides
all the services of that day, which we had the institution of, Lev. xvi., and
which, one would think, required trouble and charge enough, here are
burnt-offerings ordered to be offered, v. 8-10. For in our faith and
repentance, those two great gospel graces which were signified by that day's
performances, we must have an eye to the glory and honour of God, which was
purely intended in the burnt-offerings; there was likewise to be a kid of
the goats for a sin-offering, besides the great sin-offering of atonement
(v. 11), which intimates that there are so many defects and faults,
even in the exercises and expressions of our repentance, that we have need of
an interest in a sacrifice to expiate the guilt even of that part of our holy
things. Though we must not repent that we have repented, yet we must repent
that we have not repented better. It likewise intimated the imperfection of
the legal sacrifices, and their insufficiency to take away sin, that on the
very day the sin-offering of atonement was offered, yet there must be
another sin-offering. But what the law could not do, in that it was weak,
that Christ has done.
12 And on the fifteenth
day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no
servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD
seven days: 13 And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice
made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD;
thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first
year; they shall be without blemish: 14 And their meat offering shall
be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the
thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams, 15
And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs: 16
And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt
offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 17 And on the
second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen
lambs of the first year without spot: 18 And their meat offering
and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall
be according to their number, after the manner: 19 And one kid
of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering,
and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings. 20 And
on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year
without blemish; 21 And their meat offering and their drink
offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be
according to their number, after the manner: 22 And one goat for
a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering,
and his drink offering. 23 And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two
rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
24 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the
rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the
manner: 25 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering;
beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink
offering. 26 And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and
fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 27 And their meat
offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the
lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
28 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt
offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 29 And on
the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first
year without blemish: 30 And their meat offering and their drink
offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be
according to their number, after the manner: 31 And one goat for
a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and
his drink offering. 32 And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two
rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
33 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the
rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the
manner: 34 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the
continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.
35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile
work therein: 36 But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a
sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
37 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram,
and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the
manner: 38 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the
continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.
39 These things ye shall do unto the LORD
in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your
burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings,
and for your peace offerings. 40 And Moses told the children of
Israel according to all that the LORD
commanded Moses.
Soon after the day of atonement, that day in which men were to afflict their
souls, followed the feast of tabernacles, in which they were to rejoice before
the Lord; for those that sow in tears shall soon reap in joy. To
the former laws about this feast, which we had, Lev. xxiii. 34, &c., here
are added directions about the offerings by fire, which they were to
offer unto the Lord during the seven days of that feast, Lev. xxiii.
36. Observe here, 1. Their days of rejoicing were to be days of sacrifices. A
disposition to be cheerful does us no harm, nor is any bad symptom, when it is
so far from unfitting us for the duties of God's immediate service that it
encourages and enlarges our hearts in them. 2. All the days of their dwelling
in booths they must offer sacrifices. While we are here in a tabernacle-state,
it is our interest as well as duty constantly to keep up communion with God;
nor will the unsettledness of our outward condition excuse us in our neglect
of the duties of God's worship. 3. The sacrifices for each of the seven days,
though differing in nothing but the number of the bullocks, are severally and
particularly appointed, which yet is no vain repetition; for God would thus
teach them to be very exact in those observances, and to keep an eye of faith
fixed upon the institution in every day's work. It likewise intimates that the
repetition of the same services, if performed with an upright heart, and with
a continued fire of pious and devout affection, is no weariness to God, and
therefore we ought not to snuff at it, or to say, Behold, what a weariness
it is to us! 4. The number of bullocks (which were the most costly part of
the sacrifice) decreased every day. On the first day of the feast they were to
offer thirteen, on the second day but twelve, on the third day eleven, &c.
So that on the seventh they offered seven; and the last day, though it was the
great day of the feast, and celebrated with a holy convocation, yet they were
to offer but one bullock; and, whereas on all the other days they offered two
rams and fourteen lambs, on this they offered but one ram and seven lambs.
Such was the will of the Law-maker, and that is reason enough for the law.
Some suggest that God herein considered the infirmity of the flesh, which is
apt to grudge the charge and expense of religion; it is therefore ordered to
grow less and less, that they might not complain as if God had made them to
serve with an offering, Isa. xliii. 23. Or it is hereby intimated to them
that the legal dispensation should wax old, and vanish away at last; and the
multitude of their sacrifices should end in one great sacrifice, infinitely
more worthy than all of them. It was on the last day of the feast, after all
these sacrifices had been ordered, that our Lord Jesus stood and cried to
those who still thirsted after righteousness (being sensible of the
insufficiency of these sacrifices to justify them) to come unto him and
drink, John vii. 37. 5. The meat-offerings and drink-offerings attended
all the sacrifices, according to their number, after the manner. Be
there ever so much flesh, it is no feast without bread and drink, therefore
these must never be omitted at God's altar, which was his table. We must not
think that doing much in religion will be accepted if we do not do it well,
and after the manner that God has appointed. 6. Every day there must be a
sin-offering presented, as we observed in the other feasts. Our
burnt-offerings of praise cannot be accepted of God unless we have an interest
in the great sacrifice of propitiation which Christ offered when for us he
made himself a sin-offering. 7. Even when all these sacrifices were offered,
yet the continual burnt-offering must not be omitted either morning or
evening, but each day this must be offered first in the morning and last in
the evening. No extraordinary services should jostle out our stated devotions.
8. Though all these sacrifices were required to be presented by the body of
the congregation, at the common charge, yet, besides these, particular persons
were to glorify God with their vows and their free-will offerings, v.
39. When God commanded that this they must do, he left room for the
generosity of their devotion, a great deal more they might do, not
inventing other worships, but abounding in these, as 2 Chron. xxx. 23, 24.
Large directions had been given in Leviticus concerning the offerings of all
sorts that should be brought by particular persons according to the
providences of God concerning them and the graces of God in them. Though every
Israelite had an interest in these common sacrifices, yet he must not think
that these will serve instead of his vows and his free-will offerings. Thus
our ministers' praying with us and for us will not excuse us from praying for
ourselves.
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