Bible Study March 8

Wednesday March 8, 2023

Numbers 28, 29, and 30

Chapter 28 –

As we begin in chapter twenty-eight, we see included are examples of what the new generation needed to know as they prepared to conquer Canaan and settle down in the land. What we will see in these chapters are various offerings and festivals that had been described before, but needed to be reviewed and established to ensure that Joshua’s generation knew what God expected.

One important element of these offerings was that they needed to be made at its appointed time as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The first of these sacrifices were the daily burnt offerings, requiring one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. Next came regulations for the weekly Sabbath offerings which required and entirely new set of animals, grain, and drink offerings. The offerings required the first of every month took Israels requirements to a whole new level with the presentation of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, in addition to enhanced grain and drink offerings.

The Passover was the holy festival that came in the first month on the fourteenth day to commemorate Israel’s freedom from Egyptian bondage. The final instructions of this chapter concerned the feast of firstfruits or Festival of Weeks which occurred fifty days after Passover: this is also called Pentecost. People were to bring firstfruits to celebrate.

Chapter 29

Next the Lord gave Moses instructions for offerings associated with three more holy observances: the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Shelters. The first day of the seventh month was a special day that later became known as Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year). No daily work and the blowing of the trumpets were key features of this observance.

The Feast of Trumpets was followed by the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in Hebrew); it is still the most sacred day o the Jewish calendar. It was to be a day of confession and mourning for sin. It was also the day the high priest entered the most holy place to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant to make atonement for the people.

The remainder of the chapter deals with the week-long celebrations. The chapter concludes with the people making all the sacrifices and keeping the festivals at their appointed times. The many offerings and sacrifices were costly to the Israelites. But that in no way compares to God’s grace.

Chapter 30 –

Vows to do something or to abstain were completely voluntary. So God ws within His right to demand faithfulness from an Israelite who made one. Such a person must not break his word.

At this point in the text there is a great example of God’s kingdom agenda for the home operation here. What we see here is divine protection for the underage woman who spoke rashly, her dad got the last word. This is a loving provision. It is also a reminder that women needed the protection of the covenant. Marriage vows for both man and the woman are laid out and the conditions on which they can be broken and cannot be broken.