This week we shall continue the
study of the book of Numbers in the Old Testament.
These instructions differ from other passages, especially Leviticus 23 in that they mainly deal with “burnt offering wholly offered to the Lord”, plus Purifications (or Sin offering). See chart below as we briefly reflect on each type of offering. These two chapters serve to give us a liturgical calendar for God’s People:
28:1-8—Daily Offerings
(1) What might be the meaning behind the requirement of sacrificing an animal to the Lord wholly each morning and evening?
(2) What might be the meaning behind the requirement of offering a pleasing aroma to the Lord also each morning and evening?
(3) What might be its reminder to us concerning our need to having a morning and evening devotion today?
(4) The specification of the quantity might be understandable, but why should there be such detailed specifications concerning flour, oil and drink?
28:9-10—Weekly Offerings (The Sabbath)
(5) What is the peculiar significance of the offerings made on Sabbath?
(6) Why does the Lord emphasize that these are “in addition to the regularly (daily) offering”?
(7) What is its implication to us today?
28:11-15—Monthly Offerings (The New Moon)
(8) Why should there be a monthly offering at New Moon when there are already daily and weekly offerings?
(9) Instructions for the above offerings had already been given at Mount Sinai forty years ago (v. 6). What might be the significance of them (public, not private offerings) being repeated here?
(10) Why is a sin offering to be added this time?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note: The following chart summarizes the quantities of animals required for these offerings mentioned in chapters 28-29.
|
|
Whole Burnt Offerings―Bull |
Whole Burnt Offerings—Ram |
Whole Burnt Offerings―Lamb |
Purification/sin:Male Goat |
|
Daily |
|
|
2 |
|
|
Weekly-Sabbath |
|
|
2 |
|
|
Monthly-New Moon |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Annual: |
|
|
|
|
|
Passover |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Festival of Weeks (1st fruit) |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Feast of Trumpets |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Day of Atonement |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Day 1 Festivals of Tabernacle |
13 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 2 |
12 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 3 |
11 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 4 |
10 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 5 |
9 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 6 |
8 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day 7 |
7 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Day after |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
28:16-25—Yearly Offerings: Starting with Passover
(1) What is the significance of having Passover being the first annual celebration of the year (14th day of the first month)?
(2) In what way does the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the immediately following seven days) look back also to Exodus? (See Exod. 12:15ff; 23:15; 34:18; Lev. 23:6; Deut. 16:16)
(3) Why are the 1st and 7th days of Unleavened Bread to be observed by abstinence from “regular” work (i.e. money earning work)? (vv. 18, 25)
(4) What kind of a reminder is it to us today?
28:26-31—Feasts of the Weeks: This festival is called “Feast of the Harvest” in Exodus 23:16; “Feast of the Weeks” in Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10, and here. Later on, it is called “Pentecost” because the time of celebration is set at 50 days after the presentation of the first grain which makes the “Day of first fruits” rather fluid.
(5) What is the significance of presenting the earliest parts of the first fruits and grain crops to the Lord? (Exod. 34:26)
(6) Do you think the last remark (v.31) was incidental? Why or why not?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
29:1-6—Feast of the Trumpets
(1) Since on the 1st of each month there is already a “New Moon” offering, what then might be the total offerings made on the 1st day of the seventh month?
(2) The Feast of the Trumpets marked not only the beginning of the seventh month, but a series of important festivals (29:7; 12ff). What then might this Feast of the “Trumpets” signify?
29:7-11—Day of Atonement
(3) Details of the Day of Atonement are contained in Leviticus 16. Here, it is simply highlighted as an important day within the liturgical calendar of the Jewish Year. Contrast the requirement of “deny yourselves and do no work” for the Day of Atonement (v. 7) with “do no regular work” for the Feast of Trumpets (v. 1). What might be the message here?
29:12-38—The Feast of Tabernacles—refer to chart above as you read through this passage:
(4) When they come to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, how many days would have lapsed since they observed the Day of Atonement?
(5) What might account for the complete change from solemnness to joy within a week?
(6) What is the purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles (see Lev. 23:34-36; 39-43)?
(7) How extravagant is this feast? (See the chart above which shows that the number of rams and lambs was double the number offered at the Passover and Feast of Pentecost and the number of oxen was fivefold.)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Vv. 1-2: (See Eccl. 5:4-5)
a. What might prompt a person to make a vow to God?
b. Have you made a vow to God that has yet to be fulfilled?
c. Have you made a promise to a person that has yet to be fulfilled?
d. Is there really a difference between making a vow to God and to a person?
(2) Vv. 3-5—A young woman living at home — Why should her personal vow to God be subjected to her father’s will?
(3) Vv. 6-8—A married woman
a. Why should her personal vow to God be subject to her husband’s will?
b. Why should the uttering of rash words be treated the same as a vow?
(4) V. 9—A widow or divorced woman — How differently is she treated in this respect? Why?
(5) Vv. 10-15—A Husband’s consent
a. Whether it is the father or the husband, why does silence constitute consent?
b. The husband’s nullification takes two forms: vv. 12-13: Immediate nullification and vv. 14-15: Nullification following a period of silence. What happens in the latter case and why?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Read 25:16-18 as this passage is a response to the words of the Lord concerning the vengeance on Midian:
(1) As this was to be the last battle under the leadership of Moses, what significance might we expect to find in this passage? (vv. 1-2)
(2) Israel’s army (vv. 3-6):
a. According to their latest census, how many fighting men did they have? (See 26:51)
b. How many men did the Lord want them to use for this battle? Why?
c. How were they selected? Why?
d. Why was a priest assigned to the army? What role did he play? (Note: We do not know what he exactly carried except the trumpets.)
(3) Their victory (vv. 7-12):
a. Whom did they kill?
b. Why did they also kill Balaam?
c. Why didn’t they kill the women?
d. What was the extent of their victory?
(4) Unfinished business (vv. 13-24)
a. Why was Moses angry? Was he justified?
b. What did Moses ask them to do? Was it too cruel? Why or why not?
c. What lesson should we learn from this?
d. What were the purifications rites applied to the following?
- The soldiers
- Their garments
- Metallic loot
- Non-metallic loot
(5) As the last battle under Moses’ command, how important were all of the above?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
As the last battle under Moses’ command, precedents were now being set as an example to the Israelites for generations to come:
(1) What principle is being laid down concerning the “spoils” in v. 27?
(2) Levy (or tax) from the soldiers’ half (vv. 28-29):
a. How much is being taxed?
b. To whom does this tribute go?
(3) Levy (or tax) from the people’s half (v. 30):
a. How much is being taxed?
b. To whom does this tribute go?
(4) Vv. 36-47 lists the exact numbers of the spoils and confirms the compliance by the people: How important was this precedent? Was it simply about fairness? Why or why not?
(5) Decision of the Officers (Vv. 48-54)
a. What did the officers and the soldiers decide to do with the precious metals that were looted?
b. Do you think it had anything to do with the fact that “not one of them is missing” in the battle?
c. Why did they see such an offering as the making of an atonement? (see v. 14 and Exodus 30:11-16)
d. What did the act of acceptance by Moses and Eleazar of their gifts represent?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
32:1-5—The Request by the Reubenites and Gadites
(1) Why did the Reubenites and Gadites make such a request?
(2) Were they really that numerous when compared to the other 12 tribes?
(3) Since only the territory west of Jordan had been referred to as the Promised Land, would they not have violated God’s will by their request? (See Note below)
32:6-15—Moses’ Anger
(4) In calling them “a brood of sinners”, what did Moses
accuse them of ? Refer to the following verses:
a. v. 6
b. vv. 7-9
c. vv. 10-11
d. vv. 14-15
(5) Can you blame Moses for being angry? Why or why not?
32:16-19—Their Reply
(6) What was their pledge?
(7) What risk might they be taking?
32:20-33—Moses Gave Permission
(8) Did they have any idea how long it would take “until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance”? (See Jos. 22:1-5)
(9) Had they been true to their words?
32:34-42—Half a Tribe of Manasseh Included
(10) Did Moses violate God’s promise with such permission?
(11) What lessons can we learn from this entire incident?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“the consistent biblical definition of Canaan (the Promised Land) was limited to the territory west of Jordan”
(NICOT, Numbers, 606)