Read Numbers 29
The Festival of Trumpets
29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. 2 As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, offer a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 3 With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 4 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.5 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are food offerings presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma.
The Day of Atonement
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. 8 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lorda burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 9 With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 10 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 11 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
The Festival of Tabernacles
12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days.13 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a food offering consisting of a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 14 With each of the thirteen bulls offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; 15 and with each of the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. 16 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
17 “‘On the second day offer twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 18 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.19 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day offer eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 21 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.22 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
23 “‘On the fourth day offer ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 24 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.25 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
26 “‘On the fifth day offer nine bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 27 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.28 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
29 “‘On the sixth day offer eight bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 30 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.31 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
32 “‘On the seventh day offer seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 33 With the bulls, rams and lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.34 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
35 “‘On the eighth day hold a closing special assembly and do no regular work. 36 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a food offering consisting of a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 37 With the bull, the ram and the lambs, offer their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. 38 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
39 “‘In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, offer these to the Lord at your appointed festivals: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.’”
40 Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him.
Go Deeper
There’s no question that this chapter is (at times) hard to follow with the specific instruction of sacrifice. To properly understand the importance of this chapter it is important to remember that sacrifice isn’t considered regular “work” but it is considered worship. Sacrifice was required by the Lord to remind the Israelites of His continual plan of provision, and He never required a sacrifice He didn’t provide for.
In verse seven we read about the offerings for the Day of Atonement. While this looks similar to the sacrifice before and following in this chapter of Numbers, this instruction was not to prepare for a happy feast. The Day of Atonement was a day to carefully consider the burden of sin. As we continue in verse 12 we see instruction for an even bigger sacrifice celebrating The Feast of Tabernacles in memorial and celebration of God’s faithfulness to Israel throughout the Exodus. In The Bible Recap Tara-Leigh Cobble says, “The sacrifice of so many animals was a demonstration of the richness of God’s provision to them throughout the wilderness.”
All of this instruction was essential for the Israelites as they were on the threshold of the Promised Land. They needed a reminder of responsibility and the need for sacrifice. Looking at the numbers referenced in this passage, it’s helpful for us to stop and ask ourselves how much do we sacrifice for the Lord? If we’re not careful, we can live with such a consumer’s mindset and miss out on the call to live sacrificially.
Thinking back to Numbers 28 we learn about the sabbath again, emphasizing its level of importance. Sabbath can also be considered a sacrifice, as it is a sacrifice of time to rest and refocus on the Lord. Another way we can experience sacrifice today is through financial giving, or giving up something of this world to follow the Lord. This chapter of Numbers humbly reminds us that while Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and died on our behalf, we can still hold the riches and blessings the Lord has given loosely in reverence and awe of him. We can remember that sacrifice helps us remember God’s provision and helps us trust Him on a deeper level.
Questions
- How are you practicing sacrifice in your life?
- Is there something the Lord could be prompting you to sacrifice to draw nearer to Him?
- How does reading about sacrifice in the Old Testament stir your affection for Jesus?
Did You KNow?
In the Enduring Word commentary David Guzik says, “For Israel to obey what God commanded in Numbers 28-29, it meant that every year, the priests sacrificed 1,086 lambs, 113 bulls, 32 rams, more than a ton of flour, and some 1,000 bottles of oil and wine on behalf of the nation.”
Leave a Comment below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email hello@biblereadingplan.org.
9 thoughts on “Numbers 29”
7 “You must deny yourselves . . .”
Denying myself doesn’t come easily. I’m much more inclined to seek comfort. Help me God to understand where/how I should be denying myself as a sacrifice to you.
There is a lot of meat in this chapter (pun intended). What all was represented, how it was to be done, when it was to happen, the numbers represented. God is into numbers.
Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses – Moses obediently passes on these commandments even though he knew he would never be able to celebrate the feasts himself. No wonder Moses was described as “very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.” (Nu 12:3+) His obedience reminds us of Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-5 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.
God put this information in His Word for us. We should not just glance over and fall asleep on it but dive into and learn.
God wants our sacrifices, our celebration, and our worship
God thank You for learning about who You are. God thank You for the details. God my I give You my sacrifice of self, my celebration of You and all my worship in this day, in these minutes to glorify You. God may my sacrifice be a sweet smelling aroma to You. Guide me, show me and help me to understand what Your desires are for my life. Thank You God for boldness today. God thank You for surrendering all that is not worthy or has power over my life. Thank You for all I say and do in these minutes of this day that is honoring to You in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful Prayer! This is also my prayer! Thank you
mmm thats so good! To worship god is to sacrifice valuable things of ours to him. May I sacrifice the way I might be percieved by others so that his name may be shared and worshiped.
This is a good day to check up on my tithes and missions nearby :))
Thank u jesus. everything has came from ur hand so may we all creating a pleasing aroma today by giving.
Every festival and sacrifice was to be reminder of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. A vast chasm existed that must be bridged to coexist. We see God’s provision in every detail making a way to bring his chosen, wandering people back to him. Just as they were, we are prone to drift away from God who loves us so much that “he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Whatever is tripping us up cannot compare with this great love, so once again we are reminded to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.
Oh my goodness!
So many animals. So much effort. So much blood.
So much … MUCH-ness.
How did the Israelites respond to so much sacrifice? Did they question? Complain?
If past behavior is any prediction, I’m betting “yes.”
Just like I do.
“Really, God? I have to give THIS much … THIS often … for THIS long?“
Absolutely. Because that’s what it takes to honor God and enter His equation for restored relationship.
Obedient sacrifice.
Even when that means giving (again and again) when no one says “thank you.” And forgiving (again and again) when no one says “I’m sorry.”
As much as it takes – as often as it takes – as long as it takes.
Remembering, as we do so:
In our greatest generosity we can never out-give God. In our greatest atonement we can never out-forgive God.
As we give FROM Him … FOR Him … the depth of our dependence is no match for the breadth of His provision.
and in all that giving and forgiving, do it with a joyful, thankful, humble heart.
Exactly!
29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.
Do not do any regular work. Blow your trumpets. Cry out to the Lord. Offer sacrifices to God. Our culture is constantly focused on work, so much so that we can barely put our phones down. What sacrifice can we make to honor God today?