Bible Commentaries
Numbers 29

Verses 1-40

Let's turn in our Bible to Numbers chapter twenty-nine.

Beginning in chapter twenty-eight, Moses gave to them the various sacrifices that were to be offered every day, and then the sacrifices that were to be offered on the Sabbath day, the extra sacrifices on the Sabbath day. And then the extra sacrifices even more that were on the first day of every month. And then the sacrifices that should be offered during the feast of the Passover and then during the feast of Pentecost. Now, as we get into chapter twenty-nine, he deals with the sacrifices that are to be offered in the seventh month of the year.

Now, you're well aware by now that the number seven is a very significant number, as far as the Bible goes; and thus, the seventh month was a special month. It is the month of October approximately on our calendar, where our calendar differs some from the Jewish calendar, which they of course have a spiritual calendar more or less, and a secular calendar. And their spiritual calendar begins in the month of April, so that makes October their seventh month. And it was to begin the first day of that month with the blowing of trumpets and with extra sacrifices beyond the daily sacrifices.

Those extra sacrifices are given for us at the beginning of chapter twenty-nine. And then he goes on to the sacrifices that would take place on the tenth day of the seventh month which was the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and the special sacrifices on that day. It is interesting to note that on Yom Kippur the high priest would do all of the sacrificing himself.

Now during the rest of the time the other priests were usually offering the sacrifices, but on Yom Kippur it was the high priest that would offer all of the sacrifices. So he was a very busy man on this particular day because there are some thirty-four animals that had to be butchered and sacrificed on Yom Kippur. And this he had to do by himself, there was to be no helpers for him on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which was to speak of the work of Jesus Christ in making atonement for us that he had to do it alone. There was really none to help him. It was something that was necessary for he do alone for us.

Then on the seventh month they had a special feast, the Feast of Succoth or Booths or also called the Feast of Tabernacles as they remembered their wilderness experience and living in tents. And this Feast of Tabernacles went for eight days. And on each of the days of the feast over-well, one day there was only twenty-five animals offered, another one twenty-eight, but most of the time over thirty animals were offered on these days, the eight days of the Feast of the Tabernacles. And so these are all given each day how many of what kind of animals were to be offered through chapter twenty-nine. It has very little to do with us except that it makes us appreciate the fact that Jesus Christ was offered for our sacrifice once and for all.

There are interesting parallels to be made with a high priest going in with a sacrifice of the animal for the atonement for the people to be contrasted. Of course, he had to first of all make a sacrifice for his own sins before he could make the sacrifice for the sins of the nation. And the contrast is with Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, who made one sacrifice once and for all. It was necessary that the high priest go in every year, but Jesus having once offered Himself, has sat down forever at the right hand of the Father waiting until the promise be fulfilled that His enemies be made His footstool, waiting until all things are brought into subjection unto Him.

And so the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ compared with the yearly annual sacrifices for sin, the atonement that was made for the nation. And there are tremendous contrasts to be made, which are made for us in the book of Hebrews. And so having now gone through the book of Leviticus and Numbers again, it would be very helpful for you to go through the book of Hebrews. And you'll understand it much more clearly now that you've had this background in Leviticus and Numbers with all of these offerings and sacrifices and all that were made, and you realize what Christ has done for us more completely.

So in verse thirty-nine,

These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and your meal offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings. ( Numbers 29:39 )

So these other offerings, the burnt offerings, peace offerings were all individual kind of offerings; these were all above these that have been commanded here in chapter twenty-nine.

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