Numbers 28:26–29:11

in the day of the first-fruits . . . offer the burnt offering--A new sacrifice is here ordered for the celebration of this festival, in addition to the other offering, which was to accompany the first-fruits (Lev 23:18). Next: Numbers Chapter 29

Also in the day of the firstfruits,.... When the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were brought unto the Lord, which was the day of Pentecost, fifty days from the sheaf of the wave offering being brought: when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord; that is, a meat offering made of the new corn, which were two wave loaves of two tenth deals of fine flour, baked with leaven, Leviticus 23:15. after your weeks be out; the seven weeks from the passover to Pentecost, even seven complete sabbaths or weeks, Leviticus 23:15. ye shall have an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work; see Leviticus 23:21.

But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord,.... Which was of the same kind, and was of the same number of creatures as on the first day of the month, and on the seven days of unleavened bread, Numbers 28:11, and the meat offering which went along with this was of the same quantity of flour to each creature as in the above mentioned sacrifices; and on this day also was offered a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and there were also peace offerings which are not mentioned here, nor is there any mention of any in the whole chapter; see Leviticus 23:19.

And ye shall offer them besides the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering,.... The daily sacrifice of the morning and evening, so often mentioned in this chapter, and so frequently inculcated as not to be omitted, either in the weekly, monthly, or anniversary festivals; it being so necessary a sacrifice, and so eminent a type of the great sacrifice of the Messiah: they shall be unto you without blemish, and their drink offerings; the flour, of which the meat offerings were made, was to be pure and clean, and free from vermin; and the wine for the drink offering was not to be palled, and dead, and dreggy: of the former, it is said in the Misnah (l),"the treasurer puts his hand into it (the flour); if there comes any dust with it,''it is rejected; if it produces worms, it is rejected: this, the commentators say (m), is to be understood, if the greatest part of it is such; and with respect to the latter, Jarchi says, our Rabbins learn from hence (this passage of Scripture) that wine in which flour rises (or a dregginess like flour) it is unfit for drink offerings, for they should be perfect: this denotes the purity of Christ, the bread of life, and his spotless and perfect sacrifice, when his soul was poured out unto death. (l) Menachot, c. 8. sect. 2.((m) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 8. sect. 2.

Here is, I. The appointment of the pass-over sacrifices; not that which was the chief, the paschal lamb (sufficient instructions had formerly been given concerning that), but those which were to be offered upon the seven days of unleavened bread, which followed it, Num 28:17-25. The first and last of those seven days were to be sanctified as sabbaths, by a holy rest and a holy convocation, and on each of the seven days they were to be liberal in their sacrifices, in token of their great and constant thankfulness for their deliverance out of Egypt: Two bullocks, a ram, and seven lambs. A gospel conversation, in gratitude for Christ our passover who was sacrificed, is called the keeping of this feast (Co1 5:8); for it is not enough that we purge out the leavened bread of malice and wickedness, but we must offer the bread of our God, even the sacrifice of praise, continually, and continue herein unto the end. 2. The sacrifices are likewise appointed which were to be offered at the feast of pentecost, here called the day of the first-fruits, Num 28:26. In the feast of unleavened bread they offered a sheaf of their first-fruits of barley (which with them was first ripe) to the priest (Lev 23:10), as an introduction to the harvest; but now, about seven weeks after, they were to bring a new meat-offering to the Lord, at the end of harvest, in thankfulness to God, who had not only given, but preserved to their use, the kindly fruits of the earth, so as that in due time they did enjoy them. It was at this feast that the Spirit was poured out (Act 2:1, etc.), and thousands were converted by the preaching of the apostles, and were presented to Christ, to be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. The sacrifice that was to be offered with the loaves of the first-fruits was appointed, Lev 23:18. But over and above, besides that and besides the daily offerings, they were to offer two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, with a kid for a sin-offering, Num 28:27-30. When God sows plentifully upon us he expects to reap accordingly from us. Bishop Patrick observes that no peace-offerings are appointed in this chapter, which were chiefly for the benefit of the offerers, and therefore in them they were left more to themselves; but burnt-offerings were purely for the honour of God, were confessions of his dominion, and typified evangelical piety and devotion, by which the soul is wholly offered up to God in the flames of holy love; and sin-offerings were typical of Christ's sacrifice of himself, by which we and our services are perfected and sanctified.

And in the seventh month. I have already observed that the festivals are not here (generally) treated of, but only the sacrifices, by which their solemnization was to be graced. In the beginning of the seventh month was the memorial, as it was called, of the blowing of trumpets. Because it was a minor festival, Moses only commands one bullock to be killed; but the number was increased on other grounds, for we have already seen that on the first of every month two bullocks were sacrificed. This day, therefore, had three larger victims, whilst the number of the others was doubled, so that there were two rams and fourteen lambs. Thus, then, God consecrated this day doubly to Himself, so that one celebration diminished nothing of the other; else He might have seemed to have abrogated what He had once commanded. The memorial of trumpets was not, then, an abolition of the new-moon, but they kept both ordinances at the same time.

And in the seventh month,.... The month Tisri, as the Targum of Jonathan, which answers to part of our September and October; a month famous for days to be religiously observed, having more of them in it than any other month in the year: on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation; see Leviticus 23:24, ye shall do no servile work; therefore, in the place referred to, is called a sabbath: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you; of which; see Gill on Leviticus 23:24.

And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord,.... Which was as follows: one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish, which was the same, only one bullock less, with the offerings on the first day of the month, the seven days of unleavened bread, and the day of the firstfruits, Numbers 28:11, Numbers 28:19, Numbers 28:27.

And their meat offering,.... Which went along with the creatures offered for a burnt offering; the quantity of flour and oil used in it was the same, for a bullock, a ram, and each lamb, as in the offerings at the new moons, feast of unleavened bread and the day of firstfruits, Numbers 28:10 and a kid of the goats was also offered for a sin offering at this time, as in those seasons, and for the same purpose, to make atonement for the sins of their holy things.

Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering,.... The bullock, ram, and seven lambs, were offered on this day, besides the two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, which were offered on it, on account of its being the first day of the month and besides the meat offering that went along with them; these were not omitted on account of those additional sacrifices: and the daily burnt offering; the two lambs of the daily sacrifice; these also were offered as usual, so that there were offered on this day three bullocks, two rams, and sixteen lambs: and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according to their manner; these also were offered with the daily sacrifice, according to the law and rule prescribed for the making of them, and all were for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord; for they were burnt sacrifices, and very acceptable to the Lord, as they were types of the better sacrifice, with which he is infinitely well pleased; and it is with respect to that that such a number of sacrifices were appointed.

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 23:24. 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 (Num 29:2-6), 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. 16, and which, one would think, required trouble and charge enough, here are burnt-offerings ordered to be offered, Num 29:8-10. 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 (Num 29:11), 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.

And ye shall have on the tenth day. This was the day of Atonement. For although they never came into God's presence without supplication for pardon, they then in a special manner confessed their sins, because a fast was appointed in token of their guilt. For thus it is written in Leviticus 23:29, "Whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." As to the sacrifices, one bullock only is required; the rest is as before, except that an exception is added, which was omitted in the former cases. For another propitiation is appointed besides the goat, to accord with the fact of their affliction. For the acknowledgment of guilt would have been a dreadful torment to their consciences without the hope of reconciliation. The reason of this sacrifice will be soon explained.

ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation--This was the great day of atonement. Its institution, together with the observance to which that day was devoted, was described (Lev 16:29-30). But additional offerings seem to be noticed, namely, the large animal sacrifice for a general expiation, which was a sweet savor unto the Lord, and the sin offering to atone for the sins that mingled with that day's services. The prescriptions in this passage appear supplementary to the former statement in Leviticus.

And ye shall have on the tenth day of the seventh month an holy convocation,.... The month Tisri, as before; so the Targum of Jonathan: and ye shall afflict your souls; or persons; their bodies by fasting, and their souls by repentance and humiliation; for this was a grand fast, as it is called Acts 27:9, ye shall not do any work therein; see Leviticus 23:28.

But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord,.... Which is the same as ordered to be offered on the first day, Numbers 29:2. Aben Ezra is of opinion that the ram here is different from those in Leviticus 16:3.

And their meat offering,.... Which was of the same quantity of flour and oil, for a bullock, a ram, and a lamb, as for the meat offering on the first day of the month.

One kid of the goats for a sin offering,.... This also, as it was different from that which was offered for the service of the day, so it was offered after it; as is observed by the Jewish writers, that the goat, which was offered without, though of the Musaphim, or additions, could not go before the service of the day for it is said as follows: beside the sin offering of atonement; hence, say they, we learn, that the goat within, which was of the service of the day, went before it (n); after that the ram of Aaron, and the ram of the people, and after that the fat of the sin offering: and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings; which were never omitted on account of the service of any day, though ever so solemn, as this was: hence it appears that there were offered on this day of atonement two bullocks, three rams, three goats, and two lambs. (n) Bartenora in Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 3.