There are all sorts of special festivals different churches celebrate throughout the year. Many Christians are currently observing the season of Lent, defined as the 40 days before Easter, through self-denial and confession of sin. And practically everyone celebrates Christmas, even if they think it’s only about Santa and presents.
Just so, most of chapters 28 and 29 focus on the extraordinary times in the Old Testament religious calendar, and the offerings that were to be brought on those special occasions. But what patterns of worship should our daily and weekly life follow? Today’s passage gives us some hints.
It says that God’s people were to bring two offerings every day – one in the morning and one at twilight. These were the same times of the day when the lamps on the golden lampstand were to be trimmed to make sure they would always remain lit (Leviticus 24:3), and when incense was to be offered on the golden altar inside the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:7-8). On the Sabbath day, the same types of offerings were to be made, but in twice the amount (Numbers 28:9-10).
What does this tell us? Simply this: we need to draw near to the Lord every day. We need to remember the sacrifice of Christ offered for us every day. We need the light of Christ to fill our hearts and minds every day. Our prayers need to arise like incense before the Lord every day. And just as God’s Old Testament people brought extra offerings on the Sabbath day, we need to spend more time with God on His special day, bringing Him our worship and praise.
How would our daily life change if we began and ended our days with prayer and the study of God’s Word? How would our relationship with God improve if we made Lord’s Day worship a priority? Let’s find out this week.
Numbers 28:1-10 (NASB)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.’
3 “And you shall say to them, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD; two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day.
4 ‘You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;
5 also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil.
6 ‘It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
7 ‘Then the libation with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a libation of strong drink to the LORD.
8 ‘And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its libation, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD.
9 ‘Then on the sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its libation:
10 ‘This is the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation.
