THE HOLIEST HOLY DAY
Opening Prayer
Praise you, merciful Father, for the gift of your Son that opened the way for fellowship with you.
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[a] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths[b]; 4 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.[c] 5 Include one male goat as a sin offering[d] 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.
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The Day of Atonement
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves[e] and do no work. 8 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a 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.[f]
Footnotes
- Numbers 29:3 That is, probably about 11 pounds or about 5 kilograms; also in verses 9 and 14
- Numbers 29:3 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms; also in verses 9 and 14
- Numbers 29:4 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms; also in verses 10 and 15
- Numbers 29:5 Or purification offering; also elsewhere in this chapter
- Numbers 29:7 Or must fast
- Numbers 29:40 In Hebrew texts this verse (29:40) is numbered 30:1.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘What can wash away my sin? … What can make me whole again? / Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’1 Take time for prayerful confession.
Think Further
Israel’s calendar had numerous holy holidays (see yesterday’s note), with the seventh month boasting the lion’s share: the Festival of Trumpets (vs 1–6); the Day of Atonement (vs 7–11); and the week-long Festival of Tabernacles (vs 12–38).
The seventh month began with a day to ‘sound the trumpets’ (v 1). Like the voice of John the Baptist calling in the wilderness, this was an insistent summons to repent. It marked the beginning of a ten-day penitential period of preparation, leading up to the holiest of all the holy days, the Day of Atonement – a little like our 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. This festival involved the ‘sin offering’ of a male goat (v 11); Leviticus 16 details the rituals surrounding this atonement, which had to be made annually ‘for all the sins of the Israelites.’2 This was the only festival marked by a fast (‘deny yourselves’, v 7) – a reminder that even the slightest stain of human sinfulness is an affront to God’s holiness. On the fifteenth day, however, the solemn fast makes way for a joyous feast, eight days marked by an abundance of offerings as for no other feast (vs 12-38). This outpouring of offerings reflected the overflowing joy of being cleansed from their sin before the Lord.3 When the post-exilic community celebrated this festival under Nehemiah’s leadership, ‘their joy was very great.’4
We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory;5 our sin separates us from our holy God. Atonement has been made, however, not by repeated annual offerings of animals but by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb slain for us. With the relationship restored, the only fitting response is the willing and wholehearted outpouring of the offering of our whole life!
Apply
‘Take my love; my Lord, I pour / at thy feet its treasure store; / take myself, and I will be; / ever, only, all for thee.’6
Closing prayer
Loving Father, I thank you for your loving care, not just for me, but for those closest to me. I am so grateful that I can trust you to provide those I love with everything they need.
Last Updated on August 23, 2023 by kingstar
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