"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon . . . "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32 . . . . .

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

NUMBERS – From SINAI To The PROMISED LAND: Chapters 29

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez, and James Fire

NUMBERS 29: “WORSHIP GOD ALWAYS (MAKE TIME FOR YOUR GOD)” Albert Lopez; check out the video teaching here!

INTRODUCTION: Last week we looked at how God instructed Moses to remind the new generation of Jews the sacrificial system. They were reminded and instructed on when and how to worship God. They were reminded of what was required of them and why it why. There were many sacrifices that we read about, and we will continue here in NUMBERS 29.
All of them pointed to the perfect sacrifice; our Lord Jesus. These sacrifices were to be without defect or blemish because they were offered to the One True God, Yahweh who owns a cattle on a thousand hills, owns the hill and the grass on the hill. This is from PSALM 50 and there is an interesting song that a Christian song writer JW. Peterson wrote the lyrics say:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills

The wealth in every mine

He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills

The sun and stars that shine

Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell

He is my Father so they're mine as well

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills

I know that He will care for me


These lyrics should remind us that the Bible tells of the greatness of our God; this should bring about a sense of security because like the lyrics say, He is my Father, and so they’re also mine as well. That is if you are a child of God.

This referring to the riches and everything else. Remember the Bible says, “My God will supply all your needs according to the riches in glory in Jesus.” PHIL 4:19.

This should also bring a sense of awe and wonder to the point where you see how far God’s reach is, because you realize his Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Immutability. There is no one like Him and we as his children should be the first ones to acknowledge this and as we have said allow our Creator to consume us.

Saying that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills is another way of saying that everything belongs to God.

Regarding the offerings, to us as well as to them, the sacrifice and the animals that were without blemish, pointed to Jesus our Lord, Who would also become our Savior as He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Israel needed their sins forgiven and that is why they had animal sacrifices, but the blood of bulls and goats could not atone for sin. During Passover in the New Testament, we learned that God the Father brought His lamb while everyone else was bringing their animal sacrifice. It was Jesus who became that perfect sacrifice and when his precious blood was shed; God’s wrath was satisfied. God has chosen not to consume you in a way that you will perish but in a more merciful way wants to consume your days with his presence and guidance.

NUMBERS 29:1-6
1 'And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. 2 'You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. 3 'Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 'and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 'also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 'besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD
.

Verse 1: Seventh month…. a day for blowing trumpets- We continue with the annual sacrifices where we left off in the previous chapter but not forgetting the monthly, weekly, and daily sacrifices.

This made me think of Resurrection Sunday: we see this day as a big deal because our Lord rose on that day defeating sin, death rose from the grave giving us hope that because he lives, we will also live even if we die; if you are his.
However, we have a celebration and thankfulness to our God every day because His mercies are new every day. Sunday is the day that we have a holy convocation or gathering, but we don’t forget God Monday through Saturday and that’s why we are here on a Wednesday. God will be with us every day until the end because he promised He will never leave us nor forsake us. Now that’s a reason for blowing a trumpet so to speak!

The 7th month of the Jewish year opened with a feast of trumpets; this pointed to the beginning of the Jewish civil year (Rosh Hashana). This also points to how Jesus will gather his people.
MATTHEW 24:31
And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His [x]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other
.

For the believer this points to Christ coming back for His Church in the day of the rapture

1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words
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Verse 2: A soothing aroma to the LORD: The burnt offering which went beyond the literal animal being burnt up was representing the people’s heart of obedience; which was pleasing to the Lord. The ultimate goal was pleasing the Lord and delighting his heart. This should also be our goal as his bride and church!

As we can read in John and other places the Lord seeks true worship and worshippers. This is not because he needs it, God doesn’t need anything from us; but it’s because He is worthy, and He deserves it!
JOHN 4:22-23
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers
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The pagan nations around them could invent their own forms of worship, but Israel had to bring the right sacrifices at the right time and in the correct way or the Lord would not accept them.

God delights in the worship of his loving people. If you’re thinking that a location or religion determines your worship like this Samaritan woman thought you’re wrong. Jesus told her that true worship will be by the guiding of the Holy Spirit and through the written Word that He wrote. This will instruct on how the one true God wants to be worshiped.

In a practical way our lives are a continual worship to the Lord, and we begin each day by giving ourselves completely to the Lord. If we aren’t doing this we are failing to be consumed as the living sacrifices that we should be, to the glory of God. Good news is that if we are lacking, God is merciful and gracious to supply our needs in this area by His Spirit.
ROMANS 12:1-2 Dedicated service
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
The Christian life is a continual burnt offering, except that we are living sacrifices and not dead ones as we once were.

This is great instruction by the Apostle Paul to the Roman church and to the church today on how to make time for your God. We dedicate ourselves to many things if we really think about it and as a result we fail to present our bodies and lives as living sacrifices; acceptable to God.

If you think about Football, when the season comes around if you’re a football fan you’re not just dedicated to the start of the season; No you’re onboard for the pre-season, season, playoffs, and Super bowl to some degree even if you’re team doesn’t make it there. Same thing can be said about basketball just plug in NBA finals and other sports.

If you’re not a sports fan but you’re into movies; you don’t just watch the end credits or the start or the middle of the movie most of you watch the whole thing and possibly watch it again if you really liked it. These are just two examples I’m sure we can use the example of work and other things that we are dedicated to.

This is not to say that there is no time for these things because there is as God gives us discretionary time. Think about it like this. On TV I remember hearing “viewer discretion is advised”. I would say that we are advised to use the discretionary time wisely. The bible calls it redeeming the time for the days are evil. God wants to inhabit your entire life including this time we are talking about.

An example of this: Talking to a brother at church who was sharing with me how he is reading through a couple books in the Bible. In addition to that he is reading like three or four books that point him back to the bible. This is using your discretionary time wisely and will bear fruit as you are filling yourself with godly thoughts and renewing your mind as a result of this. I told him that it sounded like he was devouring the bookshelf we have in the back!

NUMBERS 29:7-11
7 'On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work. 8 'You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a sweet aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year. Be sure they are without blemish. 9 'Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 'and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 'also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the sin offering for atonement, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings
.

The day of Atonement: (Yom Kippur)

Atonement, meaning “covering”
This word is first used where Noah is commanded to cover the Ark with Pitch. Just as the ark was a type of Christ in saving his people from Judgment, the cover within and without emphasized the means whereby our salvation is secure that is, our sins are covered by the blood of Christ.

This also points to the mercy seat which likely means “lid” or “cover”.
The Hebrew word kipper has three possible meanings that are held among conservative scholars
The 1st coming from the verb kuppuru which is “to cleanse or to wipe” which made me think of:
1 JOHN 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
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The second meaning is “To make atonement” and comes from the Hebrew word Koper meaning “ransom price”. A koper is the money a man condemned to death could pay to escape the death penalty:
ROMANS 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We can say that the ransom price was given by God to save the sinner who is condemned unless, he or she accepts the free gift (God’s only son Jesus) by faith.

The third meaning is “To cover, so as to appease” like how Jesus, sacrificing his life appeased the wrath of God meant for us. You probably have heard the expression or term “escape goat” This is a person who takes the blame or is blamed for something someone else committed or did.

Verse 11: one male goat as a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement

One goat represented substitutionary death and the other (Azazel = escape goat) represents the carrying away of sins.

This was the only day of the year when the high priest was permitted to go beyond the veil into the holy of holies but he had to bring with him burning incense and sacrificial blood of the slain goat. This annual holy day celebrated the covering of national sins by the offering of the two goats to God, one killed and the other driven into the wilderness. When the priest came out, the nation knew their sins had been covered for another year.

Jesus fulfilled this “type” in that He offered His own blood to God
HEBREWS 9:11-14
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
This principle of vicarious (experience by the actions of another) atonement and newness of life finds its fullest expression in Christ, the divine Lamb, who takes away human sin by His death.

NUMBERS 29:12-38
12 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. 13 'You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year. They shall be without blemish. 14 'Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, 15 'and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 'also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 17 'On the second day present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 18 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 19 'also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings. 20 'On the third day present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 21 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 22 'also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 23 'On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish, 24 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance;

25 'also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 26 'On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 27 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 28 'also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 29 'On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 30 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 31 'also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 32 'On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 33 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 34 'also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering. 35 'On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work. 36 'You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven lambs in their first year without blemish, 37 'and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 38 'also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering
.

The Feast of booths, The Feast of Tabernacles or In-Gathering (Sukkoth) comes from sukkah which is hut or tent

This was one of three major feasts for which all males of Israel were required to travel to the temple in Jerusalem. The festival commemorated God’s deliverance, protection, and provision during the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus from Egypt. The people lived in booths or huts made from limbs (olive branches and [j]wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches,) to remember their wilderness experience.

This feast will find it’s fulfillment in Christ’s thousand-year kingdom on earth.
ZECHARIAH 14:16
Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.


Jesus the Word made flesh has already tabernacled with men

JOHN 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth
.

Also, in the New Jerusalem God will be amongst his people:

REVELATION 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them
.
It also celebrated the autumn harvest. With regard to agriculture, the Lord required the greatest number of sacrifices compared to all the festivals, as a token of appreciation of the yearly harvest provided by the Lord. Each day was marked by multiple sacrifices and a decrease of one bull offering, each successive day starting with thirteen bulls and descending to seven on the seventh day and then finally on the last day (Sabbath day) only one bull, one ram, seven lambs, and one sin offering of a goat were to be sacrificed.

To put this into numbers during that week, the priest offered over two hundred sacrifices, including the daily burn offerings two lambs which were doubled on the Sabbath. You’re probably thinking that the Jews and God really enjoyed their carne asada or their barbeques.

Yes, it was a time of fellowship amongst themselves but more importantly amongst God and God is sinless and all of these sacrifices should show us the seriousness of sin in the eyes of a Holy God. We should give thanks for God’s mercy that as Sonny put it we aren’t the ones who are being consumed by the fire like the animals who were sacrificed.

Also, that it wasn’t us who died to pay for the penalty of our sin, but instead God’s humble suffering servant who was also the Lamb of God took our place so that we can live.

As we have been talking about we are to worship God always for this and for many more reasons. We ought to make time for our God and not just make him Savior but also Lord. Our Savior died for us so we should want to live for Him. Our Savior is our Lord so we no longer call the shots because our lives are His, that is if you are His!

NUBERS 29:39-40
39 'These you shall present to the LORD at your appointed feasts (besides your vowed offerings and your freewill offerings) as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.' 40 So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the LORD commanded Moses
.

Verse 39: present these to the LORD at your appointed times: This section concludes with a challenge to bring theses calendar related or annual sacrifices to the Lord at their required time according to God’s instruction. It was also important to remind the people to bring other non-calendar related offerings (vows, free-will offerings).

This takes us back to what we talked about earlier and what Sonny talked about with church faithfulness on Sunday and Wednesdays. Let us strive to not be Sunday Christians only and remember that God is worthy of everyday worship and attendance. To be fed and grow in God’s word is a form of worship. I understand that work and other things might not make it possible for all of us but let us strive for it; Amen!

Verse 40: Moses spoke. In accordance with all the Lord had commanded

We continue to see this pattern; the Lord speaks, and commands and Moses speaks according to what God tells him to command the people.

Paul speaking to pastor Timothy said:
2 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.
The Spirit of God empowered Paul to share the word, and the purpose was to make the gentiles obedient. It was by word and deed that the Apostle shared the good news. Changes in conduct and character are just as much miracles as the healing of the sick done in the power of God.

I hope that you are praying for me and asking the Lord to consume me with His word and his person to help me feed you with great patience and instruction so that you can find yourselves continually making time for your God; being that living sacrifice by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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