Thinking Thursday: Offerings

When God sent Moses to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, He called them to be His own people, and gave them the Law. This included a system of sacrifices and offerings, which to us today seems very strange and even brutal. God wanted to ingrain deep into their hearts, that sin costs.

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. (Habakkuk 1:13)
You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. (Psalm 5:4-5)

If anyone sins, they cannot pass it off with "I'm sorry." That is not enough. Sin requires spilt blood to pay for it. And because we keep sinning, blood keeps having to be spilled. Until the one Lamb came whose sacrifice paid for all sin for all time. The Old Testament sacrifices were not just one lamb on a regular basis, as I found out when I read Numbers 28 & 29. The number of lambs, goats and bulls that were sacrificed was astronomical.

In addition there were food, grain, drink offerings, burnt offerings and more. A large part of life involved offerings. How much of our lives are spent thinking about and giving to God? Check out my summary below, and ponder on your life.

Daily Offerings
2 lambs – food offering
flour & oil – grain offering
strong drink – drink offering

Sabbath Offerings
2 lambs and flour & oil – burnt offering
drink offering
this is in addition to the daily offering for that day

Monthly Offerings
2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs
flour & oil and drink offering for each animal
1 goat – sin offering

Passover Offerings – 14th day of 1st month
7 days not to work
each day – 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs with their grain and drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
this is in addition to the daily offering

Offerings for the Feast of Weeks – the day of first fruits
offering of new grain
no work
2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
this is in addition to the daily offering

Offerings for the Feast of Trumpets – 1st day of 7th month
no work
1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
burnt offering, grain offering, drink offering for the new moon
this is in addition to the daily offering

Offerings for the Day of Atonement – 10th day of 7th month
no work
1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
this is in addition to the daily offering

Offerings for the Feast of Booths – 15th day of 7th month
no work, feast for 7 days
1st day - 13 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
2nd day - 12 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
3rd day - 11 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
4th day - 10 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
5th day - 9 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
6th day - 8 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
7th day - 7 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
8th day - 1 bull, 1 ram, 14 lambs with their grain & drink offerings
1 goat – sin offering
All these in addition to the daily offering

In addition
Vow offerings
Freewill offerings
Peace offerings
Individual sin offerings
For a nation of over 600,000 men, plus women and children.