My Food in Due Season

Numbers 28 and 29 form a calendar of public offerings for the new generation. God said, See that you present my offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, as a pleasant aroma to me, in their due season. The phrase my food does not mean God was hungry. Psalm 50:12-13 makes clear He needs nothing. It is covenant language for the gifts at His table. The foundation was the daily offering: male lambs a year old without defect, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering, one in the morning and one at evening, ordained at Mount Sinai.

On the Sabbath, two more lambs were added, beyond the continual offering. At the beginnings of months, they offered two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs, with a male goat for a sin offering. In the first month, on the fourteenth day, came Yahweh's Passover, followed by seven days of unleavened bread with daily offerings. On the day of the firstfruits, at the Feast of Weeks, the same pattern was offered again.

Every layer of time, days, weeks, months, and seasons, was marked by worship and by atonement for sin. The repeated sacrifices showed both God's desire to dwell with His people and the people's ongoing need. Hebrews 10:11-14 explains that every priest stands day by day offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But Christ, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Believers now offer a sacrifice of praise continually (Hebrews 13:15).