ADULT STS LESSON 119 PRESCRIPTIONS CONCERNING OFFERINGS AND VOWS
MEMORY VERSE: “Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season” (Numbers 28:2).
TEXT: Numbers 28:1-31; 29:1-40; 30:1-16
In the preceding chapter, God gave Moses instructions on the demand for inheritance by the daughters of Zelophehad and the appointment of Joshua as his successor. Moses did as God commanded him and presented Joshua before the congregation as their new leader. The divine directive to Moses in the present study has to do with worship and service. He instructed Moses to “Command the children of Israel” to be devoted to Him by presenting their offering and sacrifices to Him at their due season.
Ability to hear from God before speaking to His people distinguishes spiritual leaders from carnal ones. God instructed Moses on the laws guiding appointed regular offerings and vows in His wisdom and according to His purpose. This emphasis on relationship with God is instructive because, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7). Thus, the instructions centred on the person of the Lord as the recipient of the offerings, sacrifices and worship of His people. This means that only God should receive their worship and not any other personality or deity; for He said, “I am the LORD thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2,3). The laws concerning offerings and sacrifices were not new; they had been given earlier at Mount Sinai (Exodus 29:38-46). The older generation to which the laws were first given had died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb. In the present command, God reiterated and elaborated on the offerings this new generation should observe. The system of sacrifices and ceremonial offerings was a temporary provision which has served its purpose and has now passed away. The sacrifices were “…a shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17). While these offerings lasted, they pointed to the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ and its universal benefits for mankind. Though Christ has offered the final perfect sacrifice, the prescriptions concerning offerings contain timeless principles for our spiritual edification.
First, God has the prerogative to prescribe how man should worship Him.
Second, He deserves and demands the worship of His creatures, particularly the people He has redeemed for Himself (Revelation 4:11).
Third, the prescriptions show that there is a price believers must pay in sincere and God-glorifying worship and service. Though we can never repay all the goodness and mercies that God bestows on us day by day, we can reciprocate His kindness by giving what He requires from us. The first thing He demands is our heart to be surrendered to Him (Proverbs 23:26). Besides, He demands loving obedience to His word, righteous and holy lifestyle from all His children. This naturally translates into an acceptable giving of our substance and resources to God as a mark of absolute surrender and an acknowledgment of His sovereignty over our lives.
1.COMMAND TO ISRAEL ON MANDATORY REGULAR OFFERINGS
Numbers 28:1,2; 29:39,40; Exodus 29:38- 46; Leviticus 1-7
God instructed Moses to “command” the children of Israel to keep the solemn feasts and their offerings they were given earlier (Exodus 29:38-42; Leviticus 23:4-44). This renewed charge was to forestall the tendency to forget essential truths, especially as the older generation who received the law at Sinai had died in the wilderness. With the exception of the Passover, the children of Israel did not offer these sacrifices during their wanderings in the wilderness, which would have afforded the new generation the opportunity to learn how to carry them out (Amos 5:25). Since the sacrifices were omitted from their worship for a long time, it became necessary for God to repeat them so that they would be observed when the Israelites entered Canaan. From this, we learn the importance of teaching our young ones the basic truths. of our faith and practical life of devotion and absolute dependence on God so that they can uphold and propagate them. We also learn the need for prompt obedience and absolute submission to the word and will of God (Psalm 119:60; 32:8,9).
2.PRESCRIPTIONS CONCERNING OFFERINGS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
Numbers 28:3-31; 29:1-39; Mark 1:35; Romans 12:1,2; Hebrews 13:15,16
There are four categories of offerings in our text: one, the daily offerings (Numbers 28:2-8). This consisted of two lambs:
One in the morning and the other in the evening, accompanied by the meat and drink offerings as a continual sacrifice. Though the New Testament saints are no longer expected to offer such sacrifices, we learn that God expects all believers to have daily fellowship with Him through consistent personal worship, prayer, study and meditation on His word as practised by our Saviour (Mark 1:35).
Two, the weekly Sabbath day offerings include two lambs and their corresponding meat and drink offerings in addition to the daily offerings (Numbers 28:9,10). They were to offer double of the daily offerings on every Sabbath. We learn from this that we should leave the Lord’s Day free of our own private or personal service to increase the time devoted to spiritual things (Hebrews 10:25). We are expected to offer unto the Lord our substances during such meetings (Deuteronomy 16:16).
Three, the monthly offerings (Numbers 28:11-15). They are two bullocks, one ram, two lambs and one goat alongside with their accompanying meat and drink offerings. In addition, they must also offer the daily offerings. If it falls on the Sabbath day, they would also offer the weekly sacrifices. This teaches that interrupting or intervening activities should not be allowed to crowd out our devotion to God.
Four, the yearly offerings to Imark the annual feasts of the children of Israel (Numbers 28:16-31; 29:1-39). The offerings for the feast of unleavened bread following the day of the Passover, consisted of two bullocks, one ram and seven lambs with their respective meat and drink offerings and one goat for a sin offering for atonement (Numbers 28:16, 17). It is instructive that these offerings were offered each day for seven days. For the feast of the firstfruits, two young bullocks, one ram and seven lambs with their meat and drink offerings and one kid of the goats for a sin offering for atonement were offered (Numbers 28:2631); and for the feast of trumpets, one young bullock, one ram and seven lambs with their specified meat and drink offerings and one kid of the goats for a sin offering for atonement (Numbers 29:1-6). The offerings for the day of atonement were similar to those of the feast of firstfruits (Numbers 29:7- 11) except the difference in the amount of the meat offering and an additional sin offering beside the sin offering for atonement. The double sin offerings on the day of atonement is significant. It pointed to the double nature of sin, the outward sins and the inbred sin, and the perfect sacrifice of Christ, which makes full provision for our salvation and sanctification. The offerings for the feast of tabernacles were a total of 71 bullocks, 15 rams and 105 lambs and their respective meat and drink offerings (Numbers 29:12-38). On the first day, 13 bullocks, 2 rams and 14 lambs were offered. The number of bullocks decreased by one on each succeeding day, while the number of rams and lambs remained the same. On the seventh day, 7 bullocks, 2 rams and 14 lambs were offered but on the last day, one ram and 7 lambs were offered. The prescriptions for the offerings were elaborate, demanding, engaging and of considerable costs. This teaches us that we must be ready to give all to the Lord. The priests made the daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal offerings and the congregation bore the cost for the offerings. We learn from this that Christ paid a great price for our redemption; it cost Him His life. Though believers rely only on the merit of Christ’s sacrifice for our atonement, we are required to offer spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). We are to offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and give our material substances to serve God (Hebrews 13:15,16). Nothing must be counted too big or too expensive to be given to God. These feasts were moments of great joy, celebration, holy convocations and rest from servile work to worship God and commemorate special events in the history of the children of Israel (Exodus 23:14,17; Deuteronomy 16:13,16). While worldly ceremonies and celebrations have no part in the lives of heaven-bound pilgrims, our walk with God is not without moments of holy celebration, gladness and joy for goodness and mercies. We must have delight in our regular Christian fellowships and retreat programmes when we gather together to feed on God’s word and receive edification. Also, the observance of the Lord’s Supper should be a delightful moment of holy reflection and heavenly anticipation for every believer (1 Corinthians 11:24-26).
3.SACREDNESS AND REGULATION OF VOWS
Numbers 30:1-16; Leviticus 27:1-34; Numbers 6:1-21; Ecclesiastes 5:4,5.
After dealing with the issue of offerings, Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel saying, “...This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:1,2). A vow is a voluntary promise or consecration to do a thing for or give something to God, in return for some benefits desired from God. In the text, God affirmed the sacredness of vows but provided further guidelines on situations in which vows made by wives and daughters might be annulled by the husband or the father.
First. the vow of a young woman who was still under the authority of her parents could be voided by the father as soon as he knew about it. However, if the father heard about the vows of his daughter and kept quiet, the vow would stand.
Secondly, the vows of a married woman could be annulled by the husband as soon as he became aware of them. If the vow was not annulled, it would stand. Any vow that a woman made after she became a widow or divorced from her husband would stand. The regulation on vows made by a married woman shows that God desires the unity and survival of the family. God’s precept on vows of wives and daughters affirms the authority of the husband as the head of the wife and the need for daughters in particular and children in general to be under subjection to their parents. There should be an agreement between husband and wife before they undertake any religious obligation that will adversely affect their relationship (1 Corinthians 7:3- 5). Similarly, children should not vow without the consent of their parents or guardian because the vow may affect the welfare of the family negatively. The first appearance of vows in divine-human relationship predates the law (Genesis 28:20-22; Job 22:27) and its practice continues during the law. Thus, the law was given to confirm and regulate its practice as part of “…the thing which the LORD hath commanded” (Numbers 30:1). From the Scriptures, we can identify two types of vows: the vow of performance and vow of abstinence. A vow of performance is a vow to give, offer or sacrifice something to God beyond the call of duty as extra consecration to Him. Vows are usually made in expectation of special blessings from God like that of Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:11), but vows can be made without connection to any material expectation. The vow of abstinence is a vow to abstain from something as a mark of devotion or dedication to God like the vow of a Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-6). Note that making a vow and not fulfilling it is sin (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). It is also clear from Scripture that believers do not need to make vows before their prayers are answered, provided they exercise faith in God’s promises. In the New Testament dispensation, the Lord expects believers to keep to their words in all their dealings with Him and their fellow men. Jesus Christ condemned the abuse of vows (Matthew 15:4-6; Mark 7:10-13) and taught that swearing or oaths are not for believers (Matthew 5:33-37).
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW:
- What basic instruction can present-day believers learn from the study of Old Testament offerings?
- Why was it necessary to repeat the laws of sacrifices to the children of Israel?
- What should be our attitude to God’s instructions?
- Mention the various offerings and the significance of the quality of the materials prescribed for them.
- What are the types of offerings and sacrifices God expects from believers today?
- What is the stand of the Scripture on vows and under what conditions could vows be voided?
- Explain Christ’s teaching on vows and offerings.