A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII.
Verſ. 2. COmmand the children of Iſrael, and ſay unto them, My offerings, &c.]
Becauſe they had in a great part omitted their ſacrifices and ſolemn feaſts the moſt part of the eight and thirty years laſt paſt by reaſon of their travels, wherein the Sanctuary, the altar, and other holy things were folded up and removed from …lace to place, and that withall the generation that had been before muſtered was now dead, chap. 26. 64. But among theſe there was not a man of them, whom Moſes and Aaron the priest numbred when they numbred the children of Iſrael in the wilderneſſe of Sinai; therefore the Lord cauſeth the Law of ſacrificing to be here again repeated, thereby giving them to know that when they came into the land they muſt not any longer neglect Gods ordinances, as they had done in the wilderneſſe, Deut. 12. 8. Ye ſhall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatſoever is right in his own eyes, &c. and ſo firſt he gives them charge in generall to be ſure that they give him all the ſacrifices and offerings that he had at ſeverall times appointed them to offer, My offerings 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: for though all the ſacrifices that were burnt upon the altar are elſewhere called the Lords food, Lev. 3. 11. and his bread, Lev. 21. 6. (the reaſons whereof ſee in the notes upon thoſe places) yet here it ſeems moſt probable that by offerings are meant all the ſeverall ſacrifices that were to be killed and offered upon the altar, and by his bread for the ſacrifices is meant the meat-offerings that were to be joyned with their ſacrifices; and then ſecondly, he ſets down particularly what they were to offer, firſt, for their dayly ſacrifice, verſ. 3. ſecondly, for their weekly ſacrifice every Sabbath day, verſ. 9. thirdly, for their monethly ſacrifice every new Moon, verſ. 11. and fourthly, for their yearly ſacrifices at every ſeverall feaſt in the year, verſ. 16, &c.
Verſ. 3. This is the offering made by fir… which ye ſhall offer unto the Lord, &c.]
See the notes on Exod. 29, 28.
Verſ. 9. And on the Sabbath day two lambs of the firſt year without ſpot, &c.]
The ſacrifices here appointed for every Sabbath day are full double to thoſe appointed for every day, verſ. 3. and yet the daily ſacrifices, the continuall burnt-offering, verſ. 10. was not omitted on the Sabbath day neither. So that every Sabbath in the morning there was offered one lambe for the daily ſacrifice, & then two lambs more for the Sabbath: and this was thus appointed, fir…t, to ſhew the holineſſe of that day, and that God required more ſervice from them on that day then other dayes; ſecondly, by way of thankfulneſſe for the worlds creation; and thirdly, becauſe it was a ſigne of our reſt in heaven purchaſed for us by Chriſt.
Verſ. 11. And in the beginnings of your moneths ye ſhall offer a burnt-offering unto the Lord, &c.]
That is, the new Moons, the firſt dayes of every monethmonth: theſe were appointed to be kept as ſolemn feſtivals, then did they blow with the ſilver trumpets in the Sanctuary, chap. 10. 10. Alſo in the day of your gladneſſe, and in your ſol…mn dayes, and in the beginning of your moneths, ye ſhall blow with th… trumpets, &c. then did they repair to the prophets or other miniſters of God to hear his word, 2. Kings 4. 29. Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day (ſaith the Shunamites husband to her, when ſhe would go to the Prophet Eliſha) It is neither new moon, nor Sabbath; then alſo they kept religious feaſts, 1. Sam. 5. 6. And David ſaid unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I ſhould not fail to ſit with the King at meat, &c. neither was it lawfull to buy or ſell or do other worldly work on thoſe dayes, Amos 8. 5. When will the new moon be gone, that we may ſell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may ſet forth wheat▪ &c. Now theſe new moons were thus ordained to be ſolemnized, firſt, that they might be put in mind to be thankfull for Gods mercy in that change of times and ſeaſons, the mediate cauſe of many bleſſings; and the remembrance of this mercy God would have kept at the new of the moon rather then at her full, when ſhe ſhined in her full brightneſſe, becauſe then there was leſſe danger of being taken ſo with the glorie of that creature as not to aſcend higher to the admiration of God the Creatour; whence is that expreſſion which Job uſeth, chap. 31. 26, 27. If I beheld the ſunne when it ſhined, or the moon walking in her brightneſſe, and my heart hath been ſecretly enticed, or my mouth hath kiſſed my hand, &c. It was the glory of the moon ſhining in her brightneſſe that drew the heathens to worſhip the moon; and to prevent this danger God would have the memoriall of his mercy in ordering the change of moons and ſeaſons to be kept not at the full but at the new of the moon: ſecondly▪ that the renewing of the moon (which borroweth her light of the ſunne) might be obſerved as a figure or ſhadow of the Churches renovation by Chriſt, the ſunne of righteouſneſſe, Mal. 4. 2. whereby every true Chriſtian doth put off the old man with his deeds, and put on th… new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, Col. 3. 9, 10. whence is that of the Apoſtle, Col. 2. 16, 17. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in reſpect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath dayes, which are a ſhadow of things to come, but the body is of Chriſt: And thirdly, that as of every day, ſo of every monethmonth they might conſecrate the firſt unto the Lords ſervice.
Verſ. 17. And in the fifteenth day of this monethmonth is the feaſt.]
To wit, of unleavened bread, Levit. 23. 6. where ſee all the notes on the ſolemnities of this feaſt.
Verſ. 24. After this manner ye ſhall offer daily throughout the ſeven dayes, &c.]
That is, upon every one of the ſeven dayes of this feaſt. But beſides theſe ſacrifices upon the ſixteenth day of the monethmonth, which was the next day after the firſt ſolemn day of the feaſt, there was alſo a lamb offered for a burnt-offering, together with the wave-ſheaf or omer. See Levit. 23. 12. and the notes thereon.
Verſ. 26. Alſo in the day of the firſt-fruits, when ye bring a new meat-offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, &c.]
Called the feast of Pentecost, Acts 2. 1. when they offered two loaves of their new corn; and it was ſeven weeks, or fifty dayes after the Paſſeover, Levit. 23. 15, 16.
Verſ. 27. Two young bullocks, one ramme, ſeven lambs of the firſt year.]
Theſe and the reſt following are here added to the feaſt over and beſide thoſe ſeven lambs, one bullock, a…d two rammes which were offered with the firſt-fruits, Lev. 23. 28. concerning which ſee the notes there.