The details of the sacrifices and offerings are continued in this chapter.
The feast of trumpets (v1-6) was to be celebrated on the first day of the seventh month and they were to call a large gathering of the people. It was a day of blowing trumpets. They were commanded to offer a burnt offering to the Lord of a young bull, a ram and seven first year lambs all without blemish. A grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil apportioned by the Lord also a kid of the goats as a sin offering to make atonement. This was besides the burnt offering and grain offering for the New Moon and the regular daily offering.
On the tenth day of the seventh month (v7-11) they were to call a large assembly for the Day of Atonement. It was not a day of rejoicing, rather the opposite, they were ‘to afflict their souls’ and not do any work. It seems that this means to reflect on their sin and display deeds of repentance. They were commanded to present a burnt offering to the Lord involving a young bull, a ram and seven first year lambs, all without blemish together with the usual grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. A kid of the goats was also to be offered as the sin offering for atonement. Once again this was in addition to the regular daily offering.
The seventh month was a busy month, on the fifteenth day they were to call a large assembly and do no work. This was the Feast of Tabernacles (v12-39) and was to be kept for seven days. They were to present on the first day a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen first year lambs, without blemish. The usual grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil as apportioned by the Lord. On the second day twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen first year lambs and so on reducing the number of bulls by one each day through to the seventh day when the would be seven bulls. All these with the usual grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. On each day, the young goat was to be offered as the sin offering. On the eighth day they were to hold a sacred assembly and do no work. On that day they were to offer by fire, a bull, a ram and seven first year lambs without blemish and the grain offerings mixed with oil as apportioned as well as the goat as a sin offering. Each of these days’ offerings were in addition to the daily offerings, and also their vowed and free will offerings at the appointed feasts – burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and peace offerings.
It is clear that there was a huge number of animals to be sacrificed especially during the Feast of Tabernacles as this was a celebration of God’s goodness to them since they left Egypt and shows how God had provided for them even in the wilderness.
Moses was obedient in telling the people (v40) especially the meaning of the atonement, but it came at a cost, over 1000 lambs, and other animals, lots of fine flour and around 1000 bottles of oil. However, none of them were sufficient to take away sins, it took the sacrifice of Jesus, to whom it all pointed, as the one, sufficient sacrifice for all our sins.
