Numbers 29
“On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, 2 and you shall offer a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; 3 also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah[a] for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4 and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
7 “On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work, 8 but you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old: see that they are without blemish. 9 And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, 10 a tenth for each of the seven lambs: 11 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
12 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days. 13 And you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; 14 and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, 15 and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
17 “On the second day twelve bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 18 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 19 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
20 “On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 21 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 22 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
23 “On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 24 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 25 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
26 “On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 27 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 28 also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
29 “On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 30 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 31 also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings.
32 “On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 33 with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 34 also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
35 “On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work, 36 but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish, 37 and the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 38 also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
39 “These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, in addition to your vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.”
40 So Moses told the people of Israel everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses
Hebrews 9 ~ According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper (why Jesus became our Savior)
We have been told so many times, because of the 3 centuries of persecution - coining the word traitor - men were tortured to death to give up Scripture to be destroyed. And we have things like the Ryland Papyrus - not only the words assuring us this was written before the sacrifices (70 A D the natural death of Jesus in the destruction of Jerusalem) but the carbon dating.We all would like to be the eyes who have beheld the wonders of the Bible. In the Arch of Titus we see the carved mosaics of the Temple Tools (minus the Ark which Jeremiah hid on Mt. Nebo in Macabees). This is the closest thing we have to a photo of the Second Temple during the time of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9
9 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent[tabernacle] was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
The last time we looked at the ninth chapter of Hebrews, it was a detailed look at the whole chapter.
Hebrews 9:26 ~ He has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself - once and for all
We begin at the top (the Heavens and worship), a God Plan and move to the most holy objects. Judeo-Christians today and at the time Hebrews was written - have something in common - we all would like nothing more than to find Benjamin Netanyahu was right in asking the Vatican - does the Vatican hold one of the Temple Tools from the First Temple. (And it is not going to be the Ark because Maccabees tells us Jeremiah hid the Ark at Mount Nebo and the Arch of Titus does not record the Ark being recovered.)During the first Exodus, The LORD, The Almighty invited Aaron into the Holy of Holies for the first time when his sons died imperfectly and selfishly offering sacrifices. God invited Aaron in to sprinkle blood around for the first time. Why? To say we can come into God's home and we will never be as Holy as He is. And yet He gives us the invitation to be in relationship with Him.
The Table you see here is the Bread of the Presence
There is an interesting story about the Ark written in one of the ancient Talmuds. The Talmud is not the Word of God - it is the Sanhedrin Council and their musings of God. Going back to the time when it wasn't even called the Sanhedrin Council. That the Ark Cherubim moved to face each other when times were good and moved away from each other when Israel fell from His grace. Yet we miss the point and it is a good point - God told David He did not dwell in a Temple - but the Ark is a Mercy Seat. Meaning God is so comfortable and at home in His Temple that He has a seat there. It tells us about God.
Then the next paragraph is about the day to day dealing of the Priests who get so comfortable in the Temple - like John the Baptist's father Zechariah - when the Angel Gabriel appeared, in Luke 1, Zechariah decides to question Gabriel rather than grab hold of the horns of the altar for mercy. Now. Doesn't the second paragraph bring home an analogy to us. We all get so caught up in the life we see and hear - we forget to be in awe of what God brings us.
Which brings us to the 3rd paragraph. Jesus Christ Unblemished as our LORD and Savior. We get to turning on the television at night and reading liberal far out things forgetting the absolute Holiness of GOD. Would you turn on that program if you Know Jesus is sitting with you?
Which brings you to the fourth paragraph. If you believe Jesus died for you - a sinner - you believe in the New Covenant. Which means you believe the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you.
And the fifth paragraph.
1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Sixth paragraph
1 Timothy 1:15
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Rejoice, Rejoice. The Scriptures use this word over 200 hundred times.
Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
Hebrews 6:18-20
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Today, Lord Jesus, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In our lives. In our families. In our Churches. In our workplaces. In our cities. In the Nation. Bless us as we begin the season of Lent. So very somber. Good Friday is coming. But we are the Easter People. And because of You we are redeemed. Amen.
<><