Chapter 28

1 Offerings are to be observed. 3 The continual burnt offering. 9 The offering on the sabbath, 11 on the new moons, 16 at the passover, 26 in the day of firstfruits.

1. The Lord spake. The Lord now sets forth His will with respect to certain offerings, those for the daily morning and evening services, for Sabbath days, for new moons.

2. My offering. Heb. qorban, from the root “to approach,” “to draw near,” that is, for a specific purpose. It is used of approaching a judge with a case, of coming to dedicate something, of coming to present an offering. Qorban therefore became a general term for any oblation (see Mark 7:11).

My bread. Literally, “my food.” The Hebrew reads, literally, “my offering, even my bread,” rather than “my offering, and my bread.” The heathen custom of offering food to their gods, presumably to be eaten by them, is a travesty of the custom of presenting the offerings of a repentant people to God as evidence of sorrow for sin and an earnest desire for forgiveness (see DA 28; Lev. 21:6, 8, 17, 21; 22:25; Mal. 1:7).

My sacrifices made by fire. Perhaps this refers particularly to the fat portions burned on the altar.

For a sweet savour. Compare Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; Num. 15:3; etc.

3. The offering made by fire. The “continual”service of the daily sacrifice (see on Ex. 29:38–40) with its promises (vs. 42, 43, 45) is particularly spoken of here.

Without spot. Perfection in the lamb was expressly required and emphasized (Heb. 9:14). This qualification had also been required of other sacrifices (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 1:3; Num. 19:2; 1 Peter 1:19).

A continual burnt offering. An abbreviated form “the daily,” or “continual,” is found in Dan. 8:11–13; 11:31; 12:11. The continual aspect of this offering provided a striking parallel to the Lamb of God, whose one sacrifice is continually effective; He died once for all (Heb. 7:3; 10:12, 14).

4. Offer in the morning. Compare the words of Ps. 5:3, “In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee,” which may originally have implied a sacrifice.

At even. Literally, “between the evenings” (see Ex. 12:6; Num. 9:3).

6. A continual burnt offering. That is, to be offered daily (Ex. 29:42). The continual burnt offering and the “perpetual incense” (Ex. 30:8) were similar to the morning and evening prayers of the Christian.

Ordained in mount Sinai. Literally, “made on Mt. Sinai.” That is where Moses received the sacrificial laws.

7. The drink offering. Also given in Mt. Sinai (Ex. 29:40).

In the holy place. Probably at the base of the altar of burnt offerings, which stood within the court (Ex. 29:42).

The strong wine. Heb. shekar. The drink offering, with this one exception, was made of ordinary wine, yayin. The quantity used for each lamb was about 1 qt. The word shekar is frequently used to denote a drink not made from grapes; it was usually made from grain or honey. For example, in Lev. 10:9, Aaron and his sons, were commanded not to drink yayin or shekar when they prepared to enter the tabernacle. Many commentators would insist that in this instance shekar must refer to the noblest and best wine. The Jewish commentators, by and large, speak of this instance of the use of shekar as excluding wine diluted with water, or as newly pressed wine.

8. The other lamb. That is, the one for the evening sacrifice. The preceding instructions are in regard to the morning lamb, but they apply also to the evening lamb. This sacrifice concluded the day’s offerings, no other being offered after it.

9. On the sabbath day. The Sabbath offering was in addition to the continual daily sacrifices made each weekday. This meant that on the Sabbath day the priests had double duties to perform. This may have been in the mind of the Lord when He said that “the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless” (Matt. 12:5). In later years a song especially for the Sabbath day was sung to accompany the pouring out of the libation (Ps. 92).

Two tenth deals. About 4 qt. With the double burnt offerings on the Sabbath there was also a double portion of such other accessory elements as flour and wine. The command in respect to the drink offering to be presented together with the burnt offering is found in ch. 15:5.

10. Beside. That is, in addition to. The daily sacrifice was not to be omitted because of the additional Sabbath day offerings. The additional offerings enjoined were seven in number (Num. 28:11, 19, 26; 29:35–37).

11. In the beginnings. This may have been given by God to offset the idolatrous celebrations of each new moon, centering of course in the worship of the moon. Silver trumpets were then blown (ch. 10:2, 10). In later years business was suspended on this day (Amos 8:5; 1 Sam. 20:5; Isa. 1:13).

12. Three tenth deals. About 6 dry qt. (6.6 l.).

For a meat offering. For each bullock there was a precise quantity of flour (see ch. 15:9).

Two tenth deals. About 4 dry qt. (4.4 l.), the same as for a ram (ch. 15:6).

13. A several tenth deal. Compare with ch. 15:4. The cereal offering was to accompany each of the seven lambs each of the seven lambs mentioned in v. 11.

14. Their drink offerings. To accompany the various sacrifices.

Every month. At the new moons larger numbers of sacrifices were to be offered, and therefore more attention and work were demanded than was true even of the Sabbath days. Little time or opportunitywould remain for the child of God to be tempted by the idolatrous rites of the surrounding heathen at the times of new moon.

15. One kid of the goats. Compare ch. 15:24.

16. The passover. The only special offering enjoined for the day of the Passover, the 14th of Nisan, was the paschal lamb itself (Ex. 12:6; see also p. 709). This feast had not been observed since Israel left Kadesh-barnea 38 years before.

17. The fifteenth day. The evening of the 14th day was the feast of the Passover (Ex. 12:6, 14). The 15th day was the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6). The paschal lamb was slain late in the afternoon of the 14th, and eaten—together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs—after sunset, that is, on the 15th.

Seven days. Compare Ex. 12:15; 13:6, 7; Lev. 23:6.

18. No manner of servile work. Literally, “any work of tillage.” Any occupation that required laborious work was forbidden (Ex. 12:16; Lev. 23:7, 8).

19. A sacrifice. The particular sacrifice had not been prescribed previously (see Lev. 23:8). The sacrifices appointed are the same as those for the first day of each month (v. 11).

20. Their meat offering. Compare v. 12, where the same appointments were ordained for the first day of each month.

22. One goat. The same as for the new moon (v. 15).

23. Beside. That is, in addition to the daily burnt sacrifice. They were all offered in the morning, subsequent to the daily morning sacrifice.

24. After this manner. All the special offerings listed in vs. 16–25, the same as those for the first day of every month, were thus offered on each day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:5–8).

25. On the seventh day. Compare Ex. 13:6; Lev. 23:7, 8. The first and last days of the feast were identical in their requirements.

26. The day of the firstfruits. This is an unusual phrase. It is also called “the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours” (Ex. 23:16), and “the feast of weeks” at the time of bringing in the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10; see also Lev. 23:15–21).

A new meat offering. Compare Lev. 23:16. The principal feature on this day was the new meal or cereal offering. It consisted of two loaves called the “firstfruits unto the Lord” (Lev. 23:17). These loaves were made of the first-ripe wheat. With these two loaves were offered seven male lambs, one young bullock, two rams, two he-lambs for a peace offering, and one male goat for a sin offering (Lev. 23:18).

After your weeks. That is, the seven weeks numbered from the first day of unleavened bread (Lev. 23:15–21).

28. Meat offering. Compare vs. 12, 20, dealing with the new moon and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

29. A several tenth deal. Compare vs. 13, 21.

30. One kid. In addition to the one offered with the two lambs (Lev. 23:19).

31. Beside. The daily sacrifice was to be offered even though other sacrifices were enjoined (see vs. 10, 15, 23). The importance of the daily sacrifice was not to be held subordinate to the others.