How does Numbers 28:31 connect to the sacrificial system in Leviticus? Setting the Scene Numbers 28 catalogs Israel’s calendar sacrifices; Leviticus 1–7 lays out the individual offerings. Numbers 28:31 ties the two together, showing that the festival offerings do not replace—but build upon—the foundational sacrifices described in Leviticus. Numbers 28:31—A Quick Look “Prepare these together with their drink offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. They are an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” (Numbers 28:31) • “Prepare these” – the special Feast-of-Weeks animals (Numbers 28:26-30) • “Drink offerings…grain offering” – supplemental elements from Leviticus 2; Leviticus 23:13 • “In addition to” – festival worship never cancels daily worship • “Aroma pleasing to the LORD” – identical language to Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2 Echoes from Leviticus: The Building Blocks 1. Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1) • Whole animal consumed, symbolizing total consecration • Repeated phrase: “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9) 2. Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) • Fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense • Also called “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 2:2) 3. Drink Offering • Detailed in Numbers 15:5-10 but assumed in Levites’ ritual language • Poured wine, completing the food-and-drink picture of fellowship Numbers 28:31 brings all three under one line, presuming the reader already knows their meaning from Leviticus. Key Connections • Structure: Leviticus defines the “what” and “how”; Numbers 28 tells the “when” and “how often.” • Continuity: The phrase “in addition to the regular burnt offering” shows the Levitical daily sacrifices (Leviticus 6:8-13) remain the baseline even on feast days. • Aroma Motif: “Pleasing aroma” links every offering back to the foundational teaching that God accepts substitutionary sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11). • Completeness: Burnt (meat), grain (bread), and drink (wine) offerings together form a full covenant meal (cf. Leviticus 23:13; Numbers 15:5-7). Why the Addition Matters • Emphasizes constant access to God—daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly patterns all coexist. • Prevents festival excitement from eclipsing daily devotion; regular burnt offerings anchor Israel’s worship rhythm. • Highlights God’s unchanging standard: every approach still requires atonement, consecration, and fellowship as first defined in Leviticus. • Prepares the theological groundwork for Christ as the perfect, once-for-all offering (Hebrews 10:1-10) while still making room for ongoing “spiritual sacrifices” of praise (1 Peter 2:5). Threads of Continuity into the New Testament • Romans 12:1 echoes the burnt offering—“present your bodies as a living sacrifice…pleasing to God.” • Philippians 2:17 references the drink offering—Paul is “poured out like a drink offering.” • Hebrews 13:15-16 combines praise and service as “sacrifices pleasing to God,” showing that the Levitical categories find fulfillment in Christ and the believer’s continual worship. By tying festival sacrifices back to the daily Levitical pattern, Numbers 28:31 teaches that special moments with God never stand alone; they rest on the steady foundation of ongoing, atoning, and pleasing sacrifice—ultimately realized in the finished work of Jesus. |
    |