Which New Testament passages echo the sacrificial themes found in Numbers 28:8? Setting the Foundation: Numbers 28:8 “Offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” Key Sacrificial Motifs to Trace • daily repetition (morning and evening) • an unblemished lamb • grain and drink offerings alongside the lamb • “pleasing aroma” language Christ’s Once-for-All Sacrifice Replaces the Daily Lamb • Hebrews 7:27 – “Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day… He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered Himself.” • Hebrews 10:11-14 – “Day after day every priest stands… But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God… by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being sanctified.” The “Pleasing Aroma” Carried into the New Covenant • Ephesians 5:2 – “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.” • Philippians 4:18 – “The gifts you sent… a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” • 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 – “Through us [God] spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ…” “Drink Offering” Imagery Re-applied • Philippians 2:17 – “Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering…” • 2 Timothy 4:6 – “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The Lamb Revealed • John 1:29 – “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” • 1 Peter 1:19 – “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” • 1 Corinthians 5:7 – “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • Revelation 5:12 – “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain…” Calvary and the Evening Offering • Mark 15:33-37 – Jesus breathes His last about the ninth hour, the normal time of the evening sacrifice. • Luke 23:44-46 – Darkness until the ninth hour, then Jesus yields His spirit. • Acts 3:1 – The apostles still recognize “the hour of prayer, the ninth hour,” showing how the timing of daily offerings lingered in early Christian worship memory. Believers Join the Continual Offering • Romans 12:1 – “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” • Hebrews 13:15-16 – “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise… for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” • 1 Peter 2:5 – “being built… to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” These passages together echo the daily lamb, grain, and drink offerings of Numbers 28:8, showing how their themes—continual dedication, pleasing aroma, and sacrificial pouring out—find their literal fulfillment in Christ and their ongoing expression in the worship and lives of His people. |
    |