What does the "drink offering" symbolize in Numbers 15:10, and why is it significant? The Passage at a Glance “and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” (Numbers 15:10) What the Drink Offering Is • An accompaniment: always poured out alongside a burnt or grain offering (Numbers 28:7). • Pure wine: symbol of the best produce of the land (Leviticus 23:13). • Entirely surrendered: the wine was not sipped; it was poured out in its entirety on the altar (Exodus 29:41). Layers of Symbolism 1. Whole-hearted devotion • Just as the wine was emptied, the worshiper acknowledged that every drop of life belongs to God (cf. Psalm 24:1). 2. Joyful fellowship • Wine in Scripture pictures gladness (Psalm 104:15). The fragrance rising with the burnt offering spoke of joyful communion with God. 3. Celebration of covenant bounty • Pouring out the “fruit of the vine” testified that God had given His people a fruitful land (Deuteronomy 8:7-10). 4. Foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice • At the Last Supper the Lord identified the cup with “My blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:27-28). • Paul later wrote, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6), linking the image to a life spent for Christ. Why It Is Significant • It crowned every major sacrifice, adding the note of joy to atonement and dedication. • It reminded Israel that worship is not reluctant duty but lavish gratitude. • It pointed ahead to the Messiah, whose blood would be poured out once for all (Hebrews 9:14). • It calls believers today to a similar response—glad, total self-offering in thanksgiving for redemption (Romans 12:1). |
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