What is the meaning of Numbers 28:16? The fourteenth day - “On the fourteenth day…” (Numbers 28:16) pinpoints a precise moment, not an approximate season. - God’s calendar is intentional. Exodus 12:6 shows the lamb was slain “at twilight on the fourteenth day,” underscoring a divinely fixed timetable. - Jesus fulfilled this exact timing: He embraced the cross during Passover week (Luke 22:13–15), revealing that every detail of Israel’s ritual looked ahead to Him. of the first month - The Israelites used a sacred calendar that began with their deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12:2). Passover sits at the head of the year, rooting the nation’s identity in redemption. - By beginning the year with salvation history, the Lord teaches us that life is meant to flow from redemption first, then everything else (2 Corinthians 5:17). is the LORD’s - The feast was not Israel’s invention; it belonged to the Lord Himself (Leviticus 23:5). Ownership means authority: only He can define how Passover is observed. - This “belonging” language points to a future fulfillment in Christ, who is called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). God both institutes and supplies the sacrifice (Genesis 22:8). - 1 Corinthians 5:7: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” The title affirms that salvation is God’s work from start to finish. Passover - Passover commemorates the night judgment “passed over” the blood-covered homes (Exodus 12:13). - Key elements: - A spotless lamb (Exodus 12:5) - Blood applied (Exodus 12:7) - Deliverance from slavery (Exodus 12:31-32) - Each thread finds fulfillment in Jesus: - Spotless Lamb: 1 Peter 1:18-19 - Blood applied to believers’ hearts: Romans 5:9 - Deliverance from sin’s bondage: John 8:36 - Passover is thus both memorial and prophecy: remembering Egypt while foreshadowing Calvary. summary Numbers 28:16 sets Passover on a specific day in the first month, declares it the Lord’s own feast, and anchors Israel’s year in redemption. Every facet—from the precise date to the name “Passover”—prophetically anticipates Christ, the true Lamb whose blood secures eternal deliverance for all who trust Him. |