Why is wine used as a drink offering in Numbers 28:7? Text of Numbers 28:7 “And the drink offering with it shall be a quarter hin of fermented drink poured out to the LORD in the sacred place.” Position of the Drink Offering in the Daily “Tamid” Sacrifice The lambs of Numbers 28:3–8 were offered twice daily, morning and twilight. Together with grain and salt, the wine formed the third element. Whereas the animal symbolized substitutionary atonement (blood), and the grain symbolized sustenance (bread), the wine symbolized joy and covenant fellowship. The trio supplied a miniature, daily covenant meal between Israel and Yahweh. Why Wine Rather Than Water, Oil, or Milk? • Biblically, wine uniquely “gladdens the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15) and even “cheers God and men” (Judges 9:13). Joy and celebration, not mere hydration, were in view. • Fermented wine is the product of cultivated vines, seasonal labor, and human stewardship—an offering of culture, not merely nature. • Its costly production made it a sacrifice of value (2 Samuel 24:24). • Fermentation represents transformation, prefiguring the new life given through redemption (John 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Historical and Cultural Context of Wine in the Ancient Near East Bronze-Age winepresses unearthed at Tel Kabri and Ekron (14C-dated to c. 1700 BC and 8th century BC) confirm large-scale viticulture in Canaan during and before the Exodus era. Amphorae stamped lmlk (“belonging to the king”) from Hezekiah’s reign stored wine for temple use, matching the biblical requirement (2 Chronicles 31:5). The ubiquitous presence of vineyards in the hill country (Deuteronomy 8:8) made wine an accessible yet significant commodity for national worship. Consistent Mosaic Pattern The drink offering appears first in Exodus 29:40, repeated in Leviticus 23:13 and Numbers 15:5-10. Each retains the quarter-hin measure (≈ 0.9 liters) for a lamb, one-third for a ram, one-half for a bull. The unchanging ratios underscore divine precision, coherence, and inspiration across Pentateuchal texts—an internal manuscript harmony corroborated by the Nash Papyrus (2nd cent. BC) and 4QEx-Lev-Num manuscripts from Qumran, which preserve the same proportions. Contrast with Pagan Libations Ugaritic tablets (KTU 1.39) describe libations to Baal in order to awaken the deity. Israel’s drink offering, by stark contrast, acknowledges an already living, covenant-keeping God who “neither sleeps nor slumbers” (Psalm 121:4). Thus the same cultural form is re-purposed to reveal true theology while exposing idolatry. Theological Symbolism a. Covenant Blood Parallel – Wine, crimson like blood, pointed to atonement without requiring additional slaughter. b. Joyful Fellowship – The daily pour-out invited worshipers to envision shared table fellowship with Yahweh (cf. Melchizedek’s bread and wine, Genesis 14:18). c. Whole-Life Devotion – Because the wine was entirely “poured out,” nothing was retained for priestly consumption, illustrating total consecration (Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6). Christological Fulfillment Jesus intentionally chose wine at the Last Supper: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). By doing so, He claimed to be the ultimate drink offering, poured out once for all (Hebrews 9:23-28). The daily tamid pointed forward to the once-for-all tamid (“continual”) High Priest (Hebrews 7:27). Practical Lessons for Worship Today • Joy is integral to worship; sterile ritualism misses the biblical pulse. • Physical gifts (time, skill, resources) are appropriate tokens of gratitude. • Believers are exhorted to offer themselves as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1), echoing the poured-out wine. Summary Answer Wine is used in Numbers 28:7 because it embodies joy, covenant fellowship, costly devotion, and foreshadows the redemptive shedding of Christ’s blood. Its daily outpouring integrated Israel’s agriculture, economy, and worship into a single sacred rhythm, pointing forward to the Messiah and inviting God’s people—then and now—to a life of wholehearted, joyful surrender. |
    |