What is the significance of wine in Numbers 28:14's offerings? Text Under Consideration “‘Their drink offerings are to be half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram, and a quarter of a hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year.’ ” (Numbers 28:14) Context Within Numbers 28–29 Numbers 28–29 lays out Israel’s public sacrificial calendar: the daily tamid, Sabbath, New Moon, and festival offerings. Wine appears in every tier of this schedule as the required “drink offering” (Hebrew neseḵ). Verse 14 concludes the New-Moon instructions, fixing precise quantities that escalate or diminish in proportion to the animal offered, underscoring divine order and intentionality (cf. Exodus 29:38–41; Leviticus 23:13). Composition of the Drink Offering A hin ≈ 3.8 L (1 gal). Thus: • Bull – ≈1.9 L (½ hin) • Ram – ≈1.3 L (⅓ hin) • Lamb – ≈0.95 L (¼ hin) The wine was poured at the base of the altar (Numbers 15:5–10). It was most likely fermenting grape wine (yayin), not unfermented must (tirosh), matching the common Near-Eastern table beverage. Covenantal Symbolism of Wine 1. Provision: Wine represents the fruitfulness of the Promised Land (“a land… of vines and fig trees,” Deuteronomy 8:7–10). Pouring it back acknowledges God as source (Psalm 104:14–15). 2. Joy: It signals festal gladness (Judges 9:13); dedicating it teaches that true joy is surrendered to YHWH. 3. Blood-Analogy: Crimson wine visually parallels life-blood, preparing Israel to grasp substitutionary atonement and foreshadowing Messiah’s “blood of the covenant” (Exodus 24:8; Matthew 26:27-28). Life-Poured-Out Motif and Foreshadowing of Messiah Paul interprets his impending martyrdom through this lens: “I am already being poured out like a drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6). Jesus fulfills the type when He “poured out His soul to death” (Isaiah 53:12) and identified the cup with His blood (Luke 22:20). Thus, Numbers 28:14 prefigures the ultimate outpouring at Calvary and the ongoing Eucharistic remembrance. Joy and Thanksgiving At New Moon—the beginning of the civil month—the nation consecrated time itself. Wine’s inclusion marks each new onset with celebratory gratitude. This counters pagan lunar fears; Israel’s calendar starts with worshipful delight rather than superstition (cf. Colossians 2:16). Liturgical Function and Daily Worship Rhythm Wine unified the triad of offerings: burnt (dedication), grain (sustenance), drink (gladness). Together they rendered whole-person devotion—body (burnt), labor (grain), emotion (wine). The monthly repetition catechized the populace in holistic worship. Comparative Ancient Near-Eastern Use of Wine Ugaritic texts (14th cent. BC) show kings pouring wine to Baal. Scripture co-opts the form while rejecting idolatry, declaring YHWH alone as rightful recipient (Deuteronomy 32:38). This apologetically demonstrates continuity of practice yet exclusivity of Israel’s God. Archaeological Corroboration • Tel Kabri (Northern Israel) unearthed 40 wine-filled amphorae (c. 17th cent. BC), proving large-scale viticulture pre-Conquest. • Khirbet Qeiyafa (10th cent. BC) yielded a stone‐lined press, matching biblical viticulture. These finds validate the plausibility of the quantities mandated in Numbers 28:14 for a young agrarian Israel. New Testament Continuity Wine endures in Christian worship: “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Hebrews 8:5 notes that Mosaic ritual “serves as a copy and shadow” of the heavenly reality; therefore, the drink offering anticipates the communion cup, where celebration, covenant, and sacrifice converge. Practical Theological Implications 1. Stewardship: All produce, including luxury items, belongs to God. 2. Celebration: Believers should rejoice before the Lord with temperance, not asceticism nor excess (Ephesians 5:18). 3. Witness: The regular, joyful rhythms of worship testify to a Creator who provides both bread and wine (John 2:1-11 shows Jesus endorsing this goodness). Summary Wine in Numbers 28:14 is not an incidental accompaniment but a divinely ordained symbol of provision, joy, and life poured out. It integrates Israel’s calendar with worship, prefigures Christ’s atoning blood, and continues to instruct believers in grateful, holistic devotion to the Creator and Redeemer. |
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