Numbers 29:14 –
Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams,
This chapter was very repetitive as it laid out what was to be done on the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Festival of Shelters. Basically it was a straight forward list of what was to be sacrificed and how. I talked about the pleasing aroma the other day and how it’s more for us to be pleasing to God and not just to please God’s sense of smell. But when I read this one thing I notice is the way they prepare the offering. If you think about it, slitting the throat of a lamb and tossing it on the fire really would not produce a pleasing smell. Burnt hair, blood boiling and bowls cooking would stink and definitely not be pleasing to anyone.
Notice that most, if not all, of the descriptions of offerings include preparation with grain and olive oil. So it’s like they are offering a meal and not just a lamb. Then I wonder what is done with the meat afterwards? Is it consumed by the Lord’s fire or by the Levites as their sustenance? I assume the latter since they have no “portion” of land to produce anything and their job is to focus on God’s needs. I know some of the uses of the offerings are spelled out but not all. Some are defined to be eaten while others like this are not clear.
You will notice in all these offerings do not preclude the daily sin offering. These sin offering continue throughout the special offerings. We know Jesus ended the sin offering with his death on the cross, but what about the others? Or are they now substituted with the church wide pot luck? Now our offerings are usually in cash to the church which are used to support the operation, much like the Levites were supported by the community with their offerings of grain and lambs. In essence this system is still in effect, only no blood and guts of the sacrificial lambs.