Numbers 28 – 30
Verse 28:2 starts off a string of offerings:
Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’
The “offering” is something I get to help feed the Levites, but think of the numbers that this would generate. If all 12 tribes of Israel offered 1 lamb in the morning and one in the evening, the priests would have an excess and that does not seem logical. Notice they only talk about a pleasing aroma and not actual food for God, which tells me this “daily offering” is to feed the priests. Again if everyone did this they would have 1.2 million dead lambs every day for food. That seems a bit much.
I look at “offerings” today and it’s much different since we no longer provide meals for our preachers, but rather cash so they can survive. If there is excess much of it is used to “further the kingdom” so I wonder if the excess is used in that way. Also, if you think about the numbers, how do they keep the supply continuous? That would mean the people would have to have a few billion sheep since they stay pregnant for 5 months, so to keep the herd supplying food and sacrifices would also require an immense amount of land.
The “Food Offering” could be for daily consumption and not for the Levite priests also, the scriptures are not clear of where the food goes, because I can image God eating 1.2 million lambs when he does not have a body that needs food to begin with. Sometimes I ask too many questions and go down some rabbit trails trying to figure out the logic and purpose for the sacrifice.
Chapter 28 and 29 are devoted to the offerings required by God for each special event. It goes into each holiday and what the sacrifices are for each. This does not get into other offerings and sacrifices for sins, blessings and the like. It seems like the priests of the day were more butchers than ministering to the people.
Verse 30:2 shifts and starts talking about vows:
If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
I have seen this change over the decades where a “man’s word” meant something to the point where you wonder if it means anything today. Today the theme is more CYA (Cover Your Ass) that doing what you said. Now in the business world this is a problem in more ways than one. The boss makes a unrealistic promise and the “underlings” need to ensure this happens. Now the “underlings” were never consulted on how long or if something could be done, so they become bitter and see how a promise is a burden on them.
On and on this goes to the point where we are making promises to our children and not keeping them due to business obligations. Is it a problem with our word, or with an over stimulated society. Think of the responsibilities and duties then verse today. I am not saying they did not have crises’ and problems, but today we overload our schedules to the point where there is no down time. The car, the cell, the internet and the like have improved our ability to do more in less time that instead of more leisure like the “dream” we overload with more things. And when traffic ties us up or the internet goes down our lives are put in a “tail spin”!