20 June 2014

EJ&T: Exodus 29:38-46: Sacrifice to God two lambs each day, one in the morning and one in the evening.

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

  1. Sacrifice to God two first-year lambs each day, one in the morning and one in the evening.
  2. Kill two lambs each day (one in the morning and one in the evening) as a sacrifice to God.

    Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: Exodus 29:38-39
    Add a tenth deal of flower mixed with a quarter hin of oil and a quarter hin of wine. These meat and drink offerings will be offerings of fire that will smell good to God.
    And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Exodus 29:40-41
    Do these sacrifices every day at the door of the tabernacle, from one generation to the next--forever. God will meet and speak with you at each morning and evening sacrifice. These sacrifices will make the tabernacle, altar, and priests holy. God will be your God and live with you.
    This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God. Exodus 29:42-46

    This commandment is repeated in Numbers 28, with a few slight differences.

    Unlike in Exodus 29, the lambs must be unblemished.

    Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even. Numbers 28:2-4

    Also, the flour should be a tenth of an ephah rather than a tenth of a deal. (Although apparently they are the same amount.) And the quarter hin of wine must be "strong" in Numbers 28, whereas its strength is unspecified in Exodus 29.

    And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the Lord for a drink offering. And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. Numbers 28:5-8

    And then there's this from First Chronicles:

    Offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening. 1 Chronicles 16:40

1 comment:

Stephen said...

Sounds like the priests and their friends got lamb twice a day! Not a bad gig.
Steve Weeks