Read Numbers 29 at Bible Gateway.
Look at the Hebrew paragraphs for chapter 29! They include a surprising detail that might be easy to miss on the first glance:
29:1-6 {s} Offerings for the Feast of Trumpets
29:7-11 {s} Offerings for the Day of Atonement
29:12-16 {s} Offerings for the 1st day of Tabernacles (13)
29:17-19 {s} Offerings for the 2nd day of Tabernacles (12)
29:20-22 {s} Offerings for the 3rd day of Tabernacles (11)
29:23-25 {s} Offerings for the 4th day of Tabernacles (10)
29:26-28 {s} Offerings for the 5th day of Tabernacles (9)
29:29-31 {s} Offerings for the 6th day of Tabernacles (8)
29:32-34 {s} Offerings for the 7th day of Tabernacles (7) = 70
29:35-40 {p} Offerings for the 8th day following Tabernacles (1)
Notice that by the end of the week of Tabernacles, Israel has brought seventy offerings? Seventy is a spiritually significant number recurring throughout the Bible. When the same idea keeps appearing in different places and contexts, Scripture is using the tool of Common Theme to teach us something important.
Seventy of Noah’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are listed in Genesis 10—the very ones who became the fathers of the nations (“…and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood,” Gen 10:32).
Seventy persons from Jacob went down into Egypt (“All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons,” Exo 1:5).
And Moses declared in the Song of Moses, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel,” (Deu 32:8).
The week-long Feast of Tabernacles was Israel’s greatest harvest feast of the year, filled with the greatest rejoicing. And right in the middle of that joyful celebration, Israel—as God’s chosen priesthood nation (Exo 19:5-6)—brought seventy offerings, one for each of the nations of the world.
WHY THIS MATTERS.
Can you imagine what that means?! The covenant with God may have begun with Israel, but it was never meant to stay confined to Israel alone! From the very beginning, God’s blessing was meant to flow outward from Israel to every family, tribe, tongue, and nation on earth (Gen 12:3).
In the last days, the mountain of YHVH’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains … and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHVH … that He may teach us His ways.’” Isa 2:2-3
TEACHING TOOLS.
Hebrew paragraphs, Common Theme
RESOURCES.
Feasts of YHVH Index of studies – Christine Miller
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