Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

on the Whole Bible

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)

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N U M B E R S

CHAP. XXIX.

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This chapter appoints the offerings that were to be made by fire unto

the Lord in the three great solemnities of the seventh month.

I. In the feast of trumpets on the first day of that month,

ver. 1-6.

II. In the day of atonement on the tenth day,

ver. 7-11.

III. In the feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day and the seven

days following,

ver. 12-38.

And then the conclusion of these ordinances,

ver. 39, 40.

Solemnities of the Seventh Month.	B. C. 1452.

     

1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye

shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it

is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

  2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto

the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the

first year without blemish:

  3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil,

three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

  4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

  5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an

atonement for you:

  6 Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat

offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering,

and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a

sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

  7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an

holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not

do any work therein:

  8 But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a

sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of

the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:

  9 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil,

three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,

  10 A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven

lambs:

  11 One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin

offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the

meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.

     

There were more sacred solemnities in the seventh month than in any

other month of the year, not only because it had been the first month

till the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (which, falling in the

month Abib, occasioned that to be thenceforth made the beginning of

the months in all ecclesiastical computations), but because still

it continued the first month in the civil reckonings of the jubilees

and years of release, and also because it was the time of vacation

between harvest and seedtime, when they had most leisure to attend the

sanctuary, which intimates that, though God will dispense with

sacrifices in consideration of works of necessity and mercy, yet the

more leisure we have from the pressing occasions of this life the more

time we should spend in the immediate service of God.

1. We have here the appointment of the sacrifices that were to be

offered on the first day of the month, the day of blowing the

trumpets, which was a preparative for the two great solemnities of

holy mourning on the day of atonement and of holy joy in the feast of

tabernacles. The intention of divine institutions is well answered when

one religious service helps to fit us for another and all for heaven.

The blowing of the trumpets was appointed,

Lev. xxiii. 24.

Here the people are directed what sacrifices to offer on that day, of

which there was not then any mention made. Note, Those who would know

the mind of God in the scripture must compare one part of the scripture

with another, and put those parts together that have reference to the

same thing, for the latter discoveries of divine light explain what was

dark and supply what was defective in the former, that the man of

God may be perfect. The sacrifices then to be offered are

particularly ordered here

(v. 2-6),

and care taken that these should not supersede the daily oblation and

that of the new moon. It is hereby intimated that we must not seek

occasions to abate our zeal in God’s service, nor be glad of an excuse

to omit a good duty, but rather rejoice in an opportunity of

accumulating and doing more than ordinary in religion. If we perform

family-worship, we must not think that this will excuse us from our

secret devotions; nor that on the days we go to church we need not

worship God alone and with our families; but we should always abound

in the work of the Lord.

2. On the day of atonement. Besides all the services of that

day, which we had the institution of,

Lev. xvi.,

and which, one would think, required trouble and charge enough, here

are burnt-offerings ordered to be offered,

v. 8-10.

For in our faith and repentance, those two great gospel graces which

were signified by that day’s performances, we must have an eye to the

glory and honour of God, which was purely intended in the

burnt-offerings; there was likewise to be a kid of the goats for a

sin-offering, besides the great sin-offering of atonement

(v. 11),

which intimates that there are so many defects and faults, even in the

exercises and expressions of our repentance, that we have need of an

interest in a sacrifice to expiate the guilt even of that part of our

holy things. Though we must not repent that we have repented, yet we

must repent that we have not repented better. It likewise intimated the

imperfection of the legal sacrifices, and their insufficiency to take

away sin, that on the very day the sin-offering of atonement was

offered, yet there must be another sin-offering. But what the law

could not do, in that it was weak, that Christ has done.

     

12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have

an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall

keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:

  13 And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by

fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks,

two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be

without blemish:

  14 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with

oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen

bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams,

  15 And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs:

  16 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the

continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink

offering.

  17 And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young

bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without

spot:

  18 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  19 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the

continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and

their drink offerings.

  20 And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen

lambs of the first year without blemish;

  21 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  22 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual

burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

  23 And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen

lambs of the first year without blemish:

  24 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  25 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the

continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink

offering.

  26 And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen

lambs of the first year without spot:

  27 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  28 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual

burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

  29 And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and

fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

  30 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  31 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual

burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

  32 And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and

fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

  33 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according

to their number, after the manner:

  34 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual

burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

  35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall

do no servile work therein:

  36 But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by

fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram,

seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

  37 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the

bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to

their number, after the manner:

  38 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual

burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

  39 These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts,

beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt

offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink

offerings, and for your peace offerings.

  40 And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that

the LORD commanded Moses.

     

Soon after the day of atonement, that day in which men were to afflict

their souls, followed the feast of tabernacles, in which they were to

rejoice before the Lord; for those that sow in tears shall soon

reap in joy. To the former laws about this feast, which we had,

Lev. xxiii. 34,

&c., here are added directions about the offerings by

fire, which they were to offer unto the Lord during the seven

days of that feast,
Lev. xxiii. 36.

Observe here,

1. Their days of rejoicing were to be days of sacrifices. A disposition

to be cheerful does us no harm, nor is any bad symptom, when it is so

far from unfitting us for the duties of God’s immediate service that it

encourages and enlarges our hearts in them.

2. All the days of their dwelling in booths they must offer sacrifices.

While we are here in a tabernacle-state, it is our interest as well as

duty constantly to keep up communion with God; nor will the

unsettledness of our outward condition excuse us in our neglect of the

duties of God’s worship.

3. The sacrifices for each of the seven days, though differing in

nothing but the number of the bullocks, are severally and particularly

appointed, which yet is no vain repetition; for God would thus teach

them to be very exact in those observances, and to keep an eye of faith

fixed upon the institution in every day’s work. It likewise intimates

that the repetition of the same services, if performed with an upright

heart, and with a continued fire of pious and devout affection, is no

weariness to God, and therefore we ought not to snuff at it, or to say,

Behold, what a weariness it is to us!

4. The number of bullocks (which were the most costly part of the

sacrifice) decreased every day. On the first day of the feast they

were to offer thirteen, on the second day but twelve, on the third day

eleven, &c. So that on the seventh they offered seven; and the last

day, though it was the great day of the feast, and celebrated with a

holy convocation, yet they were to offer but one bullock; and, whereas

on all the other days they offered two rams and fourteen lambs, on this

they offered but one ram and seven lambs. Such was the will of the

Law-maker, and that is reason enough for the law. Some suggest that God

herein considered the infirmity of the flesh, which is apt to grudge

the charge and expense of religion; it is therefore ordered to grow

less and less, that they might not complain as if God had made them

to serve with an offering,
Isa. xliii. 23.

Or it is hereby intimated to them that the legal dispensation should

wax old, and vanish away at last; and the multitude of their sacrifices

should end in one great sacrifice, infinitely more worthy than all of

them. It was on the last day of the feast, after all these sacrifices

had been ordered, that our Lord Jesus stood and cried to those who

still thirsted after righteousness (being sensible of the insufficiency

of these sacrifices to justify them) to come unto him and drink,
John vii. 37.

5. The meat-offerings and drink-offerings attended all the sacrifices,

according to their number, after the manner. Be there ever so

much flesh, it is no feast without bread and drink, therefore these

must never be omitted at God’s altar, which was his table. We must not

think that doing much in religion will be accepted if we do not do it

well, and after the manner that God has appointed.

6. Every day there must be a sin-offering presented, as we observed in

the other feasts. Our burnt-offerings of praise cannot be accepted of

God unless we have an interest in the great sacrifice of propitiation

which Christ offered when for us he made himself a sin-offering.

7. Even when all these sacrifices were offered, yet the continual

burnt-offering must not be omitted either morning or evening, but each

day this must be offered first in the morning and last in the evening.

No extraordinary services should jostle out our stated devotions.

8. Though all these sacrifices were required to be presented by the

body of the congregation, at the common charge, yet, besides these,

particular persons were to glorify God with their vows and their

free-will offerings,

v. 39.

When God commanded that this they must do, he left room for the

generosity of their devotion, a great deal more they might do,

not inventing other worships, but abounding in these, as

2 Chron. xxx. 23, 24.

Large directions had been given in Leviticus concerning the offerings

of all sorts that should be brought by particular persons according to

the providences of God concerning them and the graces of God in them.

Though every Israelite had an interest in these common sacrifices, yet

he must not think that these will serve instead of his vows and his

free-will offerings. Thus our ministers’ praying with us and for us

will not excuse us from praying for ourselves.

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)

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