The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
The verse commands a daily burnt offering of one lamb in the morning and another in the evening upon the altar, as part of the sanctuary daily service with its grain offering and incense. The lambs were offered while the priests ministered with incense in the holy place, making morning and evening the set time for worship when the people searched their hearts, confessed sin, and united in prayer toward the sanctuary. The unblemished lambs symbolized daily consecration to God and constant dependence on atoning blood, with blood and incense together pointing to the great Mediator, and the lamb itself represented the death of the Saviour as the Lamb of God for human sin. The morning and evening lambs establish the pattern for honoring God at the opening and close of each day in every house, with the father as priest leading wife and children in prayer and praise. Where this morning and evening worship is kept, prayer ascends as sweet incense, mercies and blessings descend, Jesus loves to tarry, and true prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives victory over temptation.
Daily Sacrifice and Meaning
The verse commands a daily burnt offering of one lamb in the morning and another in the evening on the altar in the court. That morning and evening offering belonged to the daily service of the sanctuary, which also included a grain offering accompanying the regular sacrifices, the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar, and special offerings for individual sins. Additional offerings were made for sabbaths, new moons, and special feasts.
The lambs were offered at the same time the priests entered the holy place to offer incense. Those hours were sacred and became the set time for worship throughout the nation. At that time worshipers assembled, searched their hearts, confessed sin, and united in silent prayer with faces toward the holy place. Their petitions ascended with the incense while faith laid hold on the merits of the promised Saviour prefigured by the atoning sacrifice. Even when scattered as captives in distant lands the people kept the appointed hour, turning toward Jerusalem to pray.
The regular sacrifices with their grain offering symbolized daily consecration to God and constant dependence on atoning blood. The lambs had to be without blemish, representing perfect purity. Sacrifice and incense together accompanied approach to God, and the sacrificial blood and incense symbolized the great Mediator through whom alone repentant believers may receive mercy and salvation.
The lamb represented the Saviour's death. Seeing the innocent victim offered in the temple, Jesus understood that He Himself as the Lamb of God must die for human sin. The morning and evening sacrifices continued during the Passover Sabbath when Jesus lay in the tomb as the antitypical Lamb prefigured by the Passover. His death fulfilled the symbolism of the sacrificial service.
Pattern for Daily Worship
The morning and evening lambs establish the pattern for honoring God at the start and close of each day in every house through sacrifices of prayer and praise. The father acts as priest of the household, laying the morning and evening sacrifice and leading while wife and children unite with him in prayer and praise. In the Christian home those daily offerings are expressed through prayer in the morning and grateful prayer and praise in the evening, with parents praying earnestly and faithfully for their children.
The patriarchs exemplify this regular worship by erecting an altar to the Lord wherever they pitched their tent and offering the morning and evening sacrifice. At Abraham's family altar each member of the household was called to worship God. Abraham's morning and evening sacrifices exemplified regular worship of the living God, and his altars also served as a visible witness so that even the Canaanites recognized who had worshiped there.
Household worship is thanksgiving to God for abundant mercies, for sunshine and rain that cause vegetation to flourish and for the guardianship of holy angels. It is earnest prayer for divine help and guidance and for the abiding presence of Jesus in the household. For Christians generally the daily sacrifice gives an example for morning and evening prayer to seek pardon for sins committed and to ask for needed blessings.
Where morning and evening prayer is kept, Jesus loves to tarry, prayer ascends to God as sweet incense, and His mercies and blessings descend upon the suppliants like the morning dew, making the well-ordered household a visible proof that God is with them. The Lord will not pass by such homes and leave no blessing there, for angels hear the offering of praise and the prayer of faith and bear the petitions to Him who ministers in the sanctuary for His people and pleads His merits in their behalf. True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives victory, and upon his knees the Christian obtains strength to resist temptation. God condemns mere ceremony without the spirit of worship but looks with great pleasure on those who love Him and bow morning and evening. To neglect worship for lack of time and go forth to labor without thought of God shows little appreciation for the life given to ransom souls, and if ever every house should be a house of prayer, it is now.
The verse commands a daily burnt offering of one lamb in the morning and another in the evening upon the altar, as part of the sanctuary daily service with its grain offering and incense. The lambs were offered while the priests ministered with incense in the holy place, making morning and evening the set time for worship when the people searched their hearts, confessed sin, and united in prayer toward the sanctuary. The unblemished lambs symbolized daily consecration to God and constant dependence on atoning blood, with blood and incense together pointing to the great Mediator, and the lamb itself represented the death of the Saviour as the Lamb of God for human sin. The morning and evening lambs establish the pattern for honoring God at the opening and close of each day in every house, with the father as priest leading wife and children in prayer and praise. Where this morning and evening worship is kept, prayer ascends as sweet incense, mercies and blessings descend, Jesus loves to tarry, and true prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives victory over temptation.
Daily Sacrifice and Meaning
The verse commands a daily burnt offering of one lamb in the morning and another in the evening on the altar in the court. That morning and evening offering belonged to the daily service of the sanctuary, which also included a grain offering accompanying the regular sacrifices, the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar, and special offerings for individual sins. Additional offerings were made for sabbaths, new moons, and special feasts.
The lambs were offered at the same time the priests entered the holy place to offer incense. Those hours were sacred and became the set time for worship throughout the nation. At that time worshipers assembled, searched their hearts, confessed sin, and united in silent prayer with faces toward the holy place. Their petitions ascended with the incense while faith laid hold on the merits of the promised Saviour prefigured by the atoning sacrifice. Even when scattered as captives in distant lands the people kept the appointed hour, turning toward Jerusalem to pray.
The regular sacrifices with their grain offering symbolized daily consecration to God and constant dependence on atoning blood. The lambs had to be without blemish, representing perfect purity. Sacrifice and incense together accompanied approach to God, and the sacrificial blood and incense symbolized the great Mediator through whom alone repentant believers may receive mercy and salvation.
The lamb represented the Saviour's death. Seeing the innocent victim offered in the temple, Jesus understood that He Himself as the Lamb of God must die for human sin. The morning and evening sacrifices continued during the Passover Sabbath when Jesus lay in the tomb as the antitypical Lamb prefigured by the Passover. His death fulfilled the symbolism of the sacrificial service.
Pattern for Daily Worship
The morning and evening lambs establish the pattern for honoring God at the start and close of each day in every house through sacrifices of prayer and praise. The father acts as priest of the household, laying the morning and evening sacrifice and leading while wife and children unite with him in prayer and praise. In the Christian home those daily offerings are expressed through prayer in the morning and grateful prayer and praise in the evening, with parents praying earnestly and faithfully for their children.
The patriarchs exemplify this regular worship by erecting an altar to the Lord wherever they pitched their tent and offering the morning and evening sacrifice. At Abraham's family altar each member of the household was called to worship God. Abraham's morning and evening sacrifices exemplified regular worship of the living God, and his altars also served as a visible witness so that even the Canaanites recognized who had worshiped there.
Household worship is thanksgiving to God for abundant mercies, for sunshine and rain that cause vegetation to flourish and for the guardianship of holy angels. It is earnest prayer for divine help and guidance and for the abiding presence of Jesus in the household. For Christians generally the daily sacrifice gives an example for morning and evening prayer to seek pardon for sins committed and to ask for needed blessings.
Where morning and evening prayer is kept, Jesus loves to tarry, prayer ascends to God as sweet incense, and His mercies and blessings descend upon the suppliants like the morning dew, making the well-ordered household a visible proof that God is with them. The Lord will not pass by such homes and leave no blessing there, for angels hear the offering of praise and the prayer of faith and bear the petitions to Him who ministers in the sanctuary for His people and pleads His merits in their behalf. True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives victory, and upon his knees the Christian obtains strength to resist temptation. God condemns mere ceremony without the spirit of worship but looks with great pleasure on those who love Him and bow morning and evening. To neglect worship for lack of time and go forth to labor without thought of God shows little appreciation for the life given to ransom souls, and if ever every house should be a house of prayer, it is now.