Numbers 28:27, commentary and pictures

The verse appoints a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling lambs as a sweet savour or pleasing aroma to the Lord. It belongs to the one-day Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, the second Jewish feast kept with a holy convocation without servile work on the fiftieth day from the wave-sheaf, when the firstfruits of the barley and wheat harvests were offered to God. It is one of the additional special offerings for Sabbaths, new moons and feasts that accompanied and never replaced the regular morning and evening continual burnt offering of the daily sanctuary service. These burnt offerings were only preliminary and circumstantial beside the central event of each feast, so that Passover, Firstfruits and Pentecost each met its antitype exactly as to time, with Pentecost fulfilled on the fiftieth day after Christ's resurrection in the great outpouring of the Holy Ghost. The laws regulating its assembly and worship are not binding as laws on later peoples, though their principles remain, for Christ's one offering has perfected the sanctified and ended the morning and evening sacrifices, and Christian families may now offer morning and evening praise and supplication that rise before God as a pleasing offering.

Pentecost Offering Described

The verse prescribes a burnt offering for a sweet savor, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, consisting of two young bulls or bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, yearling lambs of the first year, a year old. It belongs to the additional, special offerings appointed for Israel's annual feasts, part of the instructions for special offerings on annual Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts in the sanctuary's regular service. These were the special offerings Israel was to make to the Lord for the feast.

The offering belongs to the special one-day Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, when Israel was to gather for a holy convocation and refrain from servile work. It is part of the law for Pentecost, the second of the Jewish feasts, kept for a single day. The one-day feast is the setting for this burnt offering.

Pentecost was kept on the fiftieth day from the wave-sheaf offering. It was counted as the fiftieth day after the firstfruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord. At that time the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were offered to God.

Sanctuary Daily Ministration

Numbers 28 appoints additional, special, general offerings for Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons, and feasts as part of the sanctuary's regular daily ministration. These special sacrifices were added to and accompanied the regular daily service, belonging to the Levitical ministry in the earthly sanctuary and continuing throughout the year. Among them is the burnt offering presented as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling lambs.

It is distinct from the daily burnt offering of one lamb of the first year in the morning and one in the evening, offered with meal and oil and with sweet incense on the golden altar, and distinct from offerings brought for individual sins. The morning and evening sacrifices were offered for the whole congregation every day, were never omitted because of other offerings, and were repeatedly called the continual burnt offering. That morning and evening lamb, with its meal and oil, was doubled on the Sabbath day, while the services continued through the year day by day.

It was offered in the earthly sanctuary by the Levitical priesthood as part of the daily ministration in the holy place, or first apartment. The priests were of Aaron's family, set apart from the tribe of Levi for sanctuary service with special dress for their holy office, standing as mediators between God and man and representing the people in things pertaining to God. There it stood alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering, the morning and evening burning of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the offerings brought for individuals through the year. As part of that earthly ministration it serves unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, so that the work done on earth makes known the work carried on in heaven.

The daily ministration for the nation combined and correlated all the various day-by-day offerings into one offering for the nation. By these constant offerings remembrance of sin was made in the sanctuary, and the beasts constantly offered indicated the faith of those who brought them in the Redeemer to come. This whole yearly round of daily offerings looked forward to a future antitype, leading to the yearly cleansing of the sanctuary.

Prophecy Fulfilled and Applied

The burnt offerings appointed for the feast days were mere preliminary and circumstantial offerings alongside the central event of each feast. The same work of burnt offerings and related offerings appointed for the day of firstfruits and for Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, was also appointed for the Day of Atonement, with offerings accompanying Firstfruits, Weeks, and the Day of Atonement. These additional offerings did not prevent the grand event of each day from meeting its antitype on the very day pointed out in the type. Passover, the day of firstfruits, and Pentecost each met fulfillment exactly as to time, so the main antitypical event begins at the time marked by its type.

Applied to the tenth day of the seventh month, the appointed offerings do not delay the antitype of the grand work in the holiest. The antitype commences on the day of the type but may extend forward a great distance. The antitype of Pentecost, the second of the Jewish feasts kept for a single day on the fiftieth day after the firstfruits of the barley harvest were waved and when the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were offered, was reached on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ in the great outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

The laws of the chapter regulating assembly and worship belong to Israel's church laws and are not binding as laws on later peoples, though their underlying principles remain binding. The regular offerings appointed for Israel, including the burnt offering of young animals as a sweet savor to the Lord, show that morning and evening sacrifices accompanied set hours of prayer under the Jewish dispensation. Those sacrifices and rites have ended because Christ's one offering has perfected the sanctified. Christian families may instead offer morning and evening praise and supplication, which rise before God as a pleasing offering.