Chapter 29

This chapter continues from 28, giving a summary of each required sacrifice throughout the year.  These are "national" sacrifices, and have nothing to do with those required of each man for his unintentional sins.

Offerings for the Feast of Trumpets.  Seventh month.

2021 - This verse:

5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; [Num 29:5 ESV]  So offerings for atonement were not just done on the Day of Atonement.  Perhaps individuals were to do these sacrifices as needed, and the Day of Atonement applied to Israel as a whole.  In fact, now that I look more  closely at the wording, all these sacrifices were for the people as a whole.  This is not about individual offerings.

2025 - Here it is again:

1 "On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, ... 7 "On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work, [Num 29:1, 7 ESV]

We see again that there is a contrast between the intensity of the feasts.  In some, it is only the "hard" work that is to be deferred.  In others, you shall do NO work.

Offerings for the Day of Atonement.  Later in the seventh month.

2021 - I had the idea that this one was a much bigger deal than the others.  But it is listed in its place, with no special extra instructions or requirements.  In terms of all that accompanies it, Passover seems to be a bigger feast than Atonement.  However, I note that Trumpets, Atonement and Booths all occur in the seventh month.  It is a big feast month...the seventh month.

Offerings for the Feast of Booths.  Still later in the seventh month.  This one has sacrifices every day for a week.  On day 1 of this feast, 13 bulls, plus 2 rams, 14 lambs, and a goat are to be sacrificed. 

2022 - Why so many offerings for the Feast of Booths?  It commemorates the time in the desert, and also the delivery from slavery.  The biggest deal of all?  The redemption of Israel from her captor Egypt?  Only God's power can effect such a deliverance, and even then, it is a battle.  Just as our delivery from the Prince of this earth required Jesus' shed blood, in order to overcome sin and the machinations of Satan?  There are 13 bulls on day one, and it counts down each day until on the seventh day, it is 7 bulls, 2 rams, and still fourteen lambs.  On the eight day, at the assembly, 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, and a goat, as is done on the other feast days.  Booths is a really big deal though.

Each day there are many animal sacrifices.  Lots of bulls each day with grain and drink offerings with them.  Over and over through these sections, the phrase "see that they are without blemish" is repeated.  This points to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, with no blemish of sin in his life.

Consider also the violence of these sacrifices.  The details.  These animals were dispatched at the altar, blood drained and poured or sprinkled in various places.  They were butchered, since not every single part of the animal was burnt, but some was carried outside the camp.