This morning I’d like to take a step back and look at two systems. My observations flow a bit away from the passages above, but can be found in these as well.
What we see is a study in contrasts between Leviticus and Hebrews. The difference between an old covenant and a new one, an imperfect one and a perfect one, one that involves the blood of most like likely hundreds of thousands of animals versus the blood of but one man. What a contrast.
In today’s reading we don’t find instructions about blood offerings, but about grain and flour offerings. These were precise and intricate and a penalty would paid if not done right. In other chapters in Leviticus we do find instructions about sin blood offerings. The loss of animal life to temporarily atone for sin was staggering. Here’s one theologians take on just one festival:
The Bible gives no record of how many sacrifices were offered each day, but if even a small fraction of a percentage of the millions of Israelites brought a sacrifice each day, then hundreds or thousands of sacrifices were made every day. On the day of passover, one lamb was sacrificed for every family in Israel. Tens of thousands of sacrifices were made on that one day alone. (Everlasting Truths Blog)
Another theologian makes this observation about the Feast of Booths:
When you look at some of the festivals, the numbers are even more astounding. Take a look at the Festival of Shelters, for instance, discussed starting in (Numbers) 29:12. The Festival of Shelters was a seven day festival, with sacrifices required each day in addition to the normal daily sacrifices:
Day One
13 Young Bulls
Two Rams
14 one-year-old lambs
78 quarts of choice flour to go with the bulls
8 quarts of flour to go with the lambs
28 quarts of flour for the lambs
1 Male goat for sin offering along with grain and liquid
Day Two
12 Young Bulls
Two Rams
14 one-year lambs
108 quarts choice flour (Bulls: 6 * 12 == 72) (Rams: 4 * 2 == 8) (Lambs 2 * 14 == 28)
1 Male goat for sin offering along with grain and liquid
This list goes on for each of the seven days of the festival, with the bull count lessening by one per day. So that leaves a total of:
Lambs: 14 * 7 == 98
Rams: 2 * 7 == 14
Bulls: 13 + 12 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 == 70
Flour for Lambs: 2 * 98 == 196 Quarts
Flour for Rams: 4 * 14 == 56 Quarts
Flour for Bulls: 6 * 14 == 84 Quarts (Everyday Bible Blog)
And this person didn’t know if this was per family or for the whole nation. The biblical text is unclear. However over a years time as you start adding up just for the Israelites how many animals were sacrificed it had to be in the hundreds of thousands. That’s the old covenant.
The sad thing is that Israel could never keep all the laws and festivals and offerings. They were a people that would not follow strong after God. In fact historians state that Israel didn’t even keep all that’s found in Leviticus and Numbers long enough to celebrate the Year of Jubilee. When on the fiftieth year the land and slaves all went back to their orginal owners or set free. And the land would receive a rest. That is observed in our third passage today from Psalm 81.
Now we come to the new covenant. One Man/God gave his life and shedded his blood for billions on this earth. Those that ever lived or would live. Hebrews 9 gives us this contrast:
Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary… 11 But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:1, 11-14 [CSB])
To do what he has done he could only be the very God of this universe and a person we need to put our faith and hope in for salvation. Have you done that yet. Today would be a perfect time to become a member of God’s family.
Sixty-six books in a year 