Whew. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. Just writing about all those sacrifices in Numbers 28-29 is enough to make my hands tired.
Lest you think that that’s all that God had in mind however, there’s a tiny, minuscule, almost imperceptible note tucked away at the end of Numbers 29 that adds a whole new layer to the proceedings.
Here it is: “You shall present these to the Lord at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings.”
Did you catch that? In addition to all the different offerings that Israel was required to make on a regular basis, other offerings that were completely voluntary were somewhat expected too. In other words, those mandatory offerings weren’t a “good enough” substitute for personal, voluntary worship.
I first noticed this little addendum a few weeks ago while reading through this section and preparing my blog schedule, and I’ve thought about it ever since. The life of a Jew is already regimented enough. Who would go out of their way to do more service?
Then I thought about my own life. Hillside meets exactly twice a week: Sunday morning and Wednesday night. That’s what’s “expected” of us as local Christians and members.
What other kind of “freewill” offerings do I give in addition to those “mandatory” meetings? Let me check my diary. Yep, there are some prayer times, in addition to personal study. Sometimes it’s a few minutes, whereas at other times, it could go longer. That’s the same thing, right?
Kinda.
It’s hard to describe freewill offerings because they are so personal. Numbers 15:1-12 talks about the process for burnt offerings and sacrifices as freewill offerings, but it doesn’t really say what prompts them. It’s just when you have an attitude of thankfulness, which one-hundred percent depends on you and your life experiences.
“Votive offerings” in this Text reveals this. This type of sacrifice is done after you’ve fulfilled a vow. A perfect example would be the story of Hannah, who begged God for a son, then vowed to dedicate him if God answered her. She had Samuel, who then gave him back to the Temple to fulfill her vow.
Is that my experience? No. But that’s not to say that I haven’t had times in my life where I’ve begged God for something, He’s heard me, and whether through providence or time, my prayer has been answered. When I recognize that and take a few minutes to thank God for it, that’s more in line with what’s happening here in Numbers 29:39.
Think about your own life in connection with this passage. If you read this, you probably attend somewhere. You go through the formal service with your group…but what about the informal? You make sure to praise God with other people, but when was the last time you praised Him by yourself, when no one was watching?
Numbers 29:39 is not an extra “obligation” tacked to the end of an exhausting list. It’s an opportunity for us to express our own personal gratitude towards God.
If the feasts are how we say thank you as a nation, this verse reminds us to say thank you as an individual.