The Lord wants our hearts. He wants to walk in close relationship to us. This is why He sent Yeshua to die for us when sin entered the world. He wants to make a way to reconcile His people to Him. His desire for His people is not new with the New Testament. He has always looked forward to this reconciliation through Christ. The sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament simply foreshadow the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Yeshua. They remind people of their sin and that sin is punishable by death. They remind people that they need to repent and come humbly before Jehovah often for forgiveness and reconciliation.
The death of Yeshua is sufficient for all time for all people for all sin. We no longer need sacrifice animals, but rather admit we are sinners in need of a savior, accept Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, repent and believe that Yeshua died for our sin, ask the Lord to forgive us, and repent or change our lives to be more in line with His instructions.
However, we can see through the Old Testament how many times Jehovah emphasized certain holy days for His people. The emphasis was on reconciliation with the Lord and a series of offerings with a range of symbolic meaning (worth studying at least for surface level understanding), and time. Jehovah often called His people to special Sabbath days of rest so they could focus on Him and their relationship with Him rather than remain busy in their every day life. He has not changed His instructions for recognizing Sabbath days, whether they are weekly or associated with specific holy days. To truly honor the Sabbaths that He instructs, allows us time to focus on our relationship with Him and with fellow believers. These are worth celebrating.
Offerings of the Seventh Month
1‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2‘You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5‘Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
7‘Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8‘You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
12‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. 13‘You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the LORD: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
17‘Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 19and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
20‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
23‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
26‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 27and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
29‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings.
32‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
35‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36‘But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
39‘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.’” 40Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
I encourage you to pray and study the meanings of the different holy days, offerings as well the designated Sabbath days. Challenge yourself to observe the Sabbath days Jehovah instructed. Your relationship with Him will grow as a result.
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