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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Bible in One Year Day 75 (Numbers 29-30, Deuteronomy 29, Psalm 113)

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Day 75:  The Keeping of Vows 

Numbers 29:1-6 The Festival of Trumpets/Acclamations

For you this will be a day of Acclamation ... "a day when the horn is sounded", in Hebrew yom teru'ah.  In Leviticus 23:24 this one day festival is called zikhron teru'ah, "Commemorated with loud blasts."  The Festival of Trumpets/Acclamations was announced by the blowing of the ram's horn (shofar) trumpet.  It was the fifth of the annual festivals and took place in the seventh lunar month.  Notice that most of the requirements for festival sacrifices and the requirements for the grain offerings and wine libations are consistent for the various feasts.  This festival signaled the beginning of the civil year and was an ingathering of the holy people of God in a sacred assembly and day of rest in preparation for God's divine judgment ten days later on the Day of Atonement.



These prescribed sacrifices must be in addition to the New Moon sacrifices normally offered on the first of the month since only one bull is mentioned for the Festival of Trumpets and two bulls are required for the sacrifices of the New Moon (28:11).

Numbers 29:7-11 The Day of Atonement
In Hebrew this one day festival is known as yom ha-kippurim (see verse 11 and Lev 23:27), which refers to the purgation of the Sanctuary following its yearlong defilement the presence of sinful men and women.  The rituals, which take place after the morning Tamid, are performed exclusively by the High Priest (Lev 16). 

Numbers 29:12-39 The Festival of Tabernacles/Shelters: the first day

The "Festival of Tabernacles", hag ha-sukkot, also called the "Festival of Shelters" or "Booths" (Lev 23:34; Dt 16:13) and elsewhere "the Feast of Ingathering", hag ha-'asif (Ex 23:16; 34:22) or simply "the Feast", he-hag (i.e., 1 Kng 8:22; 12:32) is the seventh festival in the annual cycle of holy day festivals.  It began with a Sacred Assembly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continued for seven days (as the ancient counted) until the 21st of the month before it concluded in a Sacred Assembly on the 22nd (Lev 23:34-36).  

Like the festivals of Firstfruits and Weeks/Pentecost, this festival coincided with the harvest, which in this case was the fall fruit harvest of the grapes and olives at the end of the agricultural year.  The festival took its name from God's command that the people were to celebrate by living in booths or shelters as they remembered the building of the desert Sanctuary and the shelters they lived in as they encamped around God's Sanctuary during the years they lived in the wilderness (Lev 23:40-43).

Question: How is Tabernacles/Shelters like the Festival of Unleavened Bread and the Festival of Weeks/Pentecost?  How are the requirements similar to Passover and Unleavened Bread?
Answer: It is another of the three pilgrim feasts in which every man of the covenant (13 years and older) had to present himself before Yahweh's altar.  Like the combined Festivals of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Tabernacles lasted for eight days, and like Unleavened Bread the daytime liturgy began and ended with a Sacred Assembly.


Numbers 29:17-19 The Festival of Tabernacles: day two

Numbers 29:20-22 The Festival of Tabernacles: day three

Numbers 29:23-25 The Festival of Tabernacles: day four

Question: What do you notice about the numbers of bulls offered on each day?
Answer: The numbers of bulls offered decreases by one each day.

Numbers 29:26-28 The Festival of Tabernacles: day five

Numbers 29:29-31 The Festival of Tabernacles: day six


Numbers 29:32-34 The Festival of Tabernacles: day seven

Question: How many bulls in total were offered on the seven days of this feast?  What is the connection to the Table of Nations in Genesis Chapter 10?

Answer: Seventy bulls will be offered in sacrifice for the seven day period.  Seventy nations are named in Genesis Chapter 10.

According to Rabbinic tradition, the seventy bulls represent all the nations of the world (which in the Table of Nations in Genesis chapter 10, number seventy) who are also called by Yahweh to enter into communion with the One True God.

Numbers 29:35-38 The Festival of Tabernacles: day eight
Question: In the instructions for keeping the holy days in Chapters 28-29, how many times are the covenant people required to come together in a Sacred Assembly, not counting the Sabbath obligation?

Answer: Seven times:

  1. The Sacred Assembly for the first day of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:18).
  2. The Sacred Assembly for the last day of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:25).
  3. The Sacred Assembly on the Festival of Weeks/Pentecost (Num 28:26)
  4. The Sacred Assembly on the Festival of Trumpets (Num 29:1).
  5. The Sacred Assembly on the Day of Atonement (Num 29:7).
  6. The Sacred Assembly on the first day of Tabernacles (Num 29:12).
  7. The Sacred Assembly on the last day of Tabernacles (Num 29:35).

Question: In addition to the ingathering of the covenant people, what else distinguished a Sacred Assembly?
Answer: Like the Sabbath, it was a complete day of rest and worship.

Numbers 29:39 Conclusion

The sacrifices and offerings listed in Chapters 28-29 are compulsory sacrifices to be presented to Yahweh by His covenant community over and above their voluntary individual offerings.  They are in addition to:

The holy day solemnities described in this section are the way the covenant people lived out their covenant bond with Yahweh as their God and King.  In Leviticus Chapter 23 they are called Yahweh's appointed times, in Hebrew moed, that He has set apart from the week, month, and year to fellowship with His Bride, Israel.



THE SEVEN SACRED ANNUAL FEASTIVALS OF THE OLD COVENANT:
The Feasts of Remembrance
Yahweh said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of Yahweh, which
you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies' (Lev 23:1-2).

Then never let anyone criticize you for what you eat or drink, or about observance of annual festivals, [..]..  These are only a shadow of what was coming;
the reality is the body of Christ (Col 2:16-17).

* = Pilgrim feasts: Ex 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Dt 16:1-16; 2 Chr 8:13
Sacred Feast and SacrificesScripture ReferencesOld Testament/
Modern Time 		Old Testament Remembrance and New Testament Application
PASSOVER
(Pesach)

Sacrifice of unblemished yearling lambs and kids, one for every 10 to 20 people in a group.		Ex 12:1-4;
Lev 23:5;
Num 9:1-14; 28:16;
Dt 16:1-3, 4-7;
Mt 26:17;
Mk 14:12-26;
Jn 2:13; 11:55;
1 Cor 5:7;
Heb 11:28		14th Abib (Nisan)
March/April		Old Testament: Signifying Israel's
deliverance from death in the tenth plague.

N.T.= last legitimate Old Covenant Passover sacrifice (Lk 22:7-13).
*UNLEVENED BREAD
(Hag Hamatzot)

Seven day feast from the 15th-21st.
On the 15th at sundown eating the meal of the Passover victim with family and friends; mandatory assembly on the 15th and 21st; mandatory sacrifices for 7 days = whole burnt offerings of 2 young bulls, a ram and 7 yearling lambs without blemish with cereal offerings; a goat for a sin offering; 2 lamb communion offerings; individual festival communion offerings each day eaten in the camp of God/Jerusalem.		Ex 12:15-20; 39; 13:3-10; 23:15; 34:18;
Lev 23:6-8;
Num 28:17-25;
Dt 16:3, 4, 8;
2 Chr 30:22-33;
Mk 14:1, 12;
Acts 12:3;
1 Cor 5:6-8		15th -21st Abib (Nisan)
March/April

7 day feast		Old Testament: Signified the sanctification of Israel by eating the Passover sacrifice in a sacred meal with unleavened bread. For seven days eating bread with yeast (the symbol of sin) is forbidden. Remembering how Yahweh redeemed Israel out of Egypt.

N.T. = The Last Supper/first Eucharistic sacrifice, Passion and Crucifixion
(Mt 26:19-29; 57; 27:27;
Mk 15:25; 33-39).
FIRSTFRUITS
(Yom Habikkurim)

Presenting the first sheaf of the barley harvest; a burnt offering of a single unblemished male lamb with a grain offering and wine libation.		Ex 23:19; 34:26;
Lev 23:9-14;
Dt 26:5, 9-10;
Mt 28:1;
Mk 16:1-2;
Lk 24:1;
Jn 1:20;
Rom 8:23;
1 Cor 15:20-23		No date: on the day after the first Sabbath after Passover (Lev. 23:11); always on a Sunday (day later changed)

Abib (Nisan)
March/April		Old Testament: Signified the resurrection of Israel as a free people. Recognizing the redemption of the first-born sons and God's bounty in the Promised Land.

N.T.= Resurrection Sunday
(Mt 28:1-8).
*WEEKS
(Shavuot/Hag ha-Shavuot; Pentecost in Greek = "50th day"; also known as Hag ha-Katzir = "feast of the harvest").

Mandatory assembly and sacrifices: first fruits of the wheat harvest, burnt offering of 2 young bulls, a ram, 7 yearling lambs all with cereal offerings, goat as sin sacrifice, and the people's individual festival communion offerings.		Ex 23:16; 34:22a;
Lev 23:15-21;
Num 28:26-31;
Dt 16:9-12;
2 Chr 30:22-33;
Acts 2:1-4; 20:16;
1 Cor 16:8		50 days after Firstfruits (as the ancients counted);   always fell on a Sunday (day later changed)

Sivan
May/June		Old Testament: Signified the origination of Israel as the covenant people. A festival of joy recalling the giving of the Law at Sinai 50 days after leaving Egypt; thankfulness for the Lord's blessings and birth of the O.T. Church.

N.T.= birth of New Covenant Church;
Acts 2:1-1-4.

First four feasts were fulfilled in Jesus' first Advent.

The long harvest is the gathering of souls into heaven
(Mt 9:37/37-38;
Lk 10:2-3;
Jn 4:35-38).

 

THE LONG SUMMER HARVEST
TRUMPETS
(Rosh Hashana = "head of the year")

Beginning of the civil year.
A sacred assembly and a day of rest with acclamations commemorated with trumpet blasts and mandatory sacrifices: burnt offerings of a young bull, a ram, 7 unblemished yearling lambs with grain offerings and a goat sin sacrifice.		Lev 23:23-25;
Num 29:1-6;
2 Sam 6:15;
1 Cor 15:52;
1 Thes 4:16.		1st Tishri
Sept/Oct		Old Testament: Signified the ingathering of the covenant people in preparation for Yahweh's judgment/favor and preparation for the day of national expiation.

N.T. = (?) The Second Coming of Christ and the gathering of the nations
(Mt 24:30-31;
1 Thes 1:10;
4:16-17).
DAY OF ATONEMENT
(Yom Kippur)

Sacred assembly with mandatory sacrifices.  For the high priest: a young bull sin sacrifice and a ram burnt offering.  For the people: burnt offering of a young bull; a ram and 7 unblemished yearling lambs with cereal offerings and 2 goats as a sin sacrifice.		Lev 16:1-34; 23:26-32;
Num 29:7-11;
Rom 3:24-26;
Heb 9:7; 10:3, 30-31; 10:19-22;
Acts 27:9;
2 Pt 3:7;
Rev 17:4; 20:12		10th Tishri
Sept/Oct		Old Testament: Signified calling Israel to judgment in a national day of fasting, repentance and expiation

N.T. = (?) The last of the harvest is the Final Judgment
(Rev 14:15;
20:11-15).
*TABERNACLES
also called
FEAST OF SHELTERS OR BOOTHS
(Sukkot)

First of fruit harvest (grapes and olives); living in booths made of tree boughs; daily sacrifices of bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings, a goat sin sacrifice, individual festival communion offerings.

From the 1st to 8th days: 70 bulls, 15 rams, 105 lambs and 8 goats sacrificed.		Ex 23:16b; 34:22b;
Lev 23:33-38; 39-43;
Num 29:12-34;
Dt 16:13-15;
1 Kng 8:3, 65;
2 Chr 7:1;
2 Chr 30:22-33;
Zec 14:16-19;
Jn 7:2;
Mt 24:35;
2 Pt 3:7, 10, 13;
Rev 21:1		15th-22nd Tishri
Sept/Oct

8 day feast		Old Testament: Signified God's presence with His Covenant people; looked forward to the coming of the Messiah.  Memorializes the giving of the Tabernacle and giving thanks for the productivity of the land.

NT = (?) Creation of the new heaven and earth
(Rev 21:1-7).
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 1991 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.


Chapter 30: Legislation Concerning Vows for Men and Women

The previous legislation on the sacrifices associated with the daily Tamid and the sacrifices of the liturgical calendar ended with the statement in Numbers 30:1: So Moses told the Israelites exactly what Yahweh had ordered him.  This statement is a fulfillment subscript, informing the reader that Moses went on to instruct the Israelites on all the commands God gave him associated with the cultic calendar.

In the previous verse (Num 29:39), Yahweh declared that the communal sacrifices offered at the liturgical worship service of the daily Tamid and the weekly, monthly and annual solemn feasts were sacrifices that were to be offered over and above a covenant member's voluntary offerings that included whole burnt offerings, cereal offerings and libations, and the three types of communion offerings: peace offerings (todah), voluntary offerings (nedavah) and vow offerings (neder).  The mention of vow offerings introduces this next section of legislation on the vow (neder) a man or woman might feel called upon to make to Yahweh. 

In the ancient Near East the practice of making promises or vows to a deity was a fairly common practice.  Vows could be positive promises to do something by performing some duty (1 Sam 1:11), or it might be a negative promise to abstain from something (Num 6:2-8).  In this legislation, the Hebrew word used to express a positive vow is the word neder, while a negative vow is expressed uniquely in this passage by the Hebrew word issar (The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, pages 623b-24a).  Since most vows were made in moments of crisis (i.e., Gen 28:20-22; Num 21:2; 1 Sam 1:10-11), there was the temptation to neglect the vow once the crisis had passed.  However, a vow to Yahweh was binding.  It was a sin to neglect one's promise to God (Lev 5:4); hence there are frequent admonitions in Scripture not to desecrate one's vows (i.e., Dt 23:22/21; Ecc 5:3-5; Mt 5:33-37; Jm 5:12).

Divine instruction on vows was addressed earlier in the Pentateuch.  For example:

  1. The legislation on vows and the sin in neglecting to fulfill them (Lev 5:4-6).
  2. Eating certain vow offerings (Lev 7:16-18).
  3. Vow offerings must be free of blemishes (Lev 22:17-25).
  4. The redemption fee for being released from a vow (Lev 27:1-31).
  5. The instructions for the Nazirite vow and related sacrifices (Num Chapter 6).
  6. The obligation of grain offerings and wine libations to accompany vow offerings (Num 15:1-10).

Additional legislation on vows in the Pentateuch will include:

  1. Specific legislation applied to specific situations of vows within the family (Num 30:2-17).
  2. The obligation for men and women to fulfill their temporary vows in a timely manner (Dt 23:22/21-24/23).

This passage will present case law associated with men and women making vows and a father's and husband's rights in absolving the vows of daughters and wives under certain circumstances.  In the case law presented in this section, four classes of women are mentioned:

  1. The young, unmarried girl who still lives in her father's house (verses 4-6).
  2. The woman who makes a vow that is not completed before she marries (verses 7-10).
  3. The widow or divorced woman who makes a vow (verse 10).
  4. The married woman living with her husband who makes a vow (verses 11-12).

Numbers 30:2-6 The Validity of Vows for Men and the Validity and Annulment of Vows for Unmarried Women

Verse 2 begins with a general statement of obligation in making vows.  When a man made a vow, he was legally bound by it. As the head of his family, he was also responsible for vows made by the women in his household.  All vows made by men or women to Yahweh were binding, including rashly made and ill conceived vows. One did, however have the option of going to the priest to request release from the vow by admitting one's sin of failure in completing the vow and by offering a redemption penalty fee (Lev 27:17-25). 

Question: What authority did fathers have over vows of daughters?

Answer: If he heard a daughter in his household make a vow of which he disapproved, he could nullify the vow by speaking out against it as soon as he heard of it.  If he did not speak out, the vow was left to stand. 

Numbers 30:7-17: The Validity of Vows for Married, Widowed or Divorced Women

Question: How might a husband or father void a wife or a daughter's vow without the penalty of a redemption fee?  See the legislation on redemption fees in Lev 27:1-8.  How is the husband or father guilty of a sin if he voids a vow for a wife or daughter (also see Lev 5:4-6)?
Answer: When a man first hears of the vow, he may void the vow without any penalty.  However, if he does not void the vow when he first hears of it, his silence is his acceptance and the vow is binding.  He will be guilty of committing a sin if he attempts to void the vow at a later date, falling under the condemnation the woman would have been guilty of for willfully failing to fulfill her vow to God.

According to the Church Fathers, Anna and Joachim/Yoachim vowed their child to God if He would give Anna fertility in her old age. According to ancient Christian documents, their daughter Mary became a Temple virgin responsible for weaving the vestments of the priests and the Temple textiles (i.e., Gen 38:8; 1 Sam 2:23 Hebrew text).  According to the same documents, Mary of Nazareth took a vow of virginity.  When her marriage was arranged with an elderly Joseph, he knew of her vow and accepted her oath to remain perpetually chaste (i.e., The Protoevangelium of James, The History of Joseph the Carpenter, The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, The Gospel of Psuedo-Matthew.). 


Deuteronomy 29 

Chapter 29: Completion of the Covenant Renewal Ceremony on the Plains of Moab

The Sanctions of the Covenant Treaty concluded Moses' second homily with the statement that the Deuteronomic Code and the sanctions of the covenant treaty in chapter 28 are "in addition to the covenant which he had made with them at Horeb" (Dt 28:69/29:1) and not, as some scholars suggest, that this is a new covenant on the Plains of Moab.  A separate "covenant at Moab" is never mentioned in Scripture; instead the covenant is the one Yahweh made with Israel when He brought the people out of Egypt-the covenant made at Sinai (Dt 29:24/25) and a covenant made with us at Horeb (Sinai) that is living and active not only from the time of the ancestors but with us, with all of us alive here today (Dt 5:2-3).

In this his third and last homily, Moses will address the Succession Arrangements of the Covenant Treaty with Yahweh.  Note the continued repetitions of the phrase "Yahweh your God," the reminder that Yahweh is the God of this present generation and not just the God of the ancestors.  

Deuteronomy 29:1-8/29:2-9 The Historical Introduction of the Third Homily

In the introduction to his third homily, Moses reviews some of the lessons he taught in the Historical Prologue, recalling God's mighty works on Israel's behalf in Egypt (vs. 2-3), God's divine protection during the wilderness years (vs. 4-5), and their victories in the Transjordan campaign (vs. 6-7).


Deuteronomy 29:9-14/10-15 The Summon to Renew the Covenant

Every generation, individually and collectively, must make their declaration of belief in Yahweh and their commitment to the covenant with Yahweh.  Future such declarations community will be made on every Sabbath year at the Assembly of Israel on the Feast of Shelters (Dt 31:9-13).


Question: When does every new generation of Catholics swear their personal allegiance to Jesus Christ and the New Covenant Church in a ceremony and receive the seal of the Holy Spirit to give them ears to hear and a heart to understand?  See CCC 978, 1286-89, 1297-99, 1302-05
Answer: In the Sacrament of Baptism one receives the gift of new life in water and the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins including original sin.  One's baptism is completed in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  In the presence of the Sacred Assembly of the universal Church of Jesus Christ and the bishop, who is the successor of the Apostles, one becomes empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to serve as Christ's apostle in spreading the New covenant Gospel of salvation.


Deuteronomy 29:15-20/16-21
Moses' Warning that Covenant Members (individually and collectively) Must Keep their Oath of Obedience

Verse 17b-18 identifies a member of the community who chooses to reject the covenant obligation to serve Yahweh alone and turns to false gods as a "root that bears poison or wormwood"-by falling away from the faith, his bad example corrupts others in his family, his friends, and his community with false teaching and apostasy.  Moses is warning the people of the danger to the community of the individual who disregards his pledge of obedience by persisting in pursuing his own willful and sinful path with the excuse that in being part of the whole community that he will continue to benefit from their blessings. 

 Question: What is the problem with the person who decides "I will follow the dictates of my heart" after having sworn an oath of obedience to the covenant (verse 18)?  What will happen to such a person? See Dt 13:7/6-12/11.

Answer: That person has violated his oath to Yahweh-he did not take an oath to follow his own inclinations and beliefs but to be obedient to the commands and obligations of the covenant.  God will judge that person as an apostate, which is a mortal sin.

Question: Why can't we always trust what our hearts or minds might seem to be telling us?  CCC 1264, 1790-91.
Answer: We can't always trust our hearts to guide us in what is righteous behavior as opposed to what is sinful and selfish behavior; concupiscence can cloud judgment when we let personal desires dictate behavior. Neither can we always trust our consciences, which can be imperfect because of ignorance or may become corrupted by unconfessed sins.  Concupiscence in the world will lead us astray every time, and we will become conformed to the world instead of conformed to Jesus Christ. 

Deuteronomy 29:21-28/22-29 Conclusion to Moses' Warning

Question: In Moses' final warning to the community of Israel, what imagery does he use as an example of the kind of judgment the Israelites will suffer if they desert Yahweh to worship false gods and reject his covenant?
Answer: Moses uses the imagery of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis chapter 19. 

According to Scripture and Tradition, Moses is the inspired author of the Book of Genesis.  He has had the last forty years to write down the early history of the earth and the record of God's interaction with man during the Age of the Patriarchs.  These are lessons that he would have taught the Israelites.  Now he links the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah and two other cities on the plain near the Dead Sea to what the future could hold for the Israelites if they deserted the covenant which they made with Yahweh when He brought them out of Egypt.  Moses ends his warning by telling the people that his stark prediction of covenant judgment is not, a certainty-it is only a possibility.



+++
A Daily Defense 
Day 75 Infant Baptism and the New Testament 


CHALLENGE: “Infant baptism is unbiblical. One requirement for baptism is to have belief in Jesus, which infants don’t have.” 

DEFENSE: The New Testament nowhere restricts baptism to people who are above a certain age. In fact, we read of entire households being baptized, and there are indications that baptism was given to the children of believers, regardless of their age.

The New Testament never establishes an age requirement for baptism. Most of the people we see being baptized in its pages are adults, but this is because Christianity was a new movement, and most of its converts would naturally have been adults. 

The New Testament also records entire households being baptized (Acts 10:47–11:17, 16:15, 30–34, 18:8, 1 Cor. 1:16). This establishes the principle that whole households were baptized at once, and it does not exclude young children.

In fact, Luke records: “Now they were bringing even infants to [Jesus] that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:15–17).

Christians, reflecting on this passage, recognized that if the kingdom belongs to children—“even infants”—then they are appropriate recipients of baptism, just like adults who are willing to receive the kingdom like a child and be baptized. 

Further, the Jewish expectation at the time was that the children of believers would share in the blessings of the covenant along with their parents. Thus on Pentecost Peter told the crowds: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children” (Acts 2:38–39).

 As the Christian initiation ritual, baptism is the Christian equivalent of circumcision, the Jewish initiation ritual. Paul explicitly identifies baptism as “the circumcision of Christ,” telling his readers: “In [Jesus] also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, by the removal of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism” (Col. 2:11–12, LEB).

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

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