“We accept the responsibility for…
…offerings for the Sabbaths, New Moons…”
Nehemiah 10:33b MSG
Last time we saw how our group covenanted to rise up and meet the responsibilities of Temple, including the Bread of the Presence, Grain Offerings, and Whole Burnt Offerings. Today we see what else they are taking on.
The first is offerings for the Sabbaths, which we have seen before comes from shabath – to rest, cease, desist. This command is from Numbers:
“On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil.
This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.”
Numbers 28:9-10
So every Friday from sundown until Saturday’s sundown, the people of God were to rest from their usual work. But the expectation was more than refraining from buying and selling grain and wares. The Israelites were to sacrifice two lambs each week on Shabbat.
I was wondering who provided the lambs, and learned the significance of those shepherds in Bethlehem. The ones who were keeping watch over their flocks by night when the angel declared good news of great joy. These were the ones who tended the sheep for sacrifice, making sure they were “a year old and without defect.” The shepherds then provided the priests with these two additional lambs each week, along with the regular offerings. So not only was the community to cease from working to earn, they were required to sacrifice more.
What an interesting command from God. If we didn’t know Him better, it would look almost unkind, self-serving. But because He’s incapable of having impure motives, we can assume this was for our group’s best. Rest and trust does not come easily, and the opportunity was provided to choose over and over each week. The desired goal? Deeper intimacy and lived experience in a God Who provides.
The next offering was for the new moon, Chodesh, literally the “head of the month.” The word comes from chadash – to renew, repair, restore, rebuild.
I tore off a page on our calendar yesterday, one day early, and actually uttered aloud, “I need a new month.” I think we all did. And I appreciate God commanded a special celebration at the start of each calendar turn.
We made it.
From chabad.org:
“In the Temple times, special animal sacrifices were brought in honor of the day, known as musaf (additional) offerings, and special celebratory trumpet blasts were added to the daily service.”
In contemporary services, several different aspects are part of this celebration including:
“The Song of the Day is followed by Psalms 104, which contains the words, ‘He made the moon to mark the seasons.’
And a personal fav tidbit: “…many women observe it by taking the day off from household tasks such as laundry and sewing.”
I adore we serve a Creator Who allows us so many new beginnings. New mercies each morning, new lunar cycles, fresh seasons and growth. New songs in our mouths, hymns of praise to our God.
It seems good to celebrate our seemingly small accomplishments right now. We are not in a business-as-usual season here, all the world together fending off a virus which escalates quickly and does not discriminate. We are out of our usual routine, no matter how at-home we were before. Because of all these factors, finding reasons to celebrate will help us keep our heads. So, congrats, you. You made it to April 2020! It’s enough.
But the hard truth is we didn’t all make it, did we? If you are full of grief today, perhaps from losing someone you love or fighting a difficult battle, please know He sees. And while He makes all things new, He does it with very real skin in the game. Your cries are prayers. May you be held tonight.