Now the instructions for these have already been given in Leviticus. So why is there this repetition here in Numbers 28?

We must remember that by the time we have got to Chapter 28 in Numbers we are in the last 12 months of the wilderness journey. Those who had heard the giving of the law at Sinai and heard the details given in the book of Leviticus are now dead. The new generation need to be taught the things that their parents had heard at Sinai. Hence the repetition, but in less detail. There was no need to go into all the details as that is laid out in Leviticus.

Every day the burnt offering had to be offered twice, one lamb in the morning, and   the other in the evening. To accompany these, bread and wine had to be offered (Num 28:2,5,7).  You will recall that Joseph, in a sense, foretold the bread and the wine, when he told the dreams of the baker (bread) and the butler (wine).  How many more instances in the Old Testament can you find of bread and wine?

The sabbath day law would not permit any work to be done (Exo 20:8-10).  It also would not allow any fire to be made (Exo 35:3).  And yet, burnt sacrifices were to be made on the sabbath (9,10).

This may seem contradictory but it is not.

The congregation of Israel that was not allowed to work or make fire on the sabbath, but priest was. 

This sabbath sacrifice (work) pointed forward to the miracles (work) that the Lord Jesus did on the sabbath.  The Pharisees accused Jesus of desecrating the sabbath but failed to understand the very Law that they espoused. (Matt 12:10-12).

28         The specific detail about how each and every sacrifice had to be offered marks the point that God will be worshipped in the way that He prescribes – not the way of our preference.

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28:25   In commanding the children of Israel to ’do no servile work’  masks the fact that on those days the priests are busier than any other day. The sabbath of rest is achieved through the work of the priest. Our high priest worked hard to achieve the rest which remains for the servants of God.

V.7 The drink offering is translated from the Hebrew nesek which means both libation and molten image. The strong drink was to be poured unto the LORD. The word poured is translated from the word nasak whose root means to pour out, applying to both libation and cast metal. It is interesting that a sacrifice to Yahweh also carries a connotation to idolatrous cast images that Yahweh hates (Exo 20:3; 34:17).

28:16 The Passover commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Doubtless in the wilderness t was easy to remember that they had been delivered from Egypt, however once they were settled in the land it would be easy to forget the events of the night when the nation came out of Egypt, especially as those who had experienced the event died off. The emphasis on keeping the feast of the Passover would mean – if faithfully observed – that every generation would have a stark reminded of their deliverance.

20:14 This verse truly describes human nature – self seeking and proud. However the servant of God should not be so. His word should be his bond – Matt 5:37.

V.29 Each age group has its appointed position and excellence, to be respected and enjoyed in its time. But, strength is not what the proverb is about; it is how it is used that is important. strength can be used in many ways in the Master's vineyard. Likewise the proverb is not interested in gray hair. It is the implication that its possessor is wise, that is the point, since there are many gray haired fools around.

V.30 - "The 'blueness' [Heb. "Chaburah" (2250) means "bound (with stripes), a weal (or black-and-blue mark itself), blueness, bruise, hurt, stripe, wound"] of a wound cleanseth away evil..." (KJV). There is only one instance of "stripes" that uses the Heb. (2250) and it's found in Isa 53:5 "...and with his 'stripes' we are healed" (KJV). So perhaps the 'blueness' is an echo of the 'stripes' and hints at the sacrifice of Christ cleansing away evil so followers might be resurrected and healed with eternal life upon Christ's return to establish his kingdom on earth.

20:4  Whilst this verse states an obvious practical consequence that follows from idleness in the field there is a spiritual lesson. The ‘cold’ answers to inconvenience. The ‘ploughing’ is giving attention to the Word of God. The time of ‘harvest’ is the kingdom. The lack which requires one to beg is rejection at the return of Christ.

20:1 Whilst we understand the adverse effects of too much alcohol we must appreciate that the Proverbs speak at a higher, spiritual level using natural phenomena to force the spiritual point on us. The ‘wine’ is false teaching. The ‘deceiver’ echoes the serpent in Eden. False teaching appeals to the flesh and therein is the danger. Not that we will easily be led astray by things such as the doctrine of the trinity. Rather it is more subtle than that. Unity amongst brethren, for example, is paramount. However we, by our actions at times, deny that truth.

V.1 strong drink is the same as strong wine that we just read about in Num 28:7. They are both translated from the Hebrew word shekar meaning a strongly intoxicating alcoholic beverage. There were many concoctions made from various fruits and vegetables in the Near East, but the most common ones drunk by the Jews, other than plain wine, were:

20:2 In speaking about sinning against one’s own soul Solomon is reflecting on the situation of Korah and company – Num 16:38

20:6 There is a saying ‘handsome is as handsome does’ our problem is that we would rather speak about our status than show our status by our actions.

John is the fourth gospel account. Unlike the first three, which are synoptic (seeing together), John takes an independent view. He looks at the spiritual aspect of Jesus and can be related to the prophet Daniel and the eagle of Ezekiel's vision (Eze 1:10).

Some erroneously link v.1 with v.14 to suggest that Jesus pre-existed as part of the Trinity.
Pre-existence is a contradiction in terms as one cannot be before one is.

Nowhere in v.1 and 14 does it show that Jesus is God.

The Word (Gr. logos) was certainly with God in the beginning. It is with His logos (intelligence, mental faculty, and reasoning) that God created all things (vs.2,3).

In the beginning God created light to shine in the dark physical world (Gen 1:3,4).

Now with the same logos, God created a special man to be humankind's savior. He would be a light to the dark spiritual world (Isa 9:2). That savior, that light, is Jesus (John 8:12).
He is not God but is in the form (morphe) of God (see my note on Phil. 2:6, Apr. 8).

1:4     ‘comprehended it not’ Greek ‘overcame it not’ same as in John 12:35. An important message to give at the beginning of a gospel record which sees the Messiah crucified.

1:5 ‘comprehended’ is the same word as is translated ‘come upon’ in John 12:35. Jesus overcame the darkness that is in the world. We should be trying to do the same.

1:10     John makes the point very clearly that our calling to the gospel was ‘of God’ Our baptism was not a matter of ‘chance’. God has called those who are ‘in Christ’. That is the privilege of our calling. Do we live up to it?

1:14 The ‘word’ here alludes to the ‘oracle’ of 2Chron 5:7. That which was prefigured in Solomon’s temple was now manifest. This detail of the temple spoke of Jesus Christ.

God is the Father and creator of all things:

Jesus isn't God he is the son of God and of a woman. God has a oneness with Jesus (His son) who manifests or reflects God just as believers are to reflect Christ and be one in purpose and on the same page with him and each other - John 1:1-2,14,18,29;17:21-23;10:25-36 (in John 1:1  the Grk for "word" is "logos" and means thought, word, something said, plan, etc. and there are numerous prophetic words written of Christ as far back in the Old Testament as Genesis; in John chapter 10 note Christ doesn't claim to be God but rather God's son and says in John 10:34 "I have said you are gods", this is a prophetic reference to Psa 82:6 and the Heb "elohim" here refers to human judges).  Moses was as a god ("god" used here is the Heb. "elohim" (430) and means: gods, of the supreme God, magistrates, angels, God, judges, mighty)  to Pharaoh, thus one can be a manifestation of God without literally being God - Exo 7:1. God is greater than Christ (Christ is God's son) who is always subordinate to God though a manifestation of his father God - Hos 11:9;Isa 7:14-15;Heb 4:15;Titus 1:2;James 1:13;John 14:28;5:26,27,30;Luke 22:42;1Cor 15:24-28. God sent and raised His son (Born of Mary) who is now the mediator between God and man - Rom 4:24;John 17:3;Eph 1:3,17;John 1:29;Rev 1:1;1Tim 2:5.

Seeing God

John 1 is full of seeing, looking and beholding, right through to the end of the chapter. And that's no wonder, because Jesus had come, the "light which gives light to every man" (v7-9). They could now see for the first time! This, then, is the aim of the chapter; to show that by simply looking at Jesus we can see the Father for the first time in history, because "the only begotten son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared Him" (v18). And this is why John points the Pharisees to Isaiah chapter 40 by his quote in v23. Take Isa 40:18 "to whom will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare Him?" or 40:5 "the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" or 40:25 "To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One."

John's answer was to say "behold the lamb of God" (v18 compare Isa 40:9-11). Jesus' answer was simply; "come and see" (v39).

1:24  In saying that those that were sent were ‘if the Pharisees’ we see the beginning of what was to be a long running battle between the Pharisees and Jesus – but there were Pharisees who did accept Jesus. Nicodemus being ne and Saul of Tarsus being another.