Num 7:84-89 This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed, from the chiefs of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes each silver plate weighing 130 shekels and each basin 70, all the silver of the vessels 2,400 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary, the twelve golden dishes, full of incense, weighing 10 shekels apiece according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the dishes being 120 shekels; all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain offering; and twelve male goats for a sin offering; and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed. And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.
Each tribe offered a silver platter and a silver bowl (each holding a grain offering), and a gold pan holding incense. Along with these they were also to present one bull, ram, and a lamb as a burnt offering; a goat as a sin offering; along with two oxen and five rams, goats, and lambs as a peace offering. “The altar was the focal point of daily worship, and it was therefore appropriate that when it was dedicated a representative from every tribe should offer all the regular sacrifices. It set a precedent and demonstrated that the worship was for every tribe and supported by every tribe.”
These identical offerings were offered over twelve days, with one day set aside for one of the tribes. To us, this may seem like meaningless repetition in this longest of all the chapters in Numbers. Nevertheless, God had several important reasons for this.
· To show that each tribe pledged their allegiance to Yahweh; that they each supported the work of the tabernacle and the priesthood, and the system of sacrifice commanded by God and carried out by the priests.
· To show the importance of each individual tribe, giving each tribe its own day of celebration and attention. These tribes were all related, but different – and each of them was important to God and should be regarded as important among Israel as a whole. Each tribe would receive attention, like each graduate at a commencement ceremony.
· To show the importance of each individual gift, giving full attention to every tribe’s gift. Every gift mattered.
· To show that God wanted to be approached with some degree of organization and order. The tribes came in a specific order, the same order that they were organized for marching through the wilderness.
· To show that at God’s altar, every tribe came as an equal. No tribe was better than the others at the altar for atonement, dedication unto God, and fellowship with the LORD.
The repetition of these offerings over twelve days gave a sense of ritual and ceremony to the participation of the tribes at the tabernacle. Ceremony and ritual have some place among the people of God. Different parts of the broader Christian family may debate the degree of emphasis on the role of ceremony and ritual, but it is undeniable that there is some place for ritual and ceremony in the gatherings of God’s people.
Clearly, this was generous giving. God must show Promised Land people how to be givers – one of the best measures of one who has moved from a slave mind-set to a Promised Land mind-set. The slave by nature is a taker because he is often unsure of provision. Promised land people are generous, because they trust in a God who promised to meet all their needs.
We rarely read in the Bible of exactly how God spoke to Moses. Here, at the tabernacle, we see that it was in an audible voice, not merely an impression in the mind. “This is perhaps the one instance in which we have a clear statement that in communing with God, Moses did actually hear a voice. The communications which he received were more than subjective impressions; they were objective expressions. “There is no form or visible manifestation, no angel or being in human likeness, representing God. It is only a Voice that is heard.” (Guzik)