Numbers 7: 1 – 89
He doesn’t play favorites
7 Now it came to pass, when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, that he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and the altar and all its utensils; so he anointed them and consecrated them. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of the tribes and over those who were numbered, made an offering. 3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.” 6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; 8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders. 10 Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar. 11 For the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.” 12 And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 14 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 16 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. 19 For his offering he offered one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 20 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 22 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 23 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the children of Zebulun, presented an offering. 25 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 26 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 28 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the children of Reuben, presented an offering. 31 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 32 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 34 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 35 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the children of Simeon, presented an offering. 37 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 38 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 40 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 41 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the children of Gad, presented an offering. 43 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 44 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 46 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 47 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the children of Ephraim, presented an offering. 49 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 50 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 52 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 53 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the children of Manasseh, presented an offering. 55 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 56 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 58 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 59 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the children of Benjamin, presented an offering. 61 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 62 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 64 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 65 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the children of Dan, presented an offering. 67 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 68 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 70 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 71 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, leader of the children of Asher, presented an offering. 73 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 74 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 76 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 77 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the children of Naphtali, presented an offering. 79 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 80 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 82 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 83 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. 84 This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel, when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold pans. 85 Each silver platter weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and each bowl seventy shekels. All the silver of the vessels weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans weighed one hundred and twenty shekels. 87 All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve young bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs in their first year twelve, with their grain offering, and the kids of the goats as a sin offering twelve. 88 And all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, and the lambs in their first year sixty. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed. 89 Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.
Have you ever attended a school concert? If you have children or nieces and nephews you must at one time or another attended a spring or winter concert which in most cases displayed your cute children singing. How about ever attending a graduation or special event?
You are thinking, ‘what’s your point?’ My point is that I have observed some very rude actions taken by parents during these public gatherings. I am sure you have seen these things occur. You see these people enjoy the fact that their kid gets to go on early in the show. All the parents, friends, and relatives are in the audience. Then after their kids performance these all so important people get up and leave. How ignorant is that. What about the other little children? Were these adults called out for an emergency surgery?
In a similar way I have personally witnessed Pastors who violate God’s word when they come to chapter 7 of the book of Numbers. We read in the book of Revelation chapter 22 this fact, “18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Some Pastor’s feel that in order not to bore the folks at his bible study he will skip the repetitive verses. So they are taking away from God’s word in doing so. Our Precious Holy God Yahweh does not play favorites. He appreciated each tribe’s contribution. In order to show that He loves all His children He wanted all the contributions to be the same. No one could stand out that they gave Him more or of higher value. Each tribe was given a day to present their gifts.
How would you feel if in line you would be at the end? Would ever other tribe which donated just get up and leave the ceremony or not even bother to attend another tribes celebration day? Hey they are all out in the wilderness, what emergency did they have to be at?
I love to watch people. I use to go to the Indy and Daytona 500. It wasn’t for the race. To me it is just boring watching cars go around in a circle. I enjoyed watching all the various people. So, if I was one of the Israelites I would enjoy going to watch also how the other people enjoyed their day.
The offerings of the princes for the carriage and maintenance of the Sanctuary and for the dedication of the altar complete the activity of Yahweh’s people in making the camp pure and holy. The covered wagons would protect the holiness of the Sanctuary. The dedication of the altar would contribute to its holiness and ensure its continuation. So the people as a whole - individuals, priests and now princes -will have all made their contribution to the holiness of the camp. All would now be set to receive Yahweh’s response.
7 Now it came to pass, when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, that he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and the altar and all its utensils; so he anointed them and consecrated them.
This happened on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the Tabernacle, and had anointed and sanctified it with all its furniture. He had also set up the altar and all connected with it, and had anointed and sanctified them. They had all been set apart exclusively for Yahweh. That this setting apart was accepted would come out in verse 89.
The atmosphere in the camp would have been electric as they gazed at the new newly-consecrated Dwelling place of Yahweh. Later on in that day they would see the cloud of Yahweh descend on it and the glory of Yahweh fill it.
2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of the tribes and over those who were numbered, made an offering.
This would be done over a period of twelve days by their offerings day by day for the dedication of the altar. Thus when the instructions for the Levites about the carrying of the Tabernacle with all its contents was given (chapter 4), these wagons were already in place. The twelvefold dedication of the altar would demonstrate that all in Israel were involved.
3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle.
Their first concern was shown by their action in regard to the Tabernacle. They brought before Yahweh six covered wagons, each with two oxen to draw it. The singular ‘ox’ denotes that each prince contributed an ox. These would enable the Tabernacle to be carried safely and securely, and free from any danger of defilement.
‘They presented them before the Tabernacle.’ They could not bring them into the courtyard to ‘present them before Yahweh’, so they did the next best thing. By these gifts they expressed their gratitude for His dwelling among them, and their desire for the maintenance of His holy status.
In the same way God looks to us all to provide for the work of God what is necessary for its continuance so that His work will prosper.
4 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Yahweh responded to their gift. He came with a special word to Moses. God always takes note of what we give. Remember the widow in the Temple (Mark 12.41-44). No gift, however small, goes unnoticed, as long as the heart and motive is right. Indeed its size is irrelevant.
5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”
Moses was to accept the offerings, and was instructed that they were to be used in the service of the Tabernacle, the Tent of meeting. To this end they were to be given to the Levites, to those with overall responsibility for the conveyance of the different parts of the Tabernacle, according to requirements for the carrying out of their ‘service’.
6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
And Moses did what Yahweh had commanded. He took the wagons and oxen and gave them to the Levites.
7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service;
Two of them with their ox teams he gave to the sons of Gershon. They would be sufficient for the main body of the Tent of meeting.
8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
He gave four of them to the sons of Merari, who needed more wagons because of all the bits and pieces that they had to carry. These were all under the control of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the High Priest.
9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders.
Please notice though that the sons of Kohath did not receive a wagon. They bore the sacred furniture, and that had to be carried bodily by them. The furniture was provided with staves or poles for the purpose. It must not be thrown about in a wagon as a result of the roughness of the way. It was to be given personal attention.
So God made ready for his servants all that was necessary for their service, even before He appointed them to it. We may always be sure that when God calls men into His service, His provision for them has already been made.
10 Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar.
Then the princes offered gifts towards the dedication of the altar. These consisted both of things that would be usable in the activities related to the Tabernacle, and offerings and sacrifices on behalf of themselves and the people. The holiness of the altar must be ensured.
We are now given, in order, the details of twelve days on which each prince brought his gift. Exactly the same fift is given in full detail. This was necessary so that nothing might be rushed and that each might be dealt with fully and satisfactorily. None must be made to feel that his gift had not been appreciated or properly received. He would be concerned that full weight be given to it because he was the representative of his tribe, and responsible for the honor of the tribe.
The same detail is given for each day so that as far as we are concerned once we have covered the first one we have covered all. But while some might abbreviate their dealings with the chapter Moses was too wise to do so. He knew that each must be given his due. No tribe had to be slighted. And that is brought out by the detail of the narrative. Nobody would want to be a ‘ditto’ in the record made about these events. Each tribe would pick out the part that they had played, or wait for it to come when the record was read out.
11 For the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
Yahweh informed Moses that the princes must be allowed to make their offerings for the dedication of the altar day by day, each on his day. Each tribe would have its part in the dedication of the altar. Each tribe would be rendered holy by the offering of their whole burnt offerings, their purification for sin offerings, and their peace offerings. Each would equally have its day. And from each would be received their gifts with due ceremony. This was done in the order of the tribes in chapter 2, depending on their placing around the Sanctuary, commencing with the east side.
Each day the whole congregation would be gathered as one to honor the tribe in whose honor the particular day was set aside. And that day would be their day, a day never to be forgotten.
12 And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 14 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 16 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
There were two aspects to their offerings. First brought were the gifts of instruments for the service of the priests in the Tabernacle. These included a silver platter or dish and a silver bowl which was filled with milled wheat grain mingled with oil; and a golden spoon (or ‘cup’) full of incense. These were not just a theoretical idea. The weight of each is described. It was important that they be of the right weight. The silver bowl was sixty shekels less than the silver platter. The golden spoon or cup was sixty shekels less than the silver bowl. Ten and seventy were numbers of completeness and perfection, chosen for that reason. The one hundred and thirty simply arose from adding sixty (the difference between ten and seventy) to the seventy in order to maintain the perfect parallel. All was to be seen as balanced and perfect and complete.
The silver was used for the offerings for the courtyard, gold for the inner sanctuary, a measure of the holiness of each place. One was ‘holy’, the other ‘most holy’. The platter and the bowl would be brought into service immediately in the offering of the grain offerings, and incense would be added from the spoon. These were an indication of the dedication of themselves and their daily work to Yahweh, and a thanksgiving for harvests past, as well as making atonement (Leviticus 2.1-2). The remainder of the incense would be offered at some time during the day on the altar of incense. This would indicate worship and praise, and intercession for forgiveness and mercy.
Then the sacrifices would be brought. These were as follows:
• For a whole burnt offering, one young ox bull, one ram, one he-lamb a year old. The ox bull would probably be for the whole congregation and the ram for the tribe. The he-lamb of the first year for a whole burnt offering is for solemn consecration
• For a purification for sin offering, one male of the goats. This was the offering for a ruler (Leviticus 4.23). It here probably represents the ruler and his tribe.
• For peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old.
These would be eaten by the tribe in question which accounts for their numbers. The two oxen stand as witnesses to the dedication. The fives represent them specifically as important covenant offerings. Three times five is complete covenant representation bringing peace, perfect peace.
The making of these offerings ensured a rapport between each tribe and the altar. They would remember that at its dedication they as a tribe had themselves been dedicated to Yahweh through their whole burnt offerings, purified from sin by their purification for sin offerings, and brought at peace to eat before Yahweh with their peace offerings while at the same time the altar had been dedicated and purified by their offerings. These three aspects are important also in the Christian life. We must participate in Him Who Is our altar (Hebrews 13.10) by the dedication of ourselves (Romans 12.1-2), by constantly seeking purification from sin (1 John 1.7-10) and by fellowship with Him in worship and prayer, partaking at His table (1 Corinthians 10.16).
The same procedure was carried out on each of the other days. They are given in full in order to maintain the honor of each tribe. The repetition also brings out the fullness of the offerings. It brings out that the whole congregation in all its parts contributed fully in a massive dedication. All had a full part in the dedication of the altar.
For us too there is an altar (Hebrews 13.10), the ‘altar’ on which our Lord Jesus Christ offered up Himself. And it is through that altar and the One Who died there that we too can make our approach to God.
18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. 19 For his offering he offered one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 20 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 22 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 23 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
The second day was for the tribe of Issachar and its leader was Nethanel.
24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the children of Zebulun, presented an offering. 25 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 26 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 28 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. This was the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon.’
Reading this reminds me of the song – the 12 days of Christmas. On the 3rd day Eliab was the prince of the tribe of Zebulun.
30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the children of Reuben, presented an offering. 31 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 32 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 34 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 35 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
Elizur the leader of the children of Reuben came forward on the fourth day to present their offerings.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the children of Simeon, presented an offering. 37 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 38 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 40 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 41 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
On the fifth day Shelumiel the leader of the children of Simeon, presented an offering for his tribe
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the children of Gad, presented an offering. 43 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 44 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 46 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 47 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
We now see that on the sixth day Eliasaph the leader of the children of Gad presented an offering
48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the children of Ephraim, presented an offering. 49 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 50 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 52 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 53 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
On the seventh day Elishama the leader of the children of Ephraim, presented an offering as representative of his tribe
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the children of Manasseh, presented an offering. 55 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 56 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 58 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 59 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
On the eighth day we learn that Gamaliel the leader of the tribe of Manasseh had their turn in giving to the maintenance of God’s Tabernacle.
60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the children of Benjamin, presented an offering. 61 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 62 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 64 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 65 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
On the ninth day Abidan the leader of the children of Benjamin, came forward and presented an offering to Yahweh God
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the children of Dan, presented an offering. 67 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 68 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 70 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 71 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
On the tenth day we see that Ahiezer the leader of the children of Dan now came to the Tabernacle and presented their gifts.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, leader of the children of Asher, presented an offering. 73 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 74 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 76 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 77 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.
The tribe of Asher on the eleventh day was given their day to bring an offering. The tribe was represented by Pagiel.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the children of Naphtali, presented an offering. 79 His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 80 one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; 82 one kid of the goats as a sin offering; 83 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
Finally on the twelfth day, but just as important as the gifts of the other tribes we see that Ahira represent the tribe of Naphtali in offering gifts to our Great God Yahweh.
So did all the tribes one by one bring their gifts and their offerings and make their dedication, until after twelve days all had taken part, represented by their tribal chieftain, their tribal ‘father’. The offerings having been outlined in detail, the full overall offering is now described in order to bring out its munificence.
84 This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel, when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold pans. 85 Each silver platter weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and each bowl seventy shekels. All the silver of the vessels weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans weighed one hundred and twenty shekels. 87 All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve young bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs in their first year twelve, with their grain offering, and the kids of the goats as a sin offering twelve. 88 And all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, and the lambs in their first year sixty. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
The multiplicity of the offerings and sacrifices confirms that not only the altar but also the people themselves were involved. They were being dedicated along with the altar. The purity of Israel was being ensured. To this our Holy and Majestic God Yahweh responded.
89 Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.
In response to all their efforts came the Voice of Yahweh from the ‘holies of holies (the Most Holy Place). Our Loving God was responding to their dedication and the dedication of their princes. Through Moses He would speak to them personally as His people, and Moses would pass on His words through the princes. Thus the Voice was closely linked with the dedicated princes. Their dedication on behalf of the people resulted in Yahweh’s positive revelatory action towards His people.
The Voice came from the mercy seat, the propitiatory, which was between the cherubim and above the Ark in which were the covenant tablets. Here was His covenant throne. From here He dispensed mercy. When the people were fully dedicated they could be sure that they would hear His voice through His representatives the prophets, who would stand where Moses stood (Deuteronomy 18.18-19). From now on they would always have His voice if they would hear it.
