Numbers 7:10 - Meaning and Application

Here we have a record of the great ceremony for dedicating the altars, both the burnt offering altar and the incense altar. These altars had already been set apart when they were anointed (Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:11), but now the princes, the leaders of the tribes, gave their freewill offerings and began using them with honor and joy. They showed deep respect for these signs of God’s presence among them.

First, the princes and the great men were the first and most eager in serving God. Those who have the highest rank should lead the way in good works, and that is the truest honor. This is a lesson for nobles, officials, and all people in authority. They should use their position, wealth, and influence to support religion and God’s service where they live. If they have more than others, more good should come from their hands, or they are careless stewards who will have a bad account to give. Great men must also be personally devout, not only using their power to help others worship, but practicing worship themselves. That brings honor to God (Psalm 138:4, Psalm 138:5) and encourages others, who are more likely to join in devotion when they see it respected. The greatest person is still less than the smallest ordinance of God, and even the humblest religious duty is no shame to one of high rank.

Second, the offerings were rich and costly. Some think the princes did not pay the whole amount themselves, but that the heads of each tribe helped provide what their prince brought. They gave some things for lasting service, twelve large silver dishes and twelve large silver bowls, each of great weight. The dishes were for the grain offerings, and the bowls were for the drink offerings, while the golden spoons, filled with incense, were likely meant for the golden altar, since both altars had been anointed together. In works of worship and mercy, we should give as generously as we can. The best should be served with the best we have. Israel could well afford such gifts, since God had given them bread from heaven, and they were soon to receive the land of Canaan.

They also brought offerings for immediate use: burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings, and the grain offerings that went with them. By this they showed thankful acceptance of, and willing obedience to, the laws about sacrifice that God had given through Moses. It is striking that even in a time of great joy, a sin offering was still included. Since even our best services are mixed with sin, it is right that repentance should still have a place in our most joyful worship. In every approach to God, we must look in faith to Christ as the great sin offering and speak of him.

Third, each prince brought his offering on a different day, following the order in which they had been arranged. So the whole celebration lasted twelve days. God had commanded it that way (Numbers 7:11). This likely continued through one Sabbath, and perhaps two, but that was fitting, since it was holy work for a holy day. God ordered it this way for several good reasons. The celebration would last longer and be more widely noticed by all Israel, so its memory would stay fresh. Each tribe would also receive equal honor, just as each had its own precious stone in Aaron’s breastpiece. It was also a more orderly way to do God’s work, since God’s work should not be hurried or confused. Taking time often helps us do it better. God also showed how much he delights in acts of worship, and how much we should delight in them too. Repeating such service should not weary us, and we should not think faithful service is a burden. If God calls for twelve days of special service, we should not shrink from it.

This arrangement also gave the priests and Levites, the assistants in temple service, repeated practice in the sacrifices and offerings. And since the peace offerings had to be eaten the same day, the amount for each day was enough for a proper feast without encouraging excess. Temperance must not be lost under the excuse of religious feasting.

All the offerings were exactly the same, with no difference from tribe to tribe. This showed that all the tribes of Israel had equal share in the altar and equal interest in the sacrifices offered on it. One tribe may have had a more honorable place in the camp than another, but all were equally acceptable to God, and so were their services. We also must not show favoritism in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ (James 2:1).

Nahshon, the prince of Judah, brought his offering first, because God had given Judah the most honorable place in the camp. The other tribes accepted this order and followed as God had appointed them to camp. Judah, the tribe from which Christ came, went first, and then the rest followed. In the dedication of souls to God, each person is presented in proper order, with Christ as the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Some point out that Nahshon is the only one who is not expressly called a prince here (Numbers 7:12). The Jewish writers explain this by saying he is not given the title so he would not become proud because he offered first, while the others are called princes because they, even those from older family lines, submitted and offered after him. Others say the title “prince of Judah” more properly belongs to Christ, because “to him shall the gathering of the people be.”

Though all the offerings were the same, the account of each tribe’s gift is repeated in full. Scripture never has pointless repetition, so why does it do this here? It is not as though it would have been enough to say that each leader brought the same offering as the first. No, God wanted each tribe named and each gift recorded.

This was, first, to encourage these princes and their tribes. Since every offering is written out in full, no one could think less of any tribe’s gift. Before God, rich and poor stand on the same ground. It was also to encourage all acts of devotion and kindness. What is given to God is, in effect, lent to him, and he keeps careful record of it, with each person’s name tied to the gift. He will repay it, and even a cup of cold water will receive its reward. He is not unfair, so as to forget either the cost or the hard work of love (Hebrews 6:10). Christ himself paid close attention to what was put into the treasury (Mark 12:41). Even if the gift is small, or given to help others, if it is given according to our ability, it will be remembered and rewarded in the resurrection of the righteous.

The total is then added at the end of the record (Numbers 7:84-88). This shows how pleased God was with these freewill offerings, and how much they amounted to when each prince gave his share. How much the sanctuary of God would be enriched and made beautiful if everyone did their part in their own place, through pure living, devoted worship, generous charity, and useful service to others!

God showed his gracious acceptance of these gifts by speaking with Moses as a man speaks with his friend, from above the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89, Numbers 12:8). In speaking to Moses, he was in effect speaking to all Israel, giving them this sign of his favor (Psalm 103:7). We may know that God hears and accepts our prayers if he gives us grace to hear and receive his word, for that is how fellowship with him is kept alive.

I do not know why we should not think that on each of these days, while the priests and the offerers were likely feasting on the peace offerings, Moses was in the tabernacle receiving some of the laws and instructions we have already met in this book and the one before it. Bishop Patrick also notes that God’s speaking to Moses in an audible, clear voice, as though he were clothed with a holy body, could be seen as a sign of the coming incarnation of the Son of God in the fullness of time, when the Word would become flesh and speak in human language. For though God spoke at different times and in different ways to the fathers, in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

Many of the early writers also thought that the one speaking to Moses as the shechinah, that is, the visible glory of God, from between the cherubim was the eternal Word, the second person of the Trinity. That was a devout and thoughtful guess, because all God’s fellowship with man comes through his Son, by whom he made the world, rules the church, and remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.