Slideshow image

As I read today’s chapters—Numbers 28–30—I was amazed at the number of sacrifices that were required per year from the Israelites. At first, all the measurements—ephahs and hins—didn’t mean a whole lot to me. But after doing a little digging, the numbers became real. Every year, the people offered:

  • 113 bulls,
  • 36 rams,
  • 1,094 lambs,
  • Nearly 100 bushels of grain,
  • Over 370 gallons of oil,
  • And more than 3,400 gallons of wine.

That’s a lot. And it didn’t even include special occasions—this was their normal rhythm of worship.

It’s easy to think, That seems excessive. But when you consider who the sacrifices were for, and what they were meant to accomplish, it then doesn’t feel like enough.

The value of Christ’s sacrifice is impossible to set a price on. There’s no measurement, no tally sheet that could ever make up for what we’ve received in Him. He gave His life. The weight of that should never get old. If the Israelites were called to offer so much in response to a temporary solution, how much more should we be grateful for the eternal salvation we experience?

Chapter 30 might feel like a disconnect, but there’s a connection. It’s all about vows—our promises to God. God took these seriously. If someone made a vow, they were expected to follow through. The only exception was if a father or husband intervened on the day he heard about his daughter or wife giving one he was not inclined to agree with. If he said nothing, the vow stood. If he annulled it, the Lord released the daughter or wife. But the heart behind it all? God values integrity. Whether it’s an offering or a word spoken in promise, God desires sincerity.

So how do these chapters connect?

Worship isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about the heart behind what we do and say. Sacrifices to God and promises to one another aren’t about looking holy—they’re about being being. God’s people are called to live with love and responsiveness; and that can be seen in how we respond to Him in our sacrifices and with one another in our word. As Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:17,

"whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

We may not bring bulls or lambs to an altar today, but we’re still called to lay down something of great value to us—our lives. Paul puts it this way in Romans 12:1,

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Takeaway: You can’t put a price on what Jesus has done for us. The Israelites gave thousands of offerings, but Christ gave one—and it was enough for all time. Let your worship and your words reflect the worth of that sacrifice. Don’t take it lightly. Live with reverence, respond with gratitude, and remember that grace, though free to us, came at the highest cost.