Overview
And what were those sacrifices? A burnt offering with the accompanying meat offerings and drink offerings, a sin offering and peace offering. All these were required for these two loaves, the new meat offering unto the Lord. The burnt offering comes first, composed of seven lambs of the first year, one bullock, and two rams, a collection of sacrifices with which the people were familiar, but a selection peculiar to this occasion, and of course significant of truth in connection with that which by the two loaves was delineated. The seven lambs of the first year without blemish tell of the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God. At all the set feasts this number of lambs formed part of the specially appointed burnt offering, except throughout the first seven days of the feast of Tabernacles, when their number was doubled (Num. 29:13-32). The bullock, as the largest animal offered in sacrifice, may symbolize energy and devotedness, whilst the ram is expressive of consecration. Now for some of the set feasts two bullocks were ordered (Num. 28:19-27), at others only one (Num. 29:2, 8, 36); and as for the ram, at the feast of unleavened bread, at the feast of weeks, at the blowing of trumpets, on the day of atonement, and on the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles, one only was appointed to form part of the special burnt offering, though throughout the previous seven days, during which fourteen lambs were daily offered, two rams were sacrificed as well. But on the occasion of presenting the new meat offering, only one bullock was ordered and two rams; a selection this was, as we have observed, peculiar to this occasion. What was the meaning of it?
Now at those feasts which typify blessings common to Jews and Gentiles, we find two bullocks were appointed for sacrifice; but at those which had reference to that which peculiarly concerned Israel, God's earthly people, only one bullock was called for, and in harmony with this we meet with only one bullock appointed for sacrifice on the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles, the type of the eternal state, a period begun but never ending, when national distinctions will have ceased, and the tabernacle of God will be, not as of old with Israel, but with men, and He will dwell with them (Rev. 21:3). So it would seem that as the two loaves typify the two companies of saints which together form the one flock (John 10:16), the one bullock, appointed as part of the burnt offering in connection with them, teaches us that they are viewed, whilst on earth, as comprising the whole company of those who are recognized by God as His people. But here we must guard the reader, by reminding him that we have nothing about the truth of the one body of Christ. We have before us the saints who form it, it is true, but as saints of God, and not as the body of Christ. And as saints taken' out of Jews and Gentiles, they were equally consecrated to God, so two rams were offered on this occasion.
Besides the burnt offering there was to be a sin offering, and a peace offering, one kid of the goats for the former, and two lambs for the latter; and all, it would appear, were waved together before the Lord, but after the death of the animals. All then together formed one offering, so all were waved, the token to us that those typified by the loaves are to be for God, as risen with Christ. And here we should mark a difference between Him and us. At the offering of the wave sheaf, as we have remarked, there was no sin offering required. The wave loaves could not be presented to God without one. Further, the wave sheaf, as already noticed, was waved alone without the sacrifices, which were to be offered in connection with it. The wave loaves were waved with the sacrifices. The Lord Jesus needed no accompanying sacrifice to make Him acceptable to God. We could not be presented to God, nor be owned as devoted to His service apart from the sacrifice of His well-beloved Son on the cross. But it is as risen with Christ that saints now are to be for God.
This special service over, the other sacrifices appointed for the day's ceremonial had to be dealt with (Num. 28:26-31). And the people having kept the day as one of cessation from all servile work, the festival at sunset came to an end, and the males of Israel, who had appeared before the Lord with a freewill offering in their hand, according as the Lord their God bad blessed them, could depart home to wait till the seventh month arrived, on the first day of which there was to be a day of rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets. At this point, then, we may pause to review the outline of God's ways as delineated in the chief festivals of the sacred year, as far as we have looked into them.
The calendar begins with the celebration of the passover and the accompanying feast of unleavened bread. Of the need of the blood of God's Lamb for sinners we are thus reminded at the outset, and that those who share in the blessings which result from it, should be holy in their ways. Next we are taught of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, the morrow after the Sabbath, and of His acceptance before God, who lives to Him in resurrection. Following on that, and closely connected, we see in type Christians brought to God, and to be for God, giving Him the freewill offering, according as the Lord their God has blessed them, the worship of the heart in the power of the Holy Ghost, who was poured out on the feast of Pentecost. Thus these feasts are seen to be typical of God's ways in grace with His people, and as such have received their fulfillment, though the fulfillment is by no means exhausted. The rest of the festivals in the chapter typify blessings to be known by Israel, and enjoyed in the future.
But before proceeding to a consideration of them, there is one more verse which must be noticed (verse 22). The bulk of the crop reaped, of which the two wave loaves had been presented as the first fruits, the people were warned against making a clean riddance of the corners of their fields, or gathering the gleaning of their harvest. “Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger." A merciful provision this was for the poor in Israel. But why is it introduced in this place? Why have we a caution only as to the harvest, and none as to the vintage? In Lev. 19:9, 10, they are warned about both. Why is the harvest mentioned in this way here? The answer appears to be because tracing out, as this chapter does, the outline of God's ways with Israel, there will be found on earth after the church is taken away, saints who will have their part in heaven, so are part of the crop in the field, though they will not form part of the church. Hence this verse just comes in its proper place; filling up in the order of events, what, if omitted, would have left a gap in the history of Jehovah's ways.