Numbers 28:11-13 11“‘On the first of every month, present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 12With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; 13and with each lamb, a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD.
Remember grade school? It might take some effort to go back that far, but try. I remember wondering why we had to go into such detail about some old event that happened when I was not even born yet. Not only would we talk about the details but we would go over and over and over them again and again! Every day in math class, times tables. Every day in English class we would repeat the parts of speech. Every day in Science we would list the planets. But my fav was in art class when we repeated the primary, secondary and tertiary colors! I really liked art.
But, school often seemed like it was just to many details and too much repetition! Then I became a teacher. I have taught first and second grade. Virtually the only way to get a six year old to remember something they don’t really want to, is repetition. If you can do some movements at the same time, it’s a bonus! When I taught Bible quiz with pre-teens, the details had to be in the answer or it would be incorrect. Repeating the question and the answer was the best way to get it to ‘sink in’ to young minds. Later in my life I had to teach women in a housing development how to clean their apartments, or they risked eviction. I don’t know about you but cleaning was one of those things I learned from my Mom using the ‘details and repetition’ method! Once I learned it, I perfected my speed knowing I could do what I wanted to do after my work was done-and inspected! I taught them by actually doing the details with them. I ran into a few cockroaches that way! uck!
How about ads for a new product or medication? We hear them so much we sing those jingles in our sleep, and often try the product. Details and Repetition. It works now, and it worked back in the Bible days. In fact, God invented it!
I’ve been reading a lot in the Old Testament. I know some people don’t like to read the OT thinking that so much of what is said is really not for today. I beg to differ! In the Old Testament God chose to conceal things, and in the New Testament He revealed them. That is true, but there is so much rich history and wisdom in the Old Testament that cannot be left unlearned. Still, there is that pesky ‘details and repetition thing.’ Some have told me that they skip over the names, or the descriptions of the instructions for building the Temple. To these people I always say, like a teacher would; ‘read it, it’s good for you.’ There are many advantages to reading all the genealogies. You may be surprised by a family name that you heard in other parts of the Bible but you did not know they were connected to this particular family. Map out a family tree of the clans. It’s fun on a rainy day. You may find the great details that are given about how an offering is prepared for the Lord instructive as we do not do them today, the effort was immense and detailed. This type of sacrifice is unnecessary in our age since the sacrifice Jesus gave for us. Yet, we should consider the gravity of what the people had to do to obey God and be forgiven. As we do, our appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for us, should overwhelm our senses.
How about the detail God places in the building of the Temple? Every measurement is listed so even now we can duplicate the Ark of the Covenant, (there is a full sized replica in Lancaster County) and even Noah’s Ark (there is a full size replica of this in Kentucky)! Of course the people back then needed these instructions, a blue print if you will. They were the ones who would be building it. Why do we still have to slog through reading all those dimensions and instructions. Even how to carry the Ark!
Well, think of it. Our God is a God of decency and order. He shows us that is everything He does, His Word is no exception! When we want to learn something new we repeat it over and over. When advertisers want us to buy their product, we hear their ads over and over. Election time, you got it…repetition. So, when God wants us to be informed and not be sitting in the dark, confused, pushed around by every wave of doctrine that comes along, He writes the details and repeats them, over and over and over. Reading it really is ‘good for us.’ And, I usually see something I did not see in the previous reading. How about you?
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