Numbers 7; Psalm 23; Acts 27

Number 7:1, 10-11

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.

Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the alter. For the Lord said to Moses, "They shall offer their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar."

Every day for twelve days a leader of one of the tribes would bring the offering for their tribe. Each tribe brought the same thing, a silver platter and bowl full of flour and oil as a grain offering, a gold pan full of incense, a young bull, a ram, and a male lamb as a burnt offering, a kid goat as a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five more lambs as peace offerings. Through seventy-two verses it repeats the same words with the exception of which day it was and who brought it on behalf of which tribe. Why repeat this over and over again? Plus, the first verse already says the altar was anointed and consecrated. So what really was the dedication offering for the altar about?

Without the altar, the place where the price is paid for transgression, there is no way to approach the Holy God. It is central to maintaining the relationship between God and His people. If there is no altar, there are no sacrifices and there is no access to God. Each tribe, through their leader's offering, was saying they knew they needed the altar and were dedicating themselves to following God's prescribed method of keeping right in His sight.

Israel was dedicating themselves to what would be happening at the altar. But in 2009 A.D. I need to make sure I am dedicated to what has already happened on the altar of the cross of Calvary; The sacrifice I could not make to pay my price for transgressing the law I could not keep. My offering of dedication for the altar isn't grain or gold, bulls or goats. It can be nothing less than my all.