SERIES E --- YHVH’S LAWS --- LESSON 08

TWELVE DAYS OF GIVING

TWELVE DAYS OF GIFTS

From Numbers 7:48-89

On the same day that Moses set up the tabernacle and anointed and consecrated it and its furnishings, the leaders of Israel brought gifts to YHVH at the entrance to the tabernacle and laid them before the altar. According to YHVH’s command, each leader offered his gift on a different day.

On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the tribe of Ephraim, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the tribe of Manasseh, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of tribe of Benjamin, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the tribe of Dan, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, leader of the tribe of Asher, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the tribe of Naphtali, brought his gifts. They were:
A silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A silver bowl weighing seventy shekels (about a pound), filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering. A golden dish weighing ten shekels (about three ounces), full of incense. A young bull for a burnt offering. A ram for a burnt offering. A male lamb a year old for a burnt offering. A male goat for a sin offering. Two oxen for peace offerings. Five rams for peace offerings. Five male goats for peace offerings. Five male lambs a year old for peace offerings.

On the day the altar was anointed all the dedication gifts from the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel amounted to:
Twelve silver plates, each weighing a hundred and thirty shekels (about two pounds). Twelve silver bowls each weighing seventy shekels (about a pound). Altogether the silver plates and bowls weighed about thirty-six pounds. Twelve golden dishes filled with incense, each weighing ten shekels (about three ounces). All these golden dishes weighed about two pounds. Twelve young bulls for the burnt offerings. Twelve rams for the burnt offerings. Twelve male lambs a year old for the burnt offerings. Twelve male goats for the sin offerings. Twenty-four young bulls for the peace offerings. Sixty rams for the peace offerings. Sixty male goats for the peace offerings. Sixty male lambs a year old for the peace offerings.

When Moses went inside the tabernacle to talk with YHVH, he heard YHVH’s voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which, with the mercy seat, formed the golden lid of the Ark.

COMMENTARY

CHILDREN’S TOYS AND GAMES IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Like all children everywhere, Egyptian boys and girls loved to play games and to play with toys. One Egyptian tomb has a wall painting that shows many of the things they did. Much seems familiar today. Boys liked to roll hoops and play catch. There were two kinds of balls. One was soft, made of rawhide or leather and stuffed with chaff or straw. The other was extremely, hard made of faience, a hard-fired clay that was also used to make dishes. Tug-of-war, with a different name, was a favourite, played with a heavy rope. Egyptian children seemed to have loved leapfrog. They often played it over a long line of ten or twelve seated bodies. Boys raced each other or played war with mock weapons. The more fortunate children had toy horses or chariots. Others imitated the jobs they saw their elders do. But the most popular game was wrestling, especially among the people who could be called peasants. The Egyptians filled tomb walls with paintings of wrestling scenes, reflecting how much even the wealthy ones enjoyed watching it. Sometimes bits and snatches of conversations were written on the paintings. With an arm around his opponent’s leg, one wrestler says, [By your leave, now you will find yourself on your nose. I’ll see to that!] In another scene, a wrestler on top of his opponent says, [Don’t talk so big! See, here we are! Now, watch out for yourself] But the underdog retorts, [Look! I have wiggled around. You are going to have to give in!] Like girls in other times and places, Egyptian girls liked to play with dolls. Some were made of wood, others of faience. Still others, the fine dolls, were made of ivory. They usually had separate wigs that looked like small versions of the wigs Egyptian women wore. These dolls also had their own dresses and dishes. Girls played house and {dress-up. They liked to sing and dance together. Dogs, cats and sometimes birds were favourites as pets. Because of the many crocodiles in the Nile, children seldom went swimming. They could have visited the storyteller in the market instead. Older children could do all of these things, but they also enjoyed playing the same board games that their parents played. Many games children play, is not only much the same throughout the world; they also have not changed much for thousands of years.