This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed, from the chiefs of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes…Numbers 7:84 – Our chapter today is the longest chapter in all of Numbers and even one of the top ten longest chapters in the whole Bible. As you dive into this chapter, you begin to see why. It outlines the dedication of the Tent of Meeting, and we see that each of the twelve tribes had a gift to present at the dedication. What we see though in the chapter is a detailed description of each gift that each of the twelve tribes gave, hence the length of the chapter. Yet if each tribe gave different gifts, then it would make a little more sense why they’d give space to record that, but instead each tribe gave the exact same gift. So we have the exact same list of gifts recorded twelve times, and even for me that was a lot to stay focused on while reading through. So why? Why take up space in scripture with a “repeat” like this? Commentators actually have a few really good reasons, but one that stood out to me was that it revealed that at God’s altar everyone was equal. Yes some tribes were far larger than others, some tribes had more money or more soldiers, and even some tribes had famous Bible characters come from them. Yet, at the altar, each tribe was equal before God. Size, wealth, and fame didn’t matter at the altar. Today such is the same at the foot of the cross. Each person is equal there. The highest religious authority to the worst of criminals to the smallest baby is equal at the foot of the cross. God gave space in His scriptures in our chapter to remind Israel of this truth, and He also gave us the space in all His scripture to remind us of this same reality. God loves each of us the same and God’s salvation is the same for each who follow Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more. Mac – Daily DEVO 3357
Question To Ponder: Why is it important to know we are equal at the foot of the cross?
See Full Chapter
See Previous Devotions Over This Chapter
Daily DEVO 
Leave a comment