（民28）特殊的日子(Numbers 28) Special Days
(ChatGPT was applied for English translation. 中文在后面）
I am visiting my alma mater during the summer vacation. Yesterday, while passing the 7-Eleven store on campus during lunch, I originally planned to buy some dried tofu, but saw a long line of people all the way to the steps at the entrance. Before and after lunch, it was the same. I didn’t want to stand in a long line, so I gave up my original plan. But I was very curious, so I asked a girl who came out, “Why are there so many people today?” She said today is the 7/11 promotion: spend 100 yuan and get 50 yuan back. Suddenly I realized—it was July 11th, the date corresponding to the store’s name. This kind of thing only happens once a year.
That reminded me of something that happened to me on July 11. In 1987, I happened to be near the old campus of this same university, taking exams for going abroad. The exams lasted three days: each morning was for subject exams, and each afternoon was for English. I ended up being the last admitted student nationwide. After going abroad, my life changed drastically.
Indeed, some days in the year are special. Some of them I recorded in my diary; some I kept related letters. Thinking of them fills me with gratitude.
Numbers chapters 28 and 29 in the Bible also record many special days.
Among these are Passover, which commemorates the Creator delivering His people from slavery in Egypt; Pentecost, which according to Jewish tradition commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments—and this also happens to be the day the Creator later gave the Holy Spirit to Christians. Some other special days are very likely related to what the Creator will do in the future—for example, the Feast of Trumpets, which may foretell that the Creator will use the sound of the trumpet to awaken those who are “asleep,” to raise the dead.
These special days are also days when the Creator commanded His people to offer sacrifices. In a sense, these special days—even every day, even every evening and morning—are occasions for sacrifice, because the Creator performs miracles for His people every day. Many times, we simply do not realize it.
Numbers 28:2, 3, 8
“Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me, you shall observe to offer to Me at its appointed time.’ And you shall say to them: ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering… The other lamb you shall offer in the evening; like the morning grain offering and like its drink offering you shall offer, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.’”
Today, we still have special days to give thanks, but we can’t offer lambs as sacrifices anymore. So what can we do? What things today are similar to sacrifices in the past?
The fundamental purpose of sacrifice is likely to please the Creator. In the sacrificial passages of Numbers, it repeatedly speaks of “a pleasing aroma.” According to Rashi’s interpretation of Numbers 28:8, the term “pleasing aroma” implies satisfaction or delight, because the Creator spoke, and His desire was carried out.
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Numbers.28.8.1?lang=bi
Ancient Chinese sacrificial rituals also speak of the aroma of the sacrifice pleasing God. For example, in the Book of Songs, “Sheng Min” from the “Major Court Hymns,” describing the Zhou ancestor Hou Ji offering sacrifices, it says:
“Its fragrance began to rise, and the Supreme God delighted in it.”
https://baike.baidu.com/item/大雅·生民/1923538
Even though we cannot commemorate special days today by offering animal sacrifices, we can still do things that please the Creator—and that is likely the very purpose of sacrifice. How do we know what pleases the Creator? When there is no biblical instruction, acting in a way that does not go against our conscience is what pleases the Lord—because conscience is something the Creator placed in the human heart. Once we have the Bible’s instruction, then we should act according to its commandments, for those commandments are given by the Creator to tell us what He hates and what He delights in. So we need to study the Bible to understand the Creator’s will. In the Bible, there are at least several hundred positive commandments—things we are to do, which are what please the Creator. And there are also at least several hundred negative commandments—things the Creator does not delight in. The Bible also provides many examples of people and stories of success and failure. These can be many and very specific. For example: showing respect to the elderly, helping one’s parents, or leaving the corners of the field unharvested for the poor—these are things the Lord delights in. But if one seeks out idols or practices divination or fortune-telling about the future, these are things the Lord does not delight in. On anniversaries in our lives when we have experienced the Lord’s special favor, doing something specific—big or small—that brings Him joy is very fitting.
More specifically, the writing of this article today, in memory of the miracle the Creator did for me during my going-overseas exam more than thirty years ago, is a personal form of sacrificial expression. According to biblical teaching: studying the Bible, teaching the Bible, living out the Bible, preaching the gospel, bearing witness—these are all things that please the Creator. During their festivals, Jewish people often make charitable donations. They also thank the Lord in their daily prayers—because in fact, every day is a day of grace from the Lord. We just often fail to notice. Their prayer says:
“We thank You, for You are the Creator, our God and the God of our ancestors, forever. You are the Rock of our life, the Shield of our salvation from generation to generation. We thank You and recount Your praise, for our lives which are committed to Your hand, and for our souls which are entrusted to You; for Your miracles which are with us daily, and for Your wonders and favors in every season—evening, morning, and afternoon. Beneficent One, Your mercies never cease. Compassionate One, Your lovingkindnesses never end. We have always placed our hope in You. For all these things may Your name be blessed and exalted, our King, always and forever. Let every living being thank You forever! And let them faithfully praise Your name, O God, our salvation and our help, forever! Blessed are You, Creator, whose name is the Beneficent One, and to whom giving thanks is fitting.”
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/7166.67?lang=bi
Amen.
Let me know if you’d like this shaped into a devotion, sermon, or published post.
（民28）特殊的日子
我在暑假正在访问我的母校。昨天我吃中饭时经过校园里的7/11店，本来想买些豆腐干的，结果看到排长队，一直排到门口的台阶上。吃饭前吃饭后都是这样，我不想排长队，就放弃了原来的计划。但我很好奇，就问一位出来的女生，说怎么今天那么多人？她说今天是7/11促销，买满100元还50元。我恍然大悟，原来当天是七月十一日，与店名相对应，这样的情况每年只有一次。
于是我想起了在7月11日发生在我身上的事。1987年，我那时正好在同一个学校的老校区附近在参加出国考试，连续三天，每天上午考专业课，下午考英语。我后来是全国录取学生中的最后一名。出国后我人生发生了很大的变化。
的确，一年中的有些日子很特殊，有些我在日记上记录了，有些我把有关的信件收藏起来了。想起这些就很感恩。
圣经民数记28，29章也记录了很多特殊的日子。
这些日子中，有逾越节，记念造物主把祂的子民从埃及的奴役中解放出来，有五旬节，这根据犹太传统是记念造物主赐下十诫，这也恰好是造物主在一千多年后为基督徒们赐下圣灵的日子。也有些特殊日子很可能是和造物主将来要做的事有关，比如吹角节，可能预表祂将来要用角声催醒“睡着”的人，让死人复活。
这些特殊的日子，也是造物主叫祂的子民献祭的日子。从某种角度来说，这些特殊的日子，甚至包括每天，甚至包括每天的黄昏和早晨，因为造物主每天都为祂的子民行奇迹，很多时候，只是我们没有意识到而已：
民数记28:2，3， 8 “你 要 吩 咐 以 色 列 人 说 ， 献 给 我 的 供 物 ， 就 是 献 给 我 作 馨 香 火 祭 的 食 物 ， 你 们 要 按 日 期 献 给 我 。又 要 对 他 们 说 ， 你 们 要 献 给 耶 和 华 的 火 祭 ， 就 是 没 有 残 疾 ， 一 岁 的 公 羊 羔 ， 每 日 两 只 ， 作 为 常 献 的 燔 祭 。… 晚 上 ， 你 要 献 那 一 只 羊 羔 ， 必 照 早 晨 的 素 祭 和 同 献 的 奠 祭 献 上 ， 作 为 馨 香 的 火 祭 ， 献 给 耶 和 华。”
在现代，我们还是有为之感恩的特殊日子，但我们不能杀羊羔献祭，那么我们可以做些什么呢？什么事情在现代与古代的献祭类似呢？
献祭的根本目的，很可能是为了讨造物主的喜悦，在民数记献祭的经文中，多次提到馨香的火祭。根据Rashi对民数记28:8的解释，“馨香”一词， 可以暗示满足或喜悦，这是因为造物主说了话，祂的愿望就被执行了。https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Numbers.28.8.1?lang=bi
中国古代的献祭，也有用献祭的香气让上帝喜悦的描述，比如描写周朝祖先后稷献祭的《诗经•生民》，就提到“其香始升， 上帝居歆”。
https://baike.baidu.com/item/大雅·生民/1923538
我们今天虽然不能用献祭来记念特殊的日子了，但仍然可以作造物主喜悦的事，而这很可能正是献祭的目的。我们怎么知道什么是造物主喜悦的事呢？在没有圣经教导的时候，行事不违背良心，就是主所喜悦的，因为良心是造物主安放在人心里的，等有了圣经的教导，就要行圣经里的诫命，因为诫命是造物主赐给的，告诉我们什么事祂恨恶，什么事祂喜悦。所以我们要学习圣经，了解造物主的心意。圣经里至少有几百条正面的诫命，就是要做什么事，那些是造物主喜悦的；圣经里也有至少几百条负面的诫命，那些是造物主所不喜悦的，圣经还给出了很多有关的人物和成功失败的事例。这些可以很多，很具体， 比如说尊敬老人，帮助父母，或者收割时把下麦田的角落留给穷人，这些是主所喜悦的， 而如果为未来拜偶像或通灵算命，这些是主所不喜悦的。在我们生命中有过主的特别眷顾的纪念日， 做一些具体的事让祂高兴，不论大小，都是很合适的。
更具体地说，我今天写这篇文章，记念三十多年前造物主在我出国考试时为我行的奇事，就是一种我个人的类似献祭的表达方式。根据圣经教导，学圣经，教圣经，行圣经，传福音，作见证，这些都是造物主所喜悦的事，犹太人在节日期间也常常作慈善捐赠。他们还在每天的祷告中感谢主，因为其实每天都是主赐恩的日子，只是我们常常没有意识到，他们的祷告词说，
“我们感谢祢，因为祢是造物主，我们的上帝和我们祖先们的上帝，直到永远；我们生命的磐石，我们拯救的盾牌，世世代代都是祢。我们要感谢祢，述说对祢的赞美， 为着我们交托在祢手中的生命， 为着我们托付于祢的灵魂，为着祢每天与我们同在的神迹，也为着祢每时每刻的奇迹和恩惠—晚上，早晨和下 午。 仁慈者，因祢的怜悯永不穷尽，怜悯者， 因祢的慈爱永不止息— 永远我们的希望都寄托在祢身上。为着所有这些，愿祢的名被称颂和高举，我们的君王，永不间断，直到永永远远。所有活着的生命 将称谢祢直到永远！ —且要真诚地颂扬祢的名，上帝，我们的拯救和我们的帮助，直到永远！称颂祢，造物主，仁慈者是祢的名，对祢感恩又是何等应当。” https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/7166.67?lang=bi
阿们。