The significance of burnt offerings (see the Fact Finder below) includes that the object being offered is used wholly for that purpose (interestingly, wholly means totally or exclusively, while holy means set apart), that the sacrificed object ceases to exist as a physical entity and that the result rises to heaven (in its symbolic form, to the first heaven, the atmosphere - see Heavens Below, Heavens Above). In that pre-Christian Christian era (not a contradiction - see Christ The Creator), burnt offerings were done daily, during the weekly Sabbath, monthly, and during each of the annual Sabbaths / Holy Days.
Daily:"The Lord said to Moses [to understand who was The Lord that spoke to Moses, see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?], "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, my food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to me in its due season.' And you shall say to them, This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to The Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a continual offering." (Numbers 28:1-3 RSV)During the weekly Sabbath (see "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy"):
"On the Sabbath day two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering: this is the burnt offering of every sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 28:9-10 RSV)On the first day of each month (see Bible Calendar and Bible Months):
"At the beginnings of your months you shall offer a burnt offering to The Lord: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; also three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenths of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for every lamb; for a burnt offering of pleasing odor, an offering by fire to The Lord." (Numbers 28:11-13 RSV)At the Passover (see Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread):
"On the fourteenth day of the first month is The Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no laborious work, but offer an offering by fire, a burnt offering to The Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; see that they are without blemish; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths of an ephah shall you offer for a bull, and two tenths for a ram; a tenth shall you offer for each of the seven lambs; also one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering." (Numbers 28:16-23 RSV)At the Feast of Firstfruits (see Christ's Pentecost):
"On the day of the first fruits, when you offer a cereal offering of new grain to The Lord at your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, but offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to The Lord; two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for one ram, a tenth for each of the seven lambs; with one male goat, to make atonement for you." (Numbers 28:26-30 RSV)Numbers Chapter 29
Interestingly, the European and English printers who divided the Holy Scriptures into chapters (there were no chapters in the original Hebrew or Greek Scriptures) listed the spring Holy Days in the previous chapter and the autumn Holy Days in this one. Whether they realized it or not, doing so was appropriate for more reasons than a printer alone would appreciate - the spring and autumn Holy Days portray the first and second comings of the Messiah (see God's Holy Days and Seasons Of The Harvest). As with The Lord's spring Holy Days, burnt offerings were back then included in the observance of The Lord's autumn Holy Days.
The Feast of Trumpets (see Christ's Feast of Trumpets):"On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, and you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to The Lord: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its cereal offering, and the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering, and their drink offering, according to the ordinance for them, a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to The Lord." (Numbers 29:1-6 RSV)The Day of Atonement (see Christ's Day Of Atonement):
"On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and afflict yourselves; you shall do no work, but you shall offer a burnt offering to The Lord, a pleasing odor: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; they shall be to you without blemish; and their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, a tenth for each of the seven lambs: also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering, and their drink offerings." (Numbers 29:7-11 RSV)The Feast of Tabernacles (see Christ's Feast of Tabernacles and Christ's Eighth Day):
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall keep a feast to The Lord seven days; and you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord, thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; and their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its cereal offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 29:12-16 RSV) "On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly: you shall do no laborious work, but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish, and the cereal offering and the drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by number, according to the ordinance; also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 29:35-38 RSV)Numbers Chapter 30
Vows among family members were regarded as sacred because the family itself is a living portrait of the family that God is creating i.e. God is our Father ("Our Father who art in heaven," Matthew 6:9 RSV), Christ is our firstborn brother ("But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ," 1 Corinthians 15:23 RSV), the Church is the woman (see Daughter of Zion) who will give birth to the children of God when they are truly born again (see Born Again, How and When?).
Men had no "out" for any vow or pledge that they made. Vows or pledges
made by a never-married or married woman could be over-ruled by her
father or husband respectively, but a widow or divorced woman was
personally responsible for her vow or pledge, the same as a man (see
also Zelophehad's Daughters). Examples:"Moses said to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, "This is what The Lord has commanded. When a man vows a vow to The Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." (Numbers 30:1-2 RSV) But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself, shall stand; and The Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her. And if she is married to a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it, and says nothing to her on the day that he hears; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he expresses disapproval, then he shall make void her vow which was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips, by which she bound herself; and The Lord will forgive her.
But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her." (Numbers 30:1-9 RSV)
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