Offerings

The way we are to show love is by offerings. We must know to Whom and why offerings are made. Face it, God doesn't want your money, your harvest, your ram, or your bull! His desire is to have your love. No offering given in resentment nor pride is an acceptable offering. There are several different types of offerings, each for their own reason. Today, I focus on two: the heave offering and the wave offering. Why? It is clear to whom they are offered!

The heave offering was for the Levites - those without an inheritance or land.

Numbers 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Thus the tithe of the Christian goes to our mediator with God - the priests. I won't go into the portions and rituals for the heave offering because there is something more important of which to write!

 Leviticus 8:26 And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder: 27 And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord. 28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

It appears the wave offering was in gratitude to God for his goodness. The people were to bring the good stuff - the firstfruits, thus thanking God for his blessings.

Then there was a manner for making the offerings to the Lord:

Exodus 29:27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up.

The wave offering came from the breast - with outstretched hands. The heave offering came from the should - with arms lifted up.  Thus, the two taken together as they were, what do we have with the motions? The Cross on which Jesus died! (A picture of Jesus on the Cross). These two offerings were for Jesus; the heave offering as mediator to God and a timid servant to all, and the wave offering in gratitude to his Godhood.

Notice that Jesus had no inheritance. It was the meek who will inherit the earth. As a priest on the order of Melchizedek - King of Salem, Jesus is both Priest and King. As King of the Jews, not by accident, he was also Priest and King of Jerusalem, and thus inherited Melchizedek's altar and throne. Some believe that Melchizedek was an appearance of Jesus in human form since he was without lineage and was eternal (Hebrews 7:1-4). Study the rest of that chapter. It speaks of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods, as well as the priesthood of Melchizedek which Jesus is!

Hebrews 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Whereas the priesthood offered up many sacrifices to the Lord, somehow they all pointed toward Jesus. It just so happened that the wave and heave offerings  pointed directly to the Cross! They offered regularly but Jesus offered one time for all time. Before, many animals died but with Jesus One life was given - the Perfect Offering - God Himself in our place!

Thus the two offerings taken together are to honor the Servant and King. The Wave to the King and heave to the Servant. Never forget, Holy Scripture is all about Jesus. Everything they did was in praise of the Word - pre-incarnate Jesus. Jesus in Spirit was there and smelled the sweet aroma of honor and gratitude! Moses knew of Whom he served... do you?