THE WAVE OFFERING AND THE HEAVE OFFERING
Terry W Lock
Exodus 29: 1 (to “priests”), 22
John 1: 14, 35
Exodus 35: 20-24
We had a reference on Lord’s day morning in one of the thanksgivings, in relation to the wave-offering that is for God. I was quite affected by that, and I have been thinking a little bit about it. The wave-offering is very interesting, because it is not an offering by itself like the burnt-offering, or the sin-offering, or so on; but rather it is taken from the peace-offering, Lev 7: 30. The peace offering is what the people of Israel were able to enjoy together, with the only stipulation being that anyone of the company that took part in it had to be clean from sin. From the peace-offering was taken the wave-offering. The wave-offering is particularly, to my mind, and hopefully I will be able to express it readily by the Spirit, what is for God. It is not exactly in relation to things done, and it is also not exactly in relation to things met. It is not like a burnt-offering or a sin-offering. It is rather an appreciation of what the creature offered was for God. There are many references through Scripture, but in Exodus 29, this is the time of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. It is why they were going to be for God, not exactly what they were going to enjoy, not exactly their privilege, not exactly what God had made them, but rather a day of consecration, what they were going to be in service towards God. That is what consecration means; it means a committal Godward. It is different from sanctification; sanctification is separation for God: consecration is committal in life for God.
So Aaron and his sons were going to be committed to God, and in relation to His service, and so on; it was a time of consecration, and subsequently it is very interesting that it is at that time that there is a wave-offering. So, beloved brethren, we had this reference on Lord’s day morning in the service of praise; that is one of the most remarkable services that happens for God on the face of the earth; indeed it is the most remarkable service that happens for God on the face of the earth, following from the Supper. And we are bringing to God something that is in accord with His appreciation of Jesus. That is a very precious thing, to be able to take something of a Man that God finds so precious and present Him to God. Is it a privilege? Yes, of course it is a privilege. Is it something we enjoy? Yes, it is. But, beloved brethren, the wave-offering and the heave-offering were God’s appreciation of Christ. So all of these things were to be for Aaron and his sons. It was their unique part, but it was to strengthen them in relation to their service, and in relation to their sensitivity to what was going to be for God.
So I read in John's gospel because the wave-offering involved what was of the breast. Now, in Christ, indeed, if we want to see the particular love that passed between Himself and His Father, John's gospel expresses it, maybe the best of all, without limiting any other scripture: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father)”. What a holy intimacy there was between the Father and the Son when He was here. It is a very interesting thing, because here “we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father”: it is completely outside of the work He did. And there was a wonderful work; none of us would be here, none of us would be saved, outside the work of Christ. But how much Christ was to the Father in what He was, outside of what He did, and how the Father loved Him! How the Father loved Christ! Do we, beloved brethren, spend the time to contemplate how the Father loved Christ in all the excellence of His Person, in all that He was in answering to His own heart? That is the breast of the wave-offering.
So when we come to the Supper, we break bread in the wilderness, it is true, but then we move on with Christ into His own sphere, where He moves according to His heart. But the Father expresses His heart, and the Spirit expresses His heart, and in that area you have the breast of the wave-offering. You are going to present to divine Persons something of their appreciation of Jesus.
But then we move on here to where John makes reference to, “Again, on the morrow, there stood John and two of His disciples. And looking at Jesus as he walked, he says, Behold the Lamb of God”. That is the heave-offering. The wave-offering is what is brought before the eyes of God; the heave-offering is energy towards God. It just says in this part, “Behold the Lamb of God”; as we well know, it is not, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (v 29); that is His work, but, “Behold the Lamb of God”: it is just an appreciation. This is John's way of giving a heave-offering in application to God. He just appreciated Christ, “Behold the Lamb of God”; he appreciated Christ as He walked here for His God, not in relation to His work, but what He was unique in His manhood, for His God, as He walked in the scene that was contrary to that God.
Speaking carefully, what a bright spot it was in the dark scene for the eyes of God to see Jesus here. And John took account of that. John took account of the One on whom the Spirit came, and whom He abode upon. John understood what divine Persons thought of the manhood of Jesus. And John says, “Behold the Lamb of God”. As we know the Lamb of God goes back to the time of the passover when the lamb was to be perfect and it was to be kept in the house and it was to become attached to. Well, that was true. People in the house were attached to it, but that lamb was firstly for God: it was for God to appreciate. What a wonderful thing that is. So we come to the Supper, but, beloved brethren, we come up to the service of God and the service of God is a presentation of what Christ is for God.
But then there is more than that, beloved brethren, because at the end of Exodus where we read in chapter 35, we have what the people did: “And all the assembly of the children of Israel departed from before Moses. And they came, every one whose heart moved him, and everyone whose spirit prompted him”. All these persons had an appreciation of God and, beloved brethren, I trust we have an appreciation of God, the God that has given us part with Christ. What a God He is, the God that would take up persons like us in all our failings, in all our shortcomings, in all our fickleness, and give us association with the Man of His choice. What a blessed God. And so subsequently as we ponder and contemplate love such as that, our hearts begin to move us, and they should, beloved brethren. Our hearts should begin to move us. That is what happened here, “every one whose spirit prompted him; and they brought Jehovah's heave-offering for the work of the tent of meeting”. They facilitated the way; there was energy Godward. They facilitated the way for God to have His portion. The people had their portion: God was their portion, and He had made it known to them.
But now they were exercised that God had His portion. So they brought this heave-offering, but it goes on to say, in relation to this, “every one who was of willing heart brought nose-rings, and earrings, and rings, and bracelets, all kinds of utensils of gold: every man that waved a wave-offering”. The wave-offering here is only related to the gold articles. It is different later on in the book, but here it is only in relation of the gold articles. And what is gold in the things of God is again an appreciation of the excellence of Jesus. These people represent those understood that; who understand what Christ is in His excellence for God. This gold was what was going to cover the whole of the tabernacle system: it was going to cover the ark; it was going to cover the boards; it was going to cover the table of shewbread; it was going to cover the golden altar; it was going to cover all those things. This gold that they brought was going to facilitate all of that. And everything that was before the eye of God in the holiest speaks of Christ. And they brought it. They instinctively understood that that was what was suitable. They brought a wave-offering, but then they brought more than that. They brought copper, and they brought silver, and they brought those things as a heave-offering. The tabernacle went through the wilderness, and it went through the wilderness according to the glory of the God whose tabernacle it was. So they brought a heave-offering. They brought the things that the boards sat in, the silver, that the tenons sat in, the copper that made the brazen altar, all of those things. Their hearts prompted them, and they prompted them because of the appreciation they had of what God was, and in type what Christ was for God.
Beloved brethren, it is a simple thought I know, but when a brother made reference to this on Lord’s day morning, I thought about it, and I thought, what a wonderful thing it is for God. For us not only to have a place where His heart is answered, but to have persons intelligent as to His appreciation of Jesus. We were reminded on Lord’s day morning as well of the assembly coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. What is she filled with? Filled “even to all the fulness of God”, is Christ. She is Him over again. We have heard it many times. She appreciates Him in what He is for God.
Well, may we be encouraged in this and contemplate on this for His Name’s sake.
Edinburgh
12th December 2023