A Heave Offering: An Overview of Biblical Teachings
The concept of a “heave offering” originates in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus, which outline various offerings and sacrifices mandated by God for the Israelites. A heave offering was a specific type of offering, set apart and presented to God.
The word “heave” in Hebrew means to lift up and remove. So a heave offering refers to a portion that was lifted up as an offering to the Lord. There are over 50 mentions of heave offerings throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and other Old Testament books.
While heave offerings were part of the complex sacrificial system instituted under the Mosaic Law, they reveal key truths about God’s holiness, the need for atonement for sins, God’s grace in providing a way for sins to be covered, and the importance of approaching God with the right heart motive. As the New Testament book of Hebrews explains, the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as the ultimate atonement for sins once and for all (Hebrews 10:1-18).
Let’s survey some key passages in Exodus and Leviticus to understand the purpose, procedures and parameters for heave offerings.
The First Mentions of Heave Offerings
The first reference to a heave offering is in Exodus 25:1-2, where God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to bring offerings so that a sanctuary could be constructed for God to dwell among them:
“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.” (Exodus 25:1-2)
The offerings they were to bring included metals like gold and silver, fine linens, animal skins, wood, oil, and spices (Exodus 25:3-7). These materials would be used to construct the Tabernacle and fashion the articles used in Tabernacle worship, like the Ark of the Covenant.
While this initial instruction does not use the specific phrase “heave offering”, it establishes key principles: 1) God requested offerings from the people to facilitate worshiping Him, 2) the response was voluntary – “everyone whose heart prompts them”, and 3) the purpose was to build a sanctuary for God to dwell with His people, revealing His desire for relationship with them.
Heave Offerings for the Priests
The next references to heave offerings are in Exodus 29, as God outlines the consecration process for Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Part of the sacrifices involved taking portions of the ram of ordination and one unleavened bread cake and placing these in the hands of the priests to be “waved” (Exodus 29:24, 26).
Again, the term “heave offering” is not used here, but the concept of lifting up a portion of the sacrifice as an offering is introduced. In this case, the portions that were lifted up from sacrifices and placed in the priests’ hands were then burned on the altar. This symbolized their appointment and God accepting them as holy priests devoted to His service.
Regulations for Heave Offerings
The book of Leviticus provides more specific instructions on heave offerings, using the phrase “a heave offering to the Lord” repeatedly. A key passage is Leviticus 7:28-36, which specifies the portions of fellowship offerings that were to be “heaved” or lifted up before the Lord:
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. His own hands shall bring the Lord’s food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons. And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion. For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel. This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the Lord’s food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord. The Lord commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.”
This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.” (Leviticus 7:28-38)
Here we see specifics on which portions of the peace offerings were to be lifted up as a heave offering to the Lord. The breast of the animal was one key part, which was “waved” before the Lord. The thigh or right hind quarter was another portion instructed to be “heaved” or lifted up before the Lord.
Once this ritual was completed, burning the fat on the altar, these portions were then given to the priests as provision for their households, as the priests did not have a territorial inheritance. God designated these heave offering portions for the priests and their families to live on in perpetuity.
This establishes a biblical principle that full-time ministers of the gospel should be provided for materially through God’s people giving the first and best portions to the Lord, which enables the Lord’s work through such ministers to continue. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 9 regarding support for ministers:
“Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14)
So heave offerings provided for the material needs of the priests, enabling them to serve God full-time, as their livelihood was tied to offering their best to God first, before taking portions for themselves.
Heave Offerings of Firstfruits
In addition to portions of sacrifices, other firstfruits of crops and dough were to be offered as heave offerings. For example, God commanded:
“As soon as you come into the land that I give you for a possession, and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Leviticus 23:10-11)
Here the first portion of the barley harvest was lifted up and waved before the Lord as a symbolic gesture of devoting the entire harvest to Him and expressing gratitude for His provision.
Similarly, when making bread, they were to take the first portion of the dough and offer it as a heave offering:
“The first of your ground meal you shall present as a contribution; as a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.” (Numbers 15:20)
This once again echoes the principle of giving the first and best to God. By taking off the first heave offering portions, they were dedicating the whole batch to the Lord and trusting the remainder would be blessed.
Heave Offerings for Cleansing
In addition to the heave offerings detailed above for constructing the Tabernacle, providing for priests, and offering firstfruits, some heave offerings had a cleansing or purifying purpose.
For instance, the priests were to receive the people’s heave offerings of corn, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, and keep a portion “for a contribution for the altar, to make atonement for yourselves” (Numbers 18:9).
Part of the cleansing rituals for those defiled by coming in contact with a dead body involved combining the red heifer ashes with water and hyssop and sprinkling it on the unclean person. The priest was to take cedar wood, a scarlet string, the hyssop, and the clean bird, and “offer them for a sin offering and burn them in the place where the ashes are poured out, outside the camp” (Numbers 19:1-22).
The payment of a ransom or restitution offering for sins also involved taking the offering and “waving it before the Lord” – likely elevating it towards heaven – which completed the atonement process (Numbers 5:25).
So beyond provision for the Tabernacle and priests, expressions of thanks and devotion to God, heave offerings also served a cleansing purpose and function in maintaining purity within the covenant community. The heave offering rituals vividly illustrated the universality of sin and necessity for blood atonement to purify God’s people.
Heave Offering Roots and Parallels
While heave offerings were unique provisions given specifically to Israel under the Mosaic Law, the concept of offering the first and best to God has ancient roots and New Testament parallels.
Back in Genesis 4, we see Cain and Abel bringing offerings to the Lord.
“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” (Genesis 4:3-4a)
Though not called a heave offering here, Abel presented the firstborn and best portions of his flock, mirroring the spirit of giving God one’s first and finest. Hebrews 11:4 commends Abel’s superior offering:
“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts.” (Hebrews 11:4a)
Much later under the Law of Moses, the firstborn were to be devoted to God’s service.
“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” (Exodus 13:2)
So we see this concept of giving God the first and best is an ancient practice, and the heave offering regulations simply provided specifics on how to ceremonially lift up the first fruits to the Lord.
In the New Testament, while animal sacrifices and heave offerings are no longer required under the new covenant inaugurated by Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the principle of honoring God first with one’s resources continues.
Paul encourages the Corinthian church regarding a collection for the Jerusalem church:
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)
Regular, planned, proportional, generous giving on Sundays mirrors the heave offering spirit. And in another letter, Paul commends the Macedonian believers who gave generously despite poverty:
“For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4)
So the attitude of voluntarily giving God one’s first and best out of a cheerful heart is still very much encouraged under Christ’s new covenant. The regulations differ, but the spirit remains.
Jesus also emphasized that giving God one’s best reflects a right heart condition:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23)
Tithing the best spice plants mirrored the heave offering concept, while those weightier matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness reflected deeper heart conditions more important to God than external ritual.
So the heave offering tradition offers valuable perspectives on gratitude, generosity, faith, cleansing from sin, caring for ministers, and devotion to God that have parallels in Christ’s new covenant today. While not mandatory rituals for Christians, heave offerings remain instructive revelations of God’s holy character and how He desires His people to approach Him.
Key Types and Materials for Heave Offerings
Let’s summarize some of the main materials, contexts and types of heave offerings instructed in Exodus and Leviticus:
– Contribution materials for constructing the Tabernacle, such as precious metals, fabrics, animal skins, wood, oil, and spices (Exodus 25:1-7)
– Portions of the ram of ordination and one unleavened cake placed in priests’ hands during their consecration (Exodus 29:22-28)
– Breast of the wave offering and right thigh or hind quarter of the contribution offering lifted up from peace offerings (Leviticus 7:28-36)
– The sheaf of the firstfruits of barley harvest waved before the Lord (Leviticus 23:9-14)
– The first portion of dough offered from newly ground flour (Numbers 15:19-21)
– Corn, wine, oil, cattle and sheep given to priests as heave offerings to make atonement (Numbers 18:8-32)
– Combination of red heifer ashes, cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet string used to cleanse those defiled by dead bodies (Numbers 19:1-10)
– Restitution offering lifted up before the Lord to complete atonement process (Numbers 5:5-10)
So we see a range of materials used for heave offerings, from harvested crops to portions of sacrifice animals to fabric items. Anything of value could be set apart, elevated and dedicated to God through the heave offering process.
The Motivations and Heart Posture Behind Heave Offerings
While heave offerings served tangible purposes like constructing the Tabernacle and providing for the priests, the motivations and posture of the heart were most important to God.
1 Chronicles 29 gives insight into David’s joyful motivations in collecting abundant materials for building the temple – a project his son Solomon would complete. Although not called heave offerings here, the spirit is similar:
“And who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.” (1 Chronicles 29:14,16)
David acknowledged everything they brought already belonged to God. It was an act of willing worship, not grudging obligation.
This willing spirit aligns with the heave offering instructions “from everyone whose heart prompts them” (Exodus 25:2). The motivation mattered more than the material value.
The prophets often rebuked those just going through the motions of ritual without repentant hearts. God tells Isaiah about the hypocrisy of insincere offerings:
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.” (Isaiah 1:11)
External ritual devoid of internal transformation missed the point. God wanted repentance and justice, not empty offerings.
So the posture of the heart behind the heave offering mattered greatly. While the physical act expressed outward devotion, God weighed the motivations behind it. This principle applies to financial giving in the church today. Paul reminds believers to gift cheerfully, not under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7). The widow’s mites given wholeheartedly pleased Jesus more than the large gifts of the self-righteous that did not reflect genuine devotion and sacrifice (Mark 12:41-44).
Right motivations lead to right actions. A loving, grateful, repentant heart prompts generous heave offerings to God. The outward act then reinforces the inward spirit, creating a positive cycle of worship and intimacy with God.
Continuing Relevance of Heave Offering Principles
While the ceremonial regulations around heave offerings no longer apply under the new covenant, the principles they convey contain ongoing relevance for believers in Christ.
Here are some key principles that remain applicable:
– Giving the first and the best to God honors Him as the ultimate Provider of every good gift. This applies to time, talents, and finances believers offer back to Him.
– Generosity and wholehearted sacrifice spiritually benefit the giver as much or more than the recipient, reflecting devotion to God.
– Prospering those who minister spiritually enriches the entire Church. Supporting full-time workers in the gospel enables greater kingdom impact.
– God’s work deserves the best fabrics, materials and craftsmanship, out of gratitude for His abundant grace.
– Expressing thanksgiving to God for provision and blessings maintains a right heart posture before Him.
– Atonement requires sacrifice and blood, foreshadowing Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. God graciously allows humans to participate sacrificially in what He has provided for redemption.
– Cleansing from sin remains both an external act and internal heart reality, requiring repentance and faith in Christ’s justifying work.
– Outward worship devoid of a right heart posture displeases God. He weighs motivations more than material offerings.
– Everything believers have already belongs to God; giving back to Him demonstrates recognition of His sovereignty and goodness.
While the regulations changed, these principles around honoring God, worshipful gratitude, generosity, devotion, cleansing, and heart motivations remain relevant in the new covenant. Heave offerings provide a tangible picture of intangible spiritual realities.
The insights gained from studying heave offerings continue to instruct and inspire generous, sacrificial offerings to God today. The actions portray the heart. By lifting our best voluntarily to the Lord, we mimic the heave offering tradition, realigning priorities around honoring God rather than ourselves.