Exodus 35 "Wave Offering"

Monday, March 24, 2008 - Brandon Hatmaker

"Wave offering... so simple really"

(Exodus 35)

“…and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments… They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.” Vs. 21-22

What’s a wave offering?

The agricultural cycle of ancient Israel revolved around two harvests, one in the spring and the other in the autumn. Before any grain could be harvested in the spring, a ceremony took place to inaugurate the spring harvest season. This ceremony was the waving (wave offering) of the first sheaf of grain to be accepted by God. No one was to eat any of the grain of the harvest until the first sheaf of the harvest was brought to the priest, who in turn waved it before God.

Great significance came with this ceremony. This first sheaf of grain was called the "first fruits" It was the first fruits of the barley harvest, the first part of the grain harvest. Thousands of years later, we find the same term used again in the Bible-describing Jesus. "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1corinthians 1:15) Jesus is also called "the firstborn over all creation" and "the firstborn from the dead".

While there is an obvious connection in a "first fruit" offering to giving of our first and best, you don’t have to look hard to find the connection between the message of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. Everything points to Jesus. But as they say, “Hind sight is 20/20”, I just still can’t believe they missed Him.

This morning I’m reminded what got in their way. What was it that kept them from recognizing Christ? It was their religion and ritual, the very thing that they thought would help them see Him when He came.

The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law thought it was only about the action. That it was only about the motions. But don’t miss it, even as this old covenant was established, in Exodus 35, there is more to it than meets the eye, “everyone who was willing and whose HEART moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD.”

We have to be very cautious that we don’t do the same. We have to make sure we are not missing Jesus as we “do” faith and we “do” church and we “do” religion. They had set ways they were not willing to look beyond. We get pretty set in our ways as well.