Posted on by wrote in General, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Theology and Doctrinal Questions.

Question:,As a part of the Mosaic sacrifices, the priests were to ‘wave’ the sacrifice before the Lord. I’ve read through Chapter 6 of ‘From Shadow to Reality’ and was hoping to find some clarification – but didn’t find it mentioned. Can you help us understand the significance of waving the offering before the Lord? (either through direct response or by pointing to another reference text),Answer:,I did some research on this. To be honest, I did not learn a lot new. As I understand it, the “wave” of a sacrifical object was a way to present it to God. It was a way to acknowledge that the safety of the thing or the success of the activity which it represented is in God’s hands. It was, essentially, a way of praying for a blessing. One could argue that this wave offering was not a sacrifice, by definition.,To create an analogy, the burnt offering is about us completely giving something over to God. It is us pouring out life out for something or willingly giving up something we value (Romans 12:1-3). The wave offering is about doing something in the name of Jesus, or it is about whatever we do remembering that it is done in the name of Jesus and under the guidance and protection of Jesus. For example, before Paul and Barnabas set out on their missionary journey, the elders and the people dedicated their efforts to God in Acts 13:1-3. They committed/commended their work to God. Perhaps this might help to understand what the wave offering is about. Sorry if this is a bit vague.,There was more than one kind of wave offering in the OT. In Leviticus 23:9-14 we find instructions for the wave offering as part of the Feast of Firstfruits. In this context, Israel was putting the future harvest before the Lord as a statement that their faith in a successful harvest is based on faith in the providence of God. Perhaps you can see why I see some analogy in Acts 13. NT applications of the wave/firstfruits offering are found in Colossians 1:18-20 and 1 Cor 15:20-23.,Is that sufficient? Please let me know if you need more clarification.,John Oakes, PhD,John Oakes

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