- Heave Offering
What is a heave offering? One
hardly hears anything today about heave offerings. This terminology is
seemingly lost and unheard of by many: what is mostly taught about is giving a tithe
(10%) of someone’s income to an organization, but a heave offering is ten
percent of the tithe which the Lord assigned to Aaron and his sons since they
did not have any inheritance.
The other eleven tribes who had
an inheritance were to give to the Levites a heave offering which would culminate
in the Levites receiving a tithe plus a heave offering which they in turn had
to offer a heave offering to the Lord as their offering. For thus spoke the
Lord to Moses saying: “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: 'When you
take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as
your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a
tenth of the tithe.’
“And your heave offering shall be
reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the
fullness of the winepress. Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the
LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and
you shall give the LORD's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. Of all
your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the LORD, from all
the best of them, the consecrated part of them” ( Numbers
18:26-29).
In our new dispensation however,
this principle no longer applies, for the priesthood being changed, of
necessity there is also a change of the law. We now serve in a greater and more
perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. We now
have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat,
because, which minister today that does not have an inheritance? (Hebrews
7:12; 13:10).
Therefore, the instruction given
to us by the Lord Himself is; “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are
few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His
harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves: Carry
neither money bag, sack nor sandals and greet no one along the road, but
whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of
peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you, and
remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the
laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.”
Jesus also said; “And as you go,
preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give.
Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money-belts, nor bag for
your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for the worker is worthy
of his food“ (Luke 10:2-7; Matthew 10: 7-10).
The apostle Paul’s input on this
subject matter is this; “He who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes
in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for
you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are
partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have
not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.
Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of
the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the
altar?’
“Even so the Lord has commanded
that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. But I have used
none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so
to me; for it would be better for me to die than anyone should make my boasting
void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is
laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this
willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with
a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may
present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority
in the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:10-18).
Paul’s advice with regards to the
support of the work is; “Let him who is taught the word share in all good
things with him who teaches.” This is in agreement with the Lord’s concept of,
“freely you receive, and freely you give.” Those who receives the Lord's word
receives it freely from the Lord’s anointing who teaches them all things, they
in turn are to give freely as they have freely received.
Unfortunately, the majority of
churches today is requesting and even subtly demanding from their
congregations, not evens the heave offering (10% of the tithe) which the Lord
assigned to the Levites as their inheritance, but subtly demanding and coercing
their congregation to pay the full tithe which is only supposed to be paid
every three years.
For thus says the Lord, “At the
end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your produce in
the same year, and lay it up within your towns; and the Levite, because he has
no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the
widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled; that the
Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do” (Deuteronomy
14:28--29).
I recall when I was required for
twenty five (25) years to pay tithe (10% of my salary) to an organization, had
to save another 10% to observe the annual festivals, and from this amount had
to give a heave offering (10% of the tithe) to the same organization, and every
three years pay another 10% of my salary to the organization again.
But what is the truth about
tithing? Do not be naïve, it is written quite explicitly in scriptures that;
“All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of
the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus
27:30).
It is also found in scriptures
where the Lord is saying; “Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says
the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ' In what way shall we return?' “Will a man
rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ' In what way have we robbed
You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed
Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts.”
“If I will not open for you the windows of
heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to
receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not
destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you
in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; And all nations will call you
blessed, for you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi
3: 7-12).
Unfortunately, this is the
favorite scripture which is wrongfully applied, and widely used to coerce and
manipulate others to tithe, and most people ignorantly give in to their appeal
as it is prophesied saying; “But there were also false prophets among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly
introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord Who bought them
- bringing swift destruction on themselves.’
“Many (not the few) will follow
their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their
greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their
condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not
been sleeping” (2 Peter 2:1-3).
Remember, we are to; “Honor the
Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our produce; then our
barns will be filled with plenty, and our vats will be bursting with wine;’ but
the million dollar question is how?
To be continued, stay tuned
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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