MOST SET-APART GIFTS

alternate textOne of the traditional cups that features most prominently in the oldest Pesach celebrations is the Cup of Thanksgiving or the Cup of Blessing. Traditionally, 4 cups are used during the Pesach meal and the reason given for this custom is the fact that in Shemot (Ex) 6:6-7 Yahweh used four very strong words to tell the people of Yisrael that He would deliver them completely and thoroughly from their bondage in Mitzrayim (Egypt). These four words are: “I will bring out,” “I will deliver,” “I will redeem,” and “I will take (you to Me for a people)”. In the New Covenant Scriptures the apostle Shaúl referred to this well known custom when he wrote to the Corinthians:

1 Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Messiah? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Messiah?

Why is this cup called the Cup of Blessing? In the Jewish understanding it represents our gratitude to the Almighty for being the One Who sustains all of Creation, who showers blessings upon the Land of Israel, who defines the meaning of each of the feasts and also the One who is rebuilding and will continue to rebuild Jerusalem. In short, the purpose of this Cup is to thank and to bless Yahweh for his favour, his kindness, his wisdom and his never-ending work of salvation and restoration. This is what we are reminded about, more than anything else, during the time of Pesach and Unleavened Bread. It is impossible to celebrate this feast without the attitude of gratefulness and gratitude. It is equally impossible to celebrate this feast properly without a desire to bring offerings of gratitude to honour and to exalt the Name of Yahweh.

That, to me, is one of the reasons why the Day of the First Fruit Wave Offering was designed to fall INSIDE the Week of Unleavened Bread. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the Day of the First Fruit Wave Offering, the day on which the counting of 50 days towards Shavuot (another First Fruit Festival) begins. Also the day upon which it is proper and fitting to bring our own first fruits, our own freewill offerings, to demonstrate our deepest gratitude towards Yahweh for the privilege of knowing Him and and sharing in his constant blessings – one of these being the fact that his Son, Y’shua was resurrected on this exact same day as a very unique kind of first fruit, with the promise – more than that – the guarantee that those who believe in Him will one day also arise from the dead. If that is no reason to bring offerings to Yahweh, nothing is. According to Scriptural reckoning, we can start celebrating and remembering this day at sundown, tonight, which is approximately 6.30 pm, here in Cape Town.

Of course we can follow the established pattern of this world and completely disregard these feast days, saying they are “Jewish”, “outdated”, “legalistic”, “primitive” or one of the many descriptions that people tend to use to degrade and downplay the importance of these days. We can even use a more sophisticated excuse, saying that the Day of the Wave Offering is about waving barley ears and that we don’t even have barley here in the southern hemisphere, this time of the year. But why would we try to opt out of this most unique and meaningful opportunity to bring thanks and blessings and offerings to the Most High? Why are people constantly trying to design their own, imperfect, selfish and fleshly ways of showing their gratitude towards the Almighty when Yahweh has given us a simple, yet perfect pattern and expect of us to honour Him by sticking to this pattern?

We have seen in 2 Chronicles 30 how the people of Yisrael, under their inspirational king, Chizkiyah, came together for a Pesach celebration that was described as a kind of feast never experienced since the days of Shelomoh, son of Dawid – effectively a period of approximately 250 years. In the very next chapter, 2 Chronicles 31:1, we read these words: “And at the completion of all this, all Yisrael who were present went out to the cities of Yehudah and broke down the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and tore down the high places and the altars, from all Yehudah, and Binyamin, and in Ephrayim and Menashsheh, even to completion.” One can almost sense the positive effect of the blessed Pesach celebrations upon the lives of these people. They could not wait to deal with the idolatry and the paganism and the abominations in their midst. And this was a direct result of their being serious about the Feasts of Yahweh.

This was not all, however. In the remainder of this chapter of 2 Chronicles 31, we read about no less than seven different kind of offerings that were brought to the set-apart place in Yerushalayim. We know that these offerings were acceptable in the eyes of Yahweh, because it is stated at the end of this chapter. 2 Chron 31:20-21 “And Chizkiyahu did this in all Yehudah, and he did what was good and what was right and what was true before Yahweh his Elohim. And in every work that he began in the service of the House of Elohim, in the Torah and in the command, to seek his Elohim, with all his heart, he did and prospered.” Let us take a closer look at these 7 kind of offerings, in order to learn more about a lifestyle of offering to Yahweh.

1. “Olah” – Burnt offerings (Brandoffers)
Plain Meaning: “to ascend, to cause to go up, to rise up”
Applied Meaning: The first step in changing to a lifestyle of offering to Yahweh, is adopting an UPWARD focus, as against a HORIZONTAL / SIDEWAYS focus – recognizing Yahweh as the Giver and Sustainer of all life.

2. “Shelem” – Peace Offerings (Dankoffers)
Plain Meaning: “To be safe, to be completed, to be at peace”
Applied Meaning: We need to understand that it is impossible to be a COMPLETED PERSON (to be at peace with oneself and with Yahweh) without bringing regular offerings to Him.

3. “Reshit” – First Fruits (Eerstelinge)
Plain Meaning: “To shake, to be the head, to be the principal, to be the most excellent”
Applied Meaning: A lifestyle of offering to Yahweh is based upon the realization that He is the Head, the One capable of shaking or stabilizing one’s entire existence.

4. “Ma’asar” – Tithings (Tiendes)
Plain Meaning: “To accumulate, to grow, to become rich”
Applied Meaning: Contrary to popular standards and criteria, the proper way of growing, accumulating and becoming rich (in the healthy sense of the word), is to give one tenth of all profit and income back to Yahweh.

5. “Terumah” – Offerings (Offergawes)
Plain Meaning: “to raise, to promote, to exalt, to extol”
Applied Meaning: When we come into a pattern of exalting and extolling the Name of Yahweh, by bringing all kinds of offerings, at least during those times that have been set apart for such offerings, we shall find that this has an uplifting effect within our own lives.

6. “Nedabah” – Freewill / Voluntary Offerings (Vrywillige Gawes)
Plain Meaning: “to volunteer, to present spontaneously, to give/offer willingly”
Applied Meaning: Yahweh loves those who can offer willingly, spontaneously and gladly and this is the kind of attitude that we should be looking for (within ourselves) when we plan to honour Him with our offerings.

7. “Qadeshe Haqodashim” – Most Set-apart Gifts (Hoogs Afgesonderde Gawes)
Plain Meaning: “to set apart, to appoint for special use, to dedicate”
Applied Meaning: It is not so much the quality of the gifts that necessitates the use of the double “qodesh” but the quality and the characteristics of the One to whom these gifts are dedicated. There are times when one has an overwhelming sense of His greatness and set-apartness. At these times, one feel, only the very best that we can offer, will be worthy enough to bring before Him.