What role do the priests play in presenting offerings according to Leviticus 23:20? Setting the scene The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) called Israel to celebrate God’s provision at the wheat harvest. Central to the celebration were two loaves of leavened bread and two year-old lambs. Leviticus 23:20 tells us exactly how these gifts were to reach the LORD—through the ministry of the priests. Text in focus “The priest is to wave them—with the bread of the firstfruits—as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the two lambs. They will be holy to the LORD for the priest.” (Leviticus 23:20) What the priests actually do • Receive the loaves and lambs from the worshipers • Lift and move (“wave”) them before the LORD, publicly acknowledging His ownership • Declare the items “holy,” formally setting them apart to God • Retain the holy portions for their own consumption, as part of their God-given provision Why the waving matters • Symbol of presentation—physically mediating between people and God (Exodus 29:24–26) • Act of consecration—marking the offering as belonging to the LORD (Leviticus 7:30) • Public testimony—reminding the nation that harvest blessings come from above (Deuteronomy 26:10) Priestly mediation in the wider Law • Daily sacrifices: priests place offerings on the altar to secure atonement (Leviticus 1:5) • Peace offerings: wave breast and thigh before the LORD, then eat them in a holy place (Leviticus 7:31–34) • Firstborn redemption: priests receive the firstborn males and substitute offerings (Numbers 18:15–16) • Continual duty: “Every high priest is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God” (Hebrews 5:1) The dual outcome 1. Acceptance by God—waving signifies the people’s gift reaching its divine destination. 2. Provision for the priesthood—what is “holy to the LORD” becomes sustenance for those who serve (Numbers 18:8–12). Why it still matters The waving ceremony highlights God’s design for mediation: holy representatives standing between a holy God and a blessed people. It foreshadows the perfect High Priest, Jesus, who presents us—and His own once-for-all sacrifice—blameless before the Father (Hebrews 9:24; 10:12-14). |
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