Verses 28-31 read,
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 29 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the Lord's food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. 31 The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.
Notice that God required the person making the food offering to bring it to the altar himself. The offeror was involved. God uses His children actively. The fat he brought was to be burned on the altar but the breast was waved. A wave offering was symbolic, it was waved to indicate that it was being given to God and then it was given to the priests. The person making the offering knew that certain portions of the offering were for the priests. He gave it to God first by waving it, and he let God give it to the priests through him. It was not Israel that provided for Levi, it was God. It is always God that provides for the person allowing Him to do so.
When we put money in the offering plate at church, we don’t say, “I’m paying the salary of the staff” or “I’m paying the electric bill.” We say “God, I’m returning the first fruits of this income to you.” We give our money to God and God provides for the staff and the needs of the church through that offering.
God made provision for the priests so that they could put all their attention on their service. God provided from His offerings and furthermore expected Israel to contribute to the priests needs as well. The priests performed a sacred and needed job. So the breast was given to God and God gave it to the priests, but the right thigh was a contribution from the offeror to the priests. Verses 32-36 say,
“And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. 33 Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34 For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel. 35 This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the Lord's food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord.36 The Lord commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.”
How often do we consider how very hard the clergy work for us? We often just expect them to minister and give without even a complaint. Then when it comes time to give to God, we withhold or grumble. We question what the church will do with our money, when the money is God’s and the church is God’s Will they spend it wisely? Will it go to good things? Or will it pay the pastor’s bills? The money we give belongs to God first. We give it freely. Once given it is God’s to do with as He sees fit. He chooses to provide for His servants.
More than only give to God, we are supposed to give to one another, especially our leaders and elders. If we see a need and we can meet it, we do. All these offerings are free will. God is not demanding sternly that we give. He expects us to have enough faith to give without worry about how it will affect us. God provides for us out of His stores, His treasury. The wonderful thing is, that very often His treasure is in His children. He allows us to give to one another, contribute to one another, and minister to one another through Him. We lay our treasures in Heaven and God builds His treasure in us.