“Freewill” Offering
SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 23:37-38
37("'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. 38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.)
OBSERVATION:
The Lord has just told Moses what and when the appointed feasts to be celebrated were and that they are to be sacred assemblies for bringing the prescribed offerings to the Lord each day. These offerings are in addition to the Lord’s Sabbath’s, their gifts, and anything else they promised as well as all the freewill offerings given to the Lord.
APPLICATION:
I was reading this and I just got slapped in the face by it. I have been in some discussion forums lately over various subjects. The subjects are not what mattered, but the important question that came up in these discussions is. Do we have a freewill or freedom of choice? I for instance believe we were created with a freewill or the ability to choose. The ability to choose whether we are going to follow God or the world, worship and praise him or just do our own thing. I see the Bible full of examples of people making choices without God interfering in their choice.
The other side of the argument is that people are preordained by God to follow him and the rest are not. If we believe and put our faith in Christ, God chose them and that while you are going to make some choices in life, the choice or exercising of freewill to choose to follow God is not possible because we are chosen to serve him. They do make some valid points. But one thing that kept coming up is that no where in the Bible is the term “freewill” brought up. So you can see why this particular verse just flat out slapped me in the face because up to this point I could agree with that statement.
Once I saw this I had to do some research because I didn’t know what a freewill offering was. I went to 5 different translations in this verse (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NIV and NLT) and they all mentioned the freewill offering. I then decided since I didn’t know what a free will offering was, I better go and find out. I discovered it is a type of Peace Offering. Here is the definition of a Peace Offering according to the Nelson Bible Dictionary.
“SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS”
Peace Offering. This sacrificial offering was also called a heave offering and a wave offering. This was a bloody offering presented to God. Part of the offering was eaten by the priest (representing God's acceptance) and part was eaten by the worshiper and his guests (non-officiating priests or Levites and the poor, Deut 12:18; 16:11). Thus, God hosted the meal, communing with the worshiper and other participants. This sacrifice celebrated covering of sin, forgiveness by God, and the restoration of a right and meaningful relationship with God and with life itself (Judg 20:26; 21:4).
There were three kinds of peace offerings: (1) thank offerings in response to an unsolicited special divine blessing; (2) votive (vowed) offerings in pursuit of making a request or pledge to God; and (3) freewill offerings spontaneously presented in worship and praise.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
It lists the three different types of Peace Offerings: Thanks, Votive (vowed) and Freewill. And the definition of the freewill offering is an offering that is spontaneously presented in worship and praise.
I then decided that if I had been told that freewill is not in the Bible and I just found it during my daily Bible reading then how many other times is that word listed in the Bible and what is the context. I discovered that the word freewill is mentioned 22 times in the NIV all in the Old Testament and all of them referring to the freewill offering. 18 of those dealt with the rules for the offering (where, when, how etc), 3 times it talks of people lifting up the offering and once God is chastising Israel and mentions how they brag about their freewill offering. I also checked it in the KJV and the word came up 17 times again all of them in the Old Testament, 16 of which have to do with the offering itself and one in reference (Ezra 7:13) to who had the freewill to go to Jereusalem in letter from Artexerxes. Out of those 16 concerning the offering, 14 again dealt with rules and how to, etc. 1 discussed a particular person who was in charge of doing the offering and one that was someone lifting up a free will offering of the mouth in Psalm 119:108
In this definition there are two word’s that really stuck out; freewill and spontaneous.
I looked up freewill in the Strong’s Greek/Hebrew Dictionary and it came up with the follow translations for the word.
OT:5071
nedabah (ned-aw-baw'); from OT:5068; properly (abstractly) spontaneity, or (adjectively) spontaneous; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift:
KJV - free (-will) offering, freely, plentiful, voluntary (-ily, offering), willing (-ly), offering).
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5069
nedab (Aramaic) (ned-ab'); corresponding to OT:5068; be (or give) liberal (-ly):
KJV - (be minded of ... own) freewill (offering), offer freely (willingly).
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Freewill is defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as “voluntary or spontaneous. Voluntary choice or decision, freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.
I find it interesting that in both the Hebrew and the English definitions freewill refers to being voluntary or spontaneous. I then decided to look up the definitions for voluntary and spontaneous.
vol•un•tary:
Pronunciation: 'va-l&n-"ter-E Function: adjectiveEtymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French voluntarie, from Latin voluntarius, from voluntas will, from velle to will, wish -- more at will
1 : proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent
2 : unconstrained by interference : SELF-DETERMINING
3 : done by design or intention : INTENTIONAL
4 : of, relating to, subject to, or regulated by the will
5 : having power of free choice
6 : provided or supported by voluntary action
7 : acting or done of one's own free will without valuable consideration or legal obligation
spon•ta•ne•ous:
Pronunciation: span-'tA-nE-&s Function: adjective Etymology: Late Latin spontaneus, from Latin sponte of one's free will, voluntarily
1 : proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint
2 : arising from a momentary impulse
3 : controlled and directed internally : SELF-ACTING
4 : produced without being planted or without human labor : INDIGENOUS
5 : developing or occurring without apparent external influence, force, cause, or treatment
6 : not apparently contrived or manipulated : NATURAL
Another word that popped up into my head was the word choose because in Deut 30:19 we are given the option to choose life and death, blessings and cursings and God tells us to “choose” life. This shows me freewill. I checked how many times the word choose came up in the Bible. In the NIV 66 times and KJV 59 times both in the Old and New Testaments. Many times it is talking about God choosing and sometimes it is talking about us choosing. God has shown me that we are made in his image and he chooses. Since we are made in his image we also choose. I also looked up choose in the dictionary both Hebrew and Websters. This is what I came up with.
OT:977
bachar (baw-khar'); a primitive root; properly, to try, i.e. (by implication) select:
KJV - acceptable, appoint, choose (choice), excellent, join, be rather, require.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:972
bachiyr (baw-kheer'); from OT:977; select:
KJV - choose, chosen one, elect.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:1262
barah (baw-raw'); a primitive root; to select; also (as denominative from OT:1250) to feed; also (as equivalent to OT:1305) to render clear (Eccl 3:18):
KJV - choose, (cause to) eat, manifest, (give) meat.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:6901
qabal (kaw-bal'); a primitive root; to admit, i.e. take (literally or figuratively):
KJV - choose, (take) hold, receive, (under-) take.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:1254
bara' (baw-raw'); a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes): -choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:138
haireomai (hahee-reh'-om-ahee); probably akin to NT:142; to take for oneself, i.e. to prefer:
KJV - choose. Some of the forms are borrowed from a cognate hellomai (hel'-lom-ahee); which is otherwise obsolete.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Websters definition:
choose: Pronunciation: 'chuz Function: verbInflected Form(s): chose /'chOz/; cho•sen /'chO-z&n/; choos•ing /'chu-zi[ng]/ Etymology: Middle English chosen, from Old English cEosan; akin to Old High German kiosan to choose, Latin gustare to taste transitive verb
1 a : to select freely and after consideration
2 a : to have a preference for
intransitive verb
1 : to make a selection
2 : to take an alternative -- used after cannot and usually followed by but
1choice:
Pronunciation: 'chois Function: noun Etymology: Middle English chois, from Anglo-French, from choisir to choose, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German kiosan to choose -- more at CHOOSE
1 : the act of choosing : SELECTION
2 : power of choosing : OPTION
3 a : the best part : CREAM b : a person or thing chosen
4 : a number and variety to choose among
5 : care in selecting
6 : a grade of meat between prime and good
If free will means voluntary or spontaneous and voluntary is defined as making a choice and choice means to choose and choose means to select, well frankly it is clear to me that I have been given the ability to select, which means to choose, which is my choice to voluntarily and exercise my freewill to praise and worship God or to choose him which is life and blessings.
What is the freewill offering again? Remember according to the Nelson’s Bible Dictionary it is an offering spontaneously presented in worship and praise. Or another way to look at it is an impulsive or sudden choice to praise and worship God. God is showing me here that he is giving me a choice to follow him or not. This was not an offering that was forced on them, it was an offering that they chose to do. Why because they wanted to. Why wouldn’t this apply today. I have the freedom to choose whether I want to praise and worship my Lord and savior or not. I praise God to opening my eyes to this.
Someone told me that to say that if I have a freewill than I am saying I am more powerful than God. My will is more powerful or overrides his. I never said my will was stronger than his but I am saying I do have the ability to exercise my freewill and choose him. I have been saying that for sometime but I to never saw it in the Bible I happened to come across a verse in my daily Bible reading that mentioned “freewill” and through the wisdom of God and his grace in my life he has put into my heart I can choose to worship and praise him, to send up my own freewill offering or not. Am I still chosen of God. Yes as believers we are all chosen. But how did I get to that point. By using my freewill and choosing him.
It is pretty obvious to me. If you want to disagree, that is ok. I feel God has really revealed a lot to me this morning. I say we have a freewill, the freedom to choose. If you say we don’t have a “freewill” or the freedom to choose then well, that is your choice. I don’t want to fight over it. I just wanted to take the time to share what I have found out.
PRAYER:
Father, I don’t know where to begin but to say thank you so very much for this revelation in my heart today. Man do I ever feel revived because of this. I thank you so much for showing me and teaching me. I know I am growing in your word and in your will for my life. Father I praise you and worship you. Not because I have to but because I want to. Father thank you so much. In the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.