Thursday, September 20, 2007

Ear, Hand and Foot

Exodus 29:20 KJV
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

Here is a hint about the work of the priest. God wanted to anoint
The tip of their right ear.
Symbolizing that he must be careful first about what he hears. He ministers the Word of God. Therefore care must be taken that he receives the truth and not false doctrine. Ours is not to hear a little bit of everything and pick and choose what we like. Ours is to stick with the truth of God's Word. Someone told me that in Acts when the Greeks said of Paul, "What will this babbler say?"[1] That the word babbler traces back to a type of bird that picked out the seeds from other birds dung. By saying "What will this babbler say?" They were saying, "Let's find out who he's been listening to." We ought only to be listening to the Word of God.

The thumb of their right hand.
Symbolizing our activity, our work. Placing the blood on the thumb also seems to me to be indicative of the difference between man and beast. With the exception of some primates and a couple of other species, only mankind has the opposable thumb which has led to fine motor skills and the development of the use of tools. Could it be that the anointing of the thumb serves to remind us that we are to do our work, whatever kind it is, as unto the Lord?

The great toe of the right foot
Symbolizing our travels. Wherever we go and whomever we meet in those travels, we are to be dedicated to the Lord. We ought to only go places where God would be pleased and we ought only to go there when it would please the Lord.

It was the right ear, hand, and foot which tells me that we give God our best and our strongest. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and allow Him to take care of our personal needs.

It was not just Aaron, but Aaron's sons as well who were to be anointed. The priesthood does not correspond to the pastors of today so much as to the saints of today. Every Christian is a priest of God; with both the privileges and responsibilities of that office. We may all come to God with our prayers and concerns and we may all study the Word of God for ourselves. But we must all also dedicate our ears, hands and feet, even our very lives to the cause of Jesus Christ.

[1] Acts 17:18

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