Ears, Hands & Feet

Moses then presented the second ram, the ram for the Ordination-Offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head. Moses slaughtered it and smeared some of its blood on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Then Aaron's sons were brought forward and Moses smeared some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. 
(Leviticus 8:22-24)

This ordination-offering and the anointing of Aaron and his sons seems a little extreme in light of our present day worship experiences.  We don't bring live animals to church with us to present on the altar, nor do we anoint individuals called into service as ministers with blood from a slain animal.  So, what does this passage have to do with us today?  I think we can take a lesson from the anointing that might help us in our own undivided worship of the King of Kings - Jesus.

We don't speak much about "anointing" today - it kind of a lost concept in our present day worship.  Yet, the importance of the anointing of the Old Testament carries a lesson for us today - there was nothing more important than the anointing for evidence that a person was set apart for God's service.  The anointing ceremony was a time when the individual was acknowledging that they were not going to pursue life by their own efforts any longer, but were looking to God to use them - they were making themselves available.  

The anointing involved touching the ear.  The ear is the instrument of hearing. The anointing of the ear was intended to mark the ear as an instrument that was yielded to listening to the voice of God.  Hearing is often the beginning of action because what we hear is passed onto the mind (we think about it) and then it begins to affect our heart (we formulate actions).  So, having an anointed ear helps us "filter" what comes in.  Some of what we "hear" paralyzes us - keeping us from action.  Either because of fear, unbelief, or mistrust.  Sometimes, we just don't listen!

The anointing involved the hand.  The hand is the instrument by which we touch the lives of others.  No other touch may be as significant as that which carries the healing of Christ's love.  We are called upon to reach out to our world - we want to be doing that with the anointing!

The anointing involved the feet.  The feet are instruments of movement - they take us places, or keep us firmly planted where we stand.  Leaders must know when to move, and when to remain firmly fixed in place.  The anointing of the feet is a symbol of obedience.  The child of God will do well to learn to combine the anointing of the ear (the beginning of obedience) with the anointing of the hands and feet (the instruments that carry us into obedient actions).

So, although we don't use blood for anointing today, it is legitimate that we can ask the Holy Spirit to anoint our ears (that we might hear), our hands (that we might learn to touch the world), and our feet (that we might learn complete obedience in our actions).  Anointing of this nature will take us a long way in our walk with Christ.

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