Your Ear Lobe, Thumb, and Big Toe
Are
you aware that God has something to say about the ear lobe on the right ear,
the thumb on the right hand, and the big toe on the right foot? Well, He does! And
while it specifically pertained to a special group of people who lived many
years ago, it has something to say to us today. What might that be?
In Exodus 29, the Lord gave Moses instructions for the ordination of the priests. Part of the ceremony was for Aaron and his sons to lay their hands on a ram (Exodus 29:19). The laying on of hands was a symbolic act of identification. Then Moses was told to “kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar” (Exodus 29:20).
No doubt, the ear symbolizes hearing, the hand doing, and the foot living, but beyond that the blood has been taken to be a reference to cleansing by some commentators (JFB; MacDonald) and to consecration by other commentators (Clarke, Constable; The NKJV Study Bible; The Ryrie Study Bible). The blood has also been said to signify both cleansing and consecration. One commentator says the blood signifies “that they were cleansed and dedicated to God. Blood on the ear may have symbolized dedication to the hearing of God’s Word, blood on the thumb may have pictured holiness in doing God’s work, and blood on the toe may have spoken of walking carefully in the service of God” (John Hannah in the Bible Knowledge Commentary).
This applies to us as well. The Old Testament is for our learning. Paul says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Believers are priests, too. Peter says believers are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). So what happened to the Old Testament priests is for our learning.
Believers should use their redeemed ears for the Lord. They need to hear the Lord speak, which He does through His Word.
Believers should use their redeemed thumbs (hands) for the Lord. They need to serve the Lord. As Paul says believers are to “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
Believers should use their redeemed big toe (feet) for the Lord. They need to walk by means of the Holy Spirit so that they do not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Believers are to hear the Word of God, walk in the truth of the Word by depending on the Holy Spirit, and serve the Lord through love by serving people, not to be cleansed from sin, but because they have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Because the Lord has been merciful and gracious to us, we should present out bodies, our ears, our thumbs, and our toes, as living sacrifices to the Him (Romans 12:1).
ã G. Michael Cocoris 9/17/2015
In Exodus 29, the Lord gave Moses instructions for the ordination of the priests. Part of the ceremony was for Aaron and his sons to lay their hands on a ram (Exodus 29:19). The laying on of hands was a symbolic act of identification. Then Moses was told to “kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar” (Exodus 29:20).
No doubt, the ear symbolizes hearing, the hand doing, and the foot living, but beyond that the blood has been taken to be a reference to cleansing by some commentators (JFB; MacDonald) and to consecration by other commentators (Clarke, Constable; The NKJV Study Bible; The Ryrie Study Bible). The blood has also been said to signify both cleansing and consecration. One commentator says the blood signifies “that they were cleansed and dedicated to God. Blood on the ear may have symbolized dedication to the hearing of God’s Word, blood on the thumb may have pictured holiness in doing God’s work, and blood on the toe may have spoken of walking carefully in the service of God” (John Hannah in the Bible Knowledge Commentary).
This applies to us as well. The Old Testament is for our learning. Paul says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Believers are priests, too. Peter says believers are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). So what happened to the Old Testament priests is for our learning.
Believers should use their redeemed ears for the Lord. They need to hear the Lord speak, which He does through His Word.
Believers should use their redeemed thumbs (hands) for the Lord. They need to serve the Lord. As Paul says believers are to “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
Believers should use their redeemed big toe (feet) for the Lord. They need to walk by means of the Holy Spirit so that they do not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Believers are to hear the Word of God, walk in the truth of the Word by depending on the Holy Spirit, and serve the Lord through love by serving people, not to be cleansed from sin, but because they have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Because the Lord has been merciful and gracious to us, we should present out bodies, our ears, our thumbs, and our toes, as living sacrifices to the Him (Romans 12:1).
ã G. Michael Cocoris 9/17/2015