Exodus 29:19 – 21 “Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments.”
God is instituting consecration ceremonies for his priests and sending a strong message to the Israelites at the same time. The second ram is the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the ram’s head as a sign that this ram is being slaughtered so that its blood will be used to purify them and set them apart for the work of their ministry.
First, the ram is slaughtered and the blood collected. Moses then anoints Aaron and his sons with the blood on their right ears, their right thumbs, and their right big toes.
Rabbi Bradley Artson has this to say about this ritual: An ancient commentator, Philo ( Philo, 1st Century Egypt), perceived that, “The fully consecrated must be pure in words and actions and in life; for words are judged by hearing, the hand is the symbol of action, and the foot of the pilgrimage of life.” Thus, Philo reads specific meaning into each of the three body parts by analyzing the special function of each part in terms of their human use.”
At a child’s birth–with ‘brit milah‘ (circumcision), as at the first Passover, when blood was smeared on the lintels of Jewish homes, blood marks the moment or the place as a transition between death and renewed life. Here, too, by placing sacrificial blood on the priest’s extremities, the Torah indicates that the newly-ordained ‘kohen’ has passed through a transitional moment from being a private citizen to becoming a representative of God and a public leader. Ear, hand and foot–an abbreviated code for his entire body–emphasize that service to one’s highest ideals, to one’s people, or to one’s God, must be total. Through his induction into the Temple ritual, he entered a higher state of purity, devotion and of service. To become a nation of priests requires of us no less.”
(Rabbi Bradley Artson, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ears-thumbs-and-toes/)
APPLICATION: For Christians, the Blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross at Calvary has provided the ultimate Sacrifice and there is no longer a need for animal sacrifices. But to ignore the significance of the ceremony used to consecrate Aaron and his sons is to pass up a vital learning point. Aaron and his sons were anointed so that they would LISTEN to God, that they would WORK for God and for His people, and that they would WALK in God’s ways. Everyone who wishes to truly serve God must make a similar dedication of himself or herself.
While this ritual was very meaningful, not long after this, two of Aaron’s sons disobeyed so flagrantly that God struck them dead on the spot. Aaron and his sons were to remain in the tabernacle for seven days of consecration, being anointed daily. On the eighth day, as Moses and Aaron were offering the first sacrifices for the people at the tabernacle, Nadab and Abihu decided to show off by offering incense that God had not ordered. The two might have been drunk because immediately after their deaths, God ordered Aaron, “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a perpetual statute for the generations to come.”(Leviticus 10:9) This points out the fact that you can serve God or yourself, but you cannot do both at the same time.
The whole purpose of the consecration ceremony and the prolonged stay in the Tabernacle was to allow the priests to concentrate on God and their calling as priests. Evidently in the case of Nadab and Abihu, they were focusing on their new status as priests. Did they sneak in wine? We don’t know!
A wise person once said, “You can accomplish almost anything if you don’t worry about who gets the credit.” If we are truly to follow God, God is the One who always should get the credit. To quote the late Pastor Curtis Petrey, “God is in management; we are only in advertising.” As we go through our lives, let us resolve to listen to God, to do His work, and to walk the walk, not merely talk the talk.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your glorious Word! Help us to have ears to listen, hands ready to do your Will, feet to walk in your ways, and hearts that are dedicated to you. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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