My Bible reading this morning included Leviticus chapter 14. This chapter deals with being cleansed of leprosy. What caught my attention was verse 14, "And the priest shall take
some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it
upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon
the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:" I've heard this before!
Pastor McGriffin taught a Bible study in Hawaii about this. His text came from Exodus 29:19-20, "And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. 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."
The context is different - Exodus is talking about anointing Aaron and his sons for the priesthood, Leviticus is talking about cleaning from leprosy. Leprosy is commonly a picture of sin, so it was the blood that was applied to cover and recover from sin. This command is given once regarding the priesthood, but four times regarding leprosy! I'm so thankful that we can be covered by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God. Here is the significance of each area that is covered by blood:
The Ear
Hebrews 2:1 says, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
Our hearing needs a blood covering. There are many voices in the world
that can lead us astray. What we hear affects our actions. Hearing
God's Word will bring our thinking back in line.
The Thumb
Psalm 18:34 says, "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms." Most
animals were not created with opposable thumbs. Mankind and the great
apes are rare in this ability. The thumb allows our hands to do three
things: grasp, push, and pull. When our thumb is covered by the Blood,
we have a better grasp on the issues of life, we can push away those
things that are harmful to us, and we can pull towards us the things
that are beneficial. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;"
The Big Toe
Proverbs 2:20 says, "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous."
When someone loses their big toe they have a difficult time walking.
Our big toe helps us balance and walk in the right path. When our
balance is off, we stumble and veer from the path of righteousness.
Leviticus 17:11 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to
you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the
blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." The things God put into place in the Bible were never "just because." He always had a reason for what He did.
