Ear, Thumb, and Toe Check

Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. Exodus 29:19-20

 When Aaron and his sons were originally consecrated as priests, part of the process included placing blood of a ram on three specific parts of their bodies: the right thumb, earlobe, and big toe. This was not a random choice on God's part.

In those times, only the High Priest could come into the presence of the Lord, and so needed to be purified. Their primary focus needed to be on their job as intercessors and "go-betweens" for the children of Israel and their God.

But this was not just a physical purification. It was much more than that. The priest must not just be cleansed with the ram's blood; he must live a life of purity.

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And thus the three body parts: reminders of exactly what is required to be holy in His sight.

The blood was placed on the right ear lobe. What we hear has a huge impact on our thoughts, and ultimately our actions. While we cannot always filter out all "negative" sounds, we can certainly limit some of the ungodly, sinful influences on our minds. And when we do hear something displeasing to our Father, we can keep it from influencing us by focusing on pleasant and godly thoughts instead. (Philippians 4:8) Of course, we must also keep our ears open so we can listen to, and heed, His voice.

It was also necessary for the right thumb to be bloodied. It is with our thumbs, and their hands, that we accomplish works that please our Father, or that disappoint Him. Our actions - what we do with our hands - must be done as to the Lord if we are to be pleasing in his sight. (Colossians 3:23) Actions against our Lord naturally follow thoughts against Him.

And then there's the right toe. Our feet are our natural mode of transportation. Where we go is as important to the Lord as what we hear and what we do. If we are to be consecrated to Him, we must be willing to walk with Him, no matter where He may be leading us. And we will get the blessing. (1 John 1:7) If we refuse to listen to our Heavenly Father, we will not do what He wants us to do, and our walk with Him will most certainly suffer. Then what good are we as a priest of the Most High?

For, yes, my brothers and sisters in Christ, we are His priests. Once that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, we have the same access to our Lord that Aaron and his descendents had once a year. However, our Heavenly Father has given us that incredible access to Him continuously.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

Have you been consecrated to Him? Is it time for you to make an ear, thumb, and toe check?

Heavenly Father, what an amazing honor and blessing that You have chosen me to be a part of your royal priesthood. Help me, Lord, to daily consecrate my hearing, doing and walking to Your purposes. Help me to listen closely for Your voice, to act in response to it, and to walk circumspectly in the midst of Your will, no matter what the world or my own fleshly desires may be saying to the contrary. I pray, Lord, that everything about me will declare Your praises, and the praises of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen
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We're discussing this devotional here, and at Living by Grace on Facebook. Won't you join us?

 
Scripture Stories: Timeless Truths

Jewish Holiday: Purim

Here's my second post on a Jewish holiday, and unlike Tu B'shevat, this one you've likely heard of (or at least have "read the story").

First, you might want to check out this post about the Hebrew calendar (which is quite different from the one we all follow).

Are you back? Good. Now on to the holiday at hand.

At sundown this evening (see Hebrew calendar link above), the Jewish holiday of Purim begins, and ends at dusk tomorrow. This holiday celebrates the Hebrew's rescue from destruction told in the Old Testament book of Esther. In fact, the creation of this holiday is in the book itself - in Esther 9:20-23, 26-28.

Briefly, after the Jews were exiled, many settled in Persia, and through various circumstances mentioned in the book of Esther, a young Jewish girl, Esther, became queen. Her uncle, Mordecai, was a respected man in the kingdom, and he told Esther not to share her nationality with the king.  The king's second in command, Haman, had a great hate for the Jews (and Mordechai in particular), and plotted to have all Jews killed, and got the king to sign an edict allowing it. God worked through Esther and Mordecai, the tables were turned, and Haman ended up killed on the gallows he'd built for Mordecai - and Moerdecai got Haman's job in the kingdom. (That is a VERY brief summary - read the book of Esther for all the details - it's not that long!)

There are four mitzvot (commandments) regarding the celebration of Purim, and all but one come directly from Esther 9:22. Celebrating the holiday is to include feasting, giving gifts to one another, giving gifts to the poor, and reading the book of Esther from beginning to end.

The book of Esther, referred to as the M'gila (scroll in Hebrew) Esther, is read aloud in synagogue. One of the more interesting traditions associated with this portion of the holiday celebration is the use of noisemakers. Children, of course, especially enjoy this part. As the Book of Esther is read, each time the name of Haman is said (fifty-four times!), the congregation stomps their feet, claps their hands, and shake their noisemakers (gragers) to drown out the name.

People also have feasts, give baskets of fruit or other things to friends and/or the poor, and sometimes dress up in costume. It is one of the more festive holidays on the Hebrew calendar.

There are many different traditions associated with Purim. Check out one of these sites for more details (or come back next year and I'll share a few more). Wikipedia Union for Reformed Judaism
 Chabad (Orthodox Jews)

And check out a couple of Purim songs below!

Here's a favorite song of mine from Purim - it's in  English, and it even includes a bit of the Purim story. And just FYI - Hamentaschen are yummy cookies with a fruit filling (they're supposed to look like Haman's ears- check out a recipe here)

And here's another I remember - this one in Hebrew.
Purim was always a fun holiday when I was growing up. I hope you have enjoyed learning about it!

What part of this holiday is most interesting to you?

 
Scripture Stories: Timeless Truths

Dead and Hidden

I'm over at Jewels of Encouragement today, talking about an amazing truth- one that is valid for you and me. Come learn how I (and YOU) am Dead and Hidden.

 
Scripture Stories: Timess Truths