Discover His heart: He has cleansed us to serve Him in the priesthood
The soon return of the Lord was a daily conversation in my home when I was young. My mom would often go to a window, look up at the clouds and say, “One of these days we will see Jesus coming in the clouds, and we will rise to meet Him in the air.” When she said this, I imagined grabbing onto her skirt for all I was worth so that I could go with her. Over time I learned that it would be my own blood-bought commitment to the Lord that would give me rise. The same was true in Old Testament times – no one got a free ride into the presence of the Lord.
@ Leviticus 8
The process for priestly ordination was lengthy and detailed. Although Aaron the High Priest was from Levitical lineage, he was instructed by Moses to follow the process of cleansing for priestly duties. His sons, also priests, were not exempt from this cleansing because of who their father was and what he had done. They, too, were submitted to the same cleansing that would make them worthy instruments of service for God, “So Moses followed the Lord’s instructions, and the whole community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance. Moses announced to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded us to do!’ Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.” (4-6)
The Tabernacle was then anointed with oil throughout, and sacrifices were offered for the forgiveness of sins for the priests and another for the congregation. A third sacrifice was offered for the ordination of the priests, and in this ceremony, blood was applied to the right earlobe, the right thumb and the right big toe. The ceremony had become very personal for Aaron and his sons at this point.
Scripture does not elaborate on the significance of this blood application, but most believe it speaks for itself. The blood on the right earlobe was symbolic of the dedication of the priests to hear and listen to God’s Word. The blood on the right thumb represented a willingness to do His work, and the blood applied to the right big toe was a commitment to walk in His ways and commands. All priests were to follow this ordination process, even lefties like me, because it demonstrated total commitment to God.
With the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, this ritual is no longer necessary because we have a new High priest, the Lord Jesus. Those who have had His blood applied to their lives are now part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6) A whole new process is in place, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
By the personal acceptance of His sacrificial blood to our lives, we may now enter His Holy presence just as Aaron and his sons did, no need grabbing hold of another’s coattail. As part of His royal priesthood, we are qualified to serve Him with sincere hearts by listening to His Word, and fully trusting Him when doing His work and following His ways. Sometimes we just don’t fully understand what His supreme sacrifice has accomplished in our lives. We are His royal priests, and we have ministry to do!
Moving Forward: Ever mindful of my ministry role, I will keep my life cleansed and pure, listening to His voice, doing His work and following His ways.
Tomorrow @ 1 Kings 19-22
Phyllis Benigas 