Leviticus 8:14-29: a reflection

14He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. 15He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. 16He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it on the altar. 17But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses. 18He presented the ram of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 20He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat. 21He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. 22He presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23He killed it; and Moses took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. 24He brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 25He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. 27He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD. 28Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD. 29Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration, as the LORD commanded Moses.

At the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, a striking rite is performed: some of the blood of the offering is put on the tip of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot. The ear, the hand, the foot: a picture of the whole person consecrated to God. What they would hear, what they would do, where they would go, all were touched and set apart for God's service. The consecration was of the whole person, not a part.

Notice what the ear, the hand, and the foot together signify: the whole person set apart for God. The ear, for what they would hear and heed; the hand, for what they would do; the foot, for where they would go. By touching these, the rite marked the whole person, hearing, doing, going, as consecrated to God. Not a part of them, but the whole of them, was set apart for God's service. Their consecration reached to all they would hear and do and be.

That whole-person consecration is worth taking to heart, for we can offer God only a part of ourselves. We can consecrate to God a portion of our lives, some religious activity, while other parts, what we hear, what we do with our hands, where our feet carry us, remain unconsecrated, our own. But the priests were consecrated in ear, hand, and foot: wholly. Offer God not a part of yourself, but the whole: what you hear, what you do, where you go, all set apart for him. Let your ears, your hands, and your feet, all you hear and do and where you go, be consecrated to God, as the priests were consecrated in ear and hand and foot. Do not keep parts of yourself back from God while consecrating only a portion; give him the whole of yourself, all you hear and do and are, as the priests were set apart wholly, in ear, hand, and foot, for the service of God.

Lord, at the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, a striking rite was performed: some of the blood of the offering was put on the tip of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot. The ear, the hand, the foot: a picture of the whole person consecrated to you. What they would hear, what they would do, where they would go, all were touched and set apart for your service. Show me what the ear, the hand, and the foot together signify: the whole person set apart for you. The ear, for what they would hear; the hand, for what they would do; the foot, for where they would go. By touching these, the rite marked the whole person as consecrated to you. Not a part of them, but the whole, was set apart. Take that whole-person consecration to my heart, for I can offer you only a part of myself. I can consecrate to you a portion of my life, some religious activity, while other parts, what I hear, what I do with my hands, where my feet carry me, remain my own. But the priests were consecrated in ear, hand, and foot: wholly. Help me offer you not a part of myself, but the whole: what I hear, what I do, where I go, all set apart for you. Let my ears, my hands, and my feet be consecrated to you, Lord; keep me from holding parts of myself back while consecrating only a portion. Help me give you the whole of myself.