Leviticus 8:24
And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
The verse records part of the seven-day consecration of Aaron and his sons for priestly service, when after washing, clothing, and anointing, blood from the ram completed their setting apart. Moses put that blood on the tip of each man's right ear, right thumb, and right great toe, the right-side member standing for both, so that consecrating it dedicated the whole person to God. The ear thus set apart was to hear and obey God's word, the hand to do His work in loving obedience, and the foot to walk with Him in the way of His commandments and go where He sends. It was a solemn vow of wholeness in God's service, whose breaking leaves no ear to hear God, hands defiled with evil, and feet swift to run in paths of sin. As the ram's blood set those priests apart, so the blood of Jesus separates believers to God as a holy priesthood, justified and sanctified for continual service and worship.
Rite and Its Meaning
Leviticus 8:24 belongs to the historical account of the consecration of the priests, one of the book's few historical sections. The consecration was a seven-day ceremony for Aaron and his sons before they served others as priests. After washing they were clothed in holy priestly garments, and anointing oil sanctified Aaron and the tabernacle with its furnishings, while sprinkled blood completed their setting apart, hallowing both the priests and their garments, with blood also sprinkled on the altar. Afterward God publicly accepted their ministry when His glory filled the tabernacle and fire consumed the offering, including Aaron's first offering for the people.
Moses applied the ram's blood to each man's right ear, right thumb, and right great toe, and sprinkled the blood on the altar round about. The right-side member represented the principal member of its kind, so consecrating it represented both members and dedicated the whole person to God's service. The blood on the right ear set the ear apart to receive instruction from God and hearken only to Him, signifying hearing and understanding God's counsel and word so as to obey it. The blood on the right thumb set the hand apart to do God's work, signifying that all powers are to be trained and dedicated to labor for God and minister for His glory, doing everything in the Lord's name in loving obedience following Christ's example of doing what pleases the Father. The blood on the great toe of the right foot set the foot apart to walk with God in the way of His commandments and to go where He sends, a lesson applied to gospel workers that their feet, like their ears, are to be consecrated for service.
The walk signified is a narrow path of obedience, self-denial, suffering, and fellowship with God led by the Holy Spirit in Jesus' footsteps, not worldly living or seeking human honor. Believers cannot follow Jesus through the final experience of being forsaken as He bore sin, but keeping His sorrow and death fresh in mind leads them to live out their consecration. The rite was a solemn vow ratified by each man consecrated, teaching that those who serve and approach God must give themselves wholly to Him because God is holy. Breaking it means having no ear to hear when God speaks, with feet swift to run in paths of evil and sin and hands defiled with evil deeds, forgetting God and the vows of consecration. The touching of head, hands, and feet with blood signified a complete work of cleansing and consecration, a washing from sin that gives communion with the Lord.
Christ and Christian Consecration
The Levitical order was set apart to minister before the ark containing the tables of the law in the earthly sanctuary with its two holy places while that sanctuary continued. Its ministration was the example and shadow of Christ's more excellent ministry in the true tabernacle in heaven, and its priesthood and ceremonies typified Christ and His priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary. The sacrifices and priestly rites belong to the account of the priests' consecration and duties, and their details had meaning as object lessons on the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Those sacrifices point forward to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and find their fuller meaning in His sacrifice, life, and work and typify His work. That priesthood offered no sacrifice that could take away sin; it could only point penitent sinners forward to the great Sacrifice to be offered for the sins of men.
As the blood of the consecration ram applied to the priests was a sign that they were set apart for God, so the blood of Jesus separates believers to God. They belong to Him because they were bought at a price, and by His blood they are justified and sanctified for continual service and worship. Aaron and his sons underwent special consecration ceremonies and made consecration offerings before serving others as priests, being clothed in holy garments while anointing oil sanctified Aaron with the tabernacle and its furnishings. Afterward the Lord's glory filled the tabernacle and fire consumed the burnt offering. Giving oneself wholly to God in this way brings the anointing of the Holy Spirit, fitting a person for service and for God's indwelling.
The blood of consecration on the priests' right ears marked them to receive instruction from God and hearken only to Him. As a holy and royal priesthood, God's people are likewise to listen to Him so they can speak and act in His fear. This is illustrated by the High Priest, whose ear was awakened to hear and whose tongue was given words to speak to the weary.