“Then the priest who makes him clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, … , before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ….. The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.”
Leviticus 14:11, 18 NKJV
The chapters I’m reading in Leviticus are full of detailed instructions regarding offerings and being made clean. There were very strict guidelines to the offerings brought into the tabernacle – what, when, and how was to be brought, how often it was to be – but in each case, only one person presented the offering to G-d – the priest. Up until now I had this picture in my mind of dropping off the offering at the tabernacle entrance then walking away. That wasn’t the case!
The verses above are about one particular type of offering for one particular type of man: a healed leper. One who was previously outside of the camp, one who was made to walk around proclaiming he was unclean and tear his clothes (Leviticus 13:45-46), finds himself with skin finally healed and standing with the priest at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and after the offerings are made and rituals done, the last act was to anoint the head of the healed leper with oil.
MY G-D! What a picture of restoration!!!
Picture this man, rejected and outcast, having to tear his clothes and pronounce his disease to everyone. He had to experience physical pain, yet he was alone. People surely saw him AS his disease. His disease became his identity.
But G-d!
In the verses between the dots above, the priest poured oil into his own hand and used it to anoint the healed leper’s right ear, right thumb, and right toe, and the rest of the oil was placed on his head.
G-d made a way for a man once rejected and outcast to be restored, forgiven, and truly healed.
Maybe the significance of anointing his thumb with oil as to restore his sense of purpose. – after all we work with our hands and most of us find purpose there. Maybe the significance of anointing his ear with oil was to restore his thoughts – after all so much of what we think about ourselves is just a recording of what someone has spoken over us – including our own voice. Maybe the significance of anointing his big toe with oil was to restore his way – to set him in a new path and allow him to walk whole. And, maybe, just maybe placing the hand with the remaining oil on his head was a priestly blessing – a welcoming home, an imparting of peace and of spiritual and emotional wholeness.
He offers no less to me and to you. No matter what has happened in our past, He is our present and our future. My identity is now found in Him alone.
Father – thank You for healing and restoring me. I am forever grateful. You are good to me. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Leviticus 14-15