The Hebrew Ram of Consecration and the Easter Story (Resurrection Sunday)
Posted: Sunday, March 01, 2009
by Teresa Ortiz
Freelance writer/Speaker
The Old Testament book of Leviticus records the Laws of Yahweh, the Hebrew and Christian God, as they were given to Moses for the Israelite people.
Most of these laws were centered on the instructions for the sacrificial atonement for the sins of the people--intentional and unintentional.
There were specific instructions for each type of offering. Among the many are; a bull for the sin offering, a ram for the burnt offering, and a second ram--called the ram of consecration. This offering is the focus and source of this informational article as it is closely related to the upcoming Christian application of the Easter celebration, which biblically is appropriately referred to as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
One of the interesting things about this particular offering is the instructions; let us read from Leviticus.
"And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot." Lev 8:22-24.
On the surface, this would seem like a cruel thing to do. Why should an innocent animal pay the price for the sins of the people? It's hard to fathom and yet if one considers the idea that God requires holiness and purity, it would make sense that as humans, we are not perfect and on our own, we could never reach this standard of perfection.
This realization can make it easier to catch a glimpse of God's grace because instead of enforcing the penalty of sin, which according to God is death; He provided a way of escape. In fact, there is a detailed explanation regarding the scapegoat in Leviticus chapter 16:8-22. This is a picture of Jesus, who would come to be The Ultimate Scapegoat in that he didn't just carry the sin of humanity away, He also paid the price for sin in His death and resurrection, thereby putting an end to the need for animal sacrifices.
Most significant is the blood as the Old and New Testaments reveal the word of God, which says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins." (Lev 17:11 and Heb 9:22.)
Secondary to this is the placement of the blood - why the ear, thumb and foot?
The Ear -- When God spoke to Moses, he repeatedly used the word listen.
The Thumb When God spoke to Moses, He not only told them to listen to His words, He also told them to work with their hands and to be careful to do all that He commanded.
The Foot Finally, the people were to follow in the footsteps of God and not the way of the Pagans.
Could it be that God wanted them to remember to listen, work, and follow? Obeying the commandments of God out of love and gratitude for what He did in providing a way of escape for them, shows they were motivated by the loving relationship they had with Him and not by the " have-to's" of empty religion.
These instructions were to show the people the painful reality of their need for a Savior and to point them to the work of the coming Messiah, who is Jesus.
According to the Bible, Jesus was and is the completion of God's plan to provide atonement for the sin of man. He was the ultimate Lamb of God, because found in Jesus, is the fulfillment of each offering listed in the book of Leviticus. He alone is the sweet-smelling aroma and appeasement to a Holy and Just God.
This is the beauty of what has become known as Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday for the Bible-believing Christian. Although, Judaism rejects the teaching that Jesus is the Messiah, many followers of Jesus Christ believe Christianity to be the completion of Judaism, which began with God in the beginning, rather than just another religion that started a little over 2000 years ago during the days when Jesus walked the earth.
"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God." Hebrews 9:11-14
For Christians, Jesus as the Ram of Consecration sets his followers apart from the world in that they are to be a representative of the ways of God. Living according to His standard for life while giving others the freedom to believe as they choose without condemnation. Sadly, this is not always the case. Though it makes sense as Christians are not a perfect people. Nevertheless, the goal of a true believer is to listen, work, and follow Christ with a heart of gratitude and not out of empty and self-righteous religion.
It is in taking time to understand the reasons why people believe what they believe which gives way to respect and peace.
Many blessings to all during this season and always.
Teresa Ortiz - 2009
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)hi t,i love God with all my heart and soul,"It would seem the greatest lesson in the above quoted passage of Scripture, is the placement of the blood--why the right side of the body. Perhaps it is because the heart is on the right. After all, according to Matthew, one of the original disciples, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.(Matt. 22:37.)" nothing has to seem anyway, it simply is."Could it be that God wanted them to remember to listen, work and follow?"i don't believe God went to such lengths to confuse His children. Live, Love, Learn. so many I know who read the Bible regularly are the first to judge, the first to talk badly about someone, etc., and yet those i know who simply instinctually know what God wants of us, act accordingly, doing for others, talking to God, taking pride in the work they do, staying honest, etc.thanks you for sharing with us, this was a well written article,my best to you,sueHi Sue, thanks so much for reading and commenting. I agree in many ways, except that sometimes what we think God wants from us, is not always what he wants from us when we look into his instruction.I don't gelieve God sets out to confuse either, but he does desire us to seek his word and his will as hidden treasure. So sometimes it takes some digging to know why he instructs us as he does.I too know many people who judge harshly who read the Bible, on the other hand, many are not judging the person, but rather a noteable judgement based on what God's word says. there are also a lot of mean, ugly and judgemental people that do not read the bible. People are just people and God knows the heart and true intents of man, and he will judge according to his righteousness and standards.I personally rely on his grace and the shed blood of His son to cover me :-)Thanks for everything. Hugs, t
Such a large wonderful heart as yours, so filled with joy is his gift of light to all who you touch by word and presence.Hi Walter, it's been awhile! nice to hear from you. Thank you for the sweet words, I am humbled. I do hope this article comes across as informative and not preachy. I am looking forward to catching up on your articles.Lord bless you! Teresa
Teresa,Great write! I was grabbed into the article once I read this: "bull for the sin offering". Very informative, and thanks for shaing this with us.Hi Ronyae, thanks for reading. I am glad you found it informative. Blessings to you! Teresa
Hey Teresa,You are a wonderful writer. Keep it up. Isn't it wonderful to know that we have a scapegoat because of whom we are no more condemed.?thanks for writing this article. Good scriptural reference. I want to read more from you.SwapnaHello Swapna,Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Yes, it is a beautiful thing :-)I look forward t hearing from you again. Thanks for joining my fan club.Blessings, TeresaThank you Teresa for joining my fan club too. i feel encouraged. I am now looking forwad to read more of your articles. All the best. Love, Swapna
Again, good teaching, easy to read and inspirational. You have brought out a good object lesson for us with the ear, thumb and foot. How many times have I read that passage, but never put 2 and 2 together like this.But my mind also wandered through other parts of this article and the one phrase that really stood out to me is this "many followers of Jesus Christ believe Christianity to be the completion of Judaism." I found that truth to be very exciting. I have always known this, but to hear it from someone else made it even more real. I am also encouraged to know that there are many Jewish Christians out there, who have now come to the realization that Jesus, indeed is the Messiah.Hi David,I am glad this was helpful to you. Early on in my faith, I wondered why the right side of the body...and then we had study on Exodus and how it pictured freedom from bondage and living a "heart" life and not a "religious" life. This is were I learned of this. It changed how I studied and read the bible from that point on.Glad you added your testimony about the completion of Judaism. From this perspective, the Bible is much easier to understand. This coupled with understanding the "why's" of the levitical law give way to understanding the whole of Scripture. At least it has for me, and this is the method that God has used through me when I teach. I am excited everytime I study, because there is just so much to learn. We can never learn it all, but what a journey of discovery it is along the way!Thanks again for all you do! Blessings, Teresa
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