Oh, be careful little ears what you hear, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little ears what you hear. I have heard that childhood song sung by generations of children, pointing to their ears, eyes, heart, feet, and mind as a sweet, childlike reminder that the Father does see what we see, what we touch, the intents of our hearts, the thoughts of our mind, and the path of our feet. He is interested in us from head to toe, encompassing one’s entire body, from top to bottom. But that song also serves as a gentle reminder that in respect to our own personal cleanness and purity before a perfectly holy God, no part of that body should be polluted.
As I read through the difficult chapters regarding the statutes, ordinances, and laws given to the children of Israel through Moses, I often find myself bogged down, skimming through what seems as a never-ending list of things to do and not to do. Today my reading took me through the order of the Levitical priesthood, including the clothing they were to wear, the elaborate sacrifices needed to prepare them for service, and the supplies they would use as they ministered before God. No center of worship is complete without people to minister, and this would be no small chore. But one unusual ceremony brought that aforementioned children’s song into my mind.
“Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.” The blood of the ram was to be applied to the right ear, the right thumb, and the right toe; I suppose one could say, from head to toe. Before the priest could minister, he had to be free from the pollution of sin, every part of him, his ear, through which he heard God’s law, to his hand, which would perform God’s will, to his feet, which would follow and surrender to God’s path. God wants control of the whole life all the time, not random parts in spotty frequency.
Paul would later admonish the church at Ephesus to be careful how they lived, exhorting them to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” to have “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,” and to prove “what is acceptable unto the Lord.” As part of His “royal priesthood,” I must as my Father daily to “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,” from head to toe!
Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
May my life be pure and clean before You, my Father…from head to toe!