And the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.
A skin disease had shut this man out of the camp. He is well again, and on the eighth day the priest marks him with sacrificial blood — ear, thumb and toe, each on the right side. Why those three places, and why blood on a man who is already healed? (Where the commentators below say "trespass offering," they are using the older rendering of what the ESV calls the guilt offering.)
The eighth day opens with a sacrifice, and it is not the sacrifice used to install priests.
The ritual of the eighth day points forward to the work of Christ, seen in the light of His resurrection. It points to all the Christian gains from it, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit that follows... Here the conscience is cleansed from dead works, to serve or worship a living God, and to be at home — coming not merely into the camp, but into his tent. It is in its measure a consecration like the priests'. Only here it rests on a trespass offering, not on a sin offering. A holy relationship had been violated, and that had to be met. And the priest applied its blood to the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe. The most holy blood covers the whole man — what he hears, what he does, and how he walks. He belongs wholly to God in thought, work, and way.
Priests received blood on those same three places when they were set apart. But their blood came from a different sacrifice.
The blood put on the leper's ear, thumb and great toe came from a trespass offering, because what is pictured there is the cleansing of a sinner. But the blood that consecrated priests for God's service came from a communion offering.
Ear, hand and foot together map out a life.
In cleansing the leper, and in consecrating the priest, the blood goes on three parts of the man: the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot. Together these three show what he is. By the ear he is to receive the word of God; with the hand, to do the enjoined work; with the foot, to walk in His blessed ways. This is clearly the man in his whole responsibility.
The order matters. Hearing comes before doing and walking — and one Man had His ear opened with no blood at all.
Then the blood goes on the ear. If I am to do the will of God, I must know it. The ear is cleansed first; then come the hands to do and the feet to walk. The blessed Lord had His ear opened, but no blood was needed there. He was sinless.
The ritual is God stating a claim over the person He has restored.
This symbolized two things. First, there is no approach to God except on the ground of the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. Second, the amazing love of that Sacrifice claims nothing less from us than the consecration of our lives to Him, who loved us and gave Himself for us... Not only should there be a response on our side, but the glad acknowledgment of the claim that God makes on His side.
The three marks also set a limit on thought, action and walk.
No thought is to go into our mind, we are to do nothing with our hand, and there is to be nothing in our walk, unfit for the blood of Christ.
Later in the ceremony the priest puts oil on those same three spots, on top of the blood.
At the consecration of the priests, and at the restoration of the leper, the blood of sacrifice went on ear and hand and foot. It marked the whole man as redeemed. After the blood came the oil, a picture of the Spirit. With the leper in particular, we are told that the oil went on ear and hand and foot, on top of the blood. So the Spirit of God seals us because of the blood, the work of Christ. It is not a matter of personal worthiness or of personal faithfulness, but of the value of the work of Christ.
- Healed, then claimed. The man is already well before verse 14 begins; the blood does not cure him, it marks out who he now belongs to.
- Guilt met. The blood comes from a guilt (trespass) offering, because a holy relationship had been violated and had to be met.
- Whole man covered. Ear, hand and foot stand for what a person hears, what he does and where he goes — his whole responsibility.
- Hearing leads. The ear is touched first: you cannot do God's will until you know it, so listening comes before service and walk.
- Blood before oil. The anointing lands on the same three spots, but always on top of the blood — the Spirit's seal rests on the value of the sacrifice, not on the man's worthiness.
And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into his, the priest's, left hand;
The blood of the trespass offering is already on the healed man's ear, hand and foot. Now the priest pours the log of oil into his own palm — so why must the oil pass through his hand, and go before the Lord, before it ever reaches the man?
Writers read the fixed order of this ritual as a picture of how God works in a person.
As when the leper was cleansed and purified under the law, he was first washed with water, then sprinkled with blood, then anointed with oil (Lev. 14:8-9, and 14-18). This is a clear picture of our purification by the word of God when we are converted and born again. Then comes the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, and last the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which seals us for the day of final redemption.
The priest holds the oil in his left hand, dips his right finger, and sprinkles it seven times toward God.
Now the priest turns away from the leper. For the moment the leper is forgotten, and the oil is "sprinkled before the Lord."... I think this tells us of the perfect delight that God has in His Holy Spirit. Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is not merely an "influence," but the true and living God.
Why seven times?
Seven speaks of perfection. Look around this world, with all its sorrow and sin and suffering. How wonderful to remember that, in spite of it all, One dwells down here now who is altogether well pleasing to God in heaven... Although He dwells in every believer, and is their strength and power for all things of God, yet we need to remember that first of all He is down here for God, and for His glory.
The priest then puts the oil on the same three places already marked by the blood of the trespass offering.
Then follows the anointing from the Holy One (15-18). The waving of everything too was before Jehovah, and so was the application, as with the priestly consecration. The oil was put where the blood had been. How clearly this pictured the full blessing first enjoyed at Pentecost. Christ's death did more than remove evil. In the Holy Spirit's power we enter into all its fullness before God, so that we know and enjoy it for ourselves: we have redemption in Christ through His blood, and priestly access to the sanctuary as well... how much we owe to the Spirit, sent in Person to live in us and with us!
If the blood dealt with what the ear, hand and foot had done, the oil sets those same members to new use.
So not only are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, but also consecrated to God, in the power of the Spirit. God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear is no longer to be the channel for passing on defilement, but to be "swift to hear" the voice of the Good Shepherd. The hand is no longer to serve unrighteousness, but to reach out in acts of righteousness, grace, and true holiness. The foot is no longer to walk in foolish paths, but to run in the way of God's holy commandments. And finally, the whole man is to be dedicated to God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This order of blood first, then oil, is not unique to the leper.
In the consecration of Aaron and his sons the oil was put on the blood. The oil pictures the Holy Spirit; the blood pictures the atoning sacrifice of Christ, applied in all its blessed power. This is why the Spirit is never taken away. He is given to live in us on the righteous ground of the finished atoning work of our Lord on the cross.
- Order. Water, then blood, then oil. Washing comes first, then forgiveness, then the anointing of the Spirit — never the other way round.
- Godward. The priest sprinkles the oil seven times before the Lord before a drop reaches the man. The Spirit is here first of all for God and for His glory.
- Upon. The oil goes exactly where the blood already was. The Spirit comes on the ground of Christ's work, not alongside it.
- Onward. What the blood forgave in ear, hand and foot, the oil now empowers — hearing, doing and walking turned to God's use.
- Abiding. Because the oil rests on the blood, the indwelling rests on a finished work, and so it is never withdrawn.
and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah.
The man being cleansed is standing right there. Yet the first seven sprinklings of oil never touch him — they go toward God, and that raises the question of who this oil is for.
The verse counts the sprinklings but never says where the priest stood. One writer offers two possible spots:
Then the priest was to sprinkle the oil seven times before the Lord — perhaps at the altar of burnt offering, or possibly at the door of the tabernacle.
Up to now the ceremony has been about the healed man. At this moment the priest turns away from him:
We have seen that the oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. Now the priest turns away from the leper. For the moment the man is forgotten, and the oil is "sprinkled before the Lord." As we have seen, the leper himself was presented before the Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit and on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ. But now the oil is sprinkled before the Lord. I think this tells us of the perfect delight that God has in His Holy Spirit. Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is not merely an "influence." He is the true and living God.
The same writer reads the number seven, and then looks at the world we live in now:
Seven speaks of perfection. How wonderful it is to remember, when we look around this world with all its sorrow and sin and suffering, that despite all of it there is One who lives down here now who is altogether well-pleasing to God in heaven. You remember how God the Father delighted to look down from the open heavens when His Son lived on this earth, and to say of Him, and of Him alone, "You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased." In the same way God can look down now upon the Holy Spirit, and to all eternity He will be His delight in heaven. He dwells in every believer, and He is their strength and power for all the things of God. Yet we need to remember that first of all He is down here for God, and for His glory.
One writer contrasts this anointing with the mere setting apart of a man for a job:
Then the anointing takes place, and the power and action of the Spirit of God is at work in the man's consecration. But note first that this action happens before the Lord, in His presence. It is not, so to speak, a prophetic action, coming out from Him with a partial revelation, a light shining in a dark place. It is the full, present anointing and action of the Spirit of God before God Himself. The oil was sprinkled seven times before the Lord, not merely a person set apart in holiness for a task, but the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) present, and present in His fullness, and acting towards the Lord. We are no more to grieve the Spirit of God than we are to allow or do anything inconsistent with Christ's blood. His holy understanding of God is to govern our thoughts and acts and ways.
The verses that follow put this same oil on the man himself. One writer sees the whole sequence as a picture of Pentecost drawn in advance:
Then follows the anointing from the Holy One (15-18). The waving of it all was done before the Lord, and so was the application, just as at the consecration of the priests. The oil was put where the blood had been. How clearly this pictured in advance the full blessing first enjoyed at Pentecost. Christ's death was not only for the removal of evil. It was entered into in all its fullness before God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that a believer personally knows and enjoys it all — having redemption in Christ through His blood, and priestly access to the sanctuary as well.
- God first. Before any oil touches the healed man, the priest turns away from him and sprinkles it seven times "before the Lord."
- A Person, not a force. Writers read the oil as the Holy Spirit, and this Godward sprinkling as God's delight in Him. He is "not merely an 'influence'" but "the true and living God."
- Full, not partial. Seven speaks of perfection. The sprinkling shows the Spirit "present in His fullness, and acting towards the Lord," not a partial light in a dark place.
- For His glory before ours. He dwells in every believer as their strength, yet "first of all He is down here for God, and for His glory."
- Then the man. Only after this does the oil go where the blood had gone. That pattern, one writer says, "pictured in advance the full blessing first enjoyed at Pentecost."
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass-offering.
The priest has already put the blood of the guilt offering on the healed leper's right ear, thumb, and big toe. Now he adds oil to those same three spots, on top of the blood: first a sacrifice, then the Spirit, then a whole life claimed for God.
The oil never touches bare skin. It goes only where the blood already is, and that order never changes.
You must get blood before you get oil, and the oil may come immediately after the blood, as in the case of the leper. When I am cleansed by the blood of Christ, then the Holy Spirit can come and dwell in me.
The verse names whose blood the oil goes on: "the blood of the guilt offering." Older translations call it the trespass offering. One writer compares that sacrifice with the one used to consecrate priests. They are not the same.
The blood put on the leper's ear, thumb and big toe was the blood of a trespass offering, because what is pictured there is the cleansing of a sinner. But it was the blood of a communion offering that consecrated priests for the service of God.
The priest marks three body parts: the ear, the hand, and the foot. A person listens, acts, and walks with these. Each one now gets a new purpose.
Not only are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, but also consecrated to God, in the power of the Spirit. God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear is no longer to be the way defilement gets in, but to be "swift to hear" the voice of the Good Shepherd. The hand is no longer to serve as the instrument of unrighteousness. It is now to be stretched out in acts of righteousness, grace, and true holiness. The foot is no longer to walk in folly's paths, but to run in the way of God's holy commandments. And, finally, the whole person is to be dedicated to God in the energy of the Holy Spirit.
The ear comes first in the list. That has a practical edge for anyone God has cleansed:
Those who are saved by grace and sealed by the Spirit are warned again and again about what they allow into their ears. … The precious blood claims the ear. The Spirit pictured by the oil is the power God gives, so that the ear may be used in a way that pleases Him.
The oil rests on blood, never on bare flesh. So the anointing is not an improvement of the man as he was.
Note well that the blood was first placed on the leper's ear and hand and foot, and afterwards the oil (Lev. 14:17). The Spirit's power is not something added to what I am as a mere natural man. The work of Christ must be grasped, its results formed in the soul.
The verse speaks of "the oil that remains in his hand." The priest has already sprinkled oil seven times before the LORD, and there is still more. The next verse pours the rest on the man's head.
It is lovely to see the way that oil never fails. The priest sprinkles it before the Lord seven times, and puts it on the ear, thumb and toe of the leper, and there is still more left. It reminds us of the word, "God gives the Spirit without measure" (John 3:34). Whatever need we have for His power and energy, we may be sure that the Spirit of God is more than enough for our every need. … Those in Israel who were anointed were the priests, the kings, and, in one case at least, a prophet — and the cleansed lepers! What a wonderful company he is brought into.
- Order — Blood first, then oil. The Spirit comes after the sacrifice, never before it.
- Ground — The oil rests on the blood of the guilt offering. That sacrifice cleansed a defiled sinner; a different one consecrated priests.
- Reach — Ear, hand, foot: hearing, acting, walking. The cleansing is not abstract; it lands on the exact parts of life a person uses.
- Power — The anointing is not added strength for the natural man. It is God's own power making real what the blood has already secured.
- Overflow — The oil never runs out. The priest pours the rest on the man's head. That marks his whole person, and sets a former outcast among the anointed of Israel.
And the remainder of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.
A healed leper comes back on the eighth day, and the priest empties his hand: the last of the oil goes on the man's head. The questions are why any oil is left, why it goes there, and why a rite so full of oil ends with the word "atonement."
One writer sees the oil left over as a supply that never runs out, and notices who else in Israel ever had oil poured on the head:
It is lovely to see the way the oil never fails. Although it was sprinkled before the Lord seven times, and put on the ear, thumb and toe of the leper, there is still more left. It reminds us of the word, "God gives the Spirit without measure" (John 3:34). Whatever need we have for His power and energy, we may be sure that the Spirit of God is more than enough for our every need. … Those in Israel who were anointed were the priests, the kings, and, in one case at least, a prophet — and the cleansed lepers!
Ear, hand and foot were each touched on their own. Commentators read the head in two ways. One links each place the oil touches to a power the Spirit gives:
The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. He is the power by which the ear takes in the truth. He is the power that puts a person's actions right and corrects the walk. Put on the head, it shows the mind coming under the power of the Spirit.
Another notes that the oil went only where the blood had already gone:
These parts of the body were already marked with blood. So the oil was put on the blood… The rest of the oil was poured on the head of the cleansed leper, a picture of the whole man being claimed for God.
The head is the one place blood never touched. One writer takes that omission as a picture of Christ Himself.
No blood is put upon the head itself, but the remainder of the oil is poured on it. "The head of every man is Christ," and when Christ personally is pictured, He is anointed without blood, for He was personally sinless and needed no expiation. So when the high priest is consecrated on his own (Lev. 8:6-12), he is bathed and then the oil is put on him straight away. It is the same as when our Lord was baptised in the Jordan. He was "anointed by the Holy Spirit" when the divine Spirit came down on Him at once in the form of a dove. Had it been anyone else, atonement would have been required before the anointing could take place.
One writer sets this moment beside the day the high priest himself was anointed.
Here the high priest himself could say: "After Moses sprinkled the anointing oil seven times on the altar and its vessels, he poured it on my head" (Lev. 8). How remarkable the likeness here. The leper who had been shut out and the high priest both had oil poured on their heads at the door of the tent of meeting. Under the ceremonial law, only these two had the oil poured on the head… The astonishing ordeal the healed leper went through certainly pictured the amazing place the believer is now brought into, through and in Christ.
The verse ends with atonement. One writer asks what actually made that atonement:
It was not, I think, the oil that made the atonement, but the blood of the trespass offering. In Leviticus 17:11 we read, "it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." Blood, not oil, makes atonement. Blood alone can cover sins. But this statement comes at the end of verse 18. It closes the section that includes both the trespass offering and the oil. So it shows us how closely the Spirit of God is connected with the offering of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:14).
The rite echoes the consecration of priests, yet its starting point is not the same.
In the case of the leper, it is different from the consecration of the priests. This is not consecration to God first of all… The first thought is cleansing — consecration from defilement. Yet we do reach up to the anointing oil, and here it is poured on the head of the cleansed one. He is seen on his own as one who shares in the Holy Spirit before God.
- Blood first. The atonement named at the end of the verse rests on the trespass offering, not on the oil; blood alone covers sin.
- Oil after. Where the blood had gone, the oil followed — the Spirit's power for the ear that hears, the hand that serves, the foot that walks.
- Oil over. There is always a remainder, because the Spirit is not given by measure.
- Oil on the head. The head takes oil and no blood; commentators read it as the mind brought under the Spirit, or the whole man claimed for God.
- Oil that lifts. Only two men in Israel had oil poured on the head: the high priest and the cleansed outcast. The man shut out ends the day where the highest in Israel stood.