Why did Moses put blood on Aaron's right ear lobe, thumb, and the big toe of his right foot?

Question

Why did Moses put blood on Aaron's right ear lobe, thumb, and the big toe of his right foot? I need the Biblical principles supporting the application of the sacrificial blood in this manner.

Answer 1

• Leviticus 8:23 NKJV 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.

The Enduring Word Commentary says:

To express the idea of consecration:

...To express the idea of consecration, blood from the ram was placed on the ear, thumb, and toe of the priest. It was blood from the ram – not the wool and not the fat. God wanted the life of the sacrificial victim to mark His consecrated priests.

i. Leviticus 17:11 is one of many instances that express this principle: For the life of the flesh is in the blood. God wanted the life of the sacrificial victim to be evident in the body of the priest.

1. Ear: They should hear differently
2. Thumb: They should work differently
3. Toe: They should walk differently

c. Tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot: These consecrated priests were stained with the blood of sacrifice. They should hear differently because the blood was on their ear. They should work differently because the blood was on their thumb. They should walk differently because the blood was on their toe. (Enduring Word Commentary)

• The ear symbolizes the need to attentively listen to God’s commandments.
• The thumb represents the execution of God’s will.
• The foot stands for the priest’s walk in holiness.

Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary says:

...the ear, because the priest was always to hearken to the word and commandment of God; the hand, because he was to discharge the priestly functions properly; and the foot, because he was to walk correctly in the sanctuary.

The right side was considered superior. God wanted their best to be dedicated to Him.

i. Specifically, it was applied to the right ear, hand, and foot. This isn’t because God felt they could do whatever they wanted to with their left ear, hand, and foot. It is because the right side was considered superior, with more strength and skill (because most people are right-handed). God wanted their best to be dedicated to Him. (Enduring Word Commentary)

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EDIT: How was this procedure fulfilled by Jesus?

Jesus, as the Lamb of God, was a perfect sacrifice to save us from and atone for our sins. His blood washed away our sins completely.

Through His sacrifice, Jesus fulfilled and completed all the requirements of the first Covenant, including the sacrifices of blood for the forgiveness of sins. His death activated the New Covenant. We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Therefore, the ritual of applying sacrificial blood, which was a physical act in the Old Testament, found its fulfillment in the spiritual act of Jesus’ sacrifice in the New Testament.

Answer 2

So, this seems to have stumped many for quite some time. You have to look at what's being done here. Aaron's consecration right....it's the process of him being made the high priest. The right side is of course a symbol of power and strength. This is why Jesuse quoted Psalms 110 before Caiaphas, saying that he would see the Christ "standing on the right hand of God"... the Christ is Gods power over death and sin. The blood of consecration simply means to be separated; therefore, Aaron was God's chosen Priest, who had power over sins, and was set apart or consecrated for the task.

What we missed is that Aaron was an architype of Christ to come. So, the question is, how does this tie into the events of Calvary? For starters, Calvary was Jesus's ordination into the high priest role. The next question is, where does the blood get applied? Well, we must understand that Jesus was all the sacrifices rolled into one, he was the Passover lamb, the scape goat, the bull of the sin offering... he was all of them, even this ram of consecration. So, knowing that he was his own sacrifice, then it's easy to see that when Pilates men placed that "Crown of Thorns" on his head that his blood would have run down and covered the tip of the right ear.

And when they took him to the cross and drover the "Nails" into his hands or wriest, whichever you prefer. That blood would have covered the right thumb, and likewise with the "Nails" in his feet! Ordination complete! What Aaron did in the past was simply a shadow of what the Christ would do at Calvary.

Please read my book, "The Pattern of Calvary".... everything God did in the Old Testament was with Calvary in mind...It will help you understand all these process.