Torah Commentary Archives

Tetzaveh (You Are To Order)

Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

Ezekiel 43:10-27

Philippians 4:10-20

Hearing, Doing and Walking

The details of the garments for Aaron and his sons are as picturesque as the details for the Tabernacle itself. Like the Tabernacle, we could spend multiple lifetimes studying the meaning and prophetic shadows of the garments' elements. I have read a lot of material regarding these garments; I do not believe anyone has come close to their full meaning. I for one am looking with anticipation for the Shabbat in The Kingdom in which this Torah portion will be taught by the One who the garments may have been made for in the first place! Now that's going to be a learning experience! Ponder that picture for a moment. What if these garments still exist and what if Aaron and Messiah were the same size? Imagine the look on Aaron's face to see Messiah in those garments! Just as with the Tabernacle, very often we can get caught up in the details of the form that we may lose sight of the function? This is in no way to say that we forget the form, but form without function is just a show. HaShem does nothing just for show!

The key to the function of the priesthood is found in Chapter 29. When dressed in their priestly garments, they are to slaughter a young bull and two rams. Now wait a minute! These artisan made garments are over the top amazing, beautiful and brand new. Slaughtering an animal is not real clean business. What I am alluding to is that it is not about how clean and good the priests look on the outside, but about the atoning blood of the sacrifice. There would be blood shed in the future which had the power to make these priests worthy to stand in those garments even on that day. Those priests were looking forward to an Offering that is symbolized by bulls and rams. We on the other hand have a clearer vantage point because we are looking back.

An interesting point of the instructions regarding the blood is what the priests were to do with it. Part of the process required them putting some of the blood on the right ear, the right thumb and the right big toe. What a strange concept. What does it reveal to us today?

To understand this we must go all the way back to the Garden and the shedding of the first blood. We all know the account well of Adam and Eve and their disobedience which brought forth a sentence of death. It would only be through the shedding of the blood of a substitution that the penalty for disobedience could be paid and life restored. Hold that thought for a moment.

What is the function of the ear? Simple answer, it is a gateway which allows audible vibrations to enter into our being and cause us to hear. And what role does the thumb play? The thumb is the digit on our hand which allows the fingers to function fully. Without the thumb we have a difficult time picking things up and therefore getting things done. What important position could the big toe be responsible for? Now truthfully, how much time have most of us spent thinking about this part of our body? Its function is quite remarkable. This digit of our body brings balance to our walk and its muscles are used to propel our body forward when we walk.

One more detail before we tie it all together. Why the right side? The phrase “Right hand” appears in Scripture over 150 times. It points us to ruler-ship, authority, power and sovereignty. The phrase points us to Messiah, the revealed power of HaShem upon this earth. On a side note, do not think for a moment that this ties Him to being a Republican or a right wing conservative. In my opinion, it is blasphemous to bring Him down to the level of the wickedness of our day. His bloodshed was not to bring Him to our level, but rather to take us to His.

Let's tie it all together. The shed blood is about restoring life from the dead. The ear represents hearing, the thumb characterizes doing and the toe points to walking. The phrase “right side” refers to ruler-ship, power and authority. This does not take a theological degree to see. In fact, the intellectual mind associated with a theological degree may stand in the way of you seeing it. This is about a people who are dead in their hearing, doing and walking being brought back to life by the application of the living blood of One who is the Ruler and has ALL authority, power and sovereignty.

There is one more point we must not miss. Before Aaron and his sons could have the blood applied, they had to “put on” the garments. Imperfect men who would put on garments of righteousness to be able to hear, do and walk out the will of One who is sent from the right hand of the Father. To quote a statement I began using last month, “It is not about us being perfect, it is about us putting on and entering into His perfection”. What caused Aaron and his sons to perform the work they were called to do? They traded their garments for His. What happened when they lost sight of the righteousness of those garments? That is for a Torah portion to come.