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The service of love, symbolized by the bored ear, finds much exposition in the N.T.,
and the reader is urged to acquaint himself with those passages which are written in
connection with the words of Gal. 5: 13--"By love serve".
The consecrated ear.
"Take Aaron and his sons . . . . . and sanctify them . . . . . and he brought the other
ram, the ram of consecration . . . . . and he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and
put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear" (Lev. 8: 2-23).
"And the priest that maketh him clean . . . . . shall slay the lamb . . . . . and shall take
some of the blood . . . . . and . . . . . put it upon the tip of the right ear . . . . . and the priest
shall put of the oil . . . . . upon the tip of the right ear . . . . . upon the place of the blood of
the trespass-offering" (Lev. 14: 11-28).
As a matter of exposition, the above passages present two very different aspects of the
truth, but for the present purpose they may be considered together. Whether priests who
need consecration for service, or lepers who need cleansing and anointing before service
is possible, we perceive the consecration, both by blood and oil, of the servant's ear.
These figures are readily resolved into their spiritual realities. The precious blood of
Christ, the sanctification of the Spirit, the application of both by the Word--these are
essential to service. A bored ear for willing, loving service; an anointed ear for
acceptable, consecrated service, and thirdly, an opened ear that one may minister words
in season.
The opened ear.
"The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned (learner, a disciple),
that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth
morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned (learner, a disciple).
The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back"
(Isa. 50: 4, 5).
This passage, like Psa. 40:, is Messianic, setting forth the true Servant of the Lord.
To be able to speak, the servant must hear. To hear, he needs to be awakened, and his ear
to be opened. If we covet that most gracious of ministries--"to be able to speak a word
in season to him that is weary"--book learning will not avail, the ear must be bored,
anointed and awakened, for we can only speak as we hear, if we are not to speak vain
words out of our own hearts.
The second symbol of service before us is the eye:--
"As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters" (Psa. 123: 2).
"Deal bountifully with Thy servant, that I may live, and keep Thy Word. Open Thou
mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (Psa. 119: 17, 18).
"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity" (Psa. 119: 37).
"Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not Thy law" (Psa. 119: 136).
"Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in Thy Word"
(Psa. 119: 148).