Each day in prayer I thank God for the work of the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ.
Because the blood was shed there for our sins, the Holy Spirit came, and today we can know and experience God’s anointing on our lives and work.
When we are empowered by the oil of the Holy Spirit, we are freed from the chains of bondage. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil,” (Isa. 10:27).
Every time I am touched by the power of God, I feel like the psalmist who declared, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,” (Ps. 68:1).
The blood brought cleansing to the leper, who symbolized sinful man. But that was only the beginning. Look what happened to the leper next. The blood made it possible for him to be anointed.
When a man was allowed back in the camp (Lev. 14:8), he was directed to “take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log [about two-thirds of a pint] of oil,” (Lev. 14:10).
The priest was to “take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering,” (Lev. 14:12) as a restitution for a specific sin. “Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place,” (Lev. 14:13).
Did you notice that the man offered more sacrifices even after he was considered cleansed and allowed back into the camp?
In the same way, the Lord Jesus shed His blood once for the remission of our sins, but we continue to ask for the cleansing and protection that His blood provides. The Lord Jesus even taught His disciples to say in prayer: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” (Matt. 6:12–13).
3 Application Purposes of the Blood
The priest applied blood to the cleansed leper three times. After considerable study, I believe God had a specific purpose for each application of blood.
First, “the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear” of the leper (Lev. 14:14). When the blood is applied to our hearing, we are shielded from the voice of our enemies. The psalmist cried out to the Lord: “Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me,” (Ps. 55:2–3).
As believers we have power over verbal attacks of the enemy. The Bible says: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,” (Isa. 54:17).
Whose tongues arise against us? The lying tongues of the Lord’s enemies. But we can condemn those voices through the blood of Christ and the authority of His Word.
When someone tells me that the devil has been speaking to them, I remind them of the wonderful words of Jesus: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” (John 10:27).
It’s not the voice of Satan that we should be listening for but the voice of the Savior. That is why we need the blood applied to our hearing.
Second, the priest then reached out to the leper and placed the blood “on the thumb of his right hand,” (Lev. 14:14). Our hands represent the work that we do. It is wonderful to know that the Lord gives guidance and protection to our work. David said: “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands,” (Ps. 90:17). And God told Isaiah: “I will direct their work in truth, and will make with them an everlasting covenant,” (Isa. 61:8).
Finally, the priest applied blood to the leper “on the big toe of his right foot,” (Lev. 14:14). Our feet are symbolic of our daily walk with the Lord. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin,” (1 John 1:7).
Sprinkled and Poured
The application of the blood by the priest to the leper’s ear, hand and foot was first for cleansing, but it didn’t stop there.
As you will recall from Leviticus 14, the leper was cleansed from leprosy as the blood was applied seven times, and then the blood was applied to his earlobe, his thumb and his toe, symbolically speaking of his hearing, his work and his walk.
The moment the blood was applied, the priest was instructed to take “some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord,” (Lev. 14:15–16).
Wherever the blood was in the Old Covenant, the glory descended and consumed the sacrifice. For example, when Moses offered up the sacrifices, the Word of God says the fire descended and consumed the sacrifice. Whenever the blood was applied, the glory descended and the cloud filled the tabernacle.
If you want God to anoint you today, apply the blood afresh on your life.
The anointing oil throughout Scripture represents the work of the Holy Spirit in consecrating and empowering for service.
It is essential to understand that God anoints what the blood has covered. The anointing of the Holy Spirit follows the blood. The anointing oil was sprinkled seven times—God’s number of completion—to represent the reception of a total anointing.
What took place next may sound repetitious, but God was doing something totally new. The priest took the oil and anointed the leper’s right ear, right thumb and right big toe once again.
The blood was already there, but the anointing oil was placed on top of it. For where you find the blood of the cross, you will find the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
I believe the anointing of the Holy Spirit multiplies and expands the benefits of the blood, enabling the believer to live an overcoming, victorious life.
Head to Toe
What did God command the priest to do with the remaining oil? “The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord,” (Lev. 14:18). God wants to cover us totally from head to toe with the oil of His Spirit—our thoughts, our sight, our words and our entire lives. Not only do we have the atonement of the blood, but we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Many people, however, don’t think they are good enough for God’s anointing because of their past. Friend, let me tell you, the shed blood of Jesus is more powerful than your past.
A Covenant to Keep
The book of Psalms often speaks of “the Lord’s anointed.” While these verses point to the coming of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, they also speak of the blessings associated with the anointing of God, and describe the blessings each verse gives for the believer who has access through Christ’s blood and the indwelling Holy Spirit to the anointing of God:
Psalm 15:5
Psalm 20:6
Psalm 45:7
Psalm 84:9
Psalm 92:10
Psalm 105:15
Psalm 132:17
We have been redeemed and washed by the blood, but our walk needs to be cleansed by God’s Word every day (Eph. 5:26). Why? Because our lives constantly touch the dirt of the world every day. That’s why we need to come back to the Lord daily and say, “Cleanse me anew and wash me again.”
Examine how the cleansing of the blood and the anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life can help you in each of these three areas: my hearing (thought life, mind and emotions); my hands (work, career and job); and my walk (spiritual disciplines, relationship with others and with the Lord).
The Blood and a Clear Conscience
The sins of your past cannot be erased simply because you want them to be. You cannot be freed from a sinful life by merely saying, “I’m going to forget about it.” God said He would “purge” us. The blood will purge your conscience completely—not only your transgressions, but also every thought connected with them.
Nothing but the blood of Christ can cleanse your mind from thoughts of past and present sins. Since we have “a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,” (Heb. 10:21–22). What is an evil conscience? One that remembers yesterday and whispers, “You’re a sinner.”
But in heaven the Lord says, “Welcome! I have delivered you from your iniquities. You are forgiven. Only saints can enter here, and the blood has made you righteous.”
To many it sounds impossible that we can stand before God with the righteousness of Christ, but it is true. Because the blood of Jesus is pure, we become pure in God’s sight. The Lord cleanses our minds from the past and the present.
Millions of people live in a never-ending cycle of hopelessness and despair because they cannot forget about yesterday. They are tormented by memories that can lead to depression, mental anguish and even thoughts of suicide.
Satan is aware of our weaknesses. That is why he uses our past mistakes to torture and trap us. One of the devil’s greatest weapons against us is our past. When you understand the work of the cross and the power of the blood, those dead works will be removed from your conscience, “for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul,” (Lev. 17:11).
Do you realize how liberating it is to be freed from your past? Can you fully comprehend what it means to live without guilt or condemnation? Let these words sink into your heart: The moment the shed blood of Christ has been applied to your heart—your past is buried. It is gone forever and no longer remembered in glory.
Pastor Benny Hinn is a noted evangelist, teacher and the author of best-selling books, including Good Morning, Holy Spirit; Prayer That Gets Results; Blood in the Sand; and his newest book, The Blood: Revised Edition. His television program, This Is Your Day, is among the world’s most-watched Christian programs, seen daily in 200 countries. Pastor Benny continues to take the message of God’s life-saving and miracle-working power around the globe.
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