Leviticus 14
Leviticus 14:9:
But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. |
Aug 9, 2023:
The self with all its problems is typified in the Old Testament by the leper with his leprosy. In order for a leper to be cleansed, he must shave off all his hair (Lev. 14:9). He had to shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair. Each of the different kinds of hair signifies different aspects of the self. The way to deal with the problems of the self is by the “razor of the cross” so that the self with all its problems would be “shaved” through the exercise of our spirit. The leper didn’t just have to be assessed so that others would know he is leprous; he had to shave all his hair – his head, his beard, his eyebrows, even all his hair. This is a detailed shaving with much spiritual significance in our Christian life. Especially if we want to serve the Lord, we need to deal with the problems of the self by the cross through the exercise of our spirit. The hair on the head of the leper signifies man’s glory in self-display. Everyone today has his boasts in certain areas. Some boast in their ancestry, others in their education, and still others boast in their zeal and love for the Lord. Everyone can find an area in which to boast, glorify himself, and make a display before man. We need to be aware of such an aspect of the self and deal with this problem of the self by the cross. The beard signifies man’s self-assumed honor; people esteem themselves honorable with regard to their position, their family background, or even their spirituality. Some people always have a feeling that they are above others, that they are superior and better than the ones around them. This needs to be shaved off by the razor of the cross. The eyebrows signify man’s natural beauty, his excellencies, merits, virtues, and strong points. All these issue from his natural birth, not from the experience of God’s salvation, and they need to be shaved off by the razor of the cross. The hair of the whole body signifies man’s natural strength and ability. As human beings, we are full of natural strength, natural methods and opinions, thinking that we can do this or that for the Lord and that we’re capable of doing all things. All these problems of the self must be “shaved with a razor,” which means that they must be dealt with by the cross. We need to deal with the problems of the self by the cross through the spirit, exercising our spirit to apply the cross to the self. In order to deal with the self, we must be those who bear the cross, allowing the cross to work on us continually in order to put our self to death. We need to remain on the cross, keeping ourselves under the termination of the cross day by day (Luke 14:27; Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10; 1 Cor. 15:31). --Enjoying Christ; Deal with the Problems of the Self by the Cross through the Exercise of our Spirit 8.9.23 |