The reason behind gauging my ears
"If the slave says plainly I want to serve you for life." The master would then follow the law of God, "Take your slave to the door, pull his ear lobe and drive a spike or an awl through his ear. And the piercing of the ear and the hole in the ear will be the signal and symbol to all who see him that this man is a slave out of love, this is a servant of love who has chosen a life-long bonding to some he longs to serve." Exodus 21:5-6
In the past three months I have been gauging both of my ears. From the very beginning I have wanted to do it for this reason: to externally remind myself of the commitment I have made to Jesus Christ. In a way that is biblically based and irremovable, unretractable. But since I have been home from college lots of people have asked me about why I did it, and through researching and studying more I am learning so much symbolism in this decision I made three months ago!
The word bondservant shows up throughout both the Old and New Testaments. For a long time it was a word I didn’t understand. I didn’t see the difference between bondservant, servant, and slave, and why Jesus used them all in different circumstances, as well as the disciples. In Exodus 21:5-6 there is a short explanation of what a bondservant was, and why Jesus and the disciples alluded to it, as many other things in the Old Testament. The word bondservant is Doulus: to be devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. In the most generic terms a bondservant was a slave, who once allowed the choice for freedom because they had finished their set time of slavery, chose to continue, for the rest of their life, to serve that same master. Instead of choosing another life or freedom the slave chose to become a bondservant for life to his master. In biblical times the ears being pierced by a nail against a door marked this choice. The hole then would signify the decision the bondservant had made for the rest of their lives, even if they did walk away or try to escape from serving their master. They would look in the mirror and never forget the commitment they had made.
So for this reason alone I chose to gauge my ears. Once you gauge to a certain size, the hole becomes permanent. So if in 2, 5, or ten years I decide to take out my gauges, I will look in the mirror and never forget the commitment I made to serve Christ, even if I have walked away or turned to sin.
Here is where the symbolism goes deeper and becomes even more amazing. The term bondservant also signifies a two-way commitment. You are choosing to serve your master for life, and he is choosing to serve you for life. This is the exact commitment that Christ beckons us into with his relentless love. “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 The Greek word here for servant is Doulus. Christ gave up everything he had and was to become our bondservant, for eternity. And everyday he beckons us to come to him on our knees in humility and commit wholly to him.
“Piercing the servant's ear signified the servant's obedience to his master. In light of this I'm remindful that David in a reference to Yeshua stated, "sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened." {Ps 40:6} Besides being a reference to Yeshua. David's statement is clearly a reference to the servant, who preferred his wife and children, over freedom.
With that said though, the piercing of the servant's ear also signified the servant's obedience to his master's will. This is significant, because Yeshua said, "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." {John 6:38 } So, liken unto the servant, Yeshua came down from heaven, in obedience to the Master's will.
Remember the servant's master pierced the ears against a door, or doorpost. This is meaningful because the following Hebrew letter "dalet" { d }for the letter {D} in door, specks of Yeshua. How so?
Well Yeshua said, "I am the door . If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." {John 10:9 } I alluded to Yeshua's statement, because the symbolic meaning for the Hebrew letter "dalet," means "pathway, or to enter." Therefore the Hebrew letter "dalet," in the word door, conforms the fact that Yeshua is the pathway, to "the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him." John 14:6"
How insane. Every single part of this entire section of scripture and this historical social custom symbolizes towards Christ, the cross, and salvation. I am so excited to share these truths with you, and to look in the mirror and see this phenomena as I look at my gauges. How much bigger and more incredible is our God then we can ever imagine?
“We are willing to say it publicly and plainly, and we are willing to take the consequences too. Are we? That is the question! If we mean to be Christ’s servants forever, we must expect to have special troubles such as the world knows nothing of. The boring of our ear is a special pain, but both ears are ready for the awl. The Lord’s service involves peculiar trials, for He has told us, “Every branch that bears fruit He purges it.” Are we willing to take the purging? What son is there whom his father chastens not? Are we willing to take the chastening? Yes, we would deliberately say, “Whatever it is, we will bear it, so long as the Lord will keep us and help us to remain faithful.” We dare not run away from His service! Would not, could not—and nothing can drive us to abscond from His house or His work, for, exulting in persevering Grace, we venture to say, “Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?” We will bear the boring of the ear!” Charles Spurgeon
In the past three months I have been gauging both of my ears. From the very beginning I have wanted to do it for this reason: to externally remind myself of the commitment I have made to Jesus Christ. In a way that is biblically based and irremovable, unretractable. But since I have been home from college lots of people have asked me about why I did it, and through researching and studying more I am learning so much symbolism in this decision I made three months ago!
The word bondservant shows up throughout both the Old and New Testaments. For a long time it was a word I didn’t understand. I didn’t see the difference between bondservant, servant, and slave, and why Jesus used them all in different circumstances, as well as the disciples. In Exodus 21:5-6 there is a short explanation of what a bondservant was, and why Jesus and the disciples alluded to it, as many other things in the Old Testament. The word bondservant is Doulus: to be devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. In the most generic terms a bondservant was a slave, who once allowed the choice for freedom because they had finished their set time of slavery, chose to continue, for the rest of their life, to serve that same master. Instead of choosing another life or freedom the slave chose to become a bondservant for life to his master. In biblical times the ears being pierced by a nail against a door marked this choice. The hole then would signify the decision the bondservant had made for the rest of their lives, even if they did walk away or try to escape from serving their master. They would look in the mirror and never forget the commitment they had made.
So for this reason alone I chose to gauge my ears. Once you gauge to a certain size, the hole becomes permanent. So if in 2, 5, or ten years I decide to take out my gauges, I will look in the mirror and never forget the commitment I made to serve Christ, even if I have walked away or turned to sin.
Here is where the symbolism goes deeper and becomes even more amazing. The term bondservant also signifies a two-way commitment. You are choosing to serve your master for life, and he is choosing to serve you for life. This is the exact commitment that Christ beckons us into with his relentless love. “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 The Greek word here for servant is Doulus. Christ gave up everything he had and was to become our bondservant, for eternity. And everyday he beckons us to come to him on our knees in humility and commit wholly to him.
“Piercing the servant's ear signified the servant's obedience to his master. In light of this I'm remindful that David in a reference to Yeshua stated, "sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened." {Ps 40:6} Besides being a reference to Yeshua. David's statement is clearly a reference to the servant, who preferred his wife and children, over freedom.
With that said though, the piercing of the servant's ear also signified the servant's obedience to his master's will. This is significant, because Yeshua said, "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." {John 6:38 } So, liken unto the servant, Yeshua came down from heaven, in obedience to the Master's will.
Remember the servant's master pierced the ears against a door, or doorpost. This is meaningful because the following Hebrew letter "dalet" { d }for the letter {D} in door, specks of Yeshua. How so?
Well Yeshua said, "I am the door . If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." {John 10:9 } I alluded to Yeshua's statement, because the symbolic meaning for the Hebrew letter "dalet," means "pathway, or to enter." Therefore the Hebrew letter "dalet," in the word door, conforms the fact that Yeshua is the pathway, to "the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him." John 14:6"
How insane. Every single part of this entire section of scripture and this historical social custom symbolizes towards Christ, the cross, and salvation. I am so excited to share these truths with you, and to look in the mirror and see this phenomena as I look at my gauges. How much bigger and more incredible is our God then we can ever imagine?
“We are willing to say it publicly and plainly, and we are willing to take the consequences too. Are we? That is the question! If we mean to be Christ’s servants forever, we must expect to have special troubles such as the world knows nothing of. The boring of our ear is a special pain, but both ears are ready for the awl. The Lord’s service involves peculiar trials, for He has told us, “Every branch that bears fruit He purges it.” Are we willing to take the purging? What son is there whom his father chastens not? Are we willing to take the chastening? Yes, we would deliberately say, “Whatever it is, we will bear it, so long as the Lord will keep us and help us to remain faithful.” We dare not run away from His service! Would not, could not—and nothing can drive us to abscond from His house or His work, for, exulting in persevering Grace, we venture to say, “Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?” We will bear the boring of the ear!” Charles Spurgeon
This is really really cool.
ReplyDeleteI've been sick for 6 and a half years. I plan on doing this at the turn of my 7 th. I have been growing Christ through that time and want to make a mark on my body as well as a reminder of what God did for me and the commitment I am making to serve him with all that I have.
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