pramsay posted on January 11, 2006 00:20 1497 views

Have you ever read in the Bible about the man who wanted to get his ear pierced? Not to be cool. Not for style. Not to enhance his image. Not to add glamour to the human body or for self gratification. Body piercings and body art today convey a message quite different from the piercings in Exodus 21:2-6. Today the language is: “I’ll do what I want with my body. I’ll decorate it and use it in whatever way it pleases ME. It’s mine! ” Body piercings today have little, if anything to do with love, submission, obedience and service to the Lord.

Now…..back to the man I was referring to in the Old Testament. He was a Hebrew bond-servant. The laws back then gave a servant complete freedom after six years of service. But not every servant wanted freedom. Imagine a servant going to his master and saying: “I know I could go home free today but I have no desire to leave. I love you and I love my wife that I married here and my children. I do NOT want to be released from service. My love is so deep I will willingly and gladly serve you forever. I am willing to be physically branded in my ear by the awl and I will wear the mark forever as a symbol of my willing service to you.” For sure, that did not happen every day – but it happened.

The servant would be taken to a door. “Please lean your head against the door frame.” With a sharp awl in his hand, the Master would plunge the awl through the servant’s ear until it broke-through into the door frame. Did it hurt? Yep! or as they say in Iowa, “You bet!” No localized anaesthetic to freeze the ear lobe. Was there a mark left on his ear? There sure was. Every one who saw it knew that this man had committed himself to his master forever with no chance of ever being released. He was marked forever. People knew that his piercing had a deep meaning. Flashing into my mind comes the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 40:6-8) who voluntarily took upon Himself the form of a servant….. (Philippians 2:7). He didn’t have to – but out of love He did. The piercings? Look at His hands and feet. The piercings with a deep and eternal meaning for us.

The Hebrew Servant of the Old Testament is relevant to us as well. Today the New Testament throws cold water on any effort to adorn ourselves outwardly with expensive stuff, costly clothes and all the trappings – but rather encourages outward modesty but an inner adornment, decoration or ornament,….. an inner beauty for the eyes of the Lord to appreciate. (1 Peter 3:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:9-10) Although we may have no visible piercings on our bodies or in our ears, wouldn’t you love for the Lord to see deep within your heart the ‘piercing’ that counts: “I love You Master – just like the Hebrew bond servant in the Old Testament, I want to be your servant forever. I want to please You — not me! I will gladly submit and surrender to You and to the best of my ability serve Thee until my dying breath!”

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