Awesome Hands – Part 120: “Brokenhanded”
Awesome Hands – part 120
”Brokenhanded”
August 30, 2017
I will be the first to admit that without the Lord I am the most brokenhanded person on the planet. It may not appear what that means on the surface to some, and to others they may be nodding their heads in agreement, but the truth is the truth.
In fact, of those that count themselves among this group, I am the chief! I do not say this in jest, but I truly believe this. Often enough, I believe those in the body of Christ know and feel this about themselves because once you know WHO you are, then you can understand who you ARE NOT.
Without Christ we are nothing!
What then does it mean to be brokenhanded? In our study today, we are going to examine the rules given to the Aaron, his sons and all the children of Israel concerning being able to approach the Lord as it pertains to being “brokenhanded”, among other things.
Anyone who has a blemish
At first glance, the verses we are going to cover today do appear to be very cold-hearted of the Lord. After all, who needs mercy more than those who have afflictions of which they themselves have NOT caused to happen to themselves?
Lev 21:17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
Lev 21:18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,
Lev 21:19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,
Lev 21:20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
Lev 21:21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
Lev 21:22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
Lev 21:23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
Lev 21:24 And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.
Simply put, and expressed by the Lord, no one with a blemish is permitted to approach the altar of the Lord! Anyone with a blemish is not even allowed to go in unto the vail because they have a blemish.
I wonder who, among all human beings, do not have a blemish? Of course, there are some folks out there that may be great physical specimens from among humanity but even they have physical blemishes.
However, I think anyone in the body of Christ will be quick to realize that this has much more to do with spiritual blemishes than with those who have natural oddities or “blemishes”.
In truth, the only ones that can have the Lord truly bring forth life in them are those who KNOW who they are.
Let us take the story of Jacob and Laban for example. Bear with me as there are several verses that cover this part of Jacob’s story well.
Gen 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
Gen 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Gen 30:29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
Gen 30:30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
Gen 30:31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
Gen 30:32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
Gen 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
Gen 30:34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Gen 30:35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
Gen 30:36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Gen 30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
Gen 30:38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
Gen 30:39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
Gen 30:40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
Gen 30:41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
Gen 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
Gen 30:43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Laban goes on to not appreciate the truth that the Lord gave Jacob many of the flock that was born speckled, spotted and ringstraked. To theme I want to focus on with this example is that the Lord CAN and DOES bless those with whom deal with blemishes.
All of these animals were blemished; yet, the Lord is able to work with them. This should give His people tremendous hope especially when you can look in the mirror and see your spots.
Jer 13:20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
Jer 13:21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
Jer 13:22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
These verses can be used in many different ways, but I am here before you presenting them as hope to you.
If you have concluded in your heart, mind and soul that you are blotted and blemished, can the Lord then welcome you into His flock and into His kingdom?
Can a leopard change its spots? Can a person born maimed help that they are born that way? Can a dwarf make themselves taller? Can a blind man see? Can the deaf hear?
The answer, of course, is NO to all of these. However, how can we approach the altar who are first BORN NATURALLY with BLEMISHES which COMMAND that we cannot approach the Lord?
Mat 15:30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
Mat 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Mat 15:32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.Luk 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luk 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
Luk 14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.Luk 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Luk 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
Luk 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luk 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
The recipe for success when it comes to the Lord is to admit there is no success without the Lord. In order to be given to understand this, we must respond with the appropriate mindset when the Lord sends us feast or famine, riches or poverty, sickness or health.
It is all in due season and happens according to the will of Him who has created all for His glory.
Yes, the physical priests and sons of Aaron could have no blemish, but our High priest has come to show us all that He welcomes those whom recognize that you MUST be blemished in order to receive HEALING.
Once healed, we can then approach the altar of God.
So, with this short message tonight I tell all of you who are heavy laden with sin, hopelessness, pain, sorrow, guilt, poverty and the many other trials and afflictions that can be given to us of the Lord, rest in the Lord knowing that He can and will heal us of those things which need it and will bring about good for us in whatever His answer is to us concerning these various trials.
They are all designed to bring us to the altar of the Lord, and there is no better place to be than eating the bread of the Lord with the Lord and His Christ.
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- Exo 38:1-31 The Making of the Altar of Burnt Offering, the Bronze Basin and the Court (February 20, 2023)
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- Awesome Hands - part 99: "Brass Altar" (March 30, 2016)
- Awesome Hands - part 165: “The Fall of I” (February 9, 2020)
- Awesome Hands - Part 120: "Brokenhanded" (August 30, 2017)
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