Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:12)
38 You know, the custom in the Palestine country, the first thing happens when you’re invited to a royal entertainment like that, when you come to the door you’re all dirty, you stink; you’re not—you’re not a fit subject then for entertainment. You’d be embarrassed to walk in those lovely homes with all that on your feet and everything, and the way you look and sweaty and everything. What’s the first thing? When a guest arrives, they got a flunky, the poorest paid man on the job.
When I think that my Lord girded Himself and washed people’s feet, He took the lowest place, when He was the—deserved the highest place. But He took the lowest place, to wash the dung and dirt from their feet, become the humblest of servants. There’s not another servant got as humble a job as the flunky that washes the feet.
But when you come to a—a home of that type in the eastern country, Palestine, the flunky meets you at the door, goes to one of the wells and draws him some—a great basin of—of good clear water, and he removes your sandal, or your shoe, sets your feet up across his knee, and he washes all this dirt, and dust, and dung, and stuff off of your body. And then he takes another towel and wipes your feet, and he washes them, sets them down.
And then he takes your sandals and sets them up on a little—little mantle like, sets them along like this at the door of entrance. Then he goes over, and he finds a pair of fine satin, silk slippers; they’re soft. That’s the compliments of the host. He does that; he has them setting there; he put them upon your feet until he finds one that fits you comfortably.
39 Then your feet’s washed. Then he passes you into another place, and then there’s a man meets you there at the door, and he has a little basin in his hand, a little pitcher like. And you take it and pour a—some of the oil in your hands.
Now, that oil is made of a very fine spikenard. What it is, it’s—there’s a bush that grows in Arabia that they get it from. A little flower blooms like a rose, and then when the rose goes down, it leaves a little bulb like and that hardens like a little apple. And that’s the thing that this tree does, but you can take that and roll it in your hands.
I seen a—a Russian celebrity one time, who had two of them; you could roll them in your hands like that, and the scent would stay on your hand for two weeks. It’s very expensive, costly. And it cost much money. Oil will get old and—and smell bad in a few days, but they put this spikenard in there until it becomes… Oh, it keeps for—that aroma for years. That was some of the treasures that the queen of Sheba brought to Solomon.
40 And they give you that, and you wash your hands with it. Then they give you a towel, and you wipe your hands. Then the next they give you, it’s some more of it, and you put it on your neck, the back of your neck, on your cheeks and on your forehead. Both men and women in Palestine must do this, because the sun rays are so hot. They do that, and then it creates a smell. Then after you wipe the most of it off, you’re refreshed. Your feet is washed; you are washed; your hands are clean; your face is clean.
Then you’re taken into the chamber of where the host is. And then when you meet him, you take—he takes his right hand and puts it on your left shoulder, then you bow. And then he—you take your right hand and put it on his left shoulder, and he bows. Then he kisses you, from one side of the cheek to the other side of the cheek; and that’s the welcome, the right hand of fellowship. When the host kisses you, you are a brother; you’re welcome.
55-0807A - "Pride"
Rev. William Marrion Branham
