Numbers
chapter 19 provides the details for producing the “water
of cleansing”
and the enigmatic red heifer. The chapter begins, “This
is a requirement of the Law… Tell the Israelites to bring you a red
heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a
yoke.”
By definition a heifer is a young cow that has not yet given birth.
By all accounts the red heifer was extremely rare and rabbinical
tradition says that God provided the red heifer miraculously only
when needed for this purpose. This red heifer was then “taken
outside the camp and slaughtered”
in the presence of Eleazar the priest. Eleazar was then to sprinkle
its blood with his finger “seven
times toward the Tent of Meeting“.
While he watched, the entire heifer was then to be burned. “The
priest is to take some red cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and
throw them onto the burning heifer“.
Both the priest and the man who burns the heifer must wash their
clothes and bathe with water and will be “ceremonially
unclean until evening“.
“A
man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place
them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be
kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it
is for the purification of sin.“
The
rest of the chapter explains when the water of cleansing must be
used. “Whoever
touches a dead body… when a person dies in a tent: Anyone that
enters a tent and anyone that is in the tent… Anyone out in the
open that touches someone killed with a sword… touches a human bone
or a grave.”
In all these cases, “the
person will be unclean for seven days… He must purify himself with
the water on the third and on the seventh day. Anyone that does not
purify himselfself defiles the Lord… That person must be cut off
from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled
on him, he is unclean; his uncleanness remains on him.”
“For
the person that is unclean, put some ashes from the burned
purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them…
take some hyssop, dip it into the water and sprinkle the tent, the
furnishings and all the people.”
Even the man that sprinkles the water must wash his clothes and
bathe and remains unclean until evening.
I
believe Jesus Christ is the complete fulfillment of all the symbols
represented by the red heifer. Jesus was slain outside the gate. He
gave Himself completely in sacrifice. His body was kept in an
undefiled tomb for three days and His resurrection destroyed the
penalty of death. Even the cedar and scarlet and hyssop speak of the
crucifixion. Hebrews 9:13-14 says: “For
if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling
the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit, offered
Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of the
new covenant.”
Now we have more than a cleansing from spiritual uncleanness, we
have an inheritance of eternal life! Just as with the water of
cleansing, there is no other remedy given. We can either accept the
sacrifice of Christ, or our uncleanness remains on us. I pray you
will experience the wonderful forgiveness of God in a new way today.