Numbers 19: 1 – 22
Jehovah Elyon’s App
19 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them. 11 ‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. 14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; 15 and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. 19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean. 20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”
I confess to you that I am not computer savvy. Oh, I can get around the use of computers and smart phones in order to stay up with the crowd. But I can honestly say that a lot of elementary kids know more about the use of these tools than I will probably ever take the time to know.
On my computer I have at the bottom of the screen these little pictures. They are called ‘apps’. I have learned that by just clicking on one of the icons I can open up the whole program that computer experts have put together.
App is short for "application," which is the same thing as a software program. While an app may refer to a program for any hardware platform, it is most often used to describe programs for mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets.
The term "app" was popularized by Apple when the company created the "App Store" in 2008; a year after the first iPhone was released. As the iPhone and App Store grew in popularity, the term "app" became the standard way to refer to mobile applications. Programs for Android and Windows Phone are now called "apps" as well.
Unlike applications for traditional PCs (often called "desktop applications"), mobile apps can only be obtained by downloading them from an online app store. Most devices automatically install apps when downloaded, which creates a seamless installation process for the user. Some apps are free, while others must be purchased. However, mobile apps are typically much cheaper than PC applications, and many are available for only 99 cents. In fact, most paid apps are less than $10.
You might be wondering why I call this study Jehovah Elyon’s [The Lord Most High] app. For most teachers of the bible the first thing that jumps up at you are ‘The Red heifer’ and this is what most bible scholars focuses on. Our Great and Majestic Creator Is Omniscient - ‘All knowing’. As I was composing this study I noticed in a way how He put together for believers His own ‘App.’ I find it quite enjoyable that I can click on the little icon of a red heifer and wham I instantly receive His wonderful shortcut program which saves people the daily revisit of time away from Him due to uncleanness.
This application [app] of God’s word is a good program to look at, yet if you look at the whole product you will see that the main feature and benefits are something else. I believe you will be pleasantly enlightened as to what it is.
In this chapter the problem of dealing with the defilement of death is dealt with on behalf of the community whose prospect is now life. In addition The Lord Is Most Holy and cannot abide with the sinful stain of our ‘uncleanness’. So, in His great love for us to be able to fellowship with Him He came up with this issue of the Red Cow.
In this chapter we will learn that ‘the water for uncleanness’ (or more correctly the water for removal of uncleanness), is composed of the water containing the ashes of a heifer used for sprinkling by a clean person for the removal of uncleanness. This was the means of freeing any in Israel from all taint of death so as once again to be able to have dealings with Yahweh..
It may be that the placing of this provision here as opposed to in chapter 5 may be in order to stress that death was the lot of the first generation of the people as a result of their failure to enter the land. While there was cleansing from the taint of death, in the final analysis they could not be purified from it. It hung over them all their lives..
This subject brings out the great contrast between the Tabernacle and outside the camp. In the Tabernacle was the living God, the Lord of life, the One Who Is. Death could neither reach Him nor touch Him. He was the opposite of all that death was. To be in a right relationship with Him was to enjoy life. Death was an enemy. It resulted from sin and led to corruption, and darkness, and the world of the grave. But Yahweh was totally pure, totally free from sin and corruption, dwelling in unapproachable light, and ruling the heavens brighter than the sun. He was the source of life, the living God. No taint of death must therefore enter the Tabernacle, apart from atoning death, which represented life given in death in order to make atonement for one whose sin had made him as good as dead. Such a death, the death of an animal substitute and representative, was acceptable to Yahweh, for it was His provision for purification and atonement.
In contrast outside the camp was the world of death and corruption. There death occurred freely, but it was not to be brought into the camp, and was wholly barred from the Tabernacle. The camp itself was a mid-way zone. Death occurred there, but it was to be separated and isolated, and its taint had to be removed through the ritual about to be described or in mild cases by waiting on God.
Death was thus something to be feared and avoided. Even contact with death was to be shunned. Thus to come into contact with death was to be rendered unclean. To touch or come into contact with a dead animal was to require a period of waiting before Yahweh until the evening, having first made preparation by washing the body with water to remove earthiness. But to come into contact with the dead body of a man or woman, or to be in a tent where there was death, was to be rendered so deeply unclean that the cleansing process lasted seven days and required the application of sacrificial blood and an indication of the restoration of life.
So was made clear that Yahweh is the living God, the source and giver of life and that death is foreign to His being and His whole purposes. Death was the great enemy to be shunned and rejected. And it was made clear that His people could come from the sphere of death to the sphere of life through the sprinkling of the blood of a substitute and representative, slain in their place through God’s good provision. Thus could death be put behind them?
But while it was an enemy from which they needed to be delivered, death was common. Contact with death was so common, and so had to be dealt with, that only the High Priest could be kept from it. While by some unfortunate accident it could happen even to him, if it was possible it was to be avoided at all costs, for it defiled him and made him unfit for seven days to fulfill his ministry. It was the opposite of all he stood for, and prevented him from entry into the Holy Place.
Indeed when he himself died it was so momentous an event that a new era was seen to begin. With the rise of a new high priest a new life began for all, and the past was dead and gone. Even the manslayer could return home. While therefore a time of grief it was also a time of celebration. A new future was secured. It was as though a new creation had begun. This will shortly be illustrated in the death of Aaron and the rise of Eleazar.
In this we may reverently suggest that we have a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ Whose sacrifice through His death for us is in one sense ‘stored up’ that we might draw on it in time of need (1 John 1.7). Through His sacrifice we can be freed from the grip and taint of death, so that it cease to be an enemy but becomes powerless (Hebrews 2.14-15).
19 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.
Please take note of the solemn stress laid on the importance of this issue. ‘This is the ordinance (what is prescribed) of the Instruction which Yahweh has commanded’. It was something especially to be taken notice of.
Now I want to let you know that ‘Red Heifers’ are not common. Finding a red heifer is like finding a needle in a hay stack. In the United States of America the Jews discovery of a red calf that could potentially become a Red Heifer excites many Jews who believe that Moses prepared the first Red Heifer and Messiah will prepare the last one.
The possibility of finding a real Red Heifer prompted the Temple Institute to make the logistic preparations needed for bringing the American calf to Israel and to train priests that will perform this sacred and rare sacrificial ceremony.
The Mishna teaches that up until the destruction of the Second Temple, ashes had been prepared from a total of only nine red heifers. The very first red heifer was processed by Moses himself. The second was done by the prophet Ezra in the days of the First Temple, and during the entire era of the Second Temple only seven more heifers were used for ashes. This was enough to provide for the nation's needs for purification throughout all those years.
The names of all the High Priests who prepared those seven heifers during Second Temple times are recorded by the Mishna: Simon the Just and Yochanan each made two; El'yhoeini ben Hakof, Chanamel HaMitzri and Yishmael ben Pi'avi processed one heifer each. Thus, from the time that Moses received the commandment of the red heifer from the Holy One, blessed be He, until the destruction of the Second Temple, purifying ashes had been produced by the hands of these great leaders from a total of nine red heifers.
In recounting this historical record in his commentary to the Mishna, the great Maimonides ends with the enigmatic statement: "... and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be God's will."
With this amazing statement, Maimonides recounts an ancient tradition - that the tenth red heifer is associated with the Messianic era. Does this perhaps mean that the appearance of a red heifer in these waning end times is an indication, a forerunner of the appearance of the Messiah Himself, Who will officiate at its preparation?
If there has been no red heifer for the past 2,000 years, perhaps it is because the time was not right; Israel was far from being ready. But now... what could it mean for the times we live in, to have the means for purification so close at hand? With the words of Maimonides in mind, we cannot help but wonder and pray: If there are now red heifers... is ours the era that will need them?
Biblical law is concerned with several types of impurity which have a direct affect on everyday life, especially when the Holy Temple is standing. The most severe type of impurity is that which is caused by exposure to death. There are several methods for restoring purity, most notably immersion in water - but the Bible's exclusive antidote to the impurity of death is purification by sprinkling of the red heifer's ashes. Many of the thousands who arrived at the Holy Temple had to undergo this process before they could enter into the Court.
The ordinance of the red heifer has detailed requirements which must be met. Some of these are directly relayed in the Biblical verses of Numbers chapter 19; many others were transmitted orally to Moses and than passed down by the rabbis throughout the generations, until the present day. These are expounded upon in the writings of the Oral Tradition.
The heifer must be three years old and perfect in its redness. This means that the presence of as few as two hairs of any other color will render it invalid; it is related that for this reason, the red heifer was always very expensive to procure. Even its hooves must be red. It must also be totally free from any physical blemish or defect, whether internal or external.
Although the red heifer is not a sacrifice per se, for it is not slaughtered in the Temple, it is forbidden that the heifer should possess any of those blemishes which render any sacrifice invalid - such as those enumerated in the book of Leviticus, chapter 22. The red heifer also has an additional, unique requirement: it must have never been used to perform any physical labor. In fact, using the animal in any physical sense at all would render it invalid, even for the slightest, most minor thing. This would include riding, or even leaning on her. The only exception would be some labor which is intrinsically necessary for the heifer's own welfare, such as tying her for her own safety. But if a yoke were placed upon her even once, even if she were not used to plow - this would be enough to render the heifer unfit for use. Thus Scripture states, "that a yoke never went on."
The animal which meets these requirements and others could be used to fulfill the commandment of providing the ashes for the purification process. This heifer must be brought to the "Mount of Annointment," a precise location on the Mount of Olives, opposite the eastern gate of the Temple Mount. There the heifer must be slaughtered and burned. Afterwards, its ashes are mixed together with natural spring water. It is this solution, called by the Bible "the waters of sanctification," which is used to sprinkle on those who are impure.
It was necessarily that the heifer be female, as the producer of life (Genesis 3.20). It was to be young and innocent and free and full of life. The ‘reddish’ color may signify wellbeing and good health, the unblemished state signified its perfection, and it’s not having yet worked signified its exuberance of life. It epitomized the life of the ideal clean man or woman in innocence.
It was to be brought by the children of Israel. By this they were acknowledging it as their representative, slaughtered on their behalf.
3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him;
Here was one full of life and without imperfection, brought to the priest. But she was to be brought by the priest outside the camp, for all procedures related to death had to be dealt with there. They must not involve the camp. And there she was to be slain by a member of the congregation of Israel. The sinless life was taken in the shedding of blood, in a life poured out in death, poured out by one whom she represented. Here we have one being the substitute for, and representing, the many. The resulting combined sprinkling, the sprinkling of her shed blood, and then its application through the sprinkling of the water of uncleanness, is indicated in both Isaiah 52.15 and Ezekiel 36.25.
4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting.
Eleazar the priest, Aaron’s eldest son, was to be present, deputizing for the High Priest who could not come into contact with a ceremonial which spoke of death. The slaughter was not specifically an offering, for it was not offered on the altar (although it was a purification for sin offering), but Eleazar’s next action was to take some of the blood from the red heifer on to his finger and sprinkle it towards the front of the Tent of meeting seven times. The idea was to apply the blood before Yahweh even though outside the camp. This was done seven times in order to signify the divine completeness of the atonement.
5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned.
The whole of the heifer, even the dung (this was because it represented total death), was then to be burnt to ashes by a member of the congregation of Israel in the very presence of Eleazar who was to act as witness to what was done. All the proprieties had to be observed. Even the blood was to be burned. It had its essential part to play among the ashes for application to those tainted by death who were to be cleansed, restored to the covenant and re-sanctified.
6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.
The priest was then to cast into the place where the heifer was burning; cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet. Cedar wood denoted strength and size and long life in a living thing. It was an indication of fullness of life. The cedars of Lebanon were famous for their height and beauty and long life. Hyssop was a plant used for the application of sacrificial blood and water. It was a purging and cleansing agent (Psalm 51.7). Scarlet was the color of blood and might represent sacrificial death or it may represent the destruction of the sin that caused death (Isaiah 1.18), or the emergence of new life (Genesis 38.28, 30). Thus this emphasized the introduction of life, cleansing and atonement into the ashes.
7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening.
Having fulfilled his function the priest would then return to the camp, indicating that he had accomplished what he had come to do (verse 3). But preparatory to this he had to wash his clothes to remove defilement, and bathe himself in order to remove any element of his participation in the ceremony. He had been in contact with what represented death. He was then to remain in isolation within the camp until the evening. The isolation was to be within the camp of the holy people, indicating its part in the cleansing process, but he could not approach the Sanctuary. He was temporarily ‘unclean’.
9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin.
Then one who had not participated in the ceremony (he was clean) and was ritually clean in every regard, was to gather up the ashes of the heifer and store them outside the camp in a clean place. The ashes were sacred not impure, and care had to be taken to avoid uncleanness. They were to be kept pure. But their function connected with death prevented their being brought into the camp.
10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.
The one who gathered the ashes had also come in mild contact with the taint of death and was to wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. It will be noted that he was not required to bathe. He had not participated in the ceremony. The taint of death connected with that did not affect him.
11 ‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.
To come into contact with the dead body of any person was to be unclean for at least seven days. Such was the intensity of the uncleanness that there was no way in which that uncleanness could be removed before the passage of a divinely complete period for its cleansing. And even then it could only be after due process. But once that process was completed the person could feel totally released from its taint.
12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.
The person who needed to be cleansed from the defilement of contact with death had to purify himself on the third day by the application of the water of uncleanness. Should he fail to do this he would not become clean on the seventh day.
13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.
The situation was considered to be so serious that to fail to take advantage of such cleansing would make the person liable to the death penalty. By such behavior they would be defiling the Tabernacle of Yahweh by introducing permanent death into the camp, and treating death lightly. Death was an enemy that had to be excluded, a disease that had to be eradicated. Of course, if they remained for ever outside the camp it would not matter. There would be no problem. The problem lay with those who were careless with regard to contact with death but thought that they could live among the holy people in the camp which surrounded the Tabernacle of Yahweh. That was not possible.
This ‘cutting off’ might be through death or permanent banishment. But usually being cut off denotes death, and it probably therefore does here. It would not, however, presumably be applied to one who remained permanently away from the camp. It should be noted that this is speaking of sin with a high hand, a deliberate refusal to submit to cleansing. It is not speaking of those who innocently were unaware of their need to be cleansed.
14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days;
The taint of uncleanness when a man died affected everyone who came into his tent and everyone who lived there. They lived under the shadow and taint of death for seven days and had to be cleansed.
15 and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean.
The uncleanness even extended to any open vessel, any vessel with no ‘lid’ on it. The taint of death affected it and what was in it. It permeated everywhere within the tent.
16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
The same applied to contact with a dead man as a result of battle, or coming across a dead body and touching it (which presumably any merciful person would do under most circumstances), or even touching the bone of a man, or a grave. All possible contact with human death is involved. It would be a regularly occurring event in the lives of many people. But such was the awfulness of death that it rendered those who came in contact with it as unclean.
17 ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.
For any rendered unclean the ashes of the purification for sin offering were to be put in a vessel with ‘running water’, such as water taken from a spring which was untainted and ‘living’. This water could then be utilized for cleansing. (In this regard we should note that this is the only water which in itself is ever said to have ‘cleansed’ anyone, and it cleansed because it contained sacrificial ashes).
18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave.
The process was to be carried out by a clean person, untainted by the taint of death or impurity. That person would take hyssop and dip it into the water and with it sprinkle the tent in which the man had died, all the vessels and persons who had been there, and anyone who touched a bone, or a slain man, or a dead corpse, or a grave.
19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.
This sprinkling was to be carried out on the third day and on the seventh day. Have you begun to think why does it mention the 3rd day and 7th day? What does the statement on the 3rd day mean to you. I know that you are thinking about how our Lord and Savior rose again on the third day. Thus He returned to life. Then of course the number 7 represents completion. It is amazing how our Great and Wise God puts this all together in this way.
The sprinkling on the seventh day would purify him, but only if he had also been sprinkled on the third day. Then each person sprinkled must wash their clothes, bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening. They were, as it were, having a new beginning, arising from their uncleanness and contact with death. That this would be hygienically wise is undoubted, but the main purpose was that the person might feel themselves removed from the grip of death, and that all might know that it was so. Now they could recommence normal life and approach Yahweh in as far as an ordinary person could do so.
20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
However, the person who refused cleansing, and thus sinned against Yahweh with a high hand, was to be cut off because he had defiled the Sanctuary of Yahweh. He could have no further part in the assembly. He was as one dead. And this was because he had accepted ‘death’ by refusing to be cleansed from it. The water of uncleanness had not been sprinkled on him. He was unclean by choice. He would be either excluded or put to death. He had the choice there too (no one would prevent his flight).
21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”
This was to be a perpetual statute for all Israel. Meanwhile the one who had performed the sprinkling must wash his clothes, presumably lest any drop had fallen on them. And anyone actually touched by the water of uncleanness would be unclean until the evening. And whatever was touched by such a person would become unclean, as would anyone who touched what had become unclean. Such was the scrupulousness with which the taint of death should be avoided.
Thus was the taint of the enemy death to be removed from the people of God, so that they might serve the living God without fear. Death was the opposite of all that God wanted for them, and all that God Is. This passage is the foundation for Isaiah’s teaching that death would one day be swallowed up in victory.(Isaiah 25.8). It was unnatural to God’s purposes. And it would result in Isaiah’s teaching concerning resurrection (Isaiah 26.19).
The Apostle Paul’s description of death as the last enemy which will be abolished is taught in the book of 1 Corinthians 15.26. Paul reminds us that Adam had introduced death into the world by sin. Through the death of His own Son God would remove it forever. And this was what the sacrifice of the red heifer pointed to (Hebrews 9.13-14). We come to a better cleansing through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1.7). This my friends is the main program of Jehovah Elyon’s App as I mentioned earlier.
It may be asked why such a procedure was necessary for cleansing from such contact with death. Both theologically and psychologically its effect was profound. It illustrated that death was an enemy, that it was foreign to God. It illustrated the fact that God Is the living God to Whom death is abhorrent. It illustrated the fact that God gives life from death. But above all it comforted those involved in the process with the recognition that the death had no power over them. They were freed from it and no longer affected by it. They need not fear it or feel defiled by it. They were once more acceptable to God and free from every taint of it.
