Numbers 19
Laws of Purification
The Purification of the Unclean
1 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.
3You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4and 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.
5Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 7Then 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.
8And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9Then 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. 10And 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. 12He 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.
13Whoever 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. (New King James Version)
At the beginning of the year, many believers start reading the Bible from cover to cover. It’s around Leviticus and Numbers that many give up. I know that’s what happened to me when I was young. We read of these bizarre religious practices and we wonder what relevance do they have for us today. I have begun to discover that in reviewing these practices closer we can see a foreshadowing of the work and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The most unusual of the sacrifices is the sacrifice of the red heifer.
This morning we are going to look at this passage in Numbers 19 and how it relates to the work of Christ on the cross.
I. Significance of the Red Heifer
Why a red heifer and how does it relate to Christ?
The word for red used is the Hebrew word awdome, which is similar to the word Adam which is the name of the first man. Some commentators believe the word "Adam" stems from a word meaning "red earth." We find that God often in Scripture uses similar sounding words with different meanings to drive home a spiritual point. Some commentators believe that in using the red heifer God is pointing back to Adam and the first sin.
Unlike other sacrifices, a red heifer would be sacrificed very rarely--only when the ashes ran out. We see in Christ that He was only to be sacrificed once, but unlike the red heifer the cleansing created by His sacrifice would last for eternity. (Hebrews 10:10)
Another reason why a red heifer was chosen was because it was perfect. A completely red heifer is quite rare and the significance of it was that it represented perfection. Indeed even some modern day Jewish scholars see the red heifer as representing perfection.
What were the requirements for a red heifer? “The Mishnah (Parah, i., ii.) states that the needful age for such a red heifer had to be two to five years. And the heifer had to be completely red. Jewish law stated that “if but two hairs were black or white, it was unlawful.’’ Because of its rarity was highly valued. I think that even today if such a heifer was born it would likely be a highly priced showcase cow.
So how does all of this relate to Christ? Christ came into this world as the new Adam. We have already mentioned that the Hebrew word for red is awdome, quite similar to the word Adam. Another similarity between Christ and the red heifer is that just as the red heifer was perfect and without blemish—so Christ was spiritually perfect.
Why was a cow chosen and not a lamb? One thing unique about this sacrifice is that it is the only one involving a female animal. The female animal was more submissive than a bull would have been. Such may have reflected Christ’s submissiveness to the Father.
Another significance of the cow I believe is that it was a beast of burden. These are creatures are beasts of burden—known for rendering their humble service. In a similar vein, Christ came into this world as a servant. Consider the following verses:
Matthew 20
27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."—New King James
Philippians 2
The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
II. Slaughtered Outside the Camp (v. 3)
You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him—Numbers 19:3
This perfect cow was to be slaughtered outside the camp. The sacrifice of the heifer outside the camp was a foreshadow of the death of Christ which occurred outside the city of Jerusalem. It speaks of this in Hebrews 13:12:
Hebrews 13
12Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
In verse 12, we see Christ going “outside the gate” in order to bring salvation to the world. We see a savior who so loved the world that He left His comfort zone in Heaven and suffered “outside the gate” so that the lost could be saved. The sacrifice of the red heifer outside the camp of Israel was a picture of the reproach Christ would experience. Christ died on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem. In reflecting on the ministry of Christ, it seems that He spent much of His time outside the camp ministering to the outcasts—the tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners. In Hebrews 13:13, we as believers are called upon to do something quite radical—we are called to go outside the camp as well.
John Piper, in commenting on this verse from Hebrews, states that this verse challenges believers to move towards “need and not comfort.” Jesus went outside the gate by going to Calvary. It certainly was not comfortable, but He could not be comfortable avoiding the need of the world. Christ is calling us as disciples to take up His cross and follow Him. The way of the cross is outside the camp—outside the gate. We as believers are called to go outside the camp of our own comfort zones and share the love of Christ with a lost and dying world.
III. Sprinkle its blood in front of the Tabernacle of Meeting (v. 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.”—Numbers 19:4
The blood of the red heifer had to be sprinkled in front of the Tabernacle of Meeting seven times. Why seven times? We have seen in the Bible that seven is the number of completion. The blood of the heifer was sprinkled seven times before the Tabernacle of Meeting. That means that people going into the tabernacle had to walk through where the blood had sprinkled to enter. This sprinkling of blood represented cleansing and consecration of what was holy.
Just as one would have to go through the blood of the heifer to enter the Tabernacle of Meeting, so one has to go through the blood of Jesus to enter His church.
Consider the following verses:
Ephesians 2
Oneness and Peace in Christ
11Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from God’s people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.(New Living Translation)
Hebrews 10
A Call to Persevere
19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
It is through the blood of Jesus that we enter into His church. When I speak of His church I do not speak of a denomination or a building. Denominations are good. And the local church fellowship is good. But what I speak of is the eternal church—the body of Christ. One day the United Methodist denomination will pass away. One day the Southern Baptist convention will pass away. One day the Assemblies of God will pass away. One day the Roman Catholic Church will pass away. But the true church—the Body of Christ will remain forever. Consider what is written in Ephesian 4:4:
Ephesians 4
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can enter into God’s Tent of Meeting. Have you entered in through the blood of Christ? Have you called upon Him for salvation?
IV. The red heifer shall be burned
5Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.
Commentators believe that the whole burning of the heifer is a picture of the physical and spiritual suffering that consumed Christ on the cross. Bible commentator Alfred Edersheim in his book, The Temple It’s Ministry and Services, describes how the sacrifice of the red heifer took place with the priests of the Temple in Jerusalem:
“On the Mount of Olives the elders of Israel were already in waiting. First, the priest immersed his whole body, then he approached the pile of cedar-, pine-, and fig-wood which was heaped up like a pyramid, but having an opening in the middle, looking towards the west [the Temple].
"Into this the red heifer was thrust, and bound, with its head towards the south and its face looking to the west, the priest standing east of the sacrifice, his face, of course, also turned westwards. Slaying the sacrifice with his right hand, he caught up the blood in his left.
"Seven times he dipped his finger in it, sprinkling it towards the Most Holy Place, which he was supposed to have in full view over the Porch of Solomon or through the eastern gate. Then, immediately descending, he kindled the fire. As soon as the flames burst forth, the priest, standing outside the pit in which the pile was built up, took cedarwood, hyssop, and ’scarlet’ wool, asking three times as he held up each: ’Is this cedarwood? Is this hyssop? Is this scarlet?’ so as to call to the memory of everyone the Divine ordinance.
"Then tying them together with the scarlet wool, he threw the bundle upon the burning heifer. The burnt remains were beaten into ashes by sticks or stone mallets and passed through coarse sieves; then divided into three parts -- one of which was kept in the Temple-terrace (the Chel), the other on the Mount of Olives, and the third distributed among the priesthood throughout the land." (Alfred Edersheim: The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, 283-284).
Elements burned with the red heifer
A. Cedar wood
What is the significance of cedar? According to most commentators, cedar is presented in Scripture as a symbol of imperishable existence. When cedar burns it produces a sweet aroma bringing to mind the sweet aroma of the sacrifice Christ would make on the cross. Cedar is a common wood used throughout Palestine and the Middle East. It is quite possible that Christ was even crucified on a cross made of cedar. In Ezekiel 17, Christ is portrayed as a cedar tree.
Ezekiel 17
22"And the Sovereign LORD says: I will take a tender shoot from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain. 23It will become a noble cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter beneath its branches. 24And all the trees will know that it is I, the LORD, who cuts down the tall tree and helps the short tree to grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives new life to the dead tree. I, the LORD, have spoken! I will do what I have said." (New Living Translation)
Cedar thus seems to signify that which is eternal.
B. Hyssop
Hyssop in Scripture is associated with cleansing. In Psalm 51:7, David wrote:
“Purge me with hyssop, and shall be clean…”
Hyssop is a small bushy plant that grows in the Middle East. Oil from hyssop in fact is said to be quite an effective antiseptic and antibacterial agent. Hyssop oil contains 50 percent carvacrol which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent that still used in medicine.
Hyssop thus seems to signify cleansing.
C. Scarlet
Many commentators see this color as symbolizing life. Scarlet is the color of blood. Blood is the source of life. It was the blood of Jesus shed on the cross that would offer cleansing and eternal life.
It was the scarlet thread that tied together the hyssop and cedar thrown into the fire with the red heifer.
V. The ashes of the heifer and the elements would be mixed into the water of purification
11"He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12He 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. 13Whoever 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 ashes would be kept in a special container. If someone touched a dead body then they needed to be sprinkled with the water of purification to be made clean. The ashes of the heifer and the elements would be mixed in with water. Someone clean then would take a branch of hyssop to sprinkle water on the person unclean on the third and seventh day.
It wasn’t enough that someone believed that the red heifer was slain. It wasn’t enough that someone believed in the cleansing power of the ashes in the water of purification. People had to seek out cleansing for themselves. People themselves had to be sprinkled with the water of cleansing themselves.
There is something we have in common with those who touched the dead in Old Testament times. We, too, have touched death. If we have ever touched sin, then we have touched death. If someone touched death and never received cleansing from the water of purification, then they would be cut off from the people of Israel. If we who have touched by sin never seek the purification provided by the blood of Christ, then we too will be cut off. It is not enough to merely believe in Christ or even that He died for our sins. We have to seek cleansing from Him for ourselves. We have to repent and confess Him as Lord of our lives and then we will be cleansed from the stain of sin and death that is on our lives.
Here is the promise of Scripture:
Hebrews 10
21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s people, 22let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. (New Living Translation)
We see in the red heifer the sacrifice of the perfect animal. We see in Christ the sacrifice of the perfect man—a man who left the comfort of Heaven to minister outside the camp to a lost and dying world.
There may be someone here who has never asked Jesus into their hearts. There may someone here who has is a Christian, but has fallen away. Maybe God this morning is calling you to go minister outside the camp. Whatever your need is I want to invite you this morning to come and seek the Lord.
