Numbers 19:7-107Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. 10And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. (Numbers 19:7‑10)
IN THE burning of the red heifer we learn that sin in God’s sight is a far more serious matter than man often supposes. God sees it in the light of His nature, while man generally judges according to how it affects himself and others. This world is a defiling place and even children of God contract defilement while passing through it. Thus in the ashes of the red heifer we see God’s gracious provision for putting away defilement in His children.
The heifer unmixed in color — in appearance without — unblemished, and unbroken by the yoke which sinful man would put upon it, is a type of Christ, who only did His Father’s will, in whom was no sin, and who, as the faithful and true Witness, suffered death at the hand of His creatures.
The heifer was slain as a sin offering outside the camp and its blood sprinkled by the priest seven times before the tabernacle. The blood was not brought inside. After this its flesh, blood, skin and dung were set fire to before his eyes. Again the priest came forward and cast cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then a third person collected the ashes and laid them up without the camp in a clean place, to be mixed with running water for use as often as the occasion required.
The blood sprinkled completely before the tabernacle but not brought to the altar tells of our access to God by one perfect sacrifice, the death and precious blood of Christ. His blood cleanses from all sin, yet it is not the blood that is applied to the defiled saint of God here. But it is Christ offered to God, the perfect sacrifice never again repeated. We never read of another red heifer offered up, nor was the blood sprinkled again bore the tabernacle. Christ has borne it all and the work of redemption done forever.
But the ashes of the red heifer mixed with the running water speak of cleansing for the believer. They tell of Christ’s death and judgment completely borne — all consumed — applied by the Holy Spirit to our souls through the Word, as seen in the water, to cleanse us from our defilement.
The heifer burned without the camp tells of what sin is in the sight of God who will not have His sanctuary defiled. But it also tells of the place our blessed Saviour took when He suffered without the gate and became sin for us, “who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)).
The cedar wood and the hyssop speak of man’s greatness and his nothingness, the scarlet of this world’s glory. Thus all that man glories in are gone in the death of Christ. Here we learn the utter end of all that we are in nature. Such we are before God. What a wholesome lesson then we learn from the burning of the red heifer.
ML-12/30/1973