FOR SIN AND UNCLEANNESS. Numbers 19 After instructions about the priests and Levites were given, including their roles and provisions for their well-being, the Spirit of God revealed the procedures for cleansing the common people. Uncleanness and defilement are common when working in the world and in public situations. The defilement that comes from living in the world cannot be allowed in the holy things of God. Whether intentional or not, we will all experience life events that pollute us in some way. The symbolic cleansing through the offering of the red heifer teaches us about the real cleansing through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, which meets our needs as we navigate this defiling world on our way to heaven.
The rituals and celebrations that God designed for His people were meant to increase their awareness of their spiritual needs and prepare them for Christ, the Messiah. All of the washings and sacrifices were powerless to change their hearts. The new birth and new nature are spiritual works done by God. The Holy Spirit and the word of God are given to guide us into all truth.
The water of cleansing was not considered a sacrifice. The red heifer was a cow, not an ox. It was to be slaughtered, not sacrificed. It was to be killed outside the camp, not at the altar. The main purpose of the action was that the ashes would be used for the cleansing ritual. The whole animal was burned, and the ashes were kept in a way similar to how people earlier in our lifetime kept ashes for the lye they produced.
The red heifer was taken outside the camp where it was slaughtered. The priest, Eleazar, had to be present and observe the process, but he could not personally identify with the red heifer. He took some of its blood on his finger and sprinkled it seven times toward the Tabernacle, then watched it burn until it turned to ashes. The lesson is that life symbolizes what is holy, and death symbolizes sin.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was holy and innocent; eternal life is part of His nature. Yet, He who is perfect in holiness was killed for our sins, even though He was and always will be sinless. Like the red heifer that was taken outside the camp to be slaughtered, so our Lord Jesus Christ was taken outside of Jerusalem and “led as a lamb to the slaughter.” “He offered Himself without spot to God” for our cleansing from sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” The result is that today, the perfections of our Lord are available for cleansing when the unclean sinners avail themselves of what has been provided for them by taking it by faith.
That uniquely colored heifer symbolizes the moral purity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was flawless in His Person, never bearing the burden of sin. There were no scars of labor caused by sin on His shoulders or from serving the world's system. No trace of sin was found on Him. The type of red heifer also signifies His moral purity. There was no sin in Him, and "in Him was no sin." "He did no sin" even though He lived in a sinful world. Nothing in the world attracted Him to be like it. The world was not drawn to Him because, inside and out, He was perfect, which condemned those who belonged to the world. His perfections exposed the sinfulness of everyone around Him.
The scripture in this account is very precise. That challenges those who try to interpret biblical truth and spiritual principles from their own human viewpoint. The doctrine of complete redemption through Christ's sacrifice alone is clearly explained, even in this type, so that we do not diminish the value of Christ in any way. In the ritual sacrifice of the red heifer, which was killed while witnessing Eleazar, the priest, both the priest and the victim serve as types of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was not the priestly work of our Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross on earth. That was His sacrificial work on our behalf when "He suffered without the gate." His precious blood has sanctified us. The blood of Christ that washed our sins away once and for all is greater than any of the types that point to that work He accomplished. Just as Christ suffered outside the gate of Judaism, it applies to those who "go forth" to Him today, outside the man-made religious systems of the world, to identify with the rejected Jesus.
The world didn't accept Him when He was here, and there's no reason to believe it will accept those who obey Him today. To "go forth unto Him" means our hearts are separate from the world and its systems. We will find ourselves in an outsider, despised position. "Without the camp" involves separating ourselves from the life of those reconciled to God and cleansed. Those who go to where He is have no acceptance from those who love the world and the things in it.
The red heifer being led outside the camp by the priest symbolizes Christ when He was led "to the place which is called Calvary." What happened to the heifer represents the complete removal of sin, separation from the sinful world, and the coming judgment. Now, the shadows are gone. Sin has been permanently dealt with. It no longer needs to be repeated to meet any individual's needs. Because of that finished work, our conscience has been cleared. There is no need to revisit past sins and doubt if Christ did enough. Life changes when the sin issue is settled. His death forgave our sins. He died so that He "might deliver us from this present evil world." Changed people are made pure before the holy God because of the perfection of the sacrifice. We have been "cleansed from all sin."
Eleazar, the priest, sprinkled the blood of the red heifer seven times before God, completing the ritual. The earthly priest placed cedar, hyssop, and red wool into the same fire that completely burned the red heifer. Cedar symbolizes the deity of Christ as the Son of God. Hyssop reminds us of His humanity as the Son of Man. The scarlet speaks of His royalty as the King. These elements became part of the ashes, representing lasting effects, personal application, and the substitutional aspects of cleansing.
The “water of separation” was not magical water, but it was clear that, in obedience to God’s command, an unclean person could, through personal faith in what God says, be cleansed from impurities. It was simply water, but when combined with the ashes of the red heifer and faith in God from an honest heart, it offered cleansing from being defiled by touching something dead.
When we examine the sacrifice of the red heifer, many aspects of the Lord are symbolized. Those items burned with the red heifer serve as a reminder that our worldly nature, whether big or small, along with human glory, has been taken away when we were "crucified with Christ." The cross separates us from everything in the world.
Moral cleansing cannot be achieved through water alone. The water of baptism, without personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, holds no spiritual significance. Hyssop was used to apply the cleansing water of purification, reminding us that when our Lord Jesus was on the cross, “Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,” said, “I thirst.” It was then they put vinegar on hyssop and presented it to His mouth. When He received the vinegar, He said, “It is finished!” The cleansing method has been fully provided and is ready for use.
The earthly priest had to be cleansed, but our divine Priest has completed the work of redemption forever and has "sat down" in eternity at the right hand of God. The blood of the atonement has been presented to God and has been accepted by Him. The power of the blood and the sacrifice of Christ have satisfied God because of the Person and work of the Lord. The value of the sacrifice is not something we determine based on what we feel, think, understand, or appreciate. My understanding of what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross does not influence its value for me. We simply rest on that finished work that "cleanses us from all sin."
The cleansing power of the blood of Christ is contrasted by the words “Much more” in Hebrews 7:13-14, with the cleansing effect of water mixed with faith and the ashes of the red heifer. The Israelites were taught through this ceremony and the sacrifices that a real Person would come and fulfill all that the righteous God demanded.
The ashes of the red heifer were kept, and when people needed them to cleanse themselves from defilement caused by man's final enemy - death - they could claim it for themselves. In a practical sense, this applies to us today: the finished work of Christ makes our prayers and praises acceptable when we are cleansed by the washing of water through the Word. When we commit to holiness and refuse to do what we know is not in line with God's mind and will, the significance of His work and Person becomes very meaningful to us. The cleansing power of Christ's work causes us to confront our sins first. Then it reminds us of what has met the need that defilement has caused—the death of Christ. "The blood of Jesus Christ" has made this provision.
Those ashes of the red heifer were kept so that the children of Israel would remember God's goodness and the evil of sin. Before I can help another struggling believer, I must experience the cleansing power of Christ myself. That power cleanses me from every stain that contact with sin causes.
There is no need to revisit the sins of life and question whether Christ did enough. Life is transformed when the sin issue is resolved. His death removed our sins. He died so that He "might deliver us from this present evil world." Changed individuals are made pure in the sight of the holy God because of the perfection of the sacrifice. We have been "cleansed from all sin." A general offering must be made. An unclean person could not approach God because he had touched a dead body. This was the strongest of all defilements because death is the ultimate consequence of sin. A special sacrifice was necessary—a red heifer—offered by someone who was not defiled.
The animal was unique. It was to be a heifer, different from the bulls used in Egypt. It was to be a red heifer, unlike the red bulls sacrificed in Egypt to appease the evil demon god. It was meant to be a red heifer without any spots, with no mixtures of other colors. Every hair was to be red. It was to be a red heifer free of spots and blemishes. There was to be no imperfection either on or in this animal. It was to be a red heifer, without spot or blemish, that had never borne a yoke. It had never been used for any other common purpose.
The animal was killed outside the camp; some of its blood was sprinkled toward the front of the tabernacle, and it was completely burned in the sight of the priest. Into the burning animal were thrown cedar wood, hyssop, and the scarlet dye made from the scarlet worm. The ashes were collected and stored in a special, clean place to be mixed with water for the ceremonial cleansing of someone who had touched a dead body.
There is one more thing to consider regarding this teaching. If people do not purify themselves and refuse to recognize their need for cleansing, they are “cut off.” Uncleanness is serious. Sin causes death. This is not what God intended when He created the heavens, the earth, and us. We need to be reconciled to God, which only happens through the cleansing Jesus Christ provides. If that is rejected, the rejector is “cut off” forever and will never be accepted in any other way.
This symbolic teaching foreshadows Him who calls us to Himself “without the gate (camp).” This illustration of Christ reflects who He is in Himself, contrasting with the heifer in Genesis 15, which symbolizes what Christ is to the Father. The only other place in scripture where “blemish” and “spot” are mentioned together is in 1 Peter 1:19 concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter, the focus is on His Person; here in Numbers, it is on His Purity. The entire animal is to be burned—a type of Jesus as the “whole burnt offering.”
Cedarwood, which is added as a long-lasting, naturally scented wood, represents the Deity of Christ – Jesus is the Son of God. The hyssop, a common plant found growing nearby, symbolizes the Humanity of Christ – Jesus is the Son of Man. The scarlet added to the fire, derived from a scarlet worm used to dye garments, signifies the Royalty of Christ – Jesus is the “King of the Jews”; the “King of Glory.”
The “water of separation” refers to the cleansing of believers by the Word of God [Ps.119:9; Ep.5:26; Ti.3:5]. The ashes symbolize the finished work of Christ; nothing but the Person and work of Christ, revealed to us through the Word of God, can cleanse us from our sin. We experience daily cleansing from impurity all around us (dead bodies), and we need to apply this personally. There is also a once-and-for-all cleansing (a statute forever), and the ashes show that someone has been cleansed and accepted by God [Heb.9:12; 10:12].