Read Numbers 19
The Water of Cleansing
19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heiferwithout defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. 10 The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.
11 “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.
14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinklethe tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. 21 This is a lasting ordinance for them.
“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening.22 Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”
Go Deeper
This section of Numbers is filled with rebellion outside the Promised Land, and its subsequent consequences. Will God’s promises prevail in the midst of sin? Despite Israel’s rebellion and discontentment, there is hope. We know that the Bible is ultimately the story of God and His rescue plan through Jesus. All throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of this Savior and a “shadow of the good things that are coming” (Hebrews 10:1). B.B. Warfield, an American theologian, famously described the Old Testament as a “richly furnished room, dimly lit.”
So, where do we see Christ in the book of Numbers? This chapter, and so many others, clearly point to Him. Numbers 19 is all about purification laws related to death. The purpose of this law was to remove the uncleanliness associated with death, especially after thousands perished as a result of Korah’s rebellion in Numbers 16. The terms “clean” and “unclean” cover this chapter.
Touching dead bodies would make someone ceremonial unclean. As a reminder, when God gave the Israelites the law at Mount Sinai in the book of Exodus, there were three parts of the law: moral, civil, and ceremonial. The moral law addressed things that are morally good or bad, civil laws dealt with disputes between the Israelites and their daily affairs, and ceremonial laws were concerned with what made them “clean” or “unclean.” In Numbers 19, the Lord spoke to Moses giving them a ceremonial instruction saying, “Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke” (v. 2). A red heifer is a female cow that has never been pregnant. This type of animal would have been valuable and rare. This introduces to us a different, and very specific type of sacrifice than we have seen in the Old Testament. It specified the color red, it had to be female, it was to be slaughtered not sacrificed, it was to be killed outside the camp and not at the altar, and its blood was to be sprinkled seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting.
While the red heifer was being burnt, the priests were instructed to put cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet in the fire. All three together would produce ashes that were gathered and sprinkled in water to make for purification (v. 9). Each item had a purpose and pointed to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Many scholars say that the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of cedar. While He was on the cross, He was offered a drink from a hyssop branch. The veil that was torn in the temple when He died was scarlet. Jesus became unclean, not with sin but by taking our sin upon himself and dying on the cross for us.
Like the red heifer, Jesus was “without blemish,” sacrificed outside Jerusalem or “outside the camp,” and its ashes cleansed people of their uncleanliness like Jesus cleanses us of our unrighteousness. Hebrews 13:11-12 says, “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” He took on all our uncleanliness, so that we may be made clean. Even in Numbers, we see a picture that despite our sins like scarlet, God will make them white as snow.
Questions
- What stuck out to you on your first read through this chapter?
- Why did God care so much about instructions like He gave in this chapter?
- Where else have you seen Christ in the book of Numbers?
Keep Digging
Click here to read more about the significance of the red heifer in the Bible!
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4 thoughts on “Numbers 19”
The hymn I learned in childhood “Nothing but the Blood” by Robert Lowry came to mind after reading chapter 19 and the commentary:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon this I see:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Ella thank you for taking the time to share your insights each morning. There is a richness in your words. Amy you’re sharing how God is transforming your life. Together you both both provide a refreshing perspective on God’s word. God is using you both in a beautiful way. Blessings to you both.
Amy you’re sharing how God is transforming your life is invaluable.
Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and His sacrifice provides true forgiveness and eternal life with Him. Thank you, Jesus.