Numbers 19:8-10 - The one who burns the
heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in
water; he shall remain unclean until evening. Then someone who is clean shall gather up the
ashes of the heifer, and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place; and
they shall be kept for the congregation of the Israelites for the water for
cleansing. It is a purification offering. The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer
shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This shall be a perpetual
statute for the Israelites and for the alien residing among them.
The Israelites were told to take a
rare red heifer…and sacrifice it outside
the camp. The priest was to watch it be
slaughtered…sprinkle some of its blood toward the tabernacle and burn it
completely to ash. Then the ashes were
to be collected by yet another person and put in a ‘clean place’ and kept …for
as long as they lasted. Some of the ash
was to be put in a container of water…and used to purify people after they had
been defiled.
Such a curious chapter…so hard to
understand…with commentary after commentary to add to the confusion. There were
so many articles about the red heifer…and what it might mean to us today….that
I simply did not have time to read them all. So I am once again reminded that some things
are just to be done…because God said so. It was a ritual he gave them ..to
purify themselves…when they had been defiled…so they could once again worship
and be clean in the presence of God at the tabernacle.
The red heifer used for this ritual of
purification is very rare…and many believe that one will appear again someday …its
appearance orchestrated somehow with return of Christ to claim his own. I could only find the actual words ‘Red
Heifer’ … several places in Numbers…but many of the commentaries felt that scriptures
like Daniel 12:10…Isaiah 53:12…Much of Hebrews 9..and many places in Revelation…were
in reference to the purification required by these ashes.
I don’t have to burn red heifers anymore…Jesus
took care of the last blood sacrifice when he gave his life for me on the cross…but
I do need to ask God to wash me clean periodically…because I sin…and the sin
defiles me…and separates me from his presence in my life. I don’t need the ash
from the red heifer in my bath water…I need the spirit of God to cleanse me
with the power he claimed when he shed his blood for me on that cross. I for
one find myself reflecting daily on the things that I have done wrong…and need
to pray for God’s forgiveness and cleansing more than once during a day.
Father…wash me clean…with your blood that
saved the world from its sins. Help me
father to be ready for you…whether it be to listen to your soft voice to give
me direction…to allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of my stubbornness and sin…or
just to bask in your presence for a while and be strengthened and renewed in
your love. Keep my heart ready for your return…so if a red heifer does appear
somehow to usher in the end of life on Earth as we know it...so that we can all
enjoy your presence in Heaven every moment of the eternal life you promised…I
will be ready to claim my spot next to your feet. Amen.
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