RED HEIFER

Numbers 19:1-22 

Introduction: There are three heifers mentioned in the Old Testament.  The covenant heifer used in the covenant with Abraham. Genesis 15:9

“Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil.”

      Purification by the ashes of a red heifer Numbers 19:2

“This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke”

      To purify a land after a murder occurs Deuteronomy 21:1-9

“If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley: And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.”

      The Jews in the land of Israel today that there are four things that must occur before the Messiah comes today. First of all, they need the anointing oil.  In 1995, a goatskin container was found in a cave in Israel by archaeologists, which still had oil in it.  After testing it, it was found to have the five ingredients, which was the same as the anointing oil mentioned in Exodus 30:22-25. 

“Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”

      The five ingredients are pure myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil.

      Secondly they need Ashes of a red heifer.  I will explain this further in this message.

      Thirdly, they need the Ark of the Covenant.  Many Jews today believe that the Ark is under the Temple Mount.  But it is possible in the tunnels that are located under the Mosque of Omar.  The Moslems will not allow the Jews to dig any further.

      Last of all they need the Rebuilding of the Temple.  Harps are being made for the first time in 2000 years and people are learning to play for services in the Temple in Israel.  There are classes teaching young men to be priests in the New Temple.

      In this passages we will be looking at the ashes of the red heifer.  We will be looking at the death of Christ in relation to this passage.  It would well to remember on the day of the death of Christ, many prophecies were fulfilled, and He satisfied all the offerings and sacrifices of the Old Testament. 

I.  THE INGREDIENTS OF THIS PASSAGE

                  A. A red heifer (pure red)  (female cow)

“This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke”    Vs. 2

      It must not have any spots.  It must not have any blemishes.  It must never have had a yoke upon it.  One reason that it was red heifer is because in the land of Egypt, the Egyptians regarded the red heifer as a sacred to the goddess Isis.

      In 1996, A cattle breeder in Texas has been commissioned by Israel to breed cows and he has one that is close and it has been sent to Israel who will continue until they get a pure red heifer.

      I found this article online in regards to the red heifer.

Red heifer born in Israel

Israel National News

Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2002 1:34:43 PM

      Red Heifer Born in Israel (IsraelNN.com) In these days of difficulty for the Land of Israel, there is encouraging news as well...

      It can now be revealed that less than one month ago, a red heifer was born in Israel. After the heifer's owner contacted the Temple Institute, on Friday, April 5th, 2001, Rabbi Menachem Makover and Rabbi Chaim Richman traveled to the farm where the heifer is located, to inspect and validate her status. The rabbis found her to be kosher and were satisfied that this heifer could indeed be a candidate to be used in the process of purification described in the book of Numbers, chapter 19. This is a prerequisite for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.

      Tradition records that a red heifer in our generation is a herald of the Messianic era. It is certainly an important development towards the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Our sages taught that Israel’s redemption can be compared to the dawn. "In the beginning, it progresses very slowly...but as it continues, it grows brighter and brighter."

      There are several other ingredients mixed in when this sacrifice is burnt.  There must be cedar wood- native tree of the region.  Also you need hyssop- a small tree that is sponge like.  It can grow 6-8 foot tall but has a root system that is as long as the tree or longer.   It was used in the  first Passover in Exodus 12 to sprinkle the blood on the door post.

                     You need water and scarlet- a deep red cloth- blackish red.

                              The ashes were to purify the people from uncleanness.  

                                                Vs. 9, 11-22

“And 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.”  “He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.”

      The ashes were then gathered by a clean person and placed in a clean container. After the priest who makes the offering, he is unclean until he cleanses himself with running water and then he is unclean until evening time. 

                        Vs. 7

“Then 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.” 

II.   THE INSPIRATION FROM THIS PASSAGE

1. The Red Heifer represents Christ.  Every heifer produces life, bears life and sustains life.  He was taken outside of the city to be crucified.  

                              Matthew 27:31-33

“And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull”

                              He is our priest Hebrews 4:14

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

                              He became unclean so we can be clean.

                                                2^nd Corinthians 5:21

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

                  B. Scarlet  Matthew 27:28

                        “And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.”

                              (the scarlet represents the vilest.)

         C. Cedar- (red durable wood)  This was most likely what the cross was made out of.  (The cedar trees could grow very tall sometimes 120 feet and taller) The cedar represents the tallest.

      There is a story about the dogwood tree.  It even sounds spiritual.  The white flowers have notches on the end of them that people say represent the nail prints of Christ.  The red portion of the flowers represents the blood that was shed.  The yellow buds in the middle represent the crown of thorns.  It was said that the tree was cursed because Christ was supposedly crucified on it.  In my research, I found that dogwoods are in North American, England and some parts of China.  It is too hot and dry for a dogwood to grow.  Even though the Bible doesn’t say what the cross was made of, we KNOW THAT JESUS SATISFIED ALL PARTS OF EVERY SACRIFICE AND OFFERING WITH HIS DEATH.  It is safe to say that the cross was made of cedar wood since it is native to that land also.

                  D. Hyssop  (represents the smallest)

      Remember what I said about its root.  You cannot pull a hyssop tree up and get the entire root.  As it goes down to find water, it will wind itself around rock, which hold it in securely.  We are in the Rock of Ages. Hyssop is seen at the cross also.

                                                John 19:28-29

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.”

                  E. Water is a type of the cleansing that come from the Word of God. 

                                                Ephesians 5:26

               “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word”      Water was also seen at the cross.

                                                John 19:31-34

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” 

Conclusion: This is a great example of the Old Testament concealed and New Testament revealed.